Everyone claimed Michael Long was obsessed with me. To force me to him, he severed my fiancé’s legs and sent them in a satin-lined box—my birthday gift. I retaliated swiftly: had him kidnapped, cut his hamstring, and gouged out an eye. He wasn’t angry. He just smiled, bloody and terrifying. “See? We’re cut from the same cloth. A match made in hell.” I smiled back, horrified he was right. We spent eight years carving a path of blood. Then a pristine, ethereal woman appeared beside him—clean, untouched by our filth. She came to my door, flowing white dress like an angel. “Michael says you’re too dirty now. Only I am worthy.” I nodded, unimpressed, then took a knife and carved a new reality into her perfect face. “An angel? Let’s see if heaven accepts scarred ones.” Her screams were a divine symphony. I took a photo of her blood-streaked face and sent it to Michael: “Come get your dog.” 1 Ten minutes. That’s how long it took for Michael to arrive, a pistol tucked into his waistband. “What did you do?” he growled. “I disciplined your disobedient pet. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?” I lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around my fingers as I rubbed my ear. “What’s that? I can’t hear you over all the barking.” “Elara, you—” The woman in his arms, Alyssa, was sobbing hysterically, clutching her ruined face. “Michael, kill her! Please, kill her for me!” she shrieked. “She destroyed my face! She’s just jealous that you love me!” Michael pushed her hands away. The moment he saw the bloody gashes, his eyes turned crimson. He whipped out his gun, pressed the cold muzzle to my forehead, and racked the slide. His voice was colder than the steel. “Elara. You’ve gone too far.” “She’s just a girl! She’s not like us!” I laughed, a puff of smoke clouding his face as I casually pushed the barrel aside. “So? You’re going to kill me to avenge her?” I took another drag, my voice laced with amusement. “Or maybe… you want to ruin my face, too? Give her a little payback?” My own blade was already pressed against his stomach. “You know I’m not this little fool. You know the consequences.” In a flash, Michael’s men surrounded me. I pressed the knife a fraction of an inch deeper, drawing a bead of blood. Michael hissed in pain. For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then, a slow, dark smile spread across his face. He raised a hand. “Stand down,” he commanded his men. “I didn’t call you. Get the hell out.” He turned his gaze back to me, his one good eye boring into mine. “Elara. You’ve got guts.” “Takes one to know one. You taught me well, after all.” To make me just like him, he’d presented me with my fiancé’s legs. To force me to marry him, he’d wrapped my hand around a knife and plunged it into my fiancé’s heart. “Once you’re as filthy as I am,” he had whispered, “no one else will ever have you.” He had dragged me from my pedestal down into the gutter with him. Now this pristine white lily was stained with blood, never to be clean again. And he was claiming he preferred purity? Hilarious. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like my gift?” I taunted. “Then again, you always preferred taking limbs. I suppose I was a bit too merciful. I’ll try to do better next time.” Alyssa, incensed, tugged at his arm, begging him to defend her honor. Michael watched me for a long, silent moment before finally turning to leave with his men. “Mark my words, Elara,” he snarled over his shoulder. “This isn't over.” The consequences came faster than I expected. That night, Michael summoned every doctor on the Family’s payroll to treat Alyssa. He threatened their lives, demanding they ensure not a single scar remained on her precious face. The news reached me while I was feeding the sharks in my private aquarium. I clicked my tongue. “It’s been too long since you had a real meal, hasn’t it, my pretty?” I murmured to the circling predator. “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you’re fed soon.” My loyal retainer, Arthur, draped a coat over my shoulders, his face a mask of fury. “The Boss has gone too far this time, Miss Elara. This is the first time he’s ever turned on you for another woman.” He lowered his voice. “Without your support, this Family would have never fallen into his hands.” I just shook my head, a smile playing on my lips. “She’s just a toy, Arthur. Let him play. When he’s done, I’ll be there to clean up the mess.” I pressed a finger to his lips, my tone sharp. “And remember, there is no ‘Family’ anymore. We are a legitimate corporation now.” I turned back to the massive tank, to the hundred smaller fish Michael had so painstakingly curated. “Dump them in,” I said, my voice flat. “Useless things don’t deserve to live.” The small, colorful fish scattered in a panic, but there was no escaping the shark’s gaping maw. A crimson cloud