Strangers in the End

For five whole years I followed Eli, pouring everything I had into helping him, until he rose to the seat of Don of the Perrone family. At the celebration banquet, Karina, who'd grown up alongside him, spiked my drink to set me up, and I caught her in the act. But for the sake of Karina's reputation, Eli threw me out of the Perrone without a shred of mercy. He even put it about that I'd tried to steal family secrets, and had only been cast out once I was exposed. Overnight, everyone turned on me. I was driven south, and I vanished without a trace for three long years. The next time I saw Eli was at an underground auction in Edel Castle, down south. Karina recognized me the moment she laid eyes on me, and pitched her voice high to humiliate me in front of everyone. "God, Layla, you really will stoop to anything to keep clinging to Eli, won't you!" "Don't you know this is Thorne territory? And here you are, a filthy whore, sneaking in after us." "If they find out a traitor like you slipped in, care to guess whether you'll live to see tomorrow?" I cut my eyes toward her and let out a cold laugh. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this happens to be my territory." Chapter 1 The instant the words left my mouth, the noisy chatter across the hall died into dead silence. Dozens of stares fixed on me at once, contempt and mockery and idle curiosity tangled together, heavy enough to smother. "Layla, if you're going to lose your mind, at least look around first. This auction is run by the Thorne family." Karina covered her mouth and giggled. "Your territory? Big words. Careful, or you'll come to a very ugly end before the night's out." Leon Thorne. There wasn't a soul in that hall who didn't know the name. Every power in the south answered to him, and he was known to be brutal and paranoid. The Thorne family he ruled was, by extension, something no one dared to cross. "Shameless, truly. A banished bitch, and it still dares to bark in here." Someone in the crowd chimed in with her. Jeering laughter rose from every side, sharp enough to make my eardrums ache. I turned my eyes slightly, and my gaze settled on the man off to the rear. The current Don of the Perrone family. Eli Perrone. A matte-black bespoke suit set off his cold, upright frame, strands of silver-gray hair falling over his brow, his features aloof and severe, the whole of him wrapped in the distance and indifference of a man at the very top. His deep-set eyes settled heavily on me, filled with impatience, something tangled I couldn't name, and a flicker of hesitation that was gone in an instant. "Layla." His voice was low and cold, weighted with the pressure of a man looking down from above. "Where have you been these three years?" I froze for a beat, then couldn't help the sneer. "What's this? Is Don Perrone hoping to catch up on old times?" Eli drew a deep breath, looking utterly helpless. "Layla, whatever it is you're planning, this is no place for you. I'll have you shown out, and once the auction's over I'll spare time on you." I was so angry I actually laughed. "Don't tell me you think I came all this way just for you?" "What else?" His face was all cool entitlement, his tone thick with impatience. "Enough. Leave, now. Don't make me say it twice." He was as full of himself as ever. I couldn't be bothered to spar with him. "And if I say no?" A trace of irritation crossed his face, and just as he opened his mouth to say more, Karina's voice had already climbed higher. "Layla, you think dressing up like a decent person makes you fit to stand with us? Don't forget the filthy things you've done! You deserve to be thrown out like a stray." "Steward, a stray's wandered into the hall. Deal with her, quickly, before she soils the Thorne family's dignity." She shouted it with her chin in the air, as though showing off a trophy. The hall's steward came over and asked deferentially, "Excuse me, miss. Might I see your invitation?" Karina watched me, gloating, apparently certain I couldn't produce the pass that marked one's right to enter. Eli's brow knit tight, and just as he made to speak again, I'd already drawn out the invitation stamped with the thorned-rose crest. Chapter 2 The steward took it, glanced at it once, and immediately called out with the utmost respect, "Donna. Please, this way to the second floor." A ripple of shock ran through the crowd. Someone muttered under their breath, "Did you see that? That looked like the Thorne family crest." "No way. She carries the crest, and he called her Donna. Don't tell me she's Don Thorne's wife?" The rustling murmurs wouldn't let up, and they were honestly starting to grate. A cold edge