Page 81 of Power

I stiffened, ready to strike him silent at any moment.

“You!” he spat. “You fucking dirty whore! For weeks, you were used by my men. Did you enjoy it? I heard you did. I heard you spread your legs like a fucking wanton slut, begging for more. Did you not get enough? Are you back for more, slut?”

I observed her face intently for any hint of pain, yet all I detected was triumph and resilience. She looked down at him, combining pity with rage, seeming entirely unaffected by his words.

He didn’t notice, eager to spout the most disgusting shit before he died.

“Your pussy is used up and damaged now, isn’t it?” he growled. “You know I did that, right? I made that happen. And when my men came to me and told me that they’d completed their job, I sent them back in to start on you all over again. You might as well become a whore now, because nobody will ever want to touch you again!”

The fury that rose in my veins pulsed with urgency. It took every ounce of strength I had in that moment to stay put, to not eliminate his disgusting soul once and for all. As far as I was concerned, a man like that had no reason to remain alive. The thought of killing this man pleased me likeno other person I’d killed. The satisfaction that it was going to give me would be unsurpassed.

At my sides, my fists clenched with anticipation.

“You can say whatever you want, Xenos. Get it all out,” Cali hissed. “The man behind me is Leon Boscos, my fiancé. I’ve asked him to give me your beating heart as a wedding present.”

She bent her head, staring straight down at him, and whispered, “He’s about to deliver.”

His eyes widened, and he began thrashing again.

“Fuck you! Fuck all of you! You’re nothing but trash, and I will have each and every one of you violently destroyed!”

“You don’t look like you’re in any position to do that now, do you, Father?” Elias remarked, his voice calm and strong.

I was immensely impressed with everyone in the room. No matter what vile shit this asshole pumped out, we were all cool, calm, and collected.

“You won’t get away with this!” Ozias claimed.

“No, Ozias,” Cali said. “Don’t you understand? All the shit you did. All the violence you orchestrated. All the betrayals, the pain, the suffering. You were heartless, and now, everything is catching up with you. You can’t escape responsibility anymore. It’s time to face the consequences of your evil actions.”

“Fuck you, you ugly whore!” Xenos spat.

“Enough!” I shouted, stepping forward with clenched fists, my heart pounding with a primal urge to protect.

But before I could close the distance, Cali’s hand shotout, her fingers firm against my chest, holding me back. My muscles tensed with the overwhelming desire to silence him.

The thought of shooting him, slicing through his skin, squeezing the air from his lungs, pummeling him until not a drop of blood remained, anything to stop his vile words from reaching my soon-to-be wife, boiled inside me.

Yet, the sisters still stood unfazed, their expressions calm and unaffected by his insults. I shook my head.

“You’re pathetic,” I said, my voice dripping with disdain.

“Your fate is in our hands now,” Cali declared with a fierce intensity. “Your words have no effect on us. Look at us! Do we look frightened? We are elated!” She paused as if taking in her triumph and savoring the anticipation. “Finally, I’ll get to witness you suffering the consequences of turning me into everything you accuse me of being.”

She took a step closer, her gaze never wavering.

“You may think you damaged me, Xenos, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, all that damage you think you caused only served to make me stronger. It fueled my rage.”

The glare of the single overhead lamp turned Cali’s pupils into glowing emerald fire. Her jaw was set, knuckles whitening as she leaned over Xenos’s strapped form.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment since the day they took me,” she said, voice low and controlled, each word clipped like a blade. “I summoned it, knew without a fucking doubt it would come. And Xenos, it’s far more beautiful than I ever dared imagine. My heart is soaring at the thought that you’re about to draw your last breath.”

No tears wetted her cheeks. No tremor shook her limbs. Her tone was precise, her fingers unmoving, her delight shining hotter than any flame.

Across the table, Xenos shook beneath the leather straps, sweat slicking his temples as fresh terror twisted through his body.

“You lose, Xenos. The Vitalis sisters are here to stay.” With deliberate care, Cali forced the blood-rough gag back into his mouth.

Behind her, Avra and Laya stood in a silent semicircle. Their faces showed faint smiles of satisfaction, and all the doubts I had about vengeance melted away in that moment. This felt right.

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