His face contorted with rage. "You have no right—."
"I haveeveryright." I cut him off, voice low and deadly calm. "The moment you offered her hand; you surrendered your authority. Did you think I'd leave her here where you could continue to use her as a punching bag because you’re too fucking weak to ever hit another man you know can swing back?"
Darzi's nostrils flared, his composure slipping. The woman on the bed finally moved, clutching the sheet higher around her body. I glanced at her briefly.
"Get the fuck out.”
She didn't hesitate, scrambling off the bed and slipping past us with her head bowed so that none of us could her face anymore. Derrick quickly skirted out of her way as if she were diseased, to my brother’s amusement.
Darzi's face had turned an interesting shade of purple. "You come into my home, interruptmyprivacy, and now you're giving orders?”
He puffed up his chest, reminding me of a garden gnome. All he was missing was the hat and the beard.
“Boy. Who the fuck do you—.”
My hand shot out, wrapping around Darius's throat before he could finish his sentence, making him release a satisfying wheeze.
"Boy?" I repeated, my voice deadly quiet as I tightened my grip. "Is that what you think I am?"
His eyes bulged, hands clawing at my wrist with pathetic desperation. I could feel his pulse hammering against my palm, a rapid flutter.
"I've been patient with you, Darzi. I've played by your rules. I've endured your disrespect." I leaned closer, watching fear bloom in his eyes. "But you seem to have confused my restraint for weakness."
Behind me, Cassian chuckled. "He never was good at reading people."
Darius mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. I loosened my grip just enough to let him speak—I wanted him fully conscious for this.
"You're making... a mistake," he rasped, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth.
"The only mistake was letting you believe you had any power in this arrangement." I adjusted my grip, thumb pressing against his carotid. "Let me be crystal clear. Selene belongs to me now. Every bruise you've put on her, every fear you've instilled, every fucking moment of misery you've caused—it ends today."
His eyes darted to Derrick and Cassian, searching for intervention that wouldn't come.
“They're not going to help you.”
I released him abruptly, and he collapsed to his knees, gasping and clutching at his throat where my fingerprints were already forming dark marks against his skin.
"Tomorrow, my men will collect Selene's belongings," I continued, straightening my cuffs as I looked down at him. "If you interfere in any way, what you just experienced will feel like child’s play."
Darius struggled to his feet, dignity forgotten as he leaned against the bedpost for support. "You think this changes anything?" he wheezed, voice ragged. "She's still my daughter. My blood."
"Blood?" I laughed, the sound devoid of humor. "You think that matters? You've lost any right to claim her."
His eyes narrowed, calculation replacing fear as he regained his composure. "You need me, Kostas. The Dominion—."
"I don'tneedyou for anything," I cut him off. "Your position in the Dominion is an illusion I've allowed to continue until now. Our business arrangement continues only if you understand the boundaries regarding Selene."
A laugh escaped him, hollow and brittle. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll make sure the last thing you see is her holding the gun that puts bullets in you.”
Time suspended itself in that room. Behind me, Cassian exhaled a soft whistle that walked the line between appreciationand caution. Derrick's arms crossed over his chest, his mouth morphing into what almost became a smile.
My gaze remained locked on Darius. "As long as we're clear," I concluded, "there won't be problems."
Darius held my stare, tension locking his jaw. Finally, he forced out a laugh that vibrated with something primal beneath it. "The Kostas family. Such a flair for theatrics."
I turned away from him. "We call it clarity of purpose."