A Double-Edged Alliance

His frightened eyes were for her. Zeno McMillian was scared for her safety. "Why are you doing this for someone who already loves someone else?"

Tori finally stopped walking forward. "That word again. Is that also the reason why you betrayed the House Larat? Because you allegedly love my sister?" Her mocking red eyes sharpened like a predator's eyes in the night.

"Love is a sentiment that can even ruin an empire and I did not betray my family for that. I did it for something bigger – an obsession that kept me awake at night." He whispered his last words but Tori heard them loud and clear from him. She did not like the way he looked into her eyes so she went back on track to what they were talking about.

"The dam construction is not your whole plan. You're using the dam to have an excuse to overflow this side of the river, haven't you? This part of the river is already contaminated but this does not ensure his death so you needed it to reach the capital. And the dam construction is the