Chapter 3

3

My heart plummeted when I saw who it was.

It wasn't my assistant. It was Silas Sterling.

Bianca immediately threw her arms around him, her voice turning sweet and needy.

"Honey, you got my message! This woman's little brat stole our daughter's necklace."

"And then this crazy bitch scratched my arm! You have to handle this for me!"

It was almost funny. I had called three times and got nothing.

But one text from Bianca, and he came running like a dog.

Silas finally looked down at me on the ground.

A flash of guilt crossed his face when he recognized me.

He cleared his throat, avoiding my eyes. "Apologize to Bianca. Now."

I stared at the face I used to love, my hatred burning hotter than ever.

"Silas! Are you blind? Our daughter is in a pit full of snakes, and I've been beaten half to death!"

He snapped his head toward the snake馆.

Ava's small leg was covered in dark, puncture wounds. The skin around them was swollen and turning a translucent purple.

The venom was clearly spreading. It looked like dark veins crawling under her skin.

I screamed at him. "Are you really going to watch her die? Please, save her!"

The pity in Silas's eyes lasted for only a second. Then, his expression turned cold and indifferent.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen you or that girl before in my life."

He said it as if he were talking about a piece of trash.

The last spark of hope in my heart went out.

The crowd's murmurs grew even more vicious.

"This crazy woman really is a delusional stalker!"

"Mr. Sterling said he doesn't know her! She's just trying to destroy a happy family."

"Look at her. She's not even in the same league as a man like him."

Silas crouched down in front of me. He leaned in so only I could hear.

"Celeste, the Sterling Group is in my hands now. You don't want to see everything you built go up in smoke, do you?"

"Staying quiet is your best option right now. As for the girl... if she dies, she dies. Bianca's son can be your son later."

I spat a mouthful of blood at him.

Did he really think that being a puppet CEO meant he owned the company?

Had he forgotten how the Sterling family dealt with traitors?

Suddenly, Bianca's son, Maverick, climbed onto Silas's back.

"Daddy, let's play a game!" the boy chirped.

Silas smiled dotingly. "Anything for my boy."

Maverick looked at me with a nasty, mocking grin.

A chill ran up my spine. This kid was a monster in the making.

He ordered the guards to put on protective gear.

They entered the pit and started hitting Ava with whips.

My daughter, already dying from venom, tried to scramble away. Every time she moved, the snakes struck again.

The boy cheered. "Let's bet! Which snake will get her first? I'll give five million to whoever wins!"

Bianca laughed. "Maverick always has the best ideas!"

Ava's body was jerking from the pain and the venom. Her joints were twisting in unnatural ways.

Bruises and rashes were blooming all over her skin.

Finally, she stopped moving. She collapsed, her body twitching.

Her eyes looked like dull, clouded glass.

The crowd, however, only got louder and more excited.