That kiss. That kiss had been the best thing that had happened to me in the seventeen years of my life. I hadn't felt so happy. When he'd started kissing me, I couldn't believe it. For a solid two minutes, his lips were grinding against mine, I'd wondered if the alarm would blare any minute and wake me up.

To prove myself he was real, I'd caught fistfuls of his hair instinctively, and heard him groan in pain or pleasure I wasn't sure. And I'd assumed he was doing it because he finally wanted me more than just friends.

And then reality had sunk in. He was kissing me as a distraction from our earlier argument. That was completely like Tyler, doing whatever was necessary to avoid confrontation.

He had a stubborn streak, I wouldn't deny it. He was possessive even, and I didn't want to think what it would be like to actually date him. Tyler would yield control, and like he'd promised he'd take whatever he wanted.

A shiver ran down my body. I pumped the inhaler and felt much better as I finally gained control of my breathing.

A button from his shirt was clenched in my fist. I threw it across the room angrily.

I loved him with every fiber in my body but that didn't mean that I tolerated him hurting other people no matter how much they actually deserved it.

I heard the loud screech of a car and knew that he'd left.

I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when I heard a knock at the door. I sat up straight, "come in."

Archer walked inside the room carrying a plate of food. He placed it on the bedside table. "You haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry."

"You have to take your medications and in order to do that, you need to eat. If you're going to argue then I'll be forced to tell Dad."

I laughed without humor, "I don't think he would care."

Archer and I shared a knowing look but didn't say anything further about it. Instead, he asked, "Want to talk about it?"

"We just had a fight," I said, not wanting to elaborate on it.

"Regarding what?"

"I'm not saying. It's not something that we should be even discussing."

Archer's gaze bore into mine, "He's the one who hit T.J. I know it."

"How did you know?"

He chuckled, "All that acting he does in school, the Star forward, Team captain, the guy who blends in with every crowd, who tops every exam. I mean, who's he kidding? We are the only ones who can see past all that and see for what he truly is."

"Which is?"

"Fucked up. Seriously fucking cuckoo." He said, "Vicky, I'm in no position to tell you what to do, and even though Ty is our friend, I'm still going to warn you. If you keep poking the lion, don't expect him to meow at you. He will devour you before you even know it. Listen to what he says, just stay away from him. There's no one who knows him better than himself and if he thinks he's toxic for you, then don't test him."

"I think I'm old enough to know what's right and wrong for me so let me decide what I want to do with Ty. Don't come between us."

Archer sighed, "I care for you. Sure he's my best friend, but if he hurts a single hair on your head, I'll kill him and I don't even give a shit about what happens to our friendship. I want you to be very careful."

"I can handle him," I said.

"Alright."Archer nodded, he knew arguing with me wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He was about to leave when I called him again. "What happened with Maya the other day?"

"Just helped with her study, and then drove her home." He said, digging his hands in his pockets, and fidgeting.

When my brother avoided eye-contact, I knew something was up. He was either making up a story to cover up the truth, or blatantly lying. Right now, he was telling me just half of the story.

"Archer," I said with a tone of warning. "What happened?"

He knew I wouldn't let go, he stepped inside the room again and closed the door. "Well...she got to know that I was...that..."

"Spit it out."

"She got to know from somewhere that I hooked up with Tina." His cheeks turned red. "And she got mad."

Maya was only thirteen, and nowhere near the age of dating a seventeen-year-old guy no matter how much she wanted it.

He swallowed hard, "We were arguing, until it became a full-blown fight and then she was sobbing and started taking off her top, telling me that if I wanted something, all I needed to do was ask."

"Oh my god, Archer. What did you do?"

"Are you crazy?" His eyes were wide with disgust. "She's only thirteen. A kid, basically. Do you think so low of me that I would take advantage of eager thirteen year old just because she wanted me to? I could use some fucking trust here, Vicky."

"I'm sorry. It's just that the way you said it..."

"I buttoned her blouse back up and told her that she wasn't old enough and that I wouldn't touch her. She had the audacity to threaten me, said she'd let their stable boy fuck her as soon as she turned fifteen."

I felt bad for Archer. He really did like Maya, the problem was the age.

"Promise me you won't tell Ty. In any circumstances. If he knows about this, he'll wring my neck and feed me to one of his pets."

I laughed, "I totally believe that he would."

Archer smiled. "Maya's a little rich brat, nothing else."

"You're a good guy, Archer."

He gave me a tight smile proving that he believed otherwise.

I'd drank half of the flask when I reached home. As I said, I was feeling especially rebellious. Not to mention, Vicky had woken up a beast inside me. After parking the car in the designated spot, I screwed back the lid of the flask and stashed it back inside the glove compartment.

I entered the house to find it engulfed partly in darkness. I passed the dining area and the music room when a maid almost gave me a heart attack.

