Chapter 6 Wicked Games& Sweet Revenge

Bernard’s POV

I watched Diana's laptop screen flicker from my own monitor, rage and pride warring inside me. She'd gotten better at digging - Too good.

"Not this time, sweetheart." My fingers flew across the keyboard, throwing up barriers faster than she could break them. Each time she found a path to the employee records, I redirected her, corrupted the files, scattered false leads.

Watching her curse at each dead end made me smile despite everything. Five years ago, she would have given up after the first failure. Now she was matching me move for move, nearly breaking through my defenses.

My phone buzzed - Mike's worried text: "She's not stopping. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing," I typed back. "Let her try."

Another buzz: "You know how she gets when she's angry. And she is VERY angry right now."

My smile faded as I redirected another of Diana's attempts. She was beyond angry - she was furious. I could practically feel her frustration radiating through the screen as she hit another wall.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, watching her work. "But I can't let you find this, sweetheart. Not yet."

My watch buzzed again - the third warning for the Morris estate gathering. I cursed, checking the time. Already ten minutes behind schedule. Gregory Morris didn't tolerate lateness, especially not from his wayward adopted son. The last time I'd been late to a family gathering, he'd made me spar with his security team for six hours straight. Today's punishment would be worse - I could feel it.

"Sorry sweetheart," I muttered to Diana's persistent attempts on my screen. "But Gregory Morris's rage is even more dangerous than yours."

The gates opened automatically as I pulled up to the mansion fifteen minutes late, my hands tight on the wheel. Every minute tardy would add to whatever punishment awaited me inside., gravel crunching under my tires. Elizabeth's sleek Mercedes was already parked out front, along with Spencer's Porsche. The whole family gathered to watch my punishment.

"You're late." Gregory Morris's voice boomed through the entry hall before I'd even closed the door. Diana's grandfather - though she didn't know it yet - stood at the top of the stairs, power radiating from his perfectly tailored suit.

"Oh come on, it was just traffic." I rolled my eyes, purposely taking my time climbing the stairs. No point pretending respect now - he was already pissed.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, you ungrateful brat." His hand clamped down on my shoulder hard enough to bruise, nails digging in. "You were watching my granddaughter again like some lovesick puppy, weren't you? Still playing her knight in shining armor instead of doing what you're told."

Elizabeth and Spencer hovered in the doorway to Gregory's study, neither daring to speak. They knew better than to intervene when the old dragon was angry.

"For God's sake, she's not ready!" I snapped, jerking away from his grip. My hands were shaking with barely controlled rage. "You weren't there five years ago. You didn't see what those recordings did to her. If we dump all this on her now-"

"Shut. Your. Mouth." Gregory's fingers dug into my shoulder until I could feel bones grinding. His voice dropped to that deadly quiet I remembered from childhood. "When I found you - a worthless, starving street rat - what was the one thing I demanded in return for making you somebody?"

"Oh, here we go again." I let out a bitter laugh. "Family comes first. Always. Your favorite little mantra. Been beating that into me since I was six."

"And yet here you are," his voice dripped with disgust, "playing guard dog to keep my own flesh and blood away from her destiny. All because you couldn't keep your pathetic feelings in check." His laugh was razor sharp. "What, did you actually think I wouldn't see it? That I'd let some street mongrel I picked up out of pity play house with my heir?"

"You arrogant son of a-"

The crack of his fist against my jaw echoed through the hall. Blood filled my mouth as I stumbled back. "Watch your tongue, boy. Everything's a game to our kind, and you're still just a pawn I picked up. Or did you forget who taught you how to throw a punch in the first place?"

I straightened, tasting blood. "You want me to prove myself? Fine. But leave Diana out of it."

"Too late." Gregory stepped back, removing his jacket. "You've forgotten your place, forgotten who made you what you are. Time to remind you."

Elizabeth made a small sound of protest but Spencer held her back. They knew the rules - when Gregory Morris demanded a lesson, means someone must paid in blood.

"The traditional greeting?" I asked, rolling up my sleeves. The combat ritual every Morris child learned - though Diana had been stolen before she could begin her training.

"Full contact." Gregory's smile was sharp. "Since you seem to need a thorough reminder of your role in this family."

The first blow nearly took my head off. I blocked, countering with a strike that would have shattered a normal man's ribs. But Gregory Morris hadn't survived decades as head of Morris family by being normal.

