My Sinful Desire

Elena’s Punishment

Chapter 13

"Get the doctor! Now!"

Matthew's voice roared. The sound was deafening. His face was twisted in a mixture of pure rage and shock. He looked at his bleeding son on the floor, then his eyes instantly snapped to me.

I was still on my knees, my hands entirely covered in Archie's blood. My heart was thumping so hard against my ribs I could barely breathe. The remaining guards rushed past us, their heavy boots pounding against the floor as they ran out into the rainy courtyard to chase the shooters, but the villa gates were already empty.

Matthew stepped closer, standing directly over us. His breathing was heavy, his hand still gripping his weapon. He didn't bend down to help his son up immediately. Instead, his cold, calculating gaze lingered on the position of our bodies on the floor. He looked at how closely Archie had thrown himself over me.

"Why did you jump, Archie?" Matthew asked. His voice was dangerously quiet now, dropping into a freezing, low rhythm. "You are my soldier. My blood. You don't throw your body in front of a bullet for a woman."

The question hung heavily.

A cold sweat broke out across my neck. If Matthew saw even a flicker of the truth in our eyes, he would kill us both right here on the spot.

Archie let out a rough, ragged breath, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up with his uninjured arm. Blood was leaking quickly through his fingers, staining his suit jacket.

"She is your possession, Dad," Archie lied smoothly, his voice tight with severe pain. He looked up at his father, his expression completely blank and professional. "If she dies in our villa, the other families will think we are weak. They will think you cannot even protect what is yours. I protected your reputation. Nothing more."

Matthew stared down at his son for three long, agonizing seconds. The tension in Matthew's jaw loosened just a fraction. He nodded once, accepting the cold business logic.

"Good," Matthew said flatly.

He turned his back to us and pointed at two security guards standing near the door.

"Carry him to the private wing. Make sure the doctor patches him up immediately. We have an operation to run."

The guards rushed forward, lifting Archie carefully by his shoulders. Archie kept his eyes down as they carried him out of the room, completely avoiding my gaze.

I stood up slowly, my legs trembling so violently I could barely balance. I looked down at my dress, completely ruined by the red stains.

Before I could even take a full breath, Matthew turned around. The brief calm on his face vanished, replaced by a sudden, terrifying surge of rage.

He crossed the distance between us in two large strides. Before I could step back, his hand clamped around my jaw, squeezing my bones so tightly that a sharp pain shot up into my ears. He yanked my face upward, forcing me to look into his furious eyes.

"This is your fault," Matthew hissed, his grip tightening until my lip began to bleed again from the pressure. "You broke my rules. I told you to stay exactly where I left you. Instead, you wandered off to the bar like a desperate w***e, drawing attention, causing a scene, and getting my son shot."

"Matthew... please," I choked out, tears of pain pricking my eyes.

"Shut your mouth," he snapped, shoving me backward with enough force that my heels slid across the blood-stained marble. I stumbled against the bar counter, my hands gripping the edge to stop myself from falling. "You want to be reckless? You want to cause trouble in my house? Fine. You will handle the mess you created."

He pointed a finger toward the hallway leading to the medical wing.

"You will stay in that room with Archie," Matthew commanded, his voice dripping with malice and disgust. "You will sit by his bed, you will clean his wounds, and you will watch him suffer because of your stupidity. Consider this your punishment, Elena. If you leave his side for a single minute before the doctor clears him, I will make you regret the day you were born."

Without waiting for my response, he turned on his heel and stormed out to meet with his captains, leaving me trembling in the dark.

I wiped the fresh blood from my lip, my heart racing as I looked down the long, empty corridor.