Chapter 131: The Damn Difference
{I hope you all enjoyed the last couple of Chapters as I enjoyed writing it.}
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She turned to Alan, who stood rigidly with both fists clenching and unclenching. Then she walked toward him and stopped a few feet away.
Ephyra stared at him as he glared at her, his jaw tight and his posture radiating tension.
"Alan," she said, her voice sharp but calm, cutting through the whispers around them. "You are so pathetic, it hurts my eyes to even look at you." She tilted her head and smiled. "Why the hell are you glaring at me? Are you angry? You shouldn’t be—because you have no fucking right to."
His glare darkened, and he took a step forward but was stopped when a punch landed squarely on his jaw, sending him stumbling back. Gasps erupted across the ballroom as Ephyra straightened her posture, shaking her hand slightly to rid herself of the sting while moving closer to him.
Alan rubbed his jaw, his expression a mixture of fury and humiliation. He opened his mouth to retort, but Ephyra punched him twice—once in the face and once in the gut, making him double over with a groan. The crowd froze, their whispers fading into stunned silence as Ephyra stood tall over Alan, her expression cold.
Straightening her back, she rolled her shoulders, exhaling softly. "You should fight back. I’m not stopping you. Don’t feel fucking guilty now—you didn’t feel guilty when you sent men after me. And now? Now, it’s completely useless—just like you’re going to be soon."
Her words got a rise out of Alan, who swung his fist at her, but he was too slow. Ephyra scoffed as she caught his arm, twisted it, and punched him continuously, releasing a fraction of her anger. Each blow carried the weight of years of pain, betrayal, and fury. Alan crumpled to the floor, clutching his arm and coughing violently, but Ephyra showed no sign of stopping. Her movements were relentless.
"Do you feel that?" she asked coldly, crouching down to look him in the eyes. Her voice was calm, almost conversational, as though this were just another mundane interaction. "That’s the difference between us, Alan. You break people to make yourself feel strong. But me? I break people like you because I am strong."
The room was dead silent, save for Alan’s labored breathing. Ephyra stood, dusting off her hands as if the encounter was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. She turned to the crowd, her gaze sweeping over the onlookers before landing on Marianna.