Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
My lip curls. “I will not wear the blue dress.”
“Then we’ll stand here for as long as it takes. I’m sure we can hide the scar with a lovely set of gloves.”
I’m not afraid of a small scar. Not if it means stopping her from doing this to another woman. The scorch is good.
The scorch is rage.
I force my eyes to well with distress, and I jerk. “Please,” I beg. “It’s just a dress. You’re hurting me.”
“The disrespect you’ve shown me by coming into my house wearing that—”
“Then kick me out!” I yell.
“If I kick you out, my son will likely marry you to spite me—and I’ll never get rid of you without alienating him, and I’m not losing my son because of a gold-digging waitress.” These are the seeds the godmothers planted in her head.
They told Claudia that she shouldn’t toss me out of the estate or forbid me from entering. That it would only make her greatest fears come true.
She keeps my palm steady on the flame. I bite back the pain. She’s watching me begin to cave. “You won’t ever back talk again,” she says. “Will you?”
How many women has she burned? How many of Jake’s ex-girlfriends has she slapped? Did she also do this to Kate—or was Kate too scared to ever push back in the first place? Acid churns in my stomach.
“I-I…” I mumble.
“This will get a lot worse than a little burn,” she threatens. “Just let go now, Phoebe.”
I surrender into a submissive puddle. “I-I’ll wear the blue dress.”
“Say it again,” she demands.
My skin is on fire. “I’ll wear the blue dress.” I sound meek, vulnerable, and I force down the urge to snark back, Smile for the fucking camera!
We’re being filmed.
Unbeknownst to her, Trevor rigged a teeny-tiny camera in a frame that matches the wooden ones around their home. Jake supplied the Koning family photo. And Everett set it up and will likely come collect it right after I leave.
The footage is extremely, horrifically damaging. To her pristine reputation, her well-respected character. She thinks being in her own home makes her untouchable.
But she’s currently undergoing an infestation.
She releases her grip, and I draw my hand to my chest. The center of my palm is an angry, blistering shade of red. That’ll scar. Before I can move away from her, she glides behind me with strange softness.
Then she gently reties the laces to my corset. It’s no longer bone-breakingly tight.
“You’re okay, dear.” Her voice is sickly sweet. “The pain will pass. I’ll have one of the housekeepers fetch you a cold cloth.” She rounds to my front and gently caresses my cheek with the backs of her knuckles. It’s affection she’s never shown me, and I can see how others would want to feed into it. To receive it. “There you are.” She gives me a look of admiration, pride. “This is a good start.”
* * *
—
Rocky. He’s the only person I’m thinking about. The only one I want to go to and connect with. But I purposefully gave my phone to Hailey because I didn’t want Claudia to screw with it this weekend.
Consider me paranoid, but I’ve been taught to protect my most personal belongings. I didn’t even bring a burner, since anyone could rummage through my things in my room.
To my aggravation, Claudia won’t let me into the dining room until everyone arrives. I’m being held in a parlor, seated alone on a floral chaise, the tulle of the blue dress plumed out. I feel ridiculous. I might as well be her doll.
The burn on my palm is angry and painful to the touch, but a pair of white silk gloves covers the red welt.
I haven’t even seen Jake yet.
“Niall, please,” I whisper.
His apologetic expression hurts, because I wonder how many times he’s given it. I’m being treated like an obedient debutante and forced to make my grand entrance as Claudia’s new pet project.
Calm.
Be calm. I breathe out my ire and brush my fingers through my long hair. I imagine they’re Rocky’s fingers. I imagine he’s slipping them against my scalp over and over again. Breathe.
I feel naked without a lifeline to Rocky or Hailey or even Nova out on the boat, but I have good directional sense and can locate the exit. I’m not in a position where I feel the urge to bail. I’m on the road to success.
Claudia has been caught. I keep repeating it to myself. She’s caught.
I’m naked in the footage. Small sacrifices. I only cringe knowing Everett will likely watch the playback.
She’s caught.
I exhale.
Jake is going to dangle the blackmail over Claudia tomorrow morning, and if he’s even semidecent at manipulation, he can convince her to name him sole heir in exchange for destroying the damning footage.
Blackmail works wonders. It’s the Badger Game. A classic con.
After it’s legally binding, the plan is to show the footage to the board anyway. It will unseat Claudia—that is, if she doesn’t step down herself.