LOGINShe turned her head to look directly at me, a flash of genuine, twisted curiosity dancing deep within her eyes."Because you targeted the one person in this world you should have never laid a finger on," I said flatly.She froze for a fraction of a second, and then a cold, mocking laugh escaped her throat."Have you ever stopped to consider one simple fact—if he hadn't placed you on such a ridiculously high pedestal, I would have never even noticed your existence in the first place?" Her voice dropped into a low, chilling whisper. "Your own uncle was the one who pushed you directly under the edge of my blade. The person you truly deserve to loathe above anyone else isn't me."My rational mind immediately flagged her words, knowing perfectly well that she was merely attempting to drive a psychological wedge between us.The fact that my uncle regarded me as the most important person in his life was absolutely not his fault, and it was certainly not my fault.The ultimate blame rest
Because Victoria was currently pregnant, the court sentenced her to five years in state prison, with the execution of the sentence suspended for a two-year probationary period.If she committed another offense within those two years, her old and new crimes would be calculated together, and she would be remanded into immediate custody.Meanwhile, the Vane Corporation completely disintegrated overnight. Every single cargo vessel under Arthur’s name was seized at the ports, his corporate bank accounts were frozen, and his business partners turned on him one by one.An old fox who once sat on over a billion dollars in net worth was transformed, in less than a month, into a total pariah whom absolutely everyone avoided like the plague.I looked over at my uncle. "Uncle Logan, what do you plan to do about the baby?""I will raise the child," he replied, his voice dropping into a very low register. "It’s my own flesh and blood. But as for the child's mother—from the exact millisecond tha
I stared into his bloodshot eyes, which were heavily swollen from staying awake for three grueling days straight."Uncle Logan, you are entirely more important than any of them."Uncle Logan’s pupils vibrated slightly at my words."You gave a promise to my mother," I said, the rims of my eyes flushing a deep red. "You swore to her that you would live a good, long life. Your survival is the absolute greatest tribute you can give to Eleanor Thorne's memory."Do not stain your own hands for this."Uncle Logan’s Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he swallowed hard."Okay," he said.As he forced that single word past his teeth, I watched the muscles along his jawline clench so tightly they looked ready to snap.He was restraining himself—fighting down the primitive, violent urge to storm out of this room and tear those people apart with his bare hands, suppressing a fury that was burning right through his bones.I kept my eyes locked onto his face."Uncle Logan," I whispered, my voice
"Maisie!""Maisie, please do not fall asleep on me.""Maisie, look at your uncle. Open your eyes for me."I desperately wanted to tell him the truth.Uncle Logan, I do not blame you.You were simply a tiny bit late, and you simply chose the wrong woman to trust.You were simply entirely too desperate to let my mother rest in absolute peace.But I lacked the physical capacity to utter a single word.Then, everything went entirely black.The next time my eyes fluttered open, I was already resting inside a clean hospital bed.I immediately caught sight of Uncle Logan, his eyes completely bloodshot from exhaustion."Maisie?"His voice sounded incredibly raw and hoarse.My lips were completely split and cracked, sending a sharp wave of pain through my face the moment I moved them, yet I still forced my muscles to trace a very faint, delicate smile."Uncle Logan," I whispered, using a tiny, friction-filled pocket of breath."I'm right here!" Logan’s eyes instantly flushed red
Uncle Logan collapsed onto his knees directly in front of me, his hands shaking violently as he slowly parted the blood-matted hair clinging to my face.As the stray locks were brushed aside, my forehead was fully exposed to his sight.The word SLUT was crudely, unevenly carved deep into the bloodied, shredded flesh.Logan’s entire body went completely rigid.His gaze swept downward, taking in the full extent of my injuries.From head to toe, there was not a single inch of intact skin left on my body.My forehead was split open, my face was horribly swollen, the corners of my mouth were torn, and both my arms and legs were broken.I looked exactly like a puzzle that had been brutally trampled under someone's shoe—shattered into a hundred scattered pieces on the floor, impossible to ever fit back together again.A violent shudder ran straight through Logan’s frame.He reached out his hands, desperate to touch me, but he hovered mid-air, utterly unable to find a single spot on m
The exact instant the sharp point of the blade was about to puncture my skin under her weight, I violently whipped my head to the side."Ah!"With a burst of desperate strength, I clamped my teeth down hard onto Victoria's hand.She let out a piercing shriek, using her free hand to deliver a savage slap that sent me crashing hard against the floor.The security guards instantly lunged down, pinning my body firmly against the tiles once more."You actually dare to bite me?" she hissed, clutching her hand as a dark stream of blood began to seep through her fingers.Victoria's expression turned completely ominous, the absolute fury in her eyes threatening to manifest into something lethal.She raised the paring knife back into the air, driving the sharp metallic tip straight down into my cheek.Slash after slash. I bit my lower lip raw, the agonizing pain making it entirely impossible to breathe."Take a good look," she sneered, thrusting her smartphone screen directly in front o







