Eric POV
Concubine? My eyes stared at the text in disbelief as I read it again, just to be sure it was Mike.
He was ready to be my concubine? After ignoring me for almost two days and insulting me?
"Please babe, let's meet at the bar and talk about it. Please" another message appeared on my phone.
Before I could even process his text another came up "I promise to make it up to you. That was all. I am sure you would do that if you were in my shoes"
A heavy weight settled on my chest as I stared at his text. My fingers tightened around my phone as a warm feeling settled within me.
Should I go? Let me see what he has to say or should I just stay?
But who am I staying for? Is it Damien?
No? That man only sees me as some sex toy he can use and dump.
Or Katherine? I don't even like her.
The only person I had, the only person I could call mine was Mike, it would be foolish of me to let go of him just because I had an amassing one-night stand.
My eyes landed on the text again, reading it again as I tried to decide between my head, my heart and my desires.
I could ignore him, walk into the dining hall and take a seat beside a man whose voice sent goosebumps crawling around my skin, who gave me much more desire than I needed and get married to Katherine, at least it would be less complicated.
But instead, I picked up my phone and typed "I will be at the bar in less than an hour"
I tossed the phone on the table and stared at myself once more in the mirror before walking out of the bathroom.
My eyes looked around the corridor consciously as I walked back to the table.
"My Prince!" One of the male servants, a tall blonde man walked toward me with a golden covered tray in his hands.
He opened it and removed the letter that was placed carefully on top of it and gave it to me. "They asked me to deliver it, especially to you," he said "Alone" he added.
I raised my eyebrows as I took the letter from me. Who the hell would send me a letter at this time and why?
Without wasting any more time, I opened the letter. It was a short note written in neat cursive handwriting.
"Look around Eric. One of the people who you are eating with killed your brother. You might be the next" it read but that was not the end.
The next content sent shivers running down my spine. It was a photo, a photo of my brother from the day he was shot.
It was a close-up shot of my brother staring at me with pain-filled eyes as life slipped out of him, my eyes filled with tears as I begged him not to go.
So many thoughts ran through my mind. Who could have sent this? Why now? And if the letter is true, who killed my brother?
And how did they get this clean shot at a chaotic moment like this I was so sure that at the sound of the first gunshot, people were already running for safety.
Before anyone would walk past me, I folded the paper and slid the photo into my back pocket.
The words of the letter echoed loudly in my head as I walked back to the dining table.
Damien's eyes first landed on mine. He gave me a warm smile, and my eyes darted from him to my mum and then to Katherine and her mum.
They all looked innocent, except Damien who was staring at me with a grin on his face.
Sweat filled my palms as I took a seat on the table, this time I kept my distance from Damien, the hair at the back of my neck stood firmly like I was being watched.
My eyes scanned the whole room, all the servers who were watching us eat and the man who served me the letter was nowhere to be found.
Goosebumps filled my body as the realization dawned on me that the letter could be true. That, on this table, there was a killer, someone who killed my brother.
They were not innocent and although I had not found anything that would make me suspect, I knew for a fact that I had a list of suspects.
Be it my mother or sweet Katherine or her mother or the mafia don who I had fucked some minutes ago.
"Eric, you spent so much time in the bathroom. What were you doing?" My mum immediately asked if she noticed my presence.
"Smoking" I answered nonchalantly. Her eyes widened as she stared at me, everyone stopped eating apart from Damien.
I rolled my eyes. "I went to pee. What else do they do in the bathroom?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She heaved a sigh, and Katherine gave me a quite shy laugh.
My phone beeped again, another text message from Mike. My mother glared at me, she had this obsession with us putting away our phones while eating.
I slowly took the phone from the table and shoved it into my back pocket. I waited for a few minutes before standing up.
"I apologize for leaving you early but I have to go. My best friend is not feeling fine. I need to see him"
My mother rolled her eyes immediately. There was no doubt that she hated Mike with every bone in her, to her he was not fit to be my friend. He was a low-class boy whose mother worked as a cleaner in the bank.
If only she knew what had been going on between us.
"You can go later. You haven't even spent time with Katherine" she said gesturing at the girl who was giving me sad puppy eyes. "Mike can wait," she added.
"Mike?" Damien asked immediately, his voice deep, filled with a calming anger.
I turned to him, boring into his eyes "Yes, Mike" I said and turned to my mum "Can I go?"
I seriously did not know what was going on with me. Maybe because I actually loved Mike and wanted to see him or maybe because I knew that one of the eyes staring at me killed my brother.
"Eric, sit down!" Damien shouted, making everyone flinch including little Katherine.
I rolled my eyes and turned to my mum "See you in the palace"
"Eric I said sit down! You are not going to see that boy!" He shouted, glaring at me.
I turned to look at him, taking in his features, his bushy eyebrows, his dark black eyes, his flared nostrils and then the mark that was at his neckline.
Another realization rushed through me. If there was anyone at this table who would likely kill without thinking. It was Damien. After all, he was the mafia Don.
"I will go and see him and you can't stop me" I said, returning his glare. I turned around and stopped at Katherine's side, looked straight at Damien and pecked Katherine on her cheeks.
"I promise to make up for this. Okay?" I asked in a low voice.
She nodded, her cheeks red with blush.
Damien rolled his hands into a fist. For the first time, my mum was too stunned to talk, her mouth was slightly opened as she watched me walk away.
I had already crossed the door when a rough masculine hand grabbed me to the side, his scent filled my nostrils immediately making me weak to even think, without looking at him I already knew who it was.
I could smell him, feel him, and taste him and he felt just like he had always felt. Like sin.
"What the hell do you think you are trying to do?" He asked.
I took a step back, trying to recollect my thoughts and straightened the sleeve he had brushed with his hands. "I am going to see my boyfriend," I replied.
He raised an eyebrow "Really? Your boyfriend?" He asked in a hushed tone.
I sucked in a deep breath before looking at him "Yes"
He shook his head, a curve appeared at the side of his lips "That is where you are mistaken Prince Eric because the fact that you touched me, that I touched you, that I let you cum in my palm means that you are mine, no one else, nor Mike. Mine and the sooner you realize this the better for us all" he warned.
I smiled, and then a chuckle escaped my lips "Or what? What would you do? Kill me like you killed my brother?" I asked.
His eyebrow furrowed immediately as he took a step back "What? Where did you get that idea from?" in a low whisper.
I shrugged "That is none of your business. But I do know one thing for sure, someone among you all killed him and the day I find the person. I would deal with the person Damien" I said and took a step closer so that our bodies would be close to each other.
"And God help you if it is you. I would make you regret ever setting your eyes on me" I warned.
He opened his mouth to say something but I walked away immediately.
I got into the car and drove away while he stood there watching me go.
