Seduction Lessons From The Hockey Captain

The Motive

Kian Carter's Point Of View.

Night had already fallen by the time I pulled into the driveway. The lights of our mansion glowed bright against the darkness, making the place look warm, peaceful, and welcoming from the outside.

I loosened my tie and headed straight for the staircase. I was just about to go upstairs, lock myself inside my room, and avoid my father for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, life had a habit of ruining my plans.

"I thought, you had decided not to come home tonight." My father said, his voice echoed through the dining room and his expression was as cold as ever. He was sitting at the head of the dining table with a glass of whiskey.

"I could not miss another one of our heart to heart conversations." I said, as I walked toward the table and dropped into the chair opposite him.

"How were your results?" He asked, as he take another sip of his whiskey. The casual tone in his voice would have sounded harmless to anyone else but I knew better.

"They have not been announced yet." I replied with a shrug as I reached for the glass of water, hoping the conversation would end there.

"Interesting." He said, as he lowered his glass onto the table with a loud noise and looked up at me. "The Dean called me this afternoon and said otherwise."

"I see." I said, tightening my grip around the glass as I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck.

"You failed in every single subject."He said as he leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is, for the Carters?"

"Good to know your biggest concern is being embarrassed," I said as I drank the whole glass of water and looked at him. "I was worried you might actually care about me for a second."

"Do not be smart with me, Kian." He said while pointing a finger towards me, across the table. "I pay for the best school in the country, bought you a car worth more than most people earn in years, and make sure you never have to worry about money for a single day of your life and this is what I get in return?"

"You really love that speech, don't you?" I asked, as I shook my head and folded my arms across my chest."Every conversation somehow ends with a receipt."

"You ungrateful little brat." He yelled, while throwing the glass, right at me. "Your mother spent years filling your head with nonsense."

"Leave Mom out of this." I snapped, as I dodged the glass, my voice came out louder and harsher than I had intended.

"Look at her, Kian." He said, narrowing his eyes toward me and standing up from his chair. "She can barely take care of herself, let alone you. The only reason either of you have this house, these clothes, or that car sitting outside is because of me."

"The truth is that you have spent years making her miserable." I said while crunching the shattered pieces of glass under my shoes as I I struggled to keep my anger under control. "You humiliate her every chance you get and every time you lose your temper, she is the one who pays for it."

"I will divorce her." He said while adjusting the cuff of his suit and for a second I thought I misheard him.

"It's what she deserves." I said, as I looked down and closed my eyes with a hope. For years, I had watched my mother suffer through a marriage that had long since become toxic.

"I want you to finish first in the entire school." He said, as he took a step toward me. His expression remained completely serious.

"I don't understand," I said, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"You heard me." He said, while folding his arms across his chest. There was not even the slightest hint of amusement on his face and the confidence in his posture made it obvious that he believed I would fail before I even started.

"And if I do?" I asked, my voice was quieter this time. I held his gaze while taking a slow step forward.

"I will give your mother, the divorce." He said, emphasizing each and every word while watching my reaction.

"Fine." I said, as I nodded, my voice came out steady despite the uncertainty in my heart. "I will come first in the final term and when I do, you will divorce her for good."

"Deal." He said, as he extended his hand while the corner of his mouth twitched upward slightly.

"Deal." I said as I looked down at his hand and shook it, maintaining the eye contact with determination.

He kept his eyes fixed on me for at least two minutes, tapped on my shoulders, grabbed his car keys from the table and walked out of the house.

I stood there for a moment before finally heading upstairs. The moment, I pushed open the door to my room, I froze, seeing my mother asleep, curled up on top of my bed.

I walked over, sat beside her and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. She looked exhausted.

"I will take this chance for you, Maa," I whispered with a sad smile, my voice was barely audible. "I will make sure I win anyhow."

For years, I had stood by and watched her suffer. Maybe for the first time in my life, I actually had the power to change something and If becoming the top student in Greenfield Academy was the price of getting my mother out of this marriage, then I would pay it.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and opened the picture Tom had secretly taken of her earlier today. She was sitting in the library focussed on a textbook.

"You worked way too hard for that first position, Stacy. Now you are going to help me take it from you." I said while staring at the image for a few seconds, with an evil grin across my face.