"Sloppy." He caught my arm, twisting until tendons felt pain. "You've gone soft, boy. Too focused on protecting her, not enough on your real purpose."

"My purpose?" I broke his hold, dancing back. "You mean being your attack dog?"

"Being protect her." His kick took my legs out. "Did you think I'd let just anyone near my granddaughter? I raised you, shaped you, made you strong enough to stand beside her. And how do you repay me? By keeping her from us."

I hit the floor hard but rolled, coming up fighting. "You don't know her like I do. The truth would destroy her."

"The truth is her birthright." His fist cracked against my jaw again. "The Morris bloodline, the power, the destiny - all of it belongs to her. And you?" Another brutal strike. "You were just supposed to guide her home. Not fall in love with her."

The words hurt more than his blows. Because he was right - I was just the orphan he'd taken in, trained to be Diana's perfect competitor. Her protector. Her equal. Never her lover.

"She deserves better than your schemes." I spat blood, launching a combination that finally broke through his guard. "Better than being another piece in your power games."

Gregory stumbled but recovered, laughing. "Power games? Boy, everything I've done has been to protect her. Linda Peterson stole my heir, tried to shape Diana into her own vision of perfection. I sent you to save her."

"And I did." I blocked another strike but missed the follow-up that cracked ribs. "I got close to her, protected her, guided her-"

"And fell in love with her." Gregory's voice dripped contempt. "The one thing you weren't supposed to do."

"You can't control everything forever, old man!" I caught his punch and twisted hard, satisfaction flaring as he grimaced. "You don't own her, and you sure as hell don't own me anymore!"

"Look at you," he sneered, slamming me into the wall so hard my vision blurred. "Playing at independence. Forgotten already, have you? The pathetic little beggar I scraped off the streets? Everything you are - every skill, every advantage, every breath you take - I OWN all of it. You exist because I ALLOW it."

I don't want to admit the truth he mentioned. I was his creation, shaped from childhood to be Diana's perfect competitor. Her protector. Her equal.

But never her savior from the truth of her own family.

"She's ready." Elizabeth's voice cut through the violence. "Father, please. Bernard's proven his loyalty. Let him tell her-"

"Silence." Gregory's command cracked like a whip. "He'll tell her when I decide. After he remembers his place."

I used his moment of distraction to break his hold, but he was ready.

"Remember this pain." Gregory stood over me as I struggled to rise. "Remember who you are, what you are. My weapon. My creation. Nothing more."

I spat blood onto his perfectly polished shoes. "You're wrong. I'm not just your weapon anymore. I'm whatever she needs me to be."

His laugh was almost gentle as he helped me up. "And that, my boy, is exactly why you're still with her. Despite your disobedience."

I swayed on my feet, body shaking from the beating. "What do you want from me?"

"The truth." Gregory straightened his cuffs, calm as if we hadn't just tried to destroy each other. "Tell her everything. This weekend. Or I will."

"She'll hate me." My voice cracked, the fight draining out of me. "God, she'll never forgive any of us."

"Aww, is the little street rat scared?" His smile was pure poison - that same devastating expression I'd seen Diana use a thousand times. Now I knew where she got it from. "But she'll finally know her true worth. Her real destiny."

"The Morris heir," I spat the words like they burned. "Your perfect little princess to control."

"Exactly." He clapped my shoulder, ignoring my wince. "Now clean yourself up. You have two days to tell her the truth. Make them count."

As I limped to my car, Elizabeth caught my arm. "Bernard... she won't hate you. Not once she understands."

"You don't know that."

"I know my daughter." Her eyes - so like Diana's - held certainty. "And I know how she looks at you. The same way you look at her."

I touched my split lip, tasting blood. "Like I'm worth the pain?"

"Like you're worth everything." She squeezed my arm. "Tell her the truth. Let her decide what you're worth."

The drive home was agony, every breath reminding me of Gregory's lesson. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the truth that in two days, I'd have to tell Diana everything.

About her real family. About Linda Peterson's theft. About my role in it all.

My phone buzzed - Diana, still trying to break through my security measures, still hunting for answers I couldn't let her find. Not yet.

"Two days," I muttered, redirecting another of her attempts. "Give me two more days, sweetheart. Then you can hate me all you want."

The dragon had made his choice. Now I had to pay the price.