Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
When a noise sounds from the back of the room, all eyes turn to find the source, and I clench my jaw, seeing the one and only Matthias Quinn. My hand squeezes Dalton’s, and my nails dig into his skin as I watch the old bastard stride down the aisle. I have to give him credit, I’m impressed that he managed to wait until the end of the service before making it all about him.
He walks right up to the dais, all but shoving the priest out of the way and waiting a moment as gasps are heard through the room. It’s clear some of the older generation knows who this is and believe they’re seeing the ghost of Matthias Quinn, having known him as a young man. But for the most part, these people don’t have a fucking clue what’s going on or why this man would be interrupting such an important service.
“Friends and family of our beloved Empire,” he starts, his tone loud and full of pride as he stands before us in a well-fitting suit, looking like the father I always remembered from my childhood, not the scruffy prisoner I’ve come to know him as. “I thank you all for being here and making the trip out as we bid farewell to the victims of the tragic explosion that shook our great Empire. For those who don’t know me, my name is Matthias Quinn, and I have spent the past thirteen years locked in Empire’s underground prison, an innocent man, torn away from the loving arms of his eight-year-old daughter simply for being the real, biological son of the great Julius DeVil.”
Gasps tear across the cathedral as I clench my jaw and go to stand, but Dalton pulls me back down. “Not yet,” he says. “We need to play this smart.”
Swallowing my pride, I try to relax, but my blood pulses furiously through my veins, the adrenaline having me ready to explode.
“How dare you,” someone yells from the front.
“You’re a liar,” comes another.
My father holds up a piece of paper and slams it down on the dais. “My birth certificate,” he says before producing another. “And a DNA test proving that Julius DeVil was my father. However, I am happy to have these tests confirmed.”
There’s more gasping that quickly turns into chatter before my father calls attention to the room. “I, Matthias Quinn, stand before you as the sole living blood heir of Empire, the true heir, and after having my legacy torn from my hands by none other than Lawson DeVil, a fraud who knowingly never possessed the blood of Empire, I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine.”
The room erupts into chaos, people yelling and demanding answers as others just stare in shock, not believing my father for even a second.
“QUIET,” my father booms, the dead seemingly long forgotten. “I understand that you have many questions, and I will strive to answer them all. However, in light of the brutal slaying that took place four nights ago in our sacred tomb, that of which took the lives of eleven Circle members, I ask the congregation to have a little patience.”
The murmurs from the crowd continue just as my father does, clearly not having the respect of the room. “During this time of grief, I stand before you as your future leader, offering you solace in this difficult time with a promise that I will find the culprit responsible for the explosion that took the lives of so many—”
“ZADE DEVIL IS OUR REAL LEADER,” a voice booms from the back, earning a round of cheers.
“Zade DeVil is a fraud just like his father,” Matthias spits. “He doesn’t even possess the blood. Lawson was adopted into the family, and I was cast away, the true heir thrown to the side in order to protect my father’s adulterous indiscretions. Zade should never have been in line for the crown. He is a spineless fraud, a leech who slaughtered The Circle for sport.”
My jaw clenches as my hands ball into fists, rage blasting through my veins as my father turns Zade’s people on him, exposing him in a filthy light.
My knees bounce, terrified of what’s to come, terrified of the power my father is gaining by giving the congregation a common enemy, and I can’t help but think back to what Easton said at the safe house, that sometimes not knowing how you’re going to handle something is all part of the fun. And with that, I throw myself to my feet and stand up on the chair, making sure every eye in the cathedral can see me.
“My name is Oakley Quinn, the daughter of Matthias Quinn and a true blood heir of Empire,” I declare, my voice unwavering as I stare directly at my father, watching as his face starts to fall. “And four nights ago, I laid bound in Empire’s sacred tomb as The Circle knowingly committed treason to the highest extent—”