?Chapter 324:


    “Why keep lying, Jessica?” His voice dropped a notch, colder now. “It’s clear Frank bought those earrings for Makenna. And you—well, you stole them, didn’t you?”


    “Nonsense!” I snapped, the words bursting from my lips before I could stop them. “Those earrings were a gift to me from Frank! That bitch Makenna didn’t deserve something so valuable!”


    The moment the words left my mouth, the room plunged into a suffocating silence. My heart pounded in my ears, louder than the quiet. I suddenly realized I had slipped. I felt it in the pit of my stomach.


    Suddenly, everything crumbled around me.


    “Amon! You lying bastard! How dare you trick me!”


    I jabbed a finger furiously in his direction, eyes zing, my whole body trembling with the urge to tear him apart.


    Amon barely flinched. “You’re the fool here.”


    He narrowed his sharp eyes. “Though I’ll admit, I’m curious… where did someone as clueless as you get her hands on those snakes?”


    My breath hitched. All the blood drained from my face, and I could feel the trembling spread from my lips to my entire body.


    How did he know?


    shback:


    That day, after the brutal flogging from Prince yton’s men, every step back to my quarters in the manor felt like fire licking at my legs. I was in pain, but it was nothingpared to the rage in my chest.


    “Makenna,” I hissed under my breath. “You’ll pay for this, you bitch! I’ll make sure of it!”


    I was so lost in my anger that I didn’t notice the figure approaching until we collided.


    Find your next adventure at gα ?η σ ν?? ?s


    The sudden impact knocked me off bnce, and I staggered, barely managing to keep myself upright.


    When I looked up, I found Molly, the woman who’d just earned the king’s favor that very morning.


    “Good evening, Mrs. Thomas,” she offered a small smile before her gaze dropped to my limp. “You seem hurt… Is everything alright?”


    The fury in me red hotter. I had found my outlet. “It’s that wretched snake, Makenna! If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have been punished by Prince yton! That witch should be dead!”


    Molly gave a small, sad sigh, touching her chest as if she felt my pain. “Oh, maybe this is all just a misunderstanding. After all, Makenna is your blood. Family should forgive one another. Blood ties can never be broken.”


    “Family?” I scoffed, not bothering to hide the disgust. “She’s no family of mine. That witch isn’t fit to share my blood!”


    Molly paused, then said softly, “I truly don’t believe Makenna is that kind of person. Maybe, if you two talked things through… you could find somemon ground?”


    She was wasting her breath because I wasn’t listening. The hatred burned too fiercely. She spoke for a moment longer before abruptly shifting the subject.


    “Oh, one more thing. Be cautious on your way back tonight. Two snakes were caught in the garden earlier, and they’re being held in a cage nearby. It would be terrible if they somehow escaped… and someone got hurt.”


    Snakes?


    My heart skipped a beat, and a dark, vile idea slithered into my mind.


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