sharpened in my eyes, and I turned to walk away, only for a cool, strong hand to clamp down hard around my wrist. Eli's grip was heavy enough to nearly crush the bone, his cool palm carrying that cold scent that belonged to him alone. It was the scent the old me had known best, and now it did nothing but turn my stomach. A panic I couldn't read churned in his eyes, his knuckles digging into my flesh, refusing to loosen even a fraction. "You're married? And to Leon Thorne, of all people?" Karina stood off to one side, her shrill laughter piercing enough to make the whole hall's ears ache. She reached up and hooked her arm through Eli's other one, pressing herself deliberately against him, cutting a sidelong glance at me full of spiteful mockery. "Eli, don't let her fool you. Women like her will fabricate absolutely anything. There's no way the Thorne family would take in a disgraced traitor. She probably stole that invitation with some dirty trick!" "She has bad records, doesn't she?" The guests around us burst into whispers again. Scraps of ridicule and appraising looks landed on me, most of them following Karina's lead and quietly drawing their own conclusions, their eyes turning more contemptuous by the second. Eli's brows twisted into a hard, cold crease, and his grip on my wrist tightened another degree. There was a barely perceptible edge of anxiety in his voice. "Layla, tell me the truth. Where did you go these three years, and what did you do? You're being so reckless. If you anger the Thorne family, even I won't be able to protect you. Be good, and leave now with my men." I let out a low laugh. I wrenched free of his hold with a hard jerk. "Protect me?" I lifted my eyes and looked straight at him, biting off each word, my voice cold as ice. "Back when you threw me out of the mansion, pinned the theft of family secrets on me, and let the whole world spit on me, why didn't you think to protect me then? Eli, what makes you think a few soft words now would send me chasing after you like a dog again, the way I used to?" His frame stiffened slightly, his thin lips pressing tight, and that fleeting hesitation surfaced in his eyes once more. Yet what came out of his mouth was as lofty as ever. "You know she's Anthony's daughter. Anthony held enormous power back then. I couldn't ruin her name. There is nothing I can do." I couldn't be bothered to argue with him any longer, and turned aside to leave. "Steward. Take me up to the second floor." Chapter 3 The steward bowed and led the way, his manner deferential in the extreme. He stepped aside of his own accord to clear a path, paying no mind at all to the two standing there with faces gone ashen. Seeing this, Karina flew into a rage and snapped at the attendants. "Stop her! What makes a whore like her fit to sit upstairs with us? What makes her fit to set foot in the Thorne family's private box?" A few attendants stepped forward hesitantly, but when they caught the warning look the steward shot them, they stopped dead in their tracks. Eli snapped at Karina, his voice low, "Enough. You're making a scene." To my ears, the words only sounded like a joke. I lingered no longer, and climbed the smooth, cold-white marble stairs to the second floor at an unhurried pace. More than a dozen partitioned boxes ringed the second-floor hall, divided by screens yet still overlooking the entire floor below. The box dead center, with its carved and gilded doors, was the Thorne family's own seat of honor. I stepped into the box. Every gaze below clung to my box at once, murmurs rising and falling. I glanced to the side. Whether by design or not, Karina had settled into the box next to mine with two bodyguards. Eli, meanwhile, had gone into the box directly across from me. Karina stared at me in open challenge, the jealousy in her eyes nearly enough to burn through everything. Eli, for his part, kept his eyes lowered, fingertips absently rubbing the cuff of his suit, his gaze drifting, thinking who knew what. Before long, the curtain behind the auction stage drew back, and the underground sale officially began. Everything that changed hands here was the priceless treasure. Antique treasures, famous paintings and firearms, one-of-a-kind classified dossiers came out in turn. Every one of them was worth a fortune, and the crowd bid against each other, calls of new prices rising on all sides, the room growing livelier by the minute. Trading on the Perrone family's deep pockets, Karina won three pieces of antique jewelry one after another. With every fall of the hammer she made a point of looking toward my box and lifting her paddle in a show of triumph, wearing the look of someone certain of victory. Eli