"Everyone here knows that I was the one who stepped up.
"The one who took the reins of the empire, the clan, and became the leader everyone needed, while you were being coddled by our parents, crying your eyes out. Pitiful, wasn't it?"
Travis's blood is cold. He can feel his heart beating, but it's from a faraway awareness. All his attention is on Kiri, honed in to a millisecond, to the tiny droplet of sweat forming on his jugular, his body pressed in the too-tight suit he is wearing.
"While you were being babied, I was the heir everyone was waiting for, all while! I worked and slaved away, holding everything in place."
"And yet you were never enough," Travis speaks slowly. "They didn't want you."
Travis knows this is Kiri's biggest insecurity. Anyone with eyes and cognitive intelligence can detect it.
"They didn't see you fit, dropped you off, and made sure you never attempted such a thing again. No respect for you, no recognition … all that 'work' seen as nothing."
