Chapter 41
“How long have you known?” I asked.
“Always. Until you came of age, I was the one taking care of the other half.”
“Why didn’t my father have this deed?”
“Your grandfather hated Adeline. And after your father divorced your mother and married her anyway, I think this was his way of saying, ‘Fuck you.”
“So he left it directly to me, and until I reached the eligible age, you were its guardian.”
Killian nodded.
I looked down at the document in my hands. This was a lot to wrap my mind around. Seeing my silence, he started driving. I closed the file. Something like this—something this important–and he just put it in a file like it was nothing. Technically, he did tell me. He’s truly infuriating.
We returned to the restaurant where we had our lunch date. I took off my seatbelt, and he took my hand, helping me out of the car. We walked inside, hand in hand. My thoughts kept circling–if he knew I would inherit half of the Shadow Knights organization, why hadn’t he approached me for that purpose? Or… was there another reason? A more unsettling one?
Killian led me to a private office, and we both sat on the couch. A waitress entered and asked for our order. Killian said something, but I was too out of it to pay attention. My brain felt like it was about to explode. The waitress turned to me.
“Whatever he said,” I mumbled absentmindedly.
Killian waved her away.
I sighed, burying my head in my hands. No matter which angle I looked at it from, how was I supposed to deal with this?
Killian chuckled. I snapped my head up, frowning at him.
“Are you enjoying this?”
He shook his head and moved closer, resting his arm behind me.
“I’ve never seen you like this before. You’re always composed, always calculating. Right now, you look completely out of your depth, and I can’t figure out why.”
“You can’t?” I scoffed. “Funny. I thought you could read my mind.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the table, my voice lowering as I met his gaze.
“Did you pursue me for…?” The words caught in my throat. I couldn’t say it. The truth was, I didn’t want to. But the thought was there, gnawing at me.
Killian’s gaze remained steady. “I’m glad you’re cautious, but no. I pursued you because from the first moment I saw you, I liked what I saw–and I wanted you.” His voice was calm, unwavering.
“And I challenge you,” he continued, his lips curving slightly. “You can keep looking for a reason to resist me, but I will give you none.”
I closed my eyes.
“You’re a twenty–one–year–old woman,” he murmured, reaching out to smooth the frown from my forehead. “Be a twenty–one–year–old once.”
His touch was gentle, relaxing.
“Did you never think about approaching Nicolai or me because one of us might inherit half of your organization?” I asked. “You’ve ruled over it alone for.
a decade.”
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1126 Thu 10 Jui
Chapter 41
Killian tilted his head. “I never found Nicolai impressive enough. And he could never inherit the Anderson or the Knight empire. The Anderson Group’s board of directors knows exactly why it’s crucial for an Anderson to take over. Something like this cannot go outside the family. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on blood.”
“What about me?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he countered. “You knew my vote was important for you to take the Anderson empire. Why didn’t you approach me?”
I sighed. “I thought my father was close to you, that you’d support him. And you’re dangerous–you could’ve easily found out about me if you’d tried. Keeping my distance was prudent. I didn’t want to die.”
Killian smirked. “I thought you were just a little girl. What could a little girl do to me?”
I gave him a deadpan look. “Obviously, I underestimated you.” He said.
“This isn’t what I meant.” I shook my head. “I’m just… astonished at how unbothered you are.”
“Everybody has their priorities. From a young age, my father drilled into me that a Knight never goes back on his word. Since this is a partnership spanning generations, I had no desire to dishonor it.”
Fathers
I exhaled, leaning back. I think I understand now. And yet, when it comes to him, I’m always in disbelief.
“What if Nicolai had been the right kind of person?” I murmured, half to myself.
Killian’s gaze darkened. “You are the only right person.”
A knock on the door interrupted us. Killian called for them to enter, and a waitress walked in, pushing a trolley with coffee and pie. She set everything on the table quickly and left, closing the door behind her.
I picked up my cup, sipping the bitter liquid. The earthy taste grounded me, helping me collect my thoughts.
“Now it all makes sense,” I muttered. “Their extreme measures to keep me detained–it’s not just about my inheritance going to charity if something happens to me. If I leave in any way, the Shadow Knight Organization will slip from their hands.”
Everything clicked into place. But knowing this only made my situation more complicated. I had been trying to avoid this world. And yet, here I was- right at the center of it all.
“Getting back the Knight Organization is more Tommen Anderson’s/ambition than Nicolai’s or Adeline’s,” Killian said.
I placed my coffee down, thinking back to the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.
“I heard something else my father said. Every Anderson was a Knight once. Was my father ever a Shadow Knight?”
Killian’s expression shifted. “No. Not when I came in.”
“Before you?”
That made him pause. A flicker of uncertainty passed over his face.
“It never seemed like he was,” he admitted. But the way he said it–he wasn’t sure. He thought for a moment, then looked at me. Our eyes met, and an understanding passed between us.
“Do you keep records?” I asked.
“Of course. Let me check.” He nodded.
If my father was ever a Shadow Knight… that meant he had secrets beyond anything I could have imagined.
And I wanted to know every single one of them.
