Chapter 4

Josie froze for a beat. Then, she burst into sharp, hysterical laughter. "You're about to die, and you still dare act like you're the Valley's princess? Vincent, hold her down! I'll slice that fake tattoo off with the skin and feed it to the dogs!"

Vincent went white with terror. He kicked my already bleeding knee, worsening the injury.

"Ms. Brown, don't be mad. This crazy wretch is out of her mind!" he babbled. "She heard Mr. Scar mention that Mr. Shaw was searching for someone, and she started deluding herself into thinking she's the Valley's princess."

Josie slapped my face with the flat of her blade, every strike dripping with humiliation. "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to call yourself Mr. Shaw's daughter? I'm his goddaughter!"

Vincent let out a snort. To show his loyalty, he ground his heel down viciously on my broken bone.

Blinding pain ripped through me. I clenched my jaw hard and swallowed the metallic tang flooding my mouth.

Three years ago, I'd taken three stabs for him. On that stormy night, I'd carried him on my back for six miles to find a doctor.

I'd poured my heart into him for three years. In return, he'd sold me out to climb the social ladder. He'd drugged me and sent me to my death.

Josie's blade stabbed straight into my right arm without a shred of mercy. The lifelike blood-red phoenix there was brutally carved open, skin and flesh peeled back as blood gushed to the floor.

Wendy clapped her hands in excitement and screeched, "Serves you right! This is what you get for pretending to be someone you're not! Ms. Brown, cut up her face, too!"

I was drenched in cold sweat, and my vision blurred at the edges. Still, looking at their crazed, twisted faces, a strange, chilling smile curved my lips.

They could laugh and scream as much as they wanted now. The harder they gloated, the more miserable they would be when my 18 dads, who were living devils, came out of the inner hall.

"I can't believe you still have the nerve to smile!" Josie was infuriated by the look in my eyes, and jealousy distorted her face into something inhuman. "Strip her! I want to see how long this cheap wretch can keep acting tough!"

"Got it, Ms. Brown!" Desperate to please her, Vincent lunged forward and tore at my collar. "Don't blame me for being ruthless, Noelle. Blame yourself for crossing the wrong people!"

My shirt ripped. Cold air knifed down my neck. The sheer humiliation, mixed with the pain ripping through my body, drove my emotions into a pit of frozen darkness.

Josie's stiletto heel slammed down on the side of my face. The sharp heel ground into my cheekbone so hard it felt like my skull would crack.

"You think you're worthy of being associated with Wicked Valley, you cheap whore?" she snarled.

She raised the bloodstained knife, the tip pointed straight at my right eye. "I'll ruin these slutty eyes first. I'll gouge them out and soak them in liquor for my godfathers!"

The threat of doom loomed close. Vincent's arm locked tightly around my throat. The blade flashed with a blinding, icy glint as it drove down toward me.

Boom!

The two black iron doors of the inner hall, heavy as mountains, were kicked open by a terrifying force. A man in a black cloak strode out, looking like a god of slaughter who had descended to earth.

Behind him, 17 figures surged out in unison, each radiating murderous intent. All 18 bosses of Wicked Valley had appeared.

The crushing pressure of born predators rolled out, making everyone's knees go weak. Most people were on the verge of collapsing.

Josie's hand trembled, and the knife stopped half an inch from my eye. She instantly withdrew her blade, plastering on a sycophantic, sugary smile as she looked at my dads.

She sounded like she wanted to claim credit as she cried, "Terence, we caught a wretch impersonating the princess. She even dared to call you by your name!"

Vincent shook with excitement and pressed my head against the bloody floor. "Mr. Shaw, I brought her here! I'm the one offering this cheap whore who dared to anger you!"

Big Dad lowered his eyes with bored indifference. The next second, his gaze fell on my blood-soaked, half-naked figure sprawled on the floor.

The moment he saw my face, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt. The murderous air around him froze solid, and his eyes turned bloodshot with fury.

The hall went dead silent. One could hear a pin drop.

I struggled to lift my head, which was caked in blood, and forced out a cold, mocking smile full of contempt. "Terence Shaw. After three years apart, this is how you welcome me?"