I Reclaimed My Birthright, Humiliating Them Both

Chapter 4

The footage on the screen was pure chaos.

Gideon, Elara's adoptive father, had a death grip on a rope as he tied Vivienne to a chair in an abandoned warehouse. His face was twisted with vicious fury.

"You little tramp! You stole my son-in-law from me! If I don't get 5 million today, I'll kill her right now!"

Cassian's knuckles turned white as his hands curled into fists. A low growl rumbled from his throat.

"He kidn*pped Vivienne and tried to extort money from me. You knew about this?"

"I don't know anything about it."

"You don't know?" Cassian gave a cold laugh before turning to his bodyguards. "Get a knife. Cut her, one slice at a time, and livestream it to him."

Elara stared at the terrifying man before her.

Suddenly, she felt all her strength drain away. She was too exhausted to even defend herself.

An icy blade pressed against her arm.

Tiny beads of red blood immediately welled up along her skin.

On the other end of the video, Gideon only snickered.

"Do whatever you want! I've been wanting to get rid of that useless daughter anyway! Kill her for all I care! But if I'm even a penny short of that 5 million, I'll kill the hostage too!"

Elara hadn't even recovered from her previous injuries. The steady loss of blood made her vision suddenly swim.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the floor.

As consciousness slipped away, she vaguely heard Cassian storm out of the room, his footsteps pounding down the hallway.

She had no idea how much time had passed when a bucket of ice-cold water was suddenly dumped over her head.

The freezing water seeped into every open wound, sending sharp, burning pain through her body.

Her feverish skin battled against the icy cold, the violent contrast making her feel as if her entire body were being torn apart.

Elara forced her eyes open.

Vivienne stood over her, completely unharmed, staring down at her crumpled body with nothing but cold disdain.

"Elara, a daughter pays for her father's debts. You deserve every bit of this. I'm hungry, Cassian. I want homemade pasta. Make her cook for me."

Cassian stood nearby, his eyes devoid of even a trace of pity.

His voice was as cold as ice.

"You heard her. Get up and cook."

Without another word, he grabbed Elara, who was still trembling weakly on the floor, and hauled her to her feet.

Her wounds tore open again. Blood mixed with the cold water dripping down her skin, leaving a sticky, freezing pain across her arms.

The first pasta was too hot.

Vivienne took one bite, immediately scowled, and hurled the plate to the floor.

The ceramic shattered with a loud crash, sending shards skittering everywhere.

"Are you trying to burn me to death? You did that on purpose, didn't you, Elara?!"

The second pasta was too salty.

Vivienne let out a shrill scream. "Ugh! This is so salty I can't even eat it!"

Plate after plate. Again and again. A dozen times in total.

Finally, Elara carried over the last plate, her trembling fingers barely strong enough to keep it steady.

Vivienne smiled.

It was a sly, cruel little smile.

She pulled an unmarked packet of powder from her pocket, quickly emptied the contents into the pasta, and stirred until every trace had dissolved.

Then she put on a satisfied expression and began shoveling the pasta into her mouth.

Only seconds later, bright red welts erupted across her neck and cheeks. She began gasping for breath.

"Cassian! I feel terrible... She did this on purpose! She was trying to hurt me!"

Elara's hands trembled violently.

"She's faking it! Check the security footage if you don't believe me!"

"Enough!"

Cassian advanced toward her one slow step at a time, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust and fury.

"Why would Vivienne ever joke about something as serious as her health? But you? You've always been the one causing trouble. You seem to love making people suffer allergic reactions, don't you? Then you can experience it yourself."

The moment the words left his mouth, two bodyguards stepped forward.

They seized Elara and dragged her toward the flower room at the far end of the villa.

She was severely allergic to flowers.

Years ago, Cassian had given her a bouquet to celebrate the beginning of their relationship. He hadn't known about her allergy, and she'd ended up in the hospital.

Back then, his eyes had been red and swollen as he blamed himself over and over, looking like a guilty child.

The heavy iron door slammed shut, dragging Elara back into the cruel present.

The flower room was tiny, sealed, and suffocating.

The thick, acrid scent of pollen immediately filled her lungs.

Within seconds, unbearable itching erupted across her body. Her throat tightened, and every breath became a struggle.

The reaction worsened rapidly.

Her skin swelled and flushed, burning beneath the surface as tears streamed down her face and soaked into the petals scattered across the floor.

Just as her consciousness began to fade, the door flew open.

A maid rushed inside in a panic.

She dropped to her knees, grabbed Elara by the shoulders, and shook her desperately.

"Madam, something terrible happened! We just got an emergency call from the hospital!"