“If you want to take her back, Chris sald, turning to Loki, “there’s a price, She starred me; its only fair

cuts, six sides.

fair the hears a mark as well. Three

Eleanor whispered urgently in Jade’s ear, “What does that mean?“

Jade didn’t answer, watching as understanding dawned on Loki’s face,

“Let me btake /bthe punishment instead, Laki requested, stepping forward.

“No need.” Liana’s voice cut through the tension. She snatched a knife from one of the guards belts with surprising speed. Before anyone could breact/b, she pressed the bde /bbeneath her left eye and carved a hexagon into her own flesh.

Blood streamed down her cheek as she worked methodically, her hand steady despite the pain. Eleanor gasped beside fadeb, /bher face turing ashen.

When she finished, Liana tossed the bloody knife onto the polished floor. “Satisfied?” she asked, blood dripping bfrom /bher chin.

Chris nodded once. “Get out.”

Liana walked toward the door without looking at anyone, her bloodied face held high. Loki and his men followed bquickly/b, eager to bescape /bbefore Maddox changed his mind.

As the front door closed behind them, Jade turned to Chris. ‘I need to go to Russia tomorrow.”

Chris was still staring at the blood droplets on his floor. “What for?”

“To pick up some things.”

In the sleek ck SUV driving away from the Jensen estate, Liana pressed a cloth to her bleeding cheek. The moment the gates disappeared from view, she whipped around and held a knife to Loki’s throat,

“Who really killed Marcus?” she demanded, her voice trembling with rage despite her bsteady /bhand.

Loki remained perfectly still, the bde /bpressing against his skin. “I was sent away by Marcus himself when it happened. His men told me that before he died, Chris Jensen visited with his friends. That’s ball /bI know.”

b“/bYou better not be lying.” Liana hissed. “If I find out you killed him, I’ll end you myself.”

“He was my cousin,” Loki repeated calmly. “Why would I kill him?”

just because you’re cousins doesn’t mean anything!” she spat.

“Liana,” Loki said gently, “your face is still bleeding. We need to get you to a hospital before you lose too much blood.”

Liana looked at him with pure disgust. “Don’t pretend to care.”

12:31 Sat, bSep /bb27 /b

The car continued toward the nearest hospital in tense silenceb. /b

After a long moment, Liana spoke again, her voice for cold. “My father only sent you to get

“Yes,” Loki answered simply.

Liana fell silent, turning g to stare out the window.

The next day, Liana walked into the Scorpio Mansion, a fresh bandage covering her left cheek. She found her father in the grand living room, lounging on a plush sofa with two scantily dressed women draped over him.

“Ah, Liana’s back,” he announcedzily, barely ncing up from his entertainment.

Liana stood before him, waiting for some acknowledgment of her injury, but he merely poured himself another drink, seemingly uninterested in her condition.

“You should have dealt with Jensen immediately, her bfather /bbfinally /bbsaid/bb, /bsetting down his them quickly and leave no trace,”

“Marcus wasn’t killed by him,” Liana stated tly.

s ss. “When you capture someone, you bkill /b

Her father waved dismissively. “I don’t care who killed Marcus. What matters is whether you’ve bcaused /bproblems for our family.” He took another sip. “bHave /byou?”

“Uncle bKane /balmost killed me,” bLiane /bbsaid/b, her voice tight with controlled emotion.

her father replied indifferently. “Well, I’ll speak with bhim/b. You should brest/bb, /bLiana.”

“I bsee/b,” her

As her father returned his attention to the giggling women beside him, Liana clenched her fists. From a nearby enclosure, she heard the soft hissing of the family’s prized Python retictus. The sound made her shudder involuntarily.

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