Page 43 of Cruel King
“Was it something I said? Where the hell are you going in such a hurry?” he asks as I march toward the door.
“I have to talk to Dad about something.”
Behind me, he says, “I thought you said you were avoiding Dad like usual.”
“Change of plans.”
I storm down the hallway to the stairs, taking them by two on my way to my father’s office. He’s been working from home for the past few weeks, so I know he’s around.
With a quick knock on his office door, I throw it open and walk in. He looks up from his desk, shocked to see me since I usually avoid this room like the plague.
No more, though. Ava can call and text Theo, but she can’t be bothered to even try to contact me? Fine. Fuck her then. It’s time I accept my fate. I thought for a few precious moments when she was around that I could be happy, but that obviously wasn’t the case.
I can’t stay here forever thinking of what could have been with her. If I’m going to be trapped in a life I hate, at least I can do it on my time and no one else’s.
“Matthias? What’s going on? Why are you here?” my father asks with pure confusion in his voice.
Stopping in front of his desk, I take a deep breath and say, “You told me once that if I wanted it, I could have a position with the company in London. Is that still an option?”
My father’s expression is the definition of shock. For a few moments, he doesn’t seem to know how to answer me. He merely stares up at me like I’ve just told him I plan to go to Mars.
Finally, he smiles and nods his head slowly, like he wants to savor this moment when his firstborn son capitulates and gives up his life. “It is.”
“Good. Sign me up.”
“That’s great! I actually plan to be in London starting next week and lasting until late spring. I can make sure you get settled and trained for the job of leading that office. What changed to make you want to go to London?”
I shake my head knowing he can’t know the real reason I want to get the hell away from this place and the memory of Ava. “Just time to get started on what I’m going to have to do eventually anyway. When do we leave?”
He begins to explain how excited he is to have me join the company and how much I’m going to love the people in the London office, but I’m not listening. I don’t care about King Industries or the employees in any of the dozens of offices he has around the world.
I don’t care about anything anymore.
All I want to do is forget her. If that means going to London, then so be it. I’ll go anywhere just to stop feeling like I have for the past two weeks.
For a short time, I was truly happy. I finally got to be with the one person I’d wanted for so long. But it wasn’t meant to be, and now all I want is to be as far away from anything that reminds me of Ava Sutton.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Ava
Five yearslater
The front door closes, alerting me that someone’s arrived. The King house feels alive again after so long, and even though everyone is returning for a terrible reason, I’m happy they’re coming back. I’ve missed all the King boys, but especially Matthias. Five years have gone by, and I can’t deny I’m nervous about seeing him again.
Mr. King stirs in his sleep, a common occurrence in the past few weeks. He’s seemed downright restless since Thursday when they gave him the news that he didn’t have long to live. I have a feeling he’s eager to see his sons again and maybe feeling a little regretful for how he’s lived his life. Not that he’s been a bad man, but there’s a reason it’s been years since any of his sons returned to their childhood home.
The nurse gives me a smile as I gently smooth the covers over his chest, careful not to wake him. I mouth that I’m going to walk downstairs to see who just arrived and she nods, whispering, “He’ll be asleep for a while. I gave him a shot, so take your time.”
I smile back at her and quietly walk out of the room, careful to close the door softly. My spirits soar at the sound of a familiar voice, so I hurry down the stairs and see Theo standing in the foyer. Dressed in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, he looks the same as the last time I saw him that day when my father hurriedly whisked me off to my aunt’s house in New Hampshire over five years ago.
His face lights up when he sees me as I hit the last step, and he opens his arms wide. “Little Ava Sutton! My God, you’re a sight for sore eyes. Come here and give me a hug.”
I run into his arms and wrap mine around his muscular body, noticing how much bigger he is now than he used to be. “I missed you, Theo.”
“Me too, Ava. Knowing you were back here taking care of Dad, I made sure to get the earliest flight possible. I landed at JFK and raced up here without even stopping in at my place in the city.”
He lets me go, and I step back to look at him. No taller than the last time I saw him, he looks like a man has replaced the boy he used to be. Still as handsome as ever with those gorgeous brown eyes and chiseled features every one of the King brothers has, Theo has turned into the person I always knew he would.