"Wouldn''t I?" I asked softly. "After what you did to me? After what you did to my daughter?"


    Victoria''sposure shatteredpletely. "If you do this, Ethan will kill you!"


    I approached the cage, unfazed by her threats. "Let him try."


    With deliberate slowness, I removed the cover from the cage, revealing the snakes inside. Three vipers coiled


    within, their scales gleaming in the dim light.


    I stared at them impassively. Once, I would have been terrified of these creatures. But my time in the


    orphanage had cured me of that particr phobia.


    Victoria screamed, the sound bouncing off the stone walls. She pressed herself harder against the wall, as if


    trying to melt into it.


    "Not afraid, are you?" I taunted, reaching for a pair of thick gloves thaty beside


    the cage.


    "Please," Victoria begged, her voice breaking. "Please, Olivia. I''ll keep silent about this. I promise!"


    I ignored her pleas, pulling on the gloves with methodical precision. "You know, Victoria, I spent hours in that basementst night. Hours in the dark, surrounded by rats, my worst fear."


    Victoria''s eyes darted frantically between me and the cage. "I''ll give you money. Anything you want!"


    "I don''t want your money," I said coldly. "I want you to understand what it feels like to be trapped with the thing you fear most."


    I reached into the cage and calmly picked up one of the snakes. Its body writhed in my grasp, but I held it


    firmly.


    Without warning, I threw it at Victoria.


    Her scream was primal, ripping from her throat as the snakended on her shoulder. With her hands tied. behind her back, she could only writhe and thrash, trying to dislodge the creature.


    My eyes turned cold as I remembered the torment from the previous night, convinced Victoria was behind it.


    "You did this to me," I said, my voice hardening. "You put me in that basement. You knew my fears"


    I reached for another snake, its scales smooth against the leather of my gloves. "Please!" Victoria sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"


    I threw the second snake. Itnded at her feet, causing her to kick wildly in panic. "No amount of apologies can undo what you''ve done," I said. "To me. To Lily." Chapter 54 Snakes


    Victoria''s screams grew louder as the snake began to slither up her leg. Her face was contorted in terror, her eyes wild with panic.


    I watched dispassionately as she thrashed against her bonds, desperate to escape the creatures that now surrounded her.


    The third snake joined itspanions,nding directly in Victoria''sp. Her screams reached a new pitch, raw and desperate.


    I stepped back, signaling to the bodyguards. "Close the door. Leave her with her new friends."


    The heavy door began to swing shut, Victoria''s pleas growing more frantic with each passing second.


    "Olivia!" she screamed. "Don''t leave me here! Please!"


    I watched her through the narrowing gap, feeling nothing but cold satisfaction. The woman who had tormented me for years was finally experiencing a fraction of the fear she had inflicted.


    Just as the door was about to closepletely, a powerful voice echoed down the corridor.


    "OLIVIA! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!"


    Ethan stood at the end of the hallway, his face contorted with rage. His amber eyes zed with fury strode toward us.


    y as he


    Victoria, seeing her rescuer, momentarily forgot her fear. She red at me


    through the gap in the door, mouthing "You''re dead" before crying out to Ethan.


    "Ethan! Help me! There are snakes!"


    I met her gaze steadily, then signaled to the bodyguards. "Close it."


    The door mmed shut with finality, cutting off Victoria''s screams.


    I turned to face Ethan, unafraid of his anger. His eyes burned into mine as he


    closed the distance between us.


    "You dare?" he growled, his voice vibrating with fury.


    I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. "I dare."


    Ethan''s control snapped. He grabbed my wrist, yanking me away from the door with such force that pain shot


    up my arm.


    He threw me against the wall, his face twisted with rage. Still weakened from my ordeal, I stumbled, nearly


    falling.


    The bodyguards moved quickly, catching me before I hit the ground. They positioned themselves between Ethan and me, their massive forms creating a protective barrier.


    Ethan ignored them, moving toward the basement door. His intent was clear-he would kick it down if necessary to free Victoria.


    Watching him, seeing his desperate concern for Victoria when he had shown me none, I felt something inside


    me grow colder.


    "If you release her," I warned, my voice steady despite my racing heart, "I''ll do twice as much to her next time." Ethan turned to me, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "No one will dare touch Victoria again. I''ll make


    sure of it."


    dare Matriarch Evelyn''s voice boomed from the elevator entrance.