5
“Wake the fuck up, you useless piece of trash!”
A loud shrill echoes through my psyche, splintering my insides.
My head pounds, and my mouth is dry as fuck.
I blink a few times, taking in my surroundings.
Dark leather couches. Snuffed out fireplace with ashy remnants.
Trashed bar top with empty bottles littering the floor.
My vision focuses on my father’s imposing figure looming above me. His lip twists in disgust. My shirt is now missing and I fell asleep with my hands in my pants again. Yup.
Typical shit.
I groan and stretch before dislodging myself from the couch. I shoulder past Mortensen in search of some Goddamn water. His gaze tracks me. He takes in the trashed room, cursing under his breath.
“Christ,” he scoffs. “You’re a fucking disgrace to the Grimshaw name,” he hisses in disbelief.
I don't even flinch at his cruel words anymore. It's become second nature. I'll never live up to his expectations. Don't want to.
I pluck a used highball glass from the bar top and inspect it. “What
else is new?” I scoff. I rinse the glass out in the wet bar. I drain four
glasses of water in quick succession.
Chaos. A volatile grenade.
I threaten to deconstruct his empire. He has nobody to blame but himself.
The guy has no clue how to be a damn father.
If it wasn't for his image and desire to mold me into his perfect son, he would have kicked me out a long time ago.
He still thinks he can control my future.
I've lived with Zain since our freshman year.
It was the best choice I ever made for myself, and that says a lot.
Now, with Vesper moving in, I'm back into this hellhole with my shitbag father.
Zain doesn't care one way or another if I stay with him, but this situation feels like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode with Mortensen.
Not ideal. It might be a better option to go back.
Although, I doubt sweet little Vesper could handle the endless stream of bitches I bring back.
That shit is like a revolving door. His beady eyes bore into me.
“You are weeks from graduation. You will get it together or so help me—”
I cut him off. “—or you'll lash me again? Chain me up? Lock me in the basement at Void?”
I shout, slamming my glass onto the bartop, shattering it.
His face reddens and I know I fucked up.
He stalks forward and slams me into the wall.
I grunt from the force. I’m a big fucker and could easily overpower him, but I don’t.
Instead, I offer him a smug grin that I know will piss him off.
Nothing makes him angrier than knowing he's powerless.
The guy craves dominance and authority the way I crave pussy.
“Yes,” he hisses. His eyes hold a murderous rage mixed with disdain. “You're nothing but a stain on my name. A pebble in my shoe. I will get through to you. Continue to fight me, Kieran and see what happens,” he threatens.
I clench my teeth and rein in my anger. This life comes with sacrifices. He knows I'm not willing. That doesn't stop him from threatening me, hurting me, destroying me. Lucky for me, I have nothing left to lose. Never did. I'm impervious to his bullshit anymore.
That's the thing about breaking someone, they finally stop giving a fuck.
My mouth curves into a sly smirk, and I can't help myself. I laugh. A cruel, mirthless laugh that only enrages him further.
His hands grip my shoulders until they bruise.
His hands shake with barely contained rage.
“I have torn you down into nothing to forge you into a man. A man worthy of leading Void. To lead this school. Everything I have ever done was out of necessity,” he says coldly, as if I'm a soldier instead of his only Goddamn son.
He releases me and stumbles backward with a huff.
I tilt my chin up. “Your methods are fucked and so am I, thanks to you.”
It's a low blow, but I don't give a damn.
I want his actions to weigh on him like a Goddamn anchor.
I know it never will. His lips button into a tight scowl.
He takes a measured breath. “My methods are effective.
Necessary. I will break you. When I find the way through to you, you will bend.
“You will not turn out like your mother.”
I remain stoic despite the fact he slanders her name. This fucker
will never control me.
“Clean this shit up, get yourself together, and don't embarrass me.”
I wait until he storms up the spiral staircase before giving him the middle finger. I have no fucking desire to keep up the Grimshaw legacy. Fuck that. Nothing he can say will sway me to bend. He knows exactly what the fuck he's done.