Erisia had just reached the bed when a loud bang, bang, bang rattled her door, stopping her mid-step.
She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and then let a thin smile curl across her lips.
"These people really don't know when to quit, huh?" she murmured.
She glanced at the door with a glare sharp enough to cut glass, then lowered her gaze to the kitten nestled in her arms.
"They came here for a reason in the first place." Erisia stroked the top of her head. "And I've got a feeling they're here for you, Rein. You're too cute to go unnoticed."
Rein purred softly, brushing her tiny face against Erisia's palm.
"But these people are unhinged," Erisia continued, her tone flat but protective. "And I'm not about to give them a chance to lay a finger on you. So, you're staying here—safe."
She stepped toward the pet carrier on the floor beside the bed. As if sensing her fate, Rein squirmed in protest, tiny paws pushing against Erisia's hands, but Erisia held her firmly as she crouched down.
"Hey, it's alright. I'll make it up to you," she soothed, her voice dropping to a gentle murmur. She unzipped the carrier, tucking the kitten inside with care. Rein peered up at her through the mesh window, her small face impossibly adorable.
"Stay put for a minute, okay?" Erisia whispered.
Rising to her feet, she strode to the door, stilled, then smiled before walking back to the bed. She took her phone, unlocked the door, and yanked it open.
"What the hell is your fucking problem?!" she snapped, voice like a whip. "Didn't you hear a single word I just said?"
"How dare you, useless girl, bring back a cat to this house!" Mrs. Wrenford roared back, her expression livid.
Erisia glared at her. "And why shouldn't I have?"
"Because the last one you brought into this house almost disfigured Sierra! If she hadn't reacted in time, she would have been attacked—and you dare bring another one of those things into my house?!"
Erisia scratched her ear, rolling her eyes. "I would have loved it if she had been scarred—preferably in the face," she muttered, glancing at Sierra, who was also staring back at her.
"What did you say? You bastard!—"
"Tsk. I told you not to ever call me that shit in your life, but I guess you don't listen."
"I will call you whatever I want to, because you deserve it and that's what you are! I might have given birth to you, but I do not count you as my child. I only have one daughter, and that is Sierra. You, on the other hand, are nothing but an ill-mannered, attention-seeking, filthy little snake that was picked up from the gutter!"
"And I don't give a fuck. But there is something I want to know—what did you do to my previous cat? I tried to find it, but I couldn't after you fucking locked me in my room for days. Tell me—what the fuck did you do to it?"
Mrs. Wrenford sneered. "What else? After that thing tried to hurt my daughter, I still thought of having mercy on it and giving it to someone. But then I remembered that no one would want anything from a wretched thing like you. So I threw it in one of the empty storage spaces to rot, and a week later a maid informed me that it died."
Erisia smiled faintly, looking down. "Despite not seeing any wounds on your adopted daughter's body, you believed what she said and killed an innocent being in one of the worst ways possible—because of your disgusting favoritism and hatred toward your biological child, who had never done anything wrong. Or maybe she did—being born, which was the worst mistake of her life. Stepping into this house."
She tapped her phone screen before looking up, her eyes moving over the three that stood in front of her. "So, tell me. Do you want to do the same thing you did to my previous cat? And you think I'll let you?"
Mrs. Wrenford scoffed. "You have no say in this, and there is nothing you can do about it. Leander, get that thing out of the room."
Erisia tightened her hand into a fist, released it, flexed her fingers, and repeated the motion.
Leander, who had been staring hard at Erisia, nodded at his mother and walked forward. Sierra, who was behind him, also stepped forward, stretching out her hand to hold him—but not really trying to.
Erisia chuckled. "If you take one more step, Leander, you're going to regret it."
Leander stopped and stared at her, his expression filled with hatred. "I'll advise you to step aside. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to."
Erisia laughed. "Really? Then I guess I'll have to—"
Before she could finish, Leander stepped into her space—but was shocked when a loud bang exploded in his ear, followed by intense pain radiating through his jaw and cheek. His body nearly slammed into the wall.
"Leander!"
"Brother!"
Erisia smiled, rotating her shoulder blade. "I told you, but you just won't fucking listen. Wanna go again… brother?" she said mockingly.
Mrs. Wrenford hurried to Leander's side, grabbing his arm to steady him, while Sierra stepped forward to hold him as well. But before she could, Erisia seized her wrist and twisted it sharply behind her back.
Seeing this, both Leander's and Mrs. Wrenford's eyes went wide with shock, and they shouted Sierra's name at the same time.
"Erisia! Let her go, you bastard! I'll kill you if you hurt Sierra!" Mrs. Wrenford screamed.
"Weren't you so proud when you told me how you killed an innocent cat?" Erisia's voice was low, cold. "Well, I'm about to let you know exactly how it feels to hear someone tell you how your not-so-innocent daughter is going to die."
With that, she spun Sierra around and shoved her toward the railing.
When Sierra's back slammed into it, Erisia gripped her throat and forced her to bend backward over the edge. Sierra's upper body arched painfully, her spine straining against the metal. The shock and fear on her face were impossible to hide—and Erisia drank it in.
"Erisia, let Sierra go this minute! I swear, if anything happens to her, you'll pay dearly!" Leander barked.
She smirked in his direction. "Why don't we start then?"
Turning back to Sierra, her gaze emptied of any warmth, as if she were already looking at a corpse. "First, I'll keep tightening my grip on her neck until it's impossible for her to breathe. Then I'll push her further over the railing—just enough for her back to nearly snap. And then…" Her lips curved faintly. "I'll let go, and she'll fall to her death. Perfect, don't you think, Sierra?"
"Hghk—ughk—" Sierra choked out, clawing and scratching at Erisia's arm.
As expected, Leander lunged forward, but Erisia swung her right leg up and kicked him hard in the abdomen. The impact sent him stumbling backward, his mother scrambling to catch him.
Erisia's eyes locked on the pale faces of mother and son. "Don't worry—I might not do it, if you agree to never speak about my cat again. Not a word. And you will never lay a hand on it." She smiled thinly, raising her other hand to show the phone she'd been holding the entire time. "Otherwise, my hand might slip—and I won't just kill your daughter. I'll post this for the entire world to see."
Mrs. Wrenford's own voice suddenly filled the air—the recording of her earlier confession about killing Erisia's previous cat playing loud and clear.
"Just imagine," Erisia said, her tone mocking, "what people will think when they hear exactly what Mrs. Wrenford did."
"How did you—"
"That's not the answer I'm looking for, Selena," Erisia cut in, her voice like a blade. "Tell me what I want to hear, or your darling daughter dies right here from strangulation."
"I promise! I promise I won't hurt your cat! Just let her go! Let her go now!"
"Took you long enough."
Erisia tightened her grip one last time, then looked Sierra dead in the eye before raising her free hand and delivering two sharp, vicious slaps. She released her hold just as the second blow sent Sierra sprawling to the floor.
Leaning down, she whispered in her ear, "That's four. We've still got a long way to go, bitch."
Straightening, Erisia stepped back, swept her gaze over the three of them, and scoffed before turning on her heel. She walked back into her room, shut the door, and locked it.