Chapter 4

Time seemed to stand still.

Victor stood rooted to the spot, staring intently at the necklace on the floor.

It was a gift he had personally designed for his sister, Celeste, on her twentieth birthday.

He abruptly lifted his head, his gaze returning to my face.

This time, he looked with agonizing care.

The wisps of hair on my forehead, the tear-mole at the corner of my eye, my lips tightly pressed together from pain.

And those eyes, even now, filled with agony and terror, still held a striking resemblance to his sister's.

"Skylar?" His voice was a shaky whisper, filled with disbelief.

I wanted to nod, wanted to speak, but only a choked sob escaped me.

Jax, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation, stepped forward with a laugh.

"Mr. Thorne, this woman insisted on impersonating your niece. I've already punished her, you see..."

"Punished?" Victor slowly turned his head, his eyes colder than ice. "What did you do to her?"

Jax's blood ran cold under that gaze. "J-just poured some liquor down her throat, broke a finger. A liar like her deserves..."

"Kneel."

"What?"

"I said, kneel!" Victor suddenly roared, his voice rattling the entire parlor.

Jax's knees buckled, and he crashed to the floor.

The Millers all collapsed to their knees as well, trembling like leaves.

Victor quickly walked to me, crouching down. His movements were so gentle, a complete contrast to before.

"Skylar, is it really you?"

He carefully brushed the hair from my face, his fingers trembling slightly as they touched my swollen cheek.

I looked at him, tears streaming down my face.

He finally recognized me.

"Does it hurt?" His voice held a frantic edge I'd never heard before. "Where does it hurt?"

I tried to speak, but only raspy gasps escaped my throat.

Victor's face instantly turned grim.

He turned to look at Jax, who was still kneeling, and spoke each word distinctly. "You poured liquor down her throat?"

"Mr. Thorne, I didn't know she was..." Jax was already incoherent with fear.

"I asked if you did!" Victor suddenly stood up, kicking Jax hard in the chest.

Jax was sent flying backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"Lay a hand on my niece," Victor's voice was icy cold. "You've got some nerve."

He walked back to me, carefully scooping me into his arms.

"It's okay, Skylar, I'm here," he soothed in a low voice. "Anyone who hurt you, I will make sure they pay."

My consciousness began to fade. The pain in my finger, the burning in my throat, all my injuries surged at once.

But I still held on, grabbing Victor's coat with my uninjured left hand, and weakly pointed towards the Millers.

"They..." I managed to squeeze out two words.

Victor followed my gaze. The sheer danger in his eyes was almost palpable.

"Alright, I got it."

He carried me out, pausing at the threshold to address the guards. "Lock them up. Secure the room."

He glanced down at me, his voice dropping to a snap. "And get a doctor. Now."

The bodyguards moved. Cries and pleas for mercy from the Millers echoed from the parlor.

"Mercy, Mr. Thorne! We didn't know she was your niece!"

"Brandon, beg her! Get Skylar to forgive us!"

"Skylar! I was wrong. For our three years..."

Their voices slowly faded into the distance.

I sagged against Victor, all tension gone, and let the darkness claim me.