"Althea Quinn! Are you in cohorts with this... this monster?!" Reina spat, her voice trembling with fury and accusation.
"Pak!"
The sharp crack of a slap filled the room.
Reina's head snapped to the side, and she reeled from the force of it, rolling further across the bed.
When she managed to sit up, a clear red palm print stained her flawless face, vivid against her pale complexion.
Her disoriented gaze darted around the room until it landed on Althea, who stood by the door, her hand still raised, her expression cold and unyielding.
Reina could not believe how she was slapped with the impossible distance between them.
"Clean your filthy mouth," Althea said icily, her voice slicing through the air.
"If Ross didn't have his eyes on you, I would have killed you the moment those words left your lips."
The glow of Althea's bright red eyes intensified, bathing her face in an eerie light.
The killing intent radiating from her was tangible, suffocating.
Her past life was a brutal, unforgiving experience.
Despite enjoying a passionate romance with Ross, her hands were far from clean.
A stark example of this was her swift recovery after coldly murdering her previous lover, Robin.
Reina froze, her breath caught in her throat. This wasn't empty posturing—Althea was deadly serious.
Reina's body trembled.
She had faced life-or-death situations before, had witnessed death firsthand, but this was different.
Althea wasn't just a woman—she was a cold blooded killer!
"They're just my slaves now, my love," Ross said, his voice calm and nonchalant, as if discussing mundane matters.
He leaned casually against the wall of the room, watching the scene unfold with amusement.
"You can punish them however you like, as long as you don't kill them. And even if you do, they'll just come back to life."
Reina and Mari's eyes widened in unison, the words sending a wave of horror through them.
"Oh?" Althea turned her gaze back to the two women, her lips curling into a sinister smile.
"Is that true? I suppose I should test it for myself."
Experience more on empire
The smile chilled Reina and Mari to the core.
Both women instinctively pressed closer together, their terror plain on their faces.
"Stop!" Reina cried, desperation breaking her voice.
"Why are you doing this, Ross? I only want my daughter back!"
Her tears spilled freely now, streaking her cheeks as she looked pleadingly at Ross.
She hated showing vulnerability in front of him, but the situation had stripped her of pride.
However, even in her despair, she couldn't shake the overwhelming fear of Althea, whose unwavering gaze pierced her like a blade.
"Your daughter?" Ross said mockingly, his lips curling into a cruel smile.
"Is that so? Funny—I heard something entirely different."
Reina's breath hitched as dread crept into her chest.
"Your men," Ross continued, his tone sharp, "were sent to kill me. And not just me—they intended to kill my women too. But not before enjoying them in front of me." His eyes darkened, and his voice dropped, laced with venom.
"If they'd succeeded, I'd be in hell right now, crying tears of blood and clawing at the gates of vengeance."
He let out a low, mirthless laugh.
"Fortunately, I had the cards to prevent such a disaster."
Reina's mouth opened, but no words came. Her mind raced, searching for answers.
"No!" she finally managed to say, shaking her head.
"That's not what I told them!"
Ross raised an eyebrow, his smirk unchanging.
"Is that so?"
Reina's sharp mind pieced the puzzle together in an instant.
Her gaze snapped to Mari, who stood beside her, her head bowed and shoulders hunched.
"Mari…" Reina said, her voice low with a mix of anger and realization.
Mari refused to meet her gaze, her hands clenched into fists.
"I'm sorry, Boss," she muttered, her voice barely audible.
"I just… I just hate men like Ross. He's the kind of man I despise the most."
"Mari!" Reina's voice erupted, her fury boiling over. But before she could say more, pain tore through her body.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Reina clutched her stomach, collapsing onto the bed as agony wracked her form.
Her screams filled the room, and even Mari flinched, her face pale with guilt and fear.
"You should choose your allies more carefully," Althea said coldly, her tone sharp as a blade.
She stepped closer to Reina, her glowing eyes narrowing with disdain.
"Loyalty is a currency you clearly can't afford."
Mari sat frozen on the bed, unable to move as Reina writhed in pain. Althea's mere presence was paralyzing, her killing intent suffocating.
Ross chuckled softly, the sound low and mocking.
"Now, Reina," he said, tilting his head, "you are as guilty as Mari simply because you were the one who orchestrated everything."
Reina's screams eventually subsided, but her body was left trembling, her breaths shallow and uneven.
She struggled to lift her head, her face etched with pain and despair.
"I… I didn't… mean to d…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Enough excuses," Althea snapped, her voice cutting through Reina's weak protest. She turned to Ross, her expression calm but curious.
"What do you want me to do with them?"
Ross smirked, his gaze flickering to the two women.
"Let them stew in pain. Punish them. Punish them well."
Reina and Mari exchanged terrified glances, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Althea's smile returned, cold and unfeeling.
"As you wish," she said, stepping back.
But her glowing eyes lingered on the women, a silent promise of what awaited them.
Ross's laughter echoed in the room, chilling and triumphant.
"Puchi!"
Reina's body was sliced into thirty pieces, blood and flesh spraying across the bed and staining the once-pristine sheets.
Her severed limbs lay grotesquely scattered, and the room reeked of copper.
For a moment, the silence that followed was deafening, broken only by Mari's horrified gasp.
Then, as if guided by an invisible hand, Reina's dismembered parts began to reassemble.
Flesh knitted together seamlessly, blood disappeared as if it had never spilled, and even her clothes reformed, leaving no trace of the violence.
But the pain lingered, a constant, enduring, and unforgettable presence.
***
Huge shoutout and thanks to ddecoen for the gifts!
You are awesome! Thank you! ^_^