Chapter 4
“I’m sorry! I won’t ask for a bread refill ever again, I swear! Please–just let go of my aunt!”
“She’s pregnant! If you keep hurting her, something could happen to the babies. Please, it’s all my fault. Don’t blame her.”
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Ethan led the pleading, his voice shaking with fear. The other three kids followed, their faces pale with fear, all of them crying uncontrollably.
“Please…” one of them sobbed. “Please don’t hurt my aunt. We can pay! Our family has lots of money–we’ll give you whatever you want!”
“We won’t come back again, I promise,” another added, her voice high and terrified. “She’s carrying twins! Please let her go, you’re going to hurt the b
My second nephew Noah, trembling, took off the gold locket my mother had given him -a family heirloom–and held it up with both hands, offering it to Tiffany like a sacred object.
“You can have this,” he said through tears. “It’s real gold. Just please… please let my aunt go.”
Tiffany snatched the locket from his little hands and gave it a glance–1 front and back–before tossing it into the nearby trash can with
a sneer.
“A bunch of scammers–trying to fool me with a fake locket! You little bastard, you think I’m stupid?”
Then she struck him across the head, hard enough to make him stumble.
“Little brat. No manners at all.”
That was the last straw.
“Don’t you touch him!” I screamed, my voice raw with fury. “Lay another hand on the kids and I swear, I’ll destroy you!”
SMACK.
The 300–pound thug brought his palm crashing down on the back of my head. Pain exploded in my skull like a flashbang, my ears ringing, vision spinning.
My forehead slammed into the tile floor, cold and sharp. The throb spread instantly, crawling into my abdomen–sharp, twisting pain that made me curl in on myself.
that.”
“You know who our boss’s husband is?” the brute growled. “He’s Nathan Carter
You mess with the Carters, you disappear. Simple as
I couldn’t even speak. The cramping in my stomach was growing worse with every breath.
Tiffany looked down at me smugly, her voice full of disdain.
“You want me to let you go?” she taunted. “Fine. Pay up. Apologize. Or…”
She pointed toward the kitchen.
“Better yet–let’s teach you a real lesson. You want free food? Then eat this.”
Two men disappeared into the back and returned moments later carrying slop buckets–overflowing with disgusting, rotten leftovers. The stench hit the air like a slap, making everyone around recoil.
Ethan wiped his face and sniffled. “If we eat it… will you let her go?”
Tiffany smirked. “Depends. Impress me. Maybe I’ll be generous.”
He actually believed her.
He thought that eating garbage would somehow save me.
Chapter 4
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He crouched down, reached into the bucket with his clean little hand, scooped out a slimy pile of mush, and shoved it into his mouth.
“I’ll eat,” he sobbed. “I’ll eat, just please don’t hurt her anymore.”
Seeing him take the lead, the other children followed suit, shoving foul food and unidentifiable scraps into their mouths, tears streaming down their faces as they chewed.
“No!” I screamed, thrashing against the people holding me down. “Don’t eat that! Stop–don’t! It’s filthy! You’ll get sick!”
But no one listened.
Tiffany strutted over in her needle–thin stilettos and dug her heel into my lower back, grinding it in.
“You wanted your free meal so badly?” she sneered. “Eat your fill.”
Then she barked at one of the e waitresses, “Shove it down her throat. Every last grain.”
The woman obeyed immediately, grabbing a fistful of slop and leaning toward my mouth. I jerked my head violently, refusing to open up, forcing the bile back into my throat as I growled.
“I’m Vivian Sterling. My father’s the wealthiest man in the in Astor Heights. This diner belongs to my family. You lay another hand on me, and none of you will walk out of here intact!”
For a beat, silence.
Then they all burst into laughter.
Cruel. Mocking. Dismissive.
“Your name’s Sterling? What’s next–you want to tell us you live in the White House?”
Then Noah, still sobbing, tapped his smartwatch with trembling fingers and shouted, “Grandpa! Aunt Vivian’s being attacked–come quick in the plane! These people are horrible!”
Just then, the sound of a car screeching to a halt pierced the chaos.
A customer by the window shouted, “Mr. Carter’s here!”
Chapter 4
