Serena's POV

Nadine’s eyes twinkled with a gleam of mischief as she scanned the dishes on the table. With a devilish smile curling at the corners of her lips, she scooped up a spoonful of Habanero hot sauce.

"Let me give you a little sterilization treatment," she said, her voice oozing with mock sweetness.

Before I could even think of reacting, she poured the scalding hot sauce down my thigh. The fire spread like wildfire through my skin, the pain hitting me so hard I couldn’t even breathe.

My whole body went rigid, and I screamed out in agony. "No! No, it hurts!"

I couldn’t hold back the tears welling up as I trembled uncontrollably from the pain.

One of the minions snickered, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. "She must be loving this."

Another one joined in, their laughter ringing sharp and mocking. "Don’t get her hooked on this, or she’ll be coming back for more hot sauce every day."

Nadine stood over me, clearly enjoying every second of my suffering. She turned to her father, and without a word, Atticus reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and pressed it against my skin.

The fresh pain was almost unbearable. My body went