Chapter 4

Lying in that sterile white bed, I understood completely. My life, my safety, my very existence was just a pawn in Damien's game to secure his future while placating his lover. The realization was colder and sharper than any piece of shattered crystal.

When I was discharged, Damien was there, waiting to help me into the car. I walked right past his outstretched hand without a word and got into the car with Javier, who had also come along.

Javier, the strategist. The smiling fox. The one who had just reprimanded Damien for almost killing me.

He tried to make small talk on the way back to the Barron Tower, telling jokes, trying to get me to smile.

I couldn't. My face felt like a frozen mask.

"Elena, are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle. "You seem... different."

"I'm fine," I said, my voice flat.

"Look, I know things have been tense," he said. "Why don't we go to the new luxury plaza that just opened? Buy yourself something pretty. It always helps." He smiled. "My treat."

I looked at him, at his handsome, concerned face, and felt a surge of disgust. "With my father's money?"

He flinched, but recovered quickly. "I have my own money, Elena. I've made some very successful investments." He leaned in a little. "Seriously. Let me buy you anything you want."

A slow, cold smile spread across my face for the first time in weeks. "Alright, Javier. You're on."

If he wanted to play the generous fool, I would let him. I would take everything I could from these vipers.

The Hermès boutique was a quiet temple of wealth and exclusivity. I was examining a limited-edition Birkin when the doors chimed. In walked Damien and Luna.

My smile froze. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew, with absolute certainty, that Luna would want that purse.

She drifted over, her eyes wide with manufactured innocence. "Oh, that's beautiful," she breathed, looking at the bag in my hands. Then she caught my eye and looked down, a hesitant expression on her face. "Oh, Elena. Do you want it? I'm so sorry, I'll look at something else." She made a show of stepping back, looking up at Damien with sad eyes. "I wouldn't want to take something you like."

She played the part of the magnanimous sister so well.

Javier stepped in, ever the peacemaker. "Elena, it's just a bag. Why don't you let her have it? I'll buy it for her, just to smooth things over."

I turned my cold gaze on him, then on her. "If you want something, Luna," I said, my voice clear and cutting, "you should learn to earn it with your own two hands. And a word of advice: you might want to plan your expenses carefully. As of next month, the foundation will no longer be funding your... lifestyle."

Luna's face paled. Before she could react, Damien stepped forward. With a look of pure contempt directed at me, he snatched the Birkin from my hands, placed it in Luna's, and pulled out his black card.

"I'll take this," he said to the sales associate, his voice a low growl. It was the most direct, public humiliation he could possibly deliver.