"It's all my fault," she whimpered. "If I hadn't come, Ran wouldn't be so angry. Even though she hit me, I don't blame her. Just take it as me repaying my debt to Leila…"
Her fake tears glistened under the dim light, and rage flooded through me.
In a blink, I lunged forward, stomped on her calf, and forced her to kneel. My hand clamped on her hair as I slammed her forehead into the ground—right in front of my sister's portrait.
"You called me cruel?" I hissed. "Then let me show you cruelty!"
The sound of her skull hitting the floor echoed in the hall.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Hendrix drew his pistol and pressed the muzzle to my temple. There was a sharp snap as he pulled the trigger.
Cassidy screamed hysterically.
"Hendrix! Save me! Vienna has gone insane! Do something!"
Sneering, I spat, "Weren't you just saying you don't blame me? Cassidy, what are you playing? Who are you pretending to be pitiful for?"
I hauled her up by the throat and shoved her until she faced my sister's photograph.
"Look at my sister's face. Everything you have today wasn't earned—it was given to you by Leila!" I leaned close enough to breathe on her. "Too bad I'm not Leila. When I kill, I don't hold back."