Page 1 of Tears of Revenge

One

“Why did you have to act like such a bitch?”

Because I know you’re fucking her behind my back, Avalon thought to herself.

“Why can’t you just do as you’re told?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better next time.”

She didn’t mean it—she never did. Though she’d learned early on that it was easier to give him what he wanted. Troy wasn’t the kind of man who accepted no for an answer. In the beginning, she’d liked that about him. He’d wooed her until she gave into him and slowly that wooing had become conditional. By the time she’d come to her senses, it was too late—she was already too dependent on him.

“I expect better next time.”

He slammed the truck into park and stomped out. As expected of her, she waited for him to open her door. It used to be a small gesture she appreciated. Now, it was simply another way for him to control her, reminding her yet again of the independence she’d lost.

It was only seconds before he opened her door, but it felt like hours. “I’ll just stay back next time.”

“No, you’ll come with me and apologise to her for your attitude.”

“Will that make you stop sleeping with—”

Avalon swallowed her last word, his hands gripping tight around her throat. She grunted as her head hit the truck door. He squeezed, bringing tears to her eyes.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Ava,” he snarled. “You know she gives us a discount on the wine. Do you think she does that for free?”

“I’m your accountant,” Avalon wheezed. “I know we don’t need the discount. We’re doing good.”

A sharp pain shot through her cheek, his hand leaving a sting behind—and the taste of blood. “I am doing good. Who does the club belong to?”

“You,” she gasped, his grip getting even tighter.

“Me,” he repeated. “Now fix your face—and your attitude—before you come inside.”

He dropped her, turned on his heel, and stomped towards the back entrance of the Midnight Manor.

When they’d met, Avalon had been curious about the dark, broody gentleman who owned that nightclub. It wasn’t long before he showed his true colours. The main business was the club itself—or so everyone thought. The real profit came from the private rooms in the back of the building. Some were rented out to parties to keep the façade, but the others were rented out to rich men who wanted to fuck willing, hot women.

She closed her eyes, the tears beginning to fall as she rubbed at her sore throat. The one thing she truly wanted to do was run; run far, far away from that place as fast as she could—but she had nowhere to go, no money of her own. After losing her job, Troy had taken her on as his accountant. Everything had gone well—at first. They moved in together and opened a joint bank account because that’s what couples did, right?

But that only made her completely dependent on him, and that’s when he dropped his mask. Every day there was something new that would now be under his control. She’d trusted him and now she was paying for it.

“Ever thought about killing him?”

The sudden voice startled her. Avalon spun, eyes landing on a man standing in the shadows next to the back door. He was tall with long, dark hair that framed sharp cheekbones and jawline. His clothes looked expensive, from the kind of stores that made her wallet bleed just thinking about it.

“W-what?” she stuttered.

Faster than she could blink, the man now stood in front of her. Dark blue eyes seemed to bore a hole through her. She searched her surroundings, trying to make sense of what was happening. He’d moved so fast it was like she’d lost a few seconds of time. “How did—”

Sleek fingers laid over where she still gripped her throat. The man then leaned in, lips curling into a sinister grin. “Some people don’t deserve to live.”

Her jaw dropped; he was dead serious. The thing that scared her the most wasn’t that he’d offered to kill Troy—but that she was considering it.

His grin widened into a full smile, those eyes fixed on hers. “Let’s see if he can redeem himself.”

His hand slid over to her shoulder, gliding down her arm and eliciting a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Only then did she realise how cold he was. When he reached her wrist, he wrapped his long fingers around it and tugged her towards the back door.

Her feet moved, though her brain wasn’t sure it was a good idea. This man had just threatened Troy’s life and yet, she followed him right to him. She was almost in a trance, but deep down she wondered if something would snap her out of it—if she even wanted to be snapped out of it.