*Warning! Physical abuse will be featured in this chapter. Please be advised.*

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My shoulders tensed as I slowly made my way up the front steps, stopping in front of my mother. She grinned up at me and I forced myself to muster a smile at her. She stepped out of Atticus' embrace and opened her arms wide. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders as she wrapped hers around my waist since I was so much taller than her.

For a moment I let myself breathe in her scent. She always smelled like this Armani perfume she'd been wearing since I could remember. It brought little comfort but it still smelt like home to me.

I loved my mother. While she may have abandoned us to our father for our entire lives but I knew she still loved us. "Hello Mama," I said softly, tightening my arms just the slightest.

She tutted, pushing me away stiffly but gently. "Now now, my Anastasia, no need to get emotional," she reprimanded swiftly, her eyes darting to the side where she knew my father stood behind her.

My head lifted, my spine straightening as I slipped my hands behind my back. "Of course not."

I remained standing in front of my mother, knowing my father expected me to move to greet him. He could make the first move for all I cared. "Do you know why Amari has barricaded herself in her room?" My mother demanded, her nose crinkling in exasperation. "Her music is blaring and she won't open the door."

Just inside the foyer, Harvey and Lorenzo stood, their expressions blank. My jaw shifted. If they had at least warned me five seconds before I could have used that time to mentally prepare myself for this disaster.

"Is this how The Love Heir dresses now? In nothing but a shirt tied with a belt?" My father's sophisticated British accent slammed through my defenses, cutting off my mother's continuous questions about Amari.

My knuckles tightened as my hands clutched each other. "I am the heir of nothing because I'm no longer an heir. I'm the Boss," I informed him, daring to look him in the eye.

His blue eyes that matched Atticus' down to the shade, bored into mine, a menacing gleam behind them. His lips twitched. "I'm glad you think that."

My nose twitched as my blood started boiling. Fucking asshole. "Looks as if you're having trouble coming to terms with reality, Father," I sniped, my tone bitter, "you should really stop living in your imagination and read the contract you signed."

He breathed in slowly, his hands hidden behind his back. I fought the smirk threatening to come out. My father stared me down. I refused to break eye contact. Both of us ignored the sounds of my mother's voice trying to hold a conversation.

Footsteps making their way up the stairs broke out concentration as my father glanced over my shoulder. I twisted enough to see Jasper determinedly walking up the steps, his stride not breaking for a second. Finn took his time behind him.

My mother opened her arms again, a wide smile on her face. "Jasper, come give your mother a hu—"

Jasper walked right past both of our parents and into the manor without a word or a look in either direction.

My mother's expression fell but I couldn't feel sorry for her, she stood by while her husband abused her child in the harshest ways possible. Yes, we could have stopped it, but every time Elijah and I tried to speak up our father pressed down further on our resolve, daring us to speak out against him.

A rush of pride swelled through me. Fuck yeah, that's my little brother.

My father's eyes widened and he spun to grab the nape of Jasper's jacket but I calmly spoke out. "Do not touch him."

He paused, fingers still outstretched as Jasper got further away. Uncle George walked out from behind the doors, watching Jasper with a saddened look on his face. Uncle Ron used to help stitch Jasper up after a particularly rough training with our father, there was no way he hid that information from Uncle George.

My father dropped his hand to his side and turned to face me. My mother's eyes darted between the two of us. Atticus laid a hand on her shoulder protectively.

"Excuse me?" He asked calmly.

I tilted my head to the side. "I said don't touch him," I repeated. "You touch him or even say a word to him without his permission and you're out of this house." My gaze settled on my mother. "You may stay as long as you like." She gaped at me. "But understand this, you are no longer in charge, you disappeared and left me with everything, that was your mistake and now you can live with those consequences."

My father smiled, his perfect white teeth shining. "I knew you had it in you, Anastasia. This is why I had you sent home, to take your rightful place." He took a few steps toward me, keeping his stare firm and unbreaking. "I have no intention of taking my throne back from you, I gave it to you for a reason. But," he began, dipping his head until our faces were mere inches away, "you will remember your place as beneath me, whether or not you wear the crown I've given you."

I bared my teeth up at him. "Why are you here?"

He straightened to his regular height, a victorious smile on his face. "We heard about what you did the Shan Xiao, I'm here to settle talks with him so that he doesn't try to kill you or your siblings."

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. "He already tried and failed, hence the missing finger. He made his choices."