stayed silent the whole time and never once raised a paddle, only resting his fingertips against his jaw, his gaze fixed on me throughout. That gaze was a heavy thing, and it left a dull ache pressing in my chest. "So it turns out some dogs come around just to have a sniff." Karina laughed out loud and raised her voice to mock me, drawing a wave of jeering laughter. "You penniless little bitch, get out already, before you foul the air in here!" Her eyes were full of scorn, her tone carrying a threat. I ignored her, my gaze settling on the display stand. This round's lot was what I'd come for. Chapter 4 On the velvet tray lay a pair of gilded twin-band rings. The engraving was intricate and exquisite, the craftsmanship flawless, a clever mechanism hidden inside. The auctioneer announced their history in a ringing voice and opened the bidding at thirty million. Karina was the first to raise her paddle, calling out in a high, sweet voice. "Eighty million!" I tapped the glass lightly with my fingertip and said flatly, "One hundred million." The whole hall went quiet for an instant, then erupted, every head tipping up toward mybox. The smile on Karina's face froze in a heartbeat, fury churning in her eyes. "A hundred and thirty million! A stray out of nowhere, and she dares bid against me?" She said it through gritted teeth, the mockery in her words plain for all to hear. "A hundred and fifty million." My tone was even as I named the new figure. Talk broke out below, plenty of them settling in to watch the show. Humiliated into a rage, Karina shot to her feet and shrieked, "A hundred and seventy million! Whatever she bids, I'll top it by twenty million!" The auctioneer perked up and sent his voice ringing across the hall. "Does anyone care to raise?" Calmly, I raised my hand. "Two hundred million!" Karina's hands trembled with rage, her face dark, her eyes venomous as a snake's. She ground out each word. "You'd best back off right now, you bitch, or even if you make it out that door, I'll see to it you don't live through the night." A naked threat. I couldn't help a cold laugh. "In that case, I don't need to play nice anymore." Before the words had even faded, I'd already vaulted over the railing. The auctioneer, still full of enthusiasm, asked to Karina, "Miss , shall I raise it by twenty million as you said?" Karina had just made to rise and acknowledge him when someone shoved her back down, hard. The entire hall fell silent at once. Chapter 5 Karina cried out in fright. "Layla, you cheap b—" She never finished; the rest of it lodged in her throat. Those below couldn't see clearly. All they could tell was that I'd appeared at Karina's side, and that her head had tilted strangely to one side. But the people on the second floor saw it plainly! I was holding a pistol, its muzzle pressed to Karina's temple. The smile hadn't left my face. "The auctioneer's asking you. Care to raise?" The crowd was bracing for a good show when they caught the plain tremor in Karina's voice. "N-no more..." The hammer came down, and the hall went utterly still. I bent down, patted Karina's bloodless face, and murmured a single line into her ear. "You're lower than a dog!" "Layla, you rabid dog, you're dead!" Karina shrieked, "She's got a gun! Layla actually broke the Thorne family's own rule and brought a gun into the auction!" Eli's face went livid. "Layla, you've lost your mind. Put the gun down, now." Angry shouts rose from every corner. "The nerve, bringing a gun into the hall!" "Layla's dead for sure tonight!" I held Karina's head down tight, and though her face flushed red from it, nothing could stop that venomous mouth of hers. "Just you wait, Layla. You're dead, and you'll pay for daring to challenge me!" "I'll bet you don't leave this hall alive tonight!" "Is that so?" I lifted my face and swept a sharp look around the room. "It's not just me. Tonight, not one of you could leave easily!" A jolt of shock ran through the crowd. "Layla, what are you trying to do? Do you have any idea what happens to someone who brings a weapon in here!" Eli's knuckles were white where he clenched them, his face taut with tension and worry. I couldn't hold back a cold laugh. "You'll find out what I mean to do, Eli. Just not yet, because not everyone's here!" He froze. The next second, Karina's shrill scream tore through the dead-still hall below. "Father! Where are you! Get up here! This bitch Layla is waving a gun around in front of everyone. She's got no respect for our family at all!" The moment her cry died away, I smiled. "Have you lost your mind?" Karina looked at my expression as if she'd seen a ghost. I gave a cold laugh. This time, everyone had