Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

He no longer listened to me or took my advice. Worst of all, he made it clear that he loved Amira and that I didn’t stand a chance with him. This filled me with intense hatred for her.

Every now and then, I found myself plotting her demise without remorse. The best way to make her leave, die, or simply disappear so I could have Chris to myself consumed my thoughts. Little did I know that Vivienne shared the same feelings.

“She must die,” Vivienne said one evening.

This shift in Chris’s behavior was motivated by a sudden change in his character. He no longer listened to his mother, which was highly unusual, especially given his previously arrogant demeanor. He no longer took anything from anybody.

He made it a rule for her to eat three times a day—something that had never happened with any slave. His mother and I tried to make him understand that she was just a slave and nothing more. But in his words, he’d always say,

“I own this pack, and whatever I say or do stands. No one should dictate to me.”

Whenever he made this statement, he wasn’t open to listening, which only made things worse.

His mother tried talking him out of it, but it proved useless. She eventually wondered what had come over her son. I felt the same way.

“You know, I’ve been working on something for a while now. I don’t know how well you’d receive the idea.”

“And what idea is that?” she asked, her interest piqued.

I moved closer, checking the house to make sure no one was around. I bent over and whispered in her ear what I suggested we do.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Sheelah. Very clever,” she said, stretching her legs across the center table and sipping her wine slowly. She laughed sarcastically.

“Have you called him?” she asked abruptly. I was surprised she wanted it done so soon, without delay.

Your next journey starts at gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․𝒸o𝗺

“I’ll make that call immediately,” I said, feeling a sense of fulfillment. Thoughts of the day of execution filled my mind.

Gammah Adrian had been in the army for a while, and as a result, these things were minor for him. He knew his role and was ready to carry out the task.

“Thank goodness you’re here, Adrian. Thank goodness,” Vivienne said, gesturing for him to sit down immediately as they discussed how to conclude the plan.

“So that’s it, Adrian, exactly the way we want it.”

Adrian looked as though he had seen a ghost, clearly unprepared for the gravity of what was being asked of him. He hadn’t expected anything as serious as being involved in murder. Deep down, though, he still harbored a desire to see her dead, driven by the fact that she had made him suffer under Chris’s rule in the past. That made him the perfect candidate for carrying out the task.

“Leave no traces, leave no stains. Make sure everything is in check,” I instructed.

Little did we know, this would cost us far more in the future.

I had just finished taking my bath and was applying my night ointment to my skin, hoping to keep it glowing, when Ariana barged into my room. This was something he never had the guts to do—he couldn’t even get close to my door, let alone enter it.

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