Chapter 15: Kick Her!
Lana's cold voice made Lethia felt every nerve in her body lock into high alert.
That feeling—it was the feeling of standing before a predator, knowing full well she had no choice but to move forward because the only exit lay beyond it.
"Lana, th—that's because we... we're cousins."
"Second cousins," Lana corrected with a sneer. "Our fathers were cousins. And yet, when we were on the brink of bankruptcy three years ago—your father didn't lift a damn finger to help. So tell me, Lethia, why should I help you now?"
"La—Lana... why are you acting like this?"
"You always think you're so smart. That you could outsmart everyone, don't you? But look at yourself now. Where are you now, Lethia?"
Lethia had always admired Lana. With her blonde hair and soft lilac eyes, she looked like a fae plucked straight from a storybook.
But now, those once gentle, mesmerizing eyes had sharpened into jagged shards of amethyst—ones that could slit her throat without a second thought.
Her fingers curled into the hospital blanket, her heartbeat hammering against her ribs.
A sick, twisting nausea crept into her stomach—one she knew too well. The kind that signaled disaster was coming.
"Wh–what do you mean?" Her voice cracked, her fury laced with fear. "Don't fucking dance around it. Just say it—what the hell do our fathers' matters have to do with us now?"