finally arrived. Chapter 6 Heavy and chaotic footsteps sounded at the entrance to the hall. Dozens of black-clad bodyguards swept in around a middle-aged man with graying temples as he strode into the hall. The bulge of a snub-nosed pistol showed plainly at his waist. This was Karina's own father, Anthony, the former Don of the Perrone family. Anthony's features were mean and sinister, and the moment he came through the door his eyes locked onto me in the main box upstairs. He lifted a hand, and every bodyguard behind him drew, raising their guns in unison to aim my way, the dense cold glint of metal pressing the guests into holding their breath and shrinking back. He charged up the stairs in long strides, his heavy leather shoes thudding against the marble. He looked me up and down with open contempt, his tone insufferably arrogant. "Layla? Long time no see. You dare cause trouble at Thorne's auction, and put a gun to my daughter's head? You've got a death wish!" I lowered my hand, and Karina instantly threw herself to Anthony's side, her eyes reddening as if she'd been wronged. "Layla slipped in here by some crooked means, then lied that she's Don Thorne's wife, throwing her weight around and humiliating us, and now she's openly broken the auction's no-weapons rule. Father, kill her, quickly!" Anthony gave a cold snort and waved a hand, and two bodyguards immediately moved up to block the box's exit. He took half a step forward, looking me over from on high. "Layla, you're the one who stole family secrets back then, and when you got caught you tried to flip it around and blame us. If we hadn't been merciful, do you think you'd still be alive today?" "I thought you'd turn over a new leaf. Instead you've only gotten worse! Three years gone, and you're bolder than ever, daring now to pass yourself off as Don Thorne's wife. An orphan who lives by killing for hire, and you think you're fit to drag the Thorne family name through the mud?" My blood surged, the past rising up to choke my chest. "I flipped it around to blame you?" "It was your precious daughter, plain and simple, who drugged me and set me up, then framed me for the theft to root me out for good, forcing a conviction onto me." "I'll tell you the truth: the whole point of holding this auction tonight was to drag out the truth you people buried back then!" The words had scarcely landed before cries of shock went up all around. Chapter 7 "She's lying. She's a con artist with a mouth full of lies!" Karina shouted, beside herself. "You're a reject the Perrones threw out. No evidence, no witnesses, just slander made up on the spot." Anthony scoffed. "Why should anyone here believe a word of it?" "It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. In the face of absolute power, everyone shuts their mouth." "That's the lesson the two of you taught me all those years ago." I pulled my coat open, revealing a small, finely wrought thorned-rose crest of metal pinned at the breast. It was the token Leon had given me himself, the mark of the Donna of the Thorne family. Anthony's pupils shrank sharply. He lunged forward, and before I could stop him, swung his hand out in a vicious slap. Clang! A crisp, jarring crack split the air. His slap knocked the delicately crafted thorned-rose crest to the floor. The toe of his shoe ground down on it hard, and the intricate rose pattern warped and buckled in an instant, its edges splitting into cracks. He kept grinding his foot over the ruined crest, his eyes full of scorn and provocation. "You'd flaunt a fake, would you? Today I'll drag you in and hand you over to the Thorne family myself. I imagine they'll take great interest in a swindler who trades on their name while openly breaking their rules." As the words fell, he raised a hand to signal his bodyguards to seize me, and several muzzles edged a step closer, trained on my skull. Karina stood to the side, satisfaction written on her face. Eli stood at the door of the box across the way, an indescribable panic churning in his eyes. My hand tightened slightly around the gun, and just as I made to raise it and strike back, every light in the entire castle went out at once. Only a single cold-white spotlight above the auction stage rose slowly to life, falling on the main entrance to the hall. A tall, upright silhouette walked in at an unhurried pace. In a full-length black coat, he carried an air so cold it commanded fear. Dozens of soldiers filed in on either side of him, each one bearing the full thorned-rose emblem at the waist. Every person in the hall who belonged to the Thorne family bowed their head as one, and their low, unified greeting rang through all of Edel Castle. "Don!"