The scissors cut. Salt and iron filled my mouth, and the pain drove me into darkness.
“Now you look like a snake.”
“Drag her away.” Chloe waved dismissively. “Dad and Ethan will be back soon. We need to prepare dinner. They say Dad’s been feeling better lately.”
Martha’s eyes flickered with shyness. “I’ll make sure to take good care of him. Who knows what could happen…”
Chloe looked at the snake pieces on the floor, a cruel smile tugging at her lips.
“They say snakes are earthly dragons—the most nourishing of all.”
A group of men dragged me into the backyard.
Only then did I realize that the old servants had already been replaced.
“This woman’s yours to deal with. Do whatever you want with her.”
“Make sure she learns her lesson.”
“Miss Brown… isn’t this going too far?”
The young man looked at me, guilt in his eyes.
“What’s wrong with it? She’s just a thief trying to sleep her way up. Shameless!”
“If we hadn’t caught her, you all would’ve had to answer to the master today.”
My mouth was full of blood, pain stealing my voice. My arms and legs hung limp.
These jewels—they had all been gifts from Dad and Ethan. But the newcomers had no idea who I really was.