Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 624(@200wpm)___ 499(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“Oh.” I inched back. “Well. . .I’m not pregnant—”
“You will be.”
What the fuck?
Leo laughed and then tapped the gift. “But we should focus. My son will soon be here and I will truly have to behave.”
I looked at the big gift, wondering what could be inside of the box and/or what craziness would come out of it.
Was it a precious heirloom from their family?
Was it some sort of symbolic gift to honor the tea ceremony?
Or was it something. . .terrifying?
It could be anything, but I hoped for the best as I reached out to undo the bow. The blue ribbon slid off easily.
That was when I realized Song had not come over to the table with him. Instead, he remained several feet away.
O-kay. . .Song is acting weird. . .that may not be a good sign.
Meanwhile, the other man placed his briefcase on the table and began taking out tons of papers and pens.
Is he a lawyer? What the hell is really going on?
I hesitated for a moment before lifting the top of the box.
As soon as I did, the metallic scent of blood hit my nose, reminding me of the day when Lei and I walked into that bloodied hotel room discovering the torture scene before us. A scene that Leo and Song had orchestrated.
Oh no. I’m not doing this today.
My stomach churned.
A sense of dread washed over me and I quickly placed the top back on, not even checking to see what was in the box.
My hands shook.
“Leo. . .” I shivered and took a step back. “What’s in there? Seriously.”
Leo’s smile remained but his eyes darkened slightly. “Open it, Monique.”
The sickening smell lingered in the space, making it hard to breathe. No more did the kitchen have the fragrance of tea. The scent of death was immediate in the space.
I swallowed. “No disrespect, but. . .it smells like something died inside of there.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“I feel like it does. . .”
His tone remained calm but firm. “Open it. You need to see your present.”
“But. . .”
“I could have told you but I believe that if you see it, then this will be much better.”
My heart pounded.
“Monique, I want you to know how much I care for you.” Leo reached across the table and his hand settled on top of the gift. “You are my daughter and this gift. . .it’s not an ordinary one. It’s a symbol. A symbol of my trust in you and of how much you mean to me. I am putting all of my faith and my bloodline into your hands.”
“Leo. . .that’s a lot.”
“It is a lot.” He moved his hand. “Open it.”
I swallowed hard, glancing between Leo and the gift.
The air thickened with tension.
“Okay.” Summoning all my courage, I reached for the lid again.
You can do this. It won’t be bad. It’s probably a. . .dead bird or something symbolizing. . .I don’t know. . .life. . .
Or it could be Chanel’s face.
He did have possession of her dead body.
Man. . .I don’t want to see that. . .
This time, I lifted it fully, bracing myself for whatever horror awaited inside and when I did see it. . .holy fucking shit. . .I couldn’t even move.
Oh God no. . .
My breath caught in my throat.
Terror coursed through my veins.
The sight was worse than I could have ever imagined.
No. No. No.
There, nestled in the box, was the severed head of Yan.
Leo’s daughter.
Lei’s sister.
I froze right there, holding the top in the air.
Was this some nightmare that I had found myself trapped in? If so. . .I would have loved to wake up right in that moment?
But I didn’t wake up.
Because this was no nightmare.
This was my fucking crazy ass father-in-love.
Why the hell did he give me this?!
Chapter two
My New Psycho Father
Monique
Leo’s smile widened. “Do you see how much I care for you, daughter?”
I had no words.
Even if I did have words, I didn’t have the ability to speak them.
All I could do was just stare at Yan’s severed head in the box. A cross had been gruesomely carved into her forehead and the wound was deep and still fresh.
Instead of Yan’s brown eyes, two large blue marbles stared out lifelessly from her eyelids, giving her face an eerie, doll-like appearance.
What? The? Fuck?
A delicate gold crown rested atop her head.
It was a grotesque mockery of royalty.
Her mouth was parted wide, frozen in a silent scream that spoke of unimaginable terror and pain. She surely did not die in her sleep. Leo did some fucked up shit to her before she passed.
Blood soaked the blue satin sheet her head lay upon and the vibrant color contrasted horrifically with the crimson stains.
Panic struck me like a physical blow, my body reacted violently.
My stomach churned and bile rose in my throat as I fought the overwhelming urge to vomit.