Page 78 of Once A Villain

His grip on my chin tightens, his eyes cold and unyielding. “You have no idea how wrong you are. Your body belongs to me. Every part of you is mine. No one touches what’s mine, and I’ll kill anyone who dares.” His thumb brushes over my bottom lip, his gaze fixated on my mouth. “I’ve got business to handle. I don’t have time for your fucking attitude. Go to practice and behave.”

The urge to slap that smug smirk off his face is almost irresistible. Who does he think he is, treating me like I’m some bratty child?

Without bothering to respond, I yank the car door open and storm out, desperate to lose myself in rehearsal. I toss my bag in the dressing room and join the other Sirens in the main studio, hoping the routine will be enough to smother the fire still blazing under my skin.

But as soon as I see Alicia chatting with Dom, my hope for a distraction crumbles. Of course, she’s here.

Her presence alone makes my skin crawl. I march past her, deliberately ignoring the way she parades around in those tight black pants and that sheer white top, her fake tits practically bursting out.

“Rory, sweetie,” she calls, rushing over to pull me into an unwanted hug.

“Hi, Alicia,” I reply, masking my disgust.

“Aww, how’s my favorite stepdaughter?” she purrs.

“I’m not your stepdaughter,” I snap.

“Don’t be like that, Rory. We’re family now—you, me, and your handsome new husband. Speaking of Axel, how are things? I heard about the bruises...and the branding. That must have hurt.”

Olivia must have spilled everything to Alicia.

“It did,” I manage, my throat tightening.

“I bet it did,” she says, voice dripping with false sympathy. “I know firsthand how cruel Axel can be.” Again, she hints at a history with Axe, clearly baiting me. I refuse to take the bait. She’s the last person I want to discuss anything with.

She’s a manipulative bitch who wants what everyone else has.

“Why are you here?” I ask abruptly, eager to end the conversation.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Bradley is missing,” she says casually. I keep my expression neutral, though a knot forms in my stomach. “The Sovereign Commanders have been working around the clock looking for him.” She doesn’t seem overly concerned. “He has a lot of enemies,” she adds. “Anyway, I told your father I would help around the Pavilion until they find a replacement or Bradley magically reappears. Isn’t that nice of me?”

“How generous,” I reply dryly. Relief washes over me; she’s here to impress my father and suck up to the Sovereign, not for any hidden agenda.

Rehearsal finally drags to an end, and I’m relieved to escape Axe’s shadow, if only for a while. My muscles ache, but they’re starting to loosen. The rumors about Bradley are as quiet as a well-kept secret, and I haven’t seen Alicia again—thankfully.

As the sun sets, reality hits hard. The thought of facing Axe again twists my stomach. I’m drained, and the idea of a car ride with him feels like a cruel joke. After a quick shower, I pull on my comfiest hoodie and throw my wet hair into a messy bun. I couldn’t care less about looking good right now; sleep’s all I want.

I walk into my dressing room to grab my last few things and nearly trip over Spencer.

“Spence?” I raise an eyebrow, confused. “What are you doing here?”

Without a word, he pulls me into a hug, his arms tightening around me, as if he’s trying to squeeze the pain out.

“Rory, I’m so sorry,” he murmurs, his voice cracking with emotion. “I never should’ve let him marry you.” His words are raw, filled with a pain I rarely hear from him.

“Spence...” I choke on his name, tears filling my eyes. Seeing my brother breaking like this is almost too much.

“He branded you,” he growls, voice barely contained. He grips my chin, tilting my head to show the hickeys and bite marks on my neck. I wince, humiliated that he’s seen them. “That fucking animal. Did he rape you?”

My eyes widen at his question. “What?”

“Did. He. Rape. You?”

I flinch, shaking my head hard.

“Jesus, Spencer, no,” I whisper, wiping at my tears before they can fall.

“So, all those marks and bruises are just...what?Consensual?”His skepticism is clear, along with his anger.

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