Keira's POV
"I was starting to wonder when it will sink in." I noted without looking up. I can see her reflection on the screen of my laptop.
It wasn't part of my plans to reveal myself to Reina but I had to because she was relentlessly causing problems for my proxies. Attacking Raven in her house is the reason Laila is in hospital fighting for her life. They said if she survives the day she stands a chance to pull through and so far, so good. It has been two days and she is still in the fight to live. She is even talking now, something that has served as relief for the St Patrick family.
Raven called me immediately after it happened. She told me that she is ready to accept whatever punishment I'll hand down. She explained that Reina forced her way in and attacked her. She explained that she had no intention of shooting Laila. She mistook her for Reina and shot her. I reprimanded her for not confirming it first but Reina shouldn't have been there in the first place. To end this reckless misson she's on, I told her who she's looking for.
"How is it you?" She has a lot of doubt in her eyes.
"It's not what you expected?" I asked her.
"It's not. You can't be the apex predator." She's still lingering at the door of my home office.
"The apex predator? Why would you use that term?" I frowned at her.
"The person on top. The one everyone is scared of. That is the point of power. To be feared."
It's a shallow perspective. But she's a child. She can't see things the way I do. My vision and purpose is only for a few brilliant minds.
"What did you expect? Big muscles? Tattoos? A man? An army guarding me? That's a stereotypical way to imagine power. Predator is a grim word. I don't know how you're looking at this but I'm not a predator. I don't use fear to get people to comply. Come in. Close the door."
My son's ex wife entered the room. She closed the door but she didn't come close.
"How? How is what I want to understand."
"I don't owe you an explanation." I really don't have the patience to explain anything to anyone.
"The whole time I was Regina Mia, you were in charge."
"Yes I was."
"But you said I can be Regina mia."
"Yes I did. By virtue of your marriage to my son. Reina, the passing over of a title does not end a reign. No. You need to understand that a title only holds so much power. The individual owning the title contributes to how powerful the title is. I gave up the title rather suddenly after Marcelle married you. But, I stayed functional. I have always been Regina Mia."
"I don't believe this." She pushed her messy hair back. "Does Nick know? Does Marcelle know?"
"Like I said, I don't owe you an explanation. Is there something you want to get off your chest?"
She dropped her bag on the table. She took a seat in front of me. "You had the power to decide what happens when the families came after me. You spoke for me and they let me live. Why did you let them strip me of what was rightfully mine?"
"Rightfully yours?" I asked her. "Is it your born right to be a Mafia Queen?"
"You and I aren't that different. We are both outsiders! So why are you above me? You should be retired!"
There's nothing that I hate more than entitlement. I hate it even more in a person's character. Nick and I strived to strip our children of entitlement. We are billionaires but we made sure that a sense of responsibility was drilled into them with little things as simple as making a chore list and assigning each one of them to do things around the house. No one ever made their beds or changed their sheets. They cleaned their own rooms, they worked for an allowance even when we were filling up their trust funds. We reminded them repeatedly that Nick being the CEO of two multi-billion companies and me having my own company didn't mean they are rich. The wealth is Nick's and my own. They were merely enjoying the perks of our hard work. I think most of them got that clearly. It's a lesson that strips any entitlement and feeling more accomplished than everyone else.
