Chapter 10:

She tumbled into the pit, shattering her leg. Two bodyguards dragged Mabel back. Elyse, munching on her energy bar, muttered, “Sometimes, you truly baffle me. Faced with a dead end, you still manage to make everything worse.”

She scoffed, “How does it feel, breaking your leg like that?”

“Bitch! I’ll choke you!” Mabel retorted, her spirit unbroken. Yet, when Theo approached, she shrank back, subdued like a terrified rabbit, her head bowed, silent.

Theo crouched beside her, his smile cruel. “I ought to thank you. Do you understand why?”

Mabel looked away, confused.

“Because you’ve unwittingly led me straight to Kaelyn. You have no idea how long I’ve been hunting for her,” Theo murmured, his voice tinged with sinister amusement.

Mabel vaguely recalled Kaelyn’s turbulent past with Theo, remembering Kaelyn stabbing him. Kaelyn had declared Theo a dark chapter she intended to erase.

It was evident Kaelyn had tried to kill Theo, but he’d survived.

Observing Mabel’s guilt and fear, Theo gently patted her head. “Are you aiding Kaelyn?”

Mabel hesitated, nodding, then quickly shaking her head, fear stifling confession.

Theo, seeing through her, touched her cheek and smiled slyly. “Whether you admit it or not doesn’t change your predicament. You’re in my grip now. To survive, you must serve me.”

Mabel recoiled. “No, I won’t!”

She turned to Elyse, her eyes pleading. “Elyse, you’re my family. You can’t just stand by and watch me die. How can you bear to see me ensnared and tortured by him?”

Finishing her first chocolate bar and starting a second, Elyse responded icily, “On what basis do you expect my help? When you were willing to trade me on the black market, did you ever regard me as your family? That’s why I won’t help you.”

“You heartless traitor! You don’t deserve to be called my sister! Scum like you should be used and thrown away!” Mabel lashed out.

Theo frowned and struck her. Mabel’s ribs cracked, she spat blood, and lost consciousness.