"Oh, I do not doubt that, and well done for taking your revenge," my father congratulated me, no hint of a lie in his words. Somehow that made what I did feel worse than the lack of guilt I felt after what I initially did. I didn't want to be like my father. "However, we were allies with the Xiao family and your actions have jeopardized that, so now I need to smooth things over with him."

"Do what you like but I will never deal with that family ever again, they can't be trusted."

My father condescendingly angled his head. "Obviously not, you cannot trust anyone," he said, his eyes darting behind me, "Ah, you must be Dr. Weston, my late brother's replacement."

My teeth clenched tightly as I pursed my lips, for once wishing that Finn was nowhere near me.

Finn's hand came from behind me as the rest of him stepped forward. "Mr. Love," he murmured, shaking his hand firmly. Finn's eyes darted to mine and I quickly looked away.

My father watched Finn's face carefully. "And where are you three coming from exactly?"

From my peripheral, I could see Finn glance my way but I kept staring straight ahead. "We've just come from the city, Elijah is in The Corner Store, recovering."

My father nodded his head almost solemnly. "Ah yes, everyone in our line of work has been talking about that, your mother was worried sick." That's it. Nothing about him being fearful or even remotely concerned about his son's life. "I did manage to get the men from the attack, they're currently in The Courtyard, awaiting their fate."

My brain short-circuited. "What?" I demanded, startled. "What do you mean?"

The devil himself grinned at me. "While you were out gallivanting around and wasting time, I managed to find the men who hurt my son. Anyone could have done it, you just needed to look properly. They were waiting to strike the manor, you're lucky I got here when I did or you would have two siblings dead."

Atticus' eyes widened in alarm, knowing our father meant him and Amari. My ears burned at his words. Anyone could have done it. You're lucky. There is no way he happened upon them without having the intel on where they would be. It's impossible.

The understanding behind his words settled in my stomach like a rock and my hands clammed up. Finn eyes me with concern, moving an arm to wrap around my waist but I stepped out of his reach. My father's eyes narrowed.

I glared over my shoulder at Finn. "You're dismissed Dr. Go to your infirmary and await further instruction," I said in a hollow voice, refusing to meet his eyes.

Somehow I knew, I knew his expression showed how hurt he was by my words but I couldn't let my father see how much Finn meant to me. I couldn't risk it. Especially not with my suspicions about his easy capture of my brother's attackers earlier today.

Finn's footsteps slowly made their way inside and with each step he took my heart cracked.

My father chuckled darkly. It wasn't the kind of laugh that held any trace of joy or humor. "That poor boy has a crush on you."

I examined my nails. "A lot of boys have crushes on me," I said disinterestedly, "he'll need to get in line."

"Franco still keeping your bed warm then?" He mocked and didn't wait for my answer before turning to my mother. "Ari, go make yourself comfortable in our bedroom," he paused, looking back at me, "as long as our daughter still lets us sleep in our room and she hasn't turned it into a torture cave for her victims." I gave him a bored stare. "Very well," he chuckled, leaning forward and brushing a loving kiss on my mother's lips.

She melted into him, giving his cheek a chaste kiss before linking arms with Atticus and walking into the house, no arguments at being ordered around. I scowled.

"I want to see these people that attacked my brother," I said in a tone that left other people cowering to do my bidding.

My father only nodded his head as if I had asked if he enjoyed the weather patterns today.

He followed me down the front steps. Giovanni, Franco's father, and my father's minion stepped out of the SUV and followed closely behind us. A glance showed Harvey and Lorenzo following closely behind.

We made our way into The Courtyard, leaving our men at the door as we walked in the opposite direction I usually went in. We stopped at a door and my father nodded for me to open it. The gesture sent a flashback through my head of the first time my father sent me to torture someone for information. He'd made the same movement with his head in front of the exact same door.

I stayed in my room for two days afterward, sick to my stomach for the things I did.

I entered silently, my hands behind my back as I observed the two people sitting quietly in the chairs placed in the center of the room, away from all the tools and weapons lying around the edges.

The woman looked slightly older than I did, maybe in her early thirties and the man looked even older, pushing late thirties, early forties.

They looked relatively unharmed except for the broken arm the man sported. "Curtesy of Elijah, I believe," my father answered without me asking. I cursed the sense of understanding that we shared. I really was his little machine.

Our father made his way closer to the restrained attackers, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Now, did you try to kill Elijah Love for the money?" The woman looked down at her lap, refusing to make eye contact with either of us.

My eyes narrowed as the woman looked up at him, a pleading look on her face. "Who sent you to hurt my brother?" I demanded quietly.

My father's face remained neutral and I found the woman's face to crumble. The man beside her fumed. "It was—"

My father's fist connected with the man's jaw, sending his head sideways, a pained groan leaving his lips. I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing, he was about to answer!"

He gave me that mocking smile. "Now, Anastasia, why would you spend time asking questions when we know they've done the crime, are you stalling?" He asked pointedly, challenging my authority.

My teeth ground together as I tried to reign in my anger. I wouldn't let him bait me.

He tilted his head. "Did I choose wrong in naming you my heir?" he taunted. My knuckles turned white as I clenched my fists at my sides. "It looks as if maybe you can't handle the pressure—" I grabbed a gun off a metal table and fired it into the wall, barely an inch from my father's head.

"Stop talking," I said in a deadly calm tone. "I don't need to prove anything to you," I seethed, throwing the gun to him without warning. "If you want to cover your tracks so bad then do it yourself."

Without blinking, he held up the gun to the side, keeping his eyes on me, and fired twice. He threw the gun onto the nearby table. "Maybe next time you won't be so...pathetic."

I growled, walking out of the room and slamming the metal door behind me. The door opened shortly afterward and a force grabbed the back of my neck and threw me into the wall. My face slammed against the cold concrete and I bit my tongue, trying to hide the hiss of pain from the throbbing on the side of my face.

His arm lay against my shoulders, pressing me into the wall. "You do not walk away from me," he hissed in my ear. "You think you hold the cards to this family? Well you don't, one wrong move and you'll be begging for a fate worse than death."

For a moment I felt like I had been thrown back into one of the many dark memories I had chosen to blackout from my childhood. A memory where my father would do the same thing, utter the same words as he harmed my siblings and me, making sure we knew who was truly in control. I felt stuck in that memory, letting that fear mixed with helplessness ripple through me.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm my breathing as his threats weighed on me. He pressed me further into the wall and my cheek cut against a rough part of concrete. A silky, wet feeling dribbled along my face, the smell of blood reaching my nostrils.

"One wrong move, Anastasia, and all your hard work will be for nothing," he threatened, releasing me and walking down the hallway. I stayed against the wall, a surge of fear rising through me until the door clicked shut indicating he had left.

I sagged against the wall.

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"Fun fact, I didn't even know you had a library in this house," Finn's voice echoed from across the room as he strode into my family's library. "Personally, I didn't even know you could read," he teased.

I kept my head facing the large floor-to-ceiling window, staring out into the summer night sky, watching the stars shine their brightest. I let out a dry chuckle, tilting my head down so my curls covered my face. "The library is my favorite place."

His footsteps paused on the carpet. "You love to read?"

My smile faded. "Only Atticus reads but he has his own little library in his room. No one else in this family reads for fun so it's guaranteed to be empty at all times," I said softly, my leg dangling over one of the armchairs.

A hand rested on my shoulder. My lip quivered. "Well, I know you're all doom and gloom because your parents are home but that doesn't mean—" he moved to stand in front of me and froze.

I dared to look up at him. His face was frozen in shock, his eyes darting over each little scratch courtesy of the concrete wall until they landed on the deep cute across my cheek. Dry blood caked my face.

He kneeled in front of me, grabbing my face in his hands. "What happened?" he rushed out, his fingers gently prodding the skin until I winced at a particularly sensitive spot. "Who did this?" he demanded, anger clouding his eyes.

I tilted my head back until it rested against the armrest. "Dear old dad, who else?" I asked sarcastically.

Finn's fingers gripped my chin and bent my face toward his, his other hand sliding across my stomach to rest on my waist. "I'll kill him," he swore, his blue eyes frozen in rage as his thumb brushed over the deepest cut.

"You can't kill the devil himself," I tutted, letting my head fall to the side so I was looking right at him sideways.

He stared at me with such sorrow that I found my resolve breaking. He was so worried for me and I had never found someone who cared so much for my safety. Tears welled in my eyes. His face crumbled at the sight.

His arms lifted me off the chair and pulled me against him, both of us kneeling on the ground. The injured side of my face pressed into his cheek but I didn't mind the numbing pain, it somehow comforted me.

"I don't know what I can do to get rid of him," I whispered against his chest as the first tears fell.

He tightened his arms around me, letting me fall into his embrace. Letting me lean on him for comfort. "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

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Bit of a shorter chapter than I'm used to but I think it's a great snapshot into who the father is.

This is also the first time Finn sees Ana truly break down. She's never had someone to lean on like this. Not with her siblings, not with her Corinne or even Franco, no one is there for her when she needs them.

Until next time,

Sammipott xx