Page 92 of Ruined By Blood
"Plans change. This is more advantageous for all parties." He cuts another piece of fish. "As his wife, you'll have certain protections. It's quite generous of him, considering your condition."
"You've managed to sell me once and for all, then." The words escape before I can stop them, brittle with the rage I've suppressed for years.
Henry pauses mid-bite, setting his fork down with deliberate calm.
"Excuse me?"
I should back down. I know I should. But something inside me has broken open, and I can't seem to stop the words pouring out.
"How does it feel?" I ask, my voice trembling. "Selling your own blood like this? Your daughter? How did you do that in the first place?"
The temperature in the room seems to drop. Henry dabs his mouth with his napkin, every movement precise and controlled.
"You seem to be under the misapprehension that you have some say in this matter." His voice is soft, almost conversational, which makes it all the more terrifying. "You've always been an investment, Sienna. Nothing more."
The words land like blows, but I refuse to flinch.
"An investment," I repeat. "Is that what you told yourself when you first sold me at fourteen? That your daughter was just a business opportunity?"
A muscle ticks in his jaw. "You should be grateful, you know. Cortez could have you without the ring. This way, you'll have status. Security."
"As what? His property instead of yours?" I laugh, a hollow sound that surprises even me. "How generous."
Henry's fingers tighten around his knife, knuckles whitening. For a moment, I think he'll lunge across the table. Instead, he inhales deeply, regaining his composure.
"You're lucky I'm in a particularly good mood tonight," he says, voice dangerously quiet. "Otherwise, I'd be inclined to show you your place."
I stare back at him, refusing to lower my gaze. "Thank you," I say, injecting every syllable with as much irony as I dare. "How considerate of you."
His lips thin to a bloodless line. "You've changed, Sienna. I don't care for it."
"I imagine you don't." I place my napkin beside my untouched plate and stand. "If there's nothing else, I'd like to retire for the night."
Henry watches me with cold calculation, assessing whether breaking me now is worth the trouble. Finally, he waves his hand in dismissal.
"Go. We'll discuss wedding preparations tomorrow."
I turn and walk from the dining room, my legs trembling but my back straight. Only when I'm safely in the hallway do I allow myself a shuddering breath.
CHAPTER 31
"How the fuck do people sleep in a place like this?" Noah's voice on the phone sounds like he's been up all night, which he probably has.
"You found her?" I grip my phone tighter, putting it on speaker so Alessio can hear. We're in my office at three in the morning, surrounded by maps of Sterling's estate and surveillance photos. Neither of us has slept.
"Yeah. Charlotte Sterling's being held at Oakwood Wellness Center in Connecticut. Looks fancy as fuck from the outside. The kind of place rich people send relatives they want to forget about."
Alessio leans forward, his expression dark. "Security?"
"Minimal. Two guards at the entrance, key card access,but it's a medical facility, not a prison. Most patients are too drugged to try escaping." Noah's disgust carries through the line.
There's no way Henry hasn't put guards in her room too.
"The clinic staff?" I ask.
"Bought and paid for. Sterling's got the director in his pocket—guy named Matthews. Sterling visits once a month, makes sure she stays sedated. Last visit was two weeks ago."
Alessio meets my gaze, both of us thinking the same thing. We don't have time to waste.
