2: Teaching some manners

“Kimberly Holland, do you honestly think you’re fit to be my sister-in-law?”

The young woman remained crouched at the edge of the fountain, her lips curled into a venomous, triumphant sneer.

She stared down at Nia as if inspecting an unwelcome insect trapped beneath the heel of her designer shoe.

Nia just blinked up at her, still dazed, her brain furiously piecing together the surreal nightmare she’d landed in.

“Give it a rest,” the lady scoffed, reaching down to shove Nia’s damp head back with two dismissive fingers. “My brother won’t even touch you with a ten-foot pole. Only Vivian is worthy of the Kruger name.”

Nia, now Kimberly, eyes narrowed into a razor-sharp glare.

The shock evaporated, replaced instantly by an all-consuming, incandescent annoyance.

‘So this snobby brat is Lucy Kruger,’ Kimberly thought, a dark, wicked grin tugging at the corner of her mind. ‘The insufferable sister-in-law.’

“See that?” Lucy raised her voice, projecting it across the lawn so every wealthy bystander could hear. “Vivian is already carrying his child!”

Then she let out a high-pitched, mocking laugh, looking down at Kimberly with disdain. “So pack your trash and get lost. Fast.”

She was about to smack Kimberly’s head once more.

But she never got the chance.

Kimberly’s hand shot up locking around Lucy’s wrist with a vice-like grip.

Before the girl could even register the sudden change in dynamic, Kim yanked her forward with vicious force.

SPLASH!

Lucy shrieked as she pitched headfirst into the fountain pool, sending a wave of water cascading over the tiled edge.

The surrounding crowd gasped in collective shock.

Ignoring the chaos, Kimberly sneered as she turned toward Lucy and walked toward her with an air of indifference.

Lucy spluttered, dragging her soaked face out of the water. “Kimberly Holland, have you lost your mind?!” she screamed, scrambling backward in a panic.

Without giving her a reply, Kimberly sashayed out of the water with an aura of pure, unbothered arrogance.

Her drenched white gown clung to her frame, dripping onto the marble floor.

A wide-eyed waiter darted forward, instantly dropping a pair of poolside flip-flops at her feet and draping a plush white towel over her shoulders.

Kim slid her feet into the sandals, gathered the towel around herself, and pivoted back toward Lucy who was already out of the water, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Then Kim walked toward her.

Lucy, although stunned, also made her way toward Kim.

However, Kim whipped the towel off her shoulders, stepped in close, and threw her weight into a brutal slap.

SMACK!

Lucy’s head snapped violently to the side with an agonizing yelp. She stumbled back and fell, clutching her stinging cheek, staring at Kim in shock.

Kimberly scoffed, planting one hand squarely on her hip. “Are you critically short on brain cells, or is your brain stem actively shrinking? Worthy or not, I am the rightful Young Mistress of the Kruger family. Your official sister-in-law.”

She leaned in mischievously. “And teaching a spoiled brat some manners...”

Kim bent down, slipped off one of her foam flip-flops, and held it up like a weapon.

“...is just good parenting.”

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Lucy shrieked, scrambling back on her hands and knees, terror finally breaking through her smug facade.

Kim weighed the flip-flop in her hand, her eyes sparkling with delight. ‘I wanted a satisfaction arc? I’m making one. Time to blow off some steam…’

With a feral grin, Kim stepped forward and began mercilessly thrashing Lucy with the slipper.

Whack! Whack!

Lucy squealed, curling into a ball on the wet floor.

“Humiliating your sister-in-law, cheering on your brother’s side-piece...” Kim pointed the sandal directly at Lucy’s nose, her voice booming over the stunned crowd. “For a rich girl, your upbringing is utterly trash!”

Lucy trembled on the ground, red-faced, fuming, and thoroughly terrified.

“They say the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother,” Kim continued, resting a hand on her waist, her expression terrifyingly unbothered. “So consider this tough love. I’m going to personally beat some moral integrity back into you…”

As Kimberly was about to hit Lucy again…

“Stop!!”

Kim paused, swinging her gaze toward a woman in a red dress who came charging through the crowd, radiating righteous fury.

“Kim Holland, how dare you hit Lucy!” the woman barked, instantly swooping down to pull the sniveling Lucy to her feet. “She’s Theo’s favorite sister! Do you really think acting like a manic beast is going to make him hate you any less?”

Kim stared at the newcomer, letting out a dry, incredulous laugh before crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, please,” Kim drawled, rolling her eyes. “Is Theo Kruger’s approval supposed to be some kind of rare trophy?”

She squinted, eyeing the woman up and down before snapping her fingers in realization.

“Ah... you’re the hypocritical snake, Vivian Holland. Stealing my parents at home, hunting my husband in public. If you weren’t constantly trying to crawl into your brother-in-law’s bed, you’d be suffocating on your own desperation. And you two are actually proud of a trashy affair pregnancy?…”

Before either of them could utter a word, Kim lunged forward, grabbing both Lucy and Vivian by their hair.

She thrashed them back and forth with terrifying intensity, throwing her whole body into the chaos.

The crowd gasped as screams echoed across the venue.

“Can’t you two fight back?! Fight!” Kim roared like a woman completely possessed. “Do you only know how to run your dirty little mouths?! Huh?!”

With a final, aggressive shove, she threw them both backward.

They crashed onto the ground in a disheveled heap, sobbing, clutching their scalps, their expensive hair ruining their high-society glamor.

“The Krugers are here!” someone suddenly yelled from the edge of the courtyard.

The chatter died instantly.

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the crowd as onlookers parted like the Red Sea, bowing their heads in rigid respect.

A squad of sharply dressed men swept into the space, clearing a path.

Kim straightened up, her chest heaving, tossing her wet hair over her shoulder as she tracked the procession, until her eyes locked onto the man commanding the center of the room.

Dark, icy eyes.

A carved, aristocratic jawline framed by dirty blonde hair.

Towering over six feet tall, he radiated an oppressive, chilling authority that made every person in the courtyard hold their breath.

Kim’s eyes narrowed as recognition hit her.

He was Kimberly’s uncle-in-law.

The undisputed power behind the Kruger empire.