Undressed By His Arrogance-Chapter 318: A Beautiful Mistress

"Please," Morgana sobbed again. "Just put her outside the door. Please. Tom—do something!"

Tom looked up at Ivy, blood on his teeth, terror cracking through the arrogance.

"You have a beautiful family here, Tom." She gestured lazily with the gun, taking in the room. "A beautiful mistress," she continued, eyes flicking briefly to Morgana, "beautiful kids." She tilted her head, lips curling. "And yet you won’t let anyone else enjoy the beauty of their own lives. You poison. You manipulate. You destroy. Because if you can’t have something, no one should."

She took a step closer, rage simmering under her skin. "So here’s the deal. I’m not going to harm your daughter. No." A beat. "I’m going to kill you, Morgana. And then I’m going to sell your daughter to the highest bidder in the underground of the Commissioned Club."

Morgana made a sound that wasn’t quite human.

"You know why I am choosing to kill her?" Ivy continued conversationally. "Because men like you let it happen. I know you well enough now to understand that you are a selfish bastard who would trade anyone—anyone—for your own skin." Her eyes burned as they locked onto Morgana’s. "Including her."

She raised the gun, arm steady despite the tremor ripping through her chest. "You have until the count of five."

She shifted the gun toward Morgana.

"One."

Morgana screamed, panic detonating. "What do you want?!" Her voice cracked, hands clutching desperately at Tom’s shirt. "Please—please—just tell us what you want!"

Ivy didn’t look at her. She couldn’t afford to. So she kept her eyes on Tom instead—on the man who had set all of this in motion. On the reason Winn lay unconscious, machines breathing for him.

"Two."

Morgana turned on Tom, hysteria erupting. She slapped at his chest, fists pounding weakly, tears streaming down her face. "Give her what she wants! Do something! Say something!"

Sweat poured down Tom’s temples, eyes darting wildly between the gun, Reese holding Mel, and Ivy—cold, relentless Ivy. "I swear to you," he shouted hoarsely, desperation stripping him bare, "I don’t know anything about an antidote!"

"Three."

Ivy’s grip tightened.

"Isn’t it funny," she said, "how men always swear ignorance when the bill finally comes due?"

Reese shifted slightly behind her, Mel quiet now, watching Ivy with wide, confused eyes.

She swallowed hard.

"Four."

"I haven’t talked to Raphael in a long time!" Tom blurted. His shoulders shook; the polished, powerful man he once was had collapsed into a sweating, broken thing on the carpet. "This is all Winn’s fault. All of it! Raphael must have thought Winn was getting closer to the truth—he panicked. That’s all. I didn’t ask him to do anything, I swear."

Ivy’s eyes flashed. "What truth?" she demanded. "What truth, Tom?"

Tom squeezed his eyes shut, lips pressed tight as if holding back the dam. He whimpered.

"What truth?" Ivy repeated softly, dangerously.

"He helped me!" Tom shouted at last, the confession ripping out of him. "With the will—and with Sharona. He fed me information from Maurice’s office."

"That was you?" Ivy cut in sharply. The realization hit her. "Shit," she muttered. "We had it all wrong." She walked over to Reese then.

Then she did something that made Morgana sob outright.

Ivy bent down slowly until she was level with Mel. The child’s eyes were huge, glossy, staring at Ivy. Ivy softened her voice. "She’s really beautiful," Ivy said lightly as if commenting on a painting. "She would’ve made a lot of money."

It was a cruel line, delivered with dark, biting humor, meant for Tom. And it landed.

Ivy straightened, disgust simmering beneath her skin. She’d gotten what she needed. The truth. The direction. Tom was no longer useful at least for now. "We’re done here," she said flatly, turning on her heel and walking out of the house.

Reese released Mel instantly and followed Ivy. The front door slammed behind them.

Mel ran straight into her mother’s arms, burying her face against Morgana’s chest. Morgana clutched her daughter tightly, sobbing into her hair.

"Fucking bitch!" Tom snapped as he staggered to his feet, rage flaring bright enough to momentarily burn away the fear Ivy had carved into him. His face twisted, veins standing out along his neck, pride desperately clawing its way back after being stripped bare. He wiped blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

"Get out of my house," Morgana said. Mel’s weight still warm against her chest, her arms wrapped around her child. Her heart was pounding, but her spine was steel.

"What? What are you saying?" Tom stared at her as if she’d suddenly started speaking another language.

"I don’t want you here," she repeated, louder now. "Get out."

"Are you crazy?" Tom barked. "This is my house!" He gestured wildly at the walls, the furniture, the expensive art. "I bought it with my fucking money!"

"Tom, get the hell out of here right now or I swear to God, I’m going to kill you."

The front door opened before he could respond.

James and Cole stepped inside, football bags slung over their shoulders, sweat still clinging to them from practice.

"Mum... what’s going on?" Cole asked, eyes darting between the ruined furniture, Tom’s wild expression, and the tears streaking down Morgana’s face.

Morgana crossed the room and placed Mel into James’s arms. Her hands trembled just slightly as she brushed her daughter’s hair back. "Take your sister upstairs, honey," she said softly.

James didn’t ask questions. One look at her face told him everything he needed to know. "Alright, Mum," he said quietly, gathering Mel close as she clung to him. He shot Tom a look of pure distrust before guiding his siblings upstairs, footsteps quick and obedient.

The moment they were gone, Morgana snapped.

She shoved Tom hard in the chest, the force surprising them both. "Get out!" she screamed. "Get out of my house!"

"Where else do I have to go?!" Tom yelled back, backing away but still defiant, his pride bleeding out in angry spurts. "You can’t just throw me out like trash!"

****This is to 100 power stones. on to the next...*****

(When I wrote The Vampire’s Luna, it was hard to say goodbye to the characters. I almost didnt want to get to the end of the story. The same thing is happening again. My favourite character in the previous book was Damien. Who can guess who my favourite character in this book is? Tip: Its not a main character.)