"Young Master Tyler, would you like me to prepare your dinner?" Mercy asked, her eyes looked tired but she was making a good attempt of seeming enthusiastic about preparing a meal after midnight.

The middle-aged maid was one of the nicer women employed by our family. While other servants didn't give two shits if I ate or not, Mercy often sat through hours and hours waiting for me. Sometimes, I had to call the mansion just to tell her I wasn't coming home and to go to bed.

Come to think of it, I should have eaten one of Archer's tacos, now I was regretting not having eaten it. "If it's not too much trouble, Mercy, I'd like you to heat up whatever you made for dad."

"I'll send for..."

"Oh wait, is it one of those healthy tasteless dinners that dad likes?" I asked.

"Yes."

"In that case, I'll have turkey sandwich and an iced tea. What's for dessert?"

"Gluten free—"

"I'll have an Apple pie and two scoops of vanilla ice-cream." I said, cutting her mid-sentence. "Thanks, Mercy. You're a very capable woman." I kissed her cheek, grinning at her as took the stairs.

"Humph, always sweet-talking me into doing all the extra work," she said and left for the kitchen. I gave her a salute before I rounded up the stairs.

I reached my dad's study which was one floor above mine. Honestly, I wouldn't even have known he was back from his business trip if it hadn't been for his text message. The mansion had forty rooms, which also included two dozen bathrooms, a huge library, gaming parlor, and home theatre. I hadn't even been to some of the rooms in the house.

I knocked on the door of my dad's study. I'd received the text two hours back, so I wasn't sure if he was even awake. I peeked in and saw him seated behind his cherrywood desk reading some papers.

"Come sit, Tyler." He said not looking up from his work.

I sat down opposite him. I knew a number of people who would piss their pants just being near my father, he had the type of authority and fear in people.

"I got your text. Is something the matter, Dad?"

He glanced up from his paperwork and looked directly at me. His blue eyes were similar to mine, and a lot of people said that I looked like a mirror version of him but I didn't take pride in the fact that I looked like my sire.

There were two reasons dad called me to his study. One, when I got into trouble, and two when I hadn't surpassed his exceptions. The rest of the time it didn't matter.

"I heard a boy from your hockey team was assaulted."

I was king of nonchalance, even though I was sweating on the inside. "Yes, that's true. He's in the hospital, and I'm still trying to find a replacement for the time-being."

Dad was studying me carefully, and I couldn't make out anything from his expressions. "Are the police questioning him about the attacker?"

"I think they will, pretty soon."

He planted both his hands on the table. "Did you have fun?"

I started to answer and then stopped. I could tell that my father knew.

He knew that I did it.

"No, sir." Lies. "I didn't do it for fun."

"Yes, you did. So tell me, son, is it going to be worth the trouble? Is this T.J going to open his mouth and put you in jail because I sure as hell not going to bail you out."

"I was careful."

Dad smiled pleased to hear it, like I hadn't just admitted hitting a person but instead won an Olympics match. "If you get into this mess, you will clean it up. Your mother won't be happy when she hears about it."

"I won't tell her and you won't tell her either, right, Dad?"

If Mom heard about it, I was doomed. I would have to endure her lectures until I went to my grave. Maybe she would sit beside my grave and continue to make me feel guilty.

"I won't open my mouth, on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You will accompany me to my office every thrice a week."

So he was trying to hold leverage against me. Very typical Jasper Lockhart.

"I don't need to accompany you to the office to understand the operations of our company," I told him. "I have something better. If you tell Mom about me, I'll tell her what you did with Penn Rees."

His brow arched up. "What do you know about Rees?"

My dad had a partnership with a corporation called Rees & sons. Penn was one of the board members of their corporation and was jeopardizing their company shares, literally slandering the family business and name. The other members of the Rees family weren't happy and wanted Penn gone. And not just off the board.

They wanted him dead.

Naturally, they asked dad for help.

I smiled at my dad, the only person who had taught me how to manipulate people. I'd been given extensive lessons, to learn everything about an individual, his background, his motives, etc. It gave you the advantage when you wanted to disarm a calculated move. It irked him to see me beating him at his own game.

Blackmail for blackmail.

"I know he didn't just bite the dust by accident."

If he was angry he didn't show. "If you don't want to be shipped off to an isolated country, you would keep your mouth shut"

"Oh, I will, just as long as we understand each other."

"Stop acting like you're better than me because you're not. You're just the same."

"If you're done here, dad, I'd like to get back to my room. I have some studying to do." I said.

"Leave, but remember what I said." He warned before returning to his papers.

I couldn't wipe off the smirk when I left the room. Only one year more before this man would have no power over me. Turning eighteen would make me an adult and he wouldn't have the right to dictate my life the way he'd been doing until now. To say I hated this man was a colossal understatement. I hated him for doing what he did to my mother, for giving her so much pain all her life.

Sometimes I had an urge to hurt him...

Sometimes I just looked for a chance to kill him.