Chapter 360: The ex-assassins.
As Sienna expected, the girl refused to yield. Her voice rose, shrill and unrelenting. "No! They owe me! Forever. If they birthed me, they must care for me until I die. I will not move out. I will not work. I will not suffer for their choices."
Sienna did not rush to reply. Mija did not offer an opinion, because she didn’t have anything nice to say. If anyone asked her what she truly thought, she would have advised them to take a shoe and beat some sense into the girl. Her parents had obviously done a poor job of raising her, otherwise, this entitled attitude of hers should have been curbed as soon as it made an appearance.
After a minute of silence, Sienna responded, her words cold as steel. "Then you will suffer. Because the world does not bend to tantrums. You cannot sue your parents for giving you life. No reasonable judge will rule in your favor. I cannot rule in your favor. If you wish to fight, fight the world then and see if you win. But do not waste my time with childish threats demands. Go on, post your little video on BeastNet. I will warn you right now, that if you smear my name, I will sue you. I could even expel you from the fox tribe."
The young girl’s face twisted with fury. "You are cruel. You are no matriarch, you are a tyrant. I will find another way if you refuse to help me. I will make you pay for my suffering."
Sienna’s gaze held hers. unflinching. "Then you will learn the hard way."
The girl spun on her heel, storming out of the restaurant, her words echoing behind her: "I will not be silenced. I will have justice."
When the restaurant doors closed, Mija exhaled shakily, clutching her chest. "Si, that was terrifying. She’s....she’s going to cause trouble, isn’t she?"
Sienna picked up her fork again, her expression unreadable. "Yes, but not for me. She will cause trouble for herself because trouble always finds those who believe the world owes them. And when it does, she will go crawling back to her parents, end up in a prison or a grave."
Mija shivered, her appetite gone. "Sienna, what if she really tries to sue and people actually stand with her? I mean, she is eighteen. A new adult. It is too soon for her to be kicked out by her parents."
Sienna rolled her eyes. "I was that age when I left home to seek a future for myself. Did I sue my mother for giving me less, compared to others? Did I ask my mother to kill me off because poverty was too hard?" She slammed her hand on the counter. "No! I pulled myself from the ground and rose to where I am today. Granted, I took a short cut, but even that short cut was not easily earned."
She would never deny that she had slept her way to the top. She got lucky. But luck had not put her in the office she was holding, courage, defiance and a willingness to work hard had done so.
Mija tapped the table slowly. "So, what do we do if she stirs others with her madness?"
Sienna’s eyes flickered with dangerous calm. "Then I will deal with her. But for now, Mija, eat your fish. The world is full of fools, and I cannot waste my time on every one of them."
Yet even as she spoke, Sienna knew this was not the end. The girl’s arrogance was a spark, and sparks had a way of igniting fires.
The meeting with the strange girl ruined their appetite. They rushed through the rest of it, and returned to the office. Mija was already keeping an eye on BeastNet, for any updates on the situation.
Sienna put all thoughts on the girl out of her mind when Mika shared that she had two guests waiting. It was two beast men, whose beast forms she couldn’t guess. They revealed neither ears nor tails. But, she was sure that they were the two ex-assassins Grace Twindell had arranged for her to meet. They were dressed in black, faces partially covered, their aura sharp and dangerous.
They stood and followed her to her office, against the wishes of the guards. And they closed the door, ensuring that she was alone with them.
They stood before her desk, silent, their presence filling the room like smoke. Sienna sat in her chair, folding her hands, her gaze steady.
"Sit," she commanded.
They obeyed, their movements precise, controlled.
She studied them for a long moment. "What’s the kill count between both of you?"
The taller of the two spoke first, his voice low and gravelly. "That is not information you need to know for any reason."
"Fair enough," Sienna smiled. "Why did you leave your profession?"
The second man, leaner, with eyes like knives answered. "We are getting older, and we want more steady work. We didn’t go into the profession out of love, we had a purpose. Now that it has been fulfilled, we can regain our old lives."
Sienna tilted her head. "Do you believe protecting me will give you purpose?"
The tall one shrugged. "Can’t say for sure. But, it pays well, keeps us out of the line of fire and comes with other benefits. That is purpose enough."
Her lips curved faintly. "How far would you go to protect me?"
The tall one leaned forward. "As far as death allows. If you fall, we fall. If you rise, we rise. There is no limit."
Her tone sharpened. "Would you kill again? Not for a pay check, but for me?"
The second assassin’s eyes gleamed. "If we have a proper understanding, then yes, without hesitation. But only if you command it. We are not butchers anymore."
She nodded slowly, her mind weighing their words. "And loyalty? What binds you to me? I don’t need guards with divided loyalties because it will get me killed sooner than any enemy I have made. How do I know that you are not Grace Twindell’s spies? We all know what kind of man he is, after all."