Serena’s POVE
The whip snapped through the air and hit Nadine. She yelled arid dropped to the ground in a cloud of dust. I watched, unable to move, as she slowly lifted her head, her eyes full of rage, locking onto me like she wanted to tear me apart.8
“Francis,” she spat, her voice cold, “you really gonna kill me and your blood over some stupid girl?”
Nadine didn’t stop there. Think about it. How could the Prescotts‘ success depend on just the title of the Grandmatriarch? The royalty’s gone. Why should someone like Serena get to ride on the backs of all you men, acting like she’s so powerful??3
For a brief moment, I saw doubt flicker in Francis’s eyes. He froze, clearly shaken by her words, and it felt like the ground shifted beneath me. He seemed lost in thought, like something inside him was slowly unraveling
Then, just as quickly, his head shot up, and the last bit of respect he had for me disappeared.
“Nadine’s right,” Francis said, his voice flat and empty, as though a heavy weight had just been lifted off him. “No matter how much grace we owe, after all these years, it’s time to repay it.”
He turned to the room, his tone colder than I’d ever heard: “The future of our family is on us. Why should she just sit back and enjoy the work we’ve all put in?
His words shifted the power in the room. It felt like the ground had just given way beneath me. Most people, including his father, seemed to be on his side now.
James added, “Yeah, her family only has her. If she dies, nothing will stand in our way!”
Atticus, who had been quiet until then, spoke up. “Exactly. I’ve never seen such ridiculous rules in the Prescotts. Grown men getting pushed around by a little girl? It’s a jokel“:
The tension in the room was unbearable, thickening with every passing second. Each word felt like a sharp blade, cutting through the air and leaving a sting. Most of the people had already sided with Francis.
But a few, the older ones, including Francis’s second uncle, stayed silent. Their faces showed quiet disapproval, and their eyes filled with unspoken resentment.
“You’ve gone too far. You’ve really gone too far!” Francis’s second uncle shouted, his face flushed with anger.
Before he could say mare, Francis kicked him to the ground with brutal force, and the man crumpled, knocked out cold.
“I’ll see who else dares to speak up!” Francis’s voice rang out like a challenge to anyone still questioning him.
“I will!” I managed to croak, struggling for breath as rage flooded me. Blood and foam dripped from my lips. “Who said I’m useless? You’ll pay for this!
But before I could say more, Noding grabbed a cup of tea from the table and threw it straight in my face. The hot liquid burned my skin, and I recoiled, a scream tearing from my throat. But she wasn’t finished.
“Still think you’re some mighty ancestor of the Prescotts?” Nadine sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. “Men should be in ch What right do you, a woman, have to boss around Francis?”
in charge!
Nadine’s words slapped me in the face, instantly triggering something in Francis. His eyes burned with fury. Without warning, he lunged, his hand wrapping around my throat, cutting off my words
“You filthy bitch, Francis snarled, voice thick with hatred. “I’ve put up with you long enough. You’ve been hiding behind my great–grandmother’s title, using it to control me, making me grovel at your feet like some damn dog.
9.21 AM
The pressure on my throat increased, and everything around me faded. The air was gone, my body went limp, and dizziness settled in like a dark cloud. I felt like I was suffocating, each second dragging me closer to blacking out.
Francis’s voice was cold, final. “Now, as the head of our family, I strip Serena of all her rights. I’ll erase her from the family tree and kick her out of the Prescotts “8
Edmund quickly stepped forward, his face pale with worry. “The removal has to be approved by The Elite Four’s leaders, or we risk being excluded later. I’ll go speak with the leader now.”
Before he could leave, a deep, commanding voice rang out from the doorway.
“No need. I’ll come to you.“2
A gust of wind followed, and with it came Malcolm Kentwood.
Without hesitation, he raised his foot and kicked Francis to the ground, crashing him down.”
James tried to intervene, but bodyguards quickly pinned him to the floor before he could.
Finally able to breathe, I gasped, my chest heaving as I coughed violently. It felt like I was coughing up my lungs, but just getting air back in my body was enough to give me some strength.
With his eyes burning with anger, Malcolm pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly as if I were delicate glass. His heartbroken expression softened the pain in my chest, even if just a little.
Still thinking Malcolm was here to cause trouble, Nadine sneered at him. “So, Serena’s lover? How dare you interfere with the Prescotts‘ business? You really want to die, huh?“}
Just moments ago, Malcolm had been gentle with me, but now, without warning, he raised his hand and slapped Nadine across the face. The sound of it rang through the room.
“This is none of your business,” he muttered, his voice cold. “Stop talking.”
He then lowered his head, his fingers brushing my cheek as if apologizing for what had just happened.
“I’m sorry I’m late, baby,” he whispered, barely audible. “It’s my fault.”
Tears spilled from my eyes, falling into his palm as I buried my face in his chest. I felt broken, exhausted. I clung to him, unable to hold myself up any longer, and let myself lean into his warmth, letting the tears flow.
