Page 6 of Mask and the Magnolia

No. No fucking way.

I know I did not hear that right.

Charles Harden chuckles and shakes his head as he goes into the desk drawer then pulls out what must be his goddamn checkbook. “I’m not sure if we have the same definition ofrich,but you’ll have significantly more than what your worthless husband makes in a year, I can promise you that.”

My mother joins in the laughter as my head starts to spin.

I know this bitch is not talking about selling my sister. There’s no fucking way. Maisie has been that twat’s pride and joy ever since she was born, the perfect model child, and that only increased when we realized my sister was an omega. Why the hell would she want to…

Then it clicks.

Every fucking thing clicks into place and becomes crystal clear.

This was the plan all along.

The impromptu barbecue, keeping up appearances, the emphasis on my baby sister. All of it makes way too much sense now, and that’s all it takes for me to lose my goddamn mind.

I’m going to kill them.

“Mom?” I call out, feigning innocence as I make like I blindly stumbled across the office. “Oh, there you are. We were looking for you.”

She rolls her eyes as she quickly pulls her top closed. “Why?”

My hands ball into fists as I walk in, eyeing Charles Harden as he walks around his desk and hands my mother a check. The two exchange a few words while I pretend to be amazed by the fancy fucking furniture, the paintings on the wall, and not the fact that it smells like sex and I’m about to vomit before hurtling into a blind rage.

Stay calm, get close.

“Dad asked where you were,” I say as I shrug a shoulder, noticing the letter opener on the desk. “Something about keeping your snatch in your pants.”

Larissa winds up and goes to swing, her open palm centimeters from my face as I snatch her wrist and look her in the eye.

I can feel her pulse quicken, thrumming faster in her wrist as I hold it in place. We keep contact, a smirk spreading across my lips as my mother’s chest begins to heave. She’s thinking about that teacher. You don’t have to be a genius to know that’s where her mind went, and not just because I’m most likely sporting the same crazed look I had on my face that day. No, Larissa is realizing that the majority of myoutburstsrevolve around Maisie, and that means, she now knows I heard their little exchange.

“Let’s go then,” she says, her voice shaking as she swallows hard. “We can get your father, and your sister, and leave.”

“Can we?” Twisting her wrist, I glance at Harden, noting the old man is watching us closely, then stare Larissa Severe down. “We can all leave, like one big, happy family?”

My mother nods, looking to the old man for some kind of support. “Sure you don’t take alphas?”

“If I did that, I’d be out of business.” He chuckles again, shaking his head as he straightens his clothes. “I’ll let you take care of this on your own. I got what I wanted, and this seems to be a private matter.” Charles goes to walk by, making it just past my mother, and that’s when I act.

I let go of Larissa and move as fast as I can, grabbing the letter opener shaped like a dagger then lunge, my fist digging into his hair as I yank him back so his head is on my shoulder, the tip of the blade piercing the opposite side of his neck. With a hard shove, I bury it in his throat, his blood instantly spurting between my fingers, pushing the tool through flesh and muscle until it’s almost impossible to move, then I use the anger, the absolute hate I have for my parents to drag it through Harden’s neck, jerking and pulling until I’ve cut him open ear to ear.

I drop his body like a sack of bricks, staring down at his wide, lifeless eyes while his head tilts unnaturally.

Cockeyed, and like it’s hanging on by a thread.

Guess it’s time to make my exit.

At least, that should be the plan until I hear the bitch behind me.

“Korvin,” my mother whispers before she starts screaming. “Korvin, oh my god! Do you know what you’ve done!”

Slowly, I turn toward her, the way I despise her and everything she stands for, the pure hatred I have for this woman surging through my veins like poison. “You were going to sell Maisie?”

She blinks, and swallows, but says nothing.

“For what? What the hell were you going to sell a thirteen year old girl…”Oh, this bitch is twisted.“You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way, not even you would sell your own daughter as a sex slave. Right?”