Chapter 11

Sisterly Venom

POV: Karol Kensington

I needed someone. I needed just one person in this building to be on my side. I needed someone to tell me this was a bad dream; I couldn't think of anyone, but I have a sister.

I rushed down the quiet hallway and pushed open the door to my younger sister’s home office.

"Valeria," I choked out, tears finally burning my eyes. "Valeria, please."

Valeria was standing behind her desk. She wore a soft cream dress, and her warm blonde hair was perfectly styled. But she was not doing paperwork.

She was holding a roll of brown packing tape.

Around her feet were three large cardboard boxes. I looked closer and it felt felt familiar. 

"Karol," Valeria said. Her voice was sweet and soft, like honey. She put the tape down and walked over to me. She wrapped her small arms around my waist. "Oh, sweetie. You are shaking. What is wrong?"

"Mother faked my signature," I cried, hugging her back tightly. I buried my face in her shoulder. "She signed Ciro's contract for me. She is forcing me to go to his island. Val, she threatened to take away my doctor's license if I don't."

Valeria gently rubbed my back. "Shh. I know, Karol. I know. It is so awful."

I pulled back and looked at her face. "You knew? You knew she did this?"

Valeria gave me a sad, pitying look. "Mother told me last night. She said it was the only way to save the clinic. Ciro was going to destroy us, Karol. You have to admit, you made him very angry when you ripped up his first deal."

I stared at her. The tears in my eyes dried up instantly.

"I made him angry?" I asked. My voice dropped to a whisper. "Valeria, he is blackmailing us. He is holding us hostage."

"And now you can fix it," Valeria said smoothly. She turned away from me and walked back to the cardboard boxes. She picked up the packing tape. Riiip. The loud sound of the tape closing a box echoed in the room. "You just have to stay at his island for a while. It will be like a vacation. I will take care of everything here while you are gone."

I looked at her desk. My gold nameplate, the one that said Chief Medical Director was sitting on it.

"You are packing my stuff," 

"Mother told me to," Valeria answered. She did not look up. She kept taping the boxes. "We need to clear your space so I can move in. Someone has to be the new Chief Director while you are away. It is just temporary, Karol. For the family."

She was so calm. She was not angry at our mother. She was not worried about me going to live with a dangerous man. She was just excited to take my job.

Hector’s scared voice echoed in my head. It was your sister. Valeria. She erased the computer files.

I took a slow step toward her desk. "You are very happy about this, aren't you, Val?"

"I am just trying to be strong for us," Valeria sighed, finally looking at me with her big, innocent brown eyes. "Someone has to keep this business running."

While she was looking at me, my eyes dropped to her messy desk. Underneath a pile of patient files, the edge of a crisp white paper was sticking out.

It had a bright red logo at the top. It was a bank logo. But it was not our local bank in Medellín. It was a bank in the Cayman Islands. An offshore account.

I leaned forward and pulled the paper out.

"Don't touch my things!" Valeria snapped. Her sweet voice vanished.

But I had already seen it.

The paper was a monthly bank statement. The name at the top was Valeria Kensington. And the numbers at the bottom were printed in bold red ink. It was a massive debt. Three million dollars.

Valeria lunged forward and snatched the paper out of my hand. She shoved it into her desk drawer and slammed it shut. Her face was totally red. The innocent, sweet mask completely melted away, leaving something ugly and mean underneath.

"What is that?" I asked. My voice shook, but not from fear. It was pure anger. "Three million dollars in debt? Offshore? Valeria, what did you do?"

"Mind your own business," she hissed. She stood up tall, crossing her arms. She did not look like my little sister anymore. "It is a private loan."

The puzzle pieces suddenly crashed together in my brain.

The missing medical supplies. The erased security computer. The acid inside Ciro's knee brace.

Valeria was drowning in secret debt. She needed a huge amount of money, fast. She partnered with bad people. She put the acid on Ciro’s gear to ruin his career, hoping the Kensington clinic would get an insurance payout or that she could take control of the family money in the chaos. And when Ciro found out, she let me take the blame.

She wanted me gone. She wanted my job. She wanted total control.

"You did it," I whispered. I backed away from her. I felt like I was looking at a complete stranger. "You put the acid in his brace. You tried to cripple him."

Valeria did not deny it. She just smiled. It was a cold, evil smile.

"You have no proof, Karol," she said softly. "The computer files are gone. And you are getting in a car today to go live with a monster. No one will ever believe you."

"I am your sister," I said, my heart breaking into a million pieces.

"You are just in my way," Valeria replied. She pointed at the door. "Goodbye, Karol. Have fun on the island."

I did not say another word. I turned around and walked out of her office.

I walked down the stairs, pushed open the heavy glass doors of the clinic, and stepped out into the freezing rain.

I did not run away this time. I walked straight toward the devil's car and climbed inside. My family wanted to sell me to the devil. Fine. But I was going to use the devil to burn their house to the ground.

Sitting on the other side of the leather seat was Ciro Restrepo. His bad leg was stretched out. He looked massive in the small space. His bronze eyes studied my wet, angry face.

"You look like a woman who just lost everything," Ciro said. His deep voice rumbled in the quiet car.

I looked right into the eyes of my enemy. I did not feel scared of him anymore. I only felt a burning, desperate need for revenge.

Ciro's arrogant smirk slowly spread across his face. He leaned forward and continued talking.

"Good," he said softly. "Let's go home, princess."