Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 26760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
I hated that multiple people were witnessing him like this. Surrounding us were Enforcers, cold, calculated, and trained to obey Aidoneus' every whim. Jae-Hee stood to the side, his face expressionless, betraying no hint of his own thoughts while Aidoneus observed my father with an amused expression.
“Mr. Hearst. This is truly noble of you,” he remarked with feigned admiration. “This whole scene is touching, really. Shame it does absolutely nothing to change anything. Korinna belongs to me with or without your blessing.”
As he spoke, the frantic sounds of Amalthea, still trapped in another room yet desperate to protect us, grew louder, echoing the heightened tension in the room. The door she was behind thudded and creaked. I swore I heard splintering. No one reacted, not so much a whisper of caution as her snarling intensified. Aidoneus turned back towards me, calm as ever.
“Remember what I said about those four minutes? Well, at least two have gone by, but because I’m such a compassionate man, let’s just say it’s only been one.” He signaled towards Dominic, our unsuspecting neighbor, and in the span of a breath, the room reverberated with the chilling sound of a gunshot, ringing in my ears.
I could do nothing as Dominic's body crumpled lifelessly to the floor, and a pool of crimson began to spread.
My mother reached for Ophelia as she began to scream, the side of her face stained with evidence of what had just happened as well as her knees. The terror in her eyes was palpable. My father reared back and took one look at Dominic and the small hole in his head before he began to retch. My heart thundered so loudly that I was sure it would burst from my chest. Our lives were more fragile than glass in Aidoneus's hands.
The thought of resisting faded away; my family's safety had to come before my own. Taking a shaky breath, I turned to my parents and sister, willing them to understand the urgency in my eyes. “It’s okay,” I said, trying to infuse my voice with as much confidence as I could muster. “I’ll go with him.”
Aidoneus stepped forward, his voice smooth and unyielding. “See? She wants to come with me.” He then turned to his Enforcers, speaking sharply and concisely using the language I didn't understand. Their disciplined stance never wavered as they listened to his commands.
Jae-Hee approached and he leaned in and said something to him I couldn’t hear. The other man simply nodded, his stoic demeanor betraying no emotion. When he moved away, Aidoneus's attention came back to me. He placed a possessive hand on the small of my back, leading me out of the living room and towards the front door. My mother’s anguished sobs followed after us, as did Amalthea’s howl, as if she knew I was being taken away.
My eyes burned with tears, but I didn’t let them fall. Nor did I look back. If I did, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this. The weight of Aidoneus’ touch helped me focus on placing one foot in front of the other. Each step felt like a descent into an abyss. Outside, my eyes darted around until they landed on Nefertari, her expression a mix of shock and worry. I was relieved she was still in her car unharmed. She was blocked in, but they weren’t paying her any attention. As our eyes met, a silent message passed between us, her silently pleading with me to stay strong.
We reached Aidoneus's vehicle, a sleek luxury car that seemed out of place amidst the chaos. I hesitated at the door, the reality of what was happening hitting me full force. His voice cut through my thoughts, low and commanding. “Get in the car, Korinna.”
There was no room for defiance in his tone. Swallowing hard, I complied, praying for a way out of this nightmare. He forcibly closed my door and then circled to the driver’s side. The smooth purr of the car's engine engulfed the tense silence between us as we pulled away from my home. Each turn and twist of the road took me further from the life I had known. The gated community faded into the distance, the once-familiar trees and houses becoming a blur of colors through the tinted windows.
“Will my family be safe?” I finally managed to ask.
He cast a sidelong glance at me, his expression unreadable. “As long as they don’t try to be heroic, they have nothing to fear. But that depends on you, doesn't it?”
I frowned, trying to comprehend his words.
“Cold?”
“No,” I replied briskly.
“Then why are you shaking? Don’t tell me you’re scared. We've barely begun, princess.”
A sharp retort poised on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t like that term in general, but coming from him it felt patronizing and too intimate. We didn’t share that level of familiarity. I didn’t know if he was trying to unnerve me or what. I fought the urge to snap back, reminding myself to stay focused on the situation at hand.