Chapter 3
Aurelia's POV
"I want Darius destroyed beyond repair, and I want Evelina to wish she were dead." I leaned in over the coffee table, our breaths practically mingling. "I want you to help me tear the current Thorne family down to the studs, and rebuild it by my rules."
Killian let out a low, vibrating laugh. The sound echoed in the quiet room, carrying a dark thrill that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Aurelia Thorne," he tested my name on his tongue, savoring it like a lethal poison. "You're even crazier than I thought."
He reached out his hand, his long, sculpted knuckles catching the dim light. "Deal. Pleasure doing business with you, my Queen."
I grasped his hand. It was cold and unyielding.
"The pleasure is mine, future Head of the Vance family."
A week later, Richard hosted a family dinner to do some desperate damage control. Several core patriarchs of the Thorne family were in attendance.
The tension at the dining table was suffocating. Clad in pure white, her eyes red and puffy, Evelina looked like a tragic, rain-battered lotus blossom.
"Father, Uncles, I know I brought shame to the family. But I swear, I was set up!" She suddenly stood up and dropped sharply to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "It was my sister! She was jealous that Master Darius and I were close, so she drugged my drink! She bought off that waiter!"
Richard slammed his palm on the table, making the silverware aggressively clatter. "Aurelia! Is she telling the truth? To suppress your sister, you went as far as ruining the family alliance?!"
The elders’ criticizing stares immediately shifted to me. In their eyes, Evelina was weak and compliant, while I was notoriously assertive. To them, it made total sense that I would do such a thing.
"Sister, what did I ever do wrong?" she sobbed, looking devastated while a malicious glint of triumph flickered in the depths of her eyes.
She actually thought bribing a waiter to bite back at me would save her.
I calmly set down my fork and knife, dabbed the corner of my mouth with a linen napkin, and stood up.
"Evelina, do you really think crying loudly enough will turn a lie into the truth?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! The waiter already confessed that you handed him a hundred grand!" Richard roared.
Ignoring him completely, I pulled a sleek recording pen from my clutch and pressed play.
"...put the powder in Aurelia’s glass, and I’ll wire you half a million after it’s done. Remember, make sure you watch her drink it, then take her up to the second-floor lounge. Master Darius will be waiting inside. I want her reputation completely ruined. She'll be kicked out of the Thorne family forever."
Every honey-sweet syllable echoed clearly off the dining room walls.
The room went dead silent.
Evelina's sobbing choked off in her throat. Her face drained of color until she looked like she had seen a ghost. "Impossible... you couldn't possibly have that..."
"A half-million might have bought his loyalty," I looked down at her coldly. "But I bought his chest pocket with a pair of emeralds. You slipped him the money while that pen was right there on him."
"And then there's this." I tossed a thick stack of photos onto the center of the table. "Your hotel check-in records with Darius over the past six months. You two have been sleeping together for half a year, yet you planned to use me as the sacrificial lamb to cover up your mess."
The glossy prints scattered across the polished oak table. Crystal clear. Undeniable.
Richard grabbed a handful of photos, his hands trembling violently. He pointed a shaking finger at Evelina, absolutely horrified. "You... you shameless wretch!"
"Father, look at the wonderful daughter you've coddled all these years," I sneered, watching the pathetic theater unfold. "If I had been the one ruined that night, would you have been this enraged? Or would you have simply boxed me up and shipped me off to the Vance family for the sake of 'saving face'?"
Hit squarely where it hurt most, Richard’s face flushed a violent shade of purple.
"Lock her in her room! She is not to step foot outside without my permission!"
Screaming and thrashing, Evelina was dragged away by two bodyguards. She threw her head back to glare at me, her eyes burning with pure, maniacal hatred.
I stared right back, unflinching.
We're only just getting started, my dear sister.
