MasukCiara’s povThe look on his face held the same cold, unreadable expression I remembered from the day my brother died and right now, seeing me, there was no joy in seeing me after so long, no relief that I was safe, not even anger. He looked at me as though I were a matter he had come to settle.My mother sat beside him.From across the room, the expensive dress, carefully styled hair and jewellery made her look as composed as always, but now that I was paying attention, I saw what the presentation was hiding. The makeup beneath one of her eyes was heavier, and there was a faint swelling near her cheekbone that the powder had not fully concealed. She kept one arm close to her body, moving stiffly whenever she adjusted her position.My stomach turned.Had my father hit her again?I could not be sure. There could have been another explanation, but my mind went there because I had seen enough throughout my childhood to know it was possible.I looked away before she noticed me staring and
Ciara’s POVAsher’s claws were already out by the time I reached him.They extended from his fingers, dark and sharp, while his eyes stayed fixed on Dante with a stillness that promised far more than another bottle to the head. The servants tending to Inara’s father kept glancing at him nervously, and even the members of the Dagon family who had arrived wearing pride on their faces no longer looked so comfortable.I caught Asher’s arm before he could move.“Asher, don’t.”He looked down at my hands, then back at Dante. “Move aside, little venom. You should sit down and enjoy this show.”“Asher.”“I warned him not to misbehave.”“I know.”“And now he has made her cry.”His voice had become dangerously quiet, and the sight of his claws so close to my dress sent another rush of panic through me. He was not joking this time. If I released him, Dante would probably not leave this room alive.Asher finally looked at me, anger burning beneath the coldness in his eyes. “People like him survi
Inara’s povMy father laughed harshly, but it did not sound confident a bit. I know my father and right now, I could swear he was afraid, “You think I am afraid of threats?”“No. I think you are too arrogant to recognize one.”Asher’s voice remained calm and that calm was more frightening than shouting.“Death would be easy. One cut and you are finished. I would not waste something that merciful on you. I would remove everything you use to frighten her, slowly, then leave you alive long enough to understand that your daughter survived you.”My father’s face lost some of its colour and for the first time in my life, I watched Dante struggle to answer.He had always been impossible to silence. People lowered their heads when he entered rooms. Men twice his size measured their words around him, and even the rest of the Dagon family rarely challenged him once his temper rose.Yet Asher stood in front of him as if he were nothing but just an ugly old man who had thrown something at the wro
Inara’s POVI watched blood run down my father’s face and felt no pity.Not even a little.The bottle had struck him hard enough to split the skin above his brow, and the servants around him were already rushing to help, pressing cloth against the wound while my relatives gasped and called his name.Yet all I could think was that he had once done worse to me without blinking. He had watched me bleed many times, watched me struggle to stand after one of his so-called family punishments, then walked away as though the pain was necessary to correct whatever was wrong with me.So no, I did not feel sorry for him but my body was shaking.It started in my fingers, then spread through my arms until my legs felt weak beneath me. My chest tightened painfully, and for a moment, the room seemed too bright, crowded and too loud. I had spent years learning how to hide that reaction. I knew how to stand straight while fear crawled through me, how to smile when I wanted to run and how to turn pain i
Ciara’s POVMy eyes went straight to Inara.“Hide.”The word left my mouth before I could think, and I tightened my grip on her hand as panic spread through my chest. It made no sense to ask her to hide. The estate was already surrounded by guards, and anyone who had discovered our arrival would know she was here too, but fear was rarely reasonable. All I could think about was the men who had hunted her, the false report of her death and the possibility that the people waiting beyond the dining room had come to finish what they started.Inara looked at me for a moment, then shook her head.“I can’t hide, Ciara. Whoever sent people after me already knows I survived and I'm here.”“That doesn’t mean you should walk out there and stand in front of them.”“It means hiding would change nothing.”My heart continued to pound so hard that I could hear it inside my ears. The moment Ella announced that Mr. and Mrs. Dagon were waiting at the entrance, the little strength I had gathered over the
The servant holding the tray lowered her eyes and took one careful step backward.My mother-in-law’s expression flickered between irritation and fear. She clearly wanted to challenge him, but memories of what he had done to Jasper were probably still fresh in everyone’s mind.“There is no need for threats,” she said. “This is a family remedy. I prepared it because I care about my grandchild.”Asher picked up the cup.I reached toward him. “Be careful.”He lifted it to his nose and inhaled slowly. His expression did not change, but the room became so quiet that I could hear the faint sound of servants moving in the corridor outside.After another moment, he lowered the cup.“There is nothing immediately poisonous inside.”My mother-in-law’s shoulders loosened slightly. “Then there is no problem.”“She is still not drinking it.”Her lips pressed together. “You just admitted that it is safe.”“I said I cannot smell poison. I did not say I trust you.”“I personally prepared it, and Dr. Vo







