Chapter 31

"You got me drunk, then shoved that woman—Mia—into my bed?" Richard’s roar echoed through the hall. "You think you can blackmail me like this? You picked the wrong man. I hate being played."

His voice was laced with fury, but beneath it, the humiliation was unmistakable. Still half-naked, exposed and seething, he was caught in a trap with no graceful way out.

Shawn, however, didn’t even flinch. “What are you talking about? Mia’s our biological daughter. Do you really think we’d sacrifice her dignity just to scheme against you?”

He sounded so righteous, so clean—like he hadn’t personally thrown his own daughter to the wolves the night before. And Selene? She didn’t even try to hide her disgust. One glance at Richard’s body and she practically gagged.

"Look, what’s done is done," she said, her tone syrupy-smooth. "Think about our original offer: a temporary blood contract. You fix our scandal, help finalize the project, and in return, we help you secure a foothold in Snow Moon Pack."

She smiled tightly. “It’s a win-win. But you made it messy.”

Richard sneered. “Are you two even human? You’re her parents. Your daughter nearly gets assaulted and you’re sitting here pushing contracts?"

He turned, locking eyes with me.

And in that moment, I saw it—underneath the arrogance and sleaze—pity. Genuine pity.

He wasn’t wrong to feel it.

Compared to this family? He was practically a saint.

Shawn and Selene went rigid. They didn’t care about me, never had. But when they saw Justin staring at them—eyes wide, jaw clenched, fists trembling—something shifted. The cold truth was setting in.

They’d left Justin at the house on purpose. While Lilith and Avery were told to stay at a hotel, Justin had been made to stay. Why? Because they knew.

They knew he’d started looking at me differently. Thinking of me as more than just his adopted sister. They wanted him to see me broken. Humiliated. Used.

But instead, he saw them.

“Justin…” Shawn tried to recover, voice tight with guilt.

Justin’s voice cracked. “Tell me it’s not true. Tell me you didn’t…"

Selene stepped in quickly, “Of course not! Richard got himself drunk and assaulted Mia. We didn’t know it would go that far!”

“And besides,” she added, switching to fake concern, “it’s not like marrying into the Davis Pack would hurt Mia. It’s a powerful alliance. She wouldn’t suffer there.”

Justin just… laughed. But it wasn’t joy. It was bitter. A sound full of grief and realization.

“Oh, I get it now. She marries after she donates her kidney? Or maybe after the deal is signed?” He spat the words. “When does her usefulness finally expire?”

“Enough!” Shawn barked, glaring at him. “This isn’t the time!”

He turned back to Richard. “Choose. Sign the cooperation deal—or rot in jail.”

But I wasn’t done.

I stepped forward, arms crossed, smirking like I’d just finished the best play of my life.

“Before we talk deals... shouldn’t we figure out who the actual victim is?”

The room froze.

Selene’s face drained of color. Shawn’s jaw twitched. And Richard? He blinked like he was trying to reboot his brain.

I nodded toward the study.

Richard yanked the curtain back—and there she was.

Betsy. Naked. Bruised. Curled up on the floor like a discarded puppet, her face twisted in pain.

“Master… Madam… save me…” she sobbed, hair tangled, mascara smeared like war paint.

Richard took one look—and vomited right there on the spot.

“You bastards set me up—and this is what I got? A dried-up hag?”

Shawn tried to recover quickly. “Even if it wasn’t Mia, she’s still our servant! That’s coercion!”

He pointed a trembling hand at Richard. “Cooperate, or we go to the authorities. Those are your only two options.”

He sounded desperate. This wasn’t about justice; it was about closing a deal.

Richard clenched his fists, humiliated beyond measure. Jail was off the table, but this? This was a nightmare.

“Fine,” he snarled. “I’ll sign. But if a single word of this gets out… I’ll destroy you.”

He grabbed his clothes and stormed out, shame and rage trailing behind him like smoke.

I yawned, bored. “What a show. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need breakfast.”

“Mia!” Selene screeched. “This were what you doing ?!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You’re the ones who schemed to toss me into his bed—and now you’re mad I didn’t follow the script?”

She stammered, “Last night, clearly—”

“Luna!” Shawn cut her off, motioning subtly toward Justin.

The boy hadn’t moved. His jaw was still clenched, his fists bloodless. His face—already bruised from Richard’s punch—was unreadable.

“Clearly what?” I stepped forward. “That your plan failed? That Betsy took my place?”

I let out a cold laugh. “Sorry for surviving, I guess.”

Selene glared at me like she could be out of existence, but Shawn forced a smile.

“You misunderstand,” he said. “We were worried about you. That’s why we acted—so impulsively. We’re your parents, Mia. We’d never want you to get hurt.”

I didn’t reply. I just walked away; the disgust in my gut was too thick to swallow.

---

Justin chased after me, catching my wrist.

“Sis… I swear. I didn’t know. If I had…”

I turned, gazing sharply.

“You know now. What will you do?”

His breath caught.

“If it had been me in that study—bruised, half-naked—would you have called the cops? Hit your parents? Killed someone for me?”

He hesitated.

Because the answer was obvious.

He wouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

“Exactly,” I said, pulling away. “What difference does it make if you know or not?”

I walked out.

He didn’t follow.