bloomed in the crystal-clear water. I watched, fascinated, and sent a photo to Michael. “Fun, isn’t it? A bit of an appetizer. You should raise more next time.” He didn’t text back. Instead, a video call request popped up. It was Alyssa’s triumphant face that greeted me. “What’s the matter? Disappointed to see me?” she chirped. “I’m so sorry to tell you, but not only did Michael not abandon me over a few scratches, he promised to make you pay. All your personal doctors are here with me. I hear you need a shot every night just to sleep. I wonder if you’ll have sweet dreams tonight?” She leaned forward, deliberately revealing a fresh love bite on her collarbone. “You’re so foul, Elara. Disgusting.” Her voice dripped with saccharine pity. “But I’m different. My hands… are clean.” My lips curved into a smile. “Is that so? A word of advice: clean things don’t last long in the Long family.” I hung up. Moments later, Arthur entered with a file. “Miss Elara, you asked me to find these items. They’re up for auction tomorrow night.” Finally, some good news. “Eight years,” I whispered. “It’s taken eight years. Prepare fifty million. I’m bringing them home tomorrow.” At the auction, it was inevitable that our paths would cross. Alyssa clung to Michael’s arm, her voice dripping with mockery. “Miss Elara, what a coincidence. Is there something here that catches your eye?” she asked. “Though, Michael already told me everything tonight is mine. As compensation.” Michael felt my gaze on him and patted her hand reassuringly. “She’s right, I did,” he confirmed, his tone flat. “You went too far last time, Elara. Consider this your apology to her. Don’t be childish.” I almost laughed. When I’d dealt with a rival crew that came for his head, I left dozens of bodies in my wake. All he’d said then was, “Good girl.” Now, for Alyssa, I was being childish? I stared at him, my voice low. “You didn’t see my photo last night?” “I imagine not,” I continued, not waiting for an answer. “Otherwise, how could you possibly be in the mood for a night out?” Michael’s expression froze. He shot a look at Alyssa, who stammered for a moment before admitting she’d seen the photo of the fish being devoured. “They were just some stupid fish! I didn’t think they were important, so I deleted it for you.” Michael’s breathing hitched. “Who gave you permission to do that?” he hissed. But the moment a tear traced a path down Alyssa’s cheek, his anger deflated. “Forget it. Let’s just watch the auction. We’ll talk when we get home.” As the auction began, Michael, without even looking at the catalogue, bought out the entire event. He invoked the “Emperor’s Bid”—a single, massive payment that won him every lot for the rest of the night. Gasps echoed through the hall. My face went cold. One by one, the lots were hammered down, all to him. Then came the final three items. I shot to my feet. My mother’s emerald bracelet. My father’s crucifix, blessed in Rome. And my grandfather’s antique pocket watch. My last remaining heirlooms. I cornered the auctioneer. “Those three items. They must be mine, no matter the price.” The man turned pale. “Miss Elara, you know the rules of the Emperor’s Bid… please don’t make this difficult for me. Perhaps… perhaps you could speak to Mr. Long directly?” I found Michael’s private box. Just as I was about to speak, Alyssa pointed at the stage. “Michael, darling, I love those last three pieces! They’re my favorite. I want them.” Michael’s face tightened. “You just said they were tacky.” “Well, I’ve changed my mind,” she pouted, placing a hand on her stomach. “Are you going to deny me? Both of us will be very upset. When our baby is born, I’ll be sure to tell him what a cheapskate his father is!” My breath caught in my throat. I stared at her still-flat stomach. So that’s why this woman was so bold. She was carrying his child. Michael’s face hardened as he looked at me. “Elara, I promised these to Alyssa. If you like them, I’ll find you something similar later.” “You know what these mean to me!” Eight years ago, when a rival family ambushed us, those heirlooms were lost. I slaughtered a hundred of their men, but their leader, to spite me, would never tell me where they were. In the end, it was Michael who tortured the location out of them over the course of a month. His voice was tight with suppressed rage. “They’re just things from dead people, Elara. Why are you so obsessed?” “I said I’ll make it up to you. This time, they go to Alyssa. You owe her that much.” Alyssa stepped forward, her smile laced with poison. “That’s right, Miss Elara. Your parents are dead. Won’t keeping their things just make you sadder?” She leaned in, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Do you think… maybe they died so horribly as cosmic punishment for all your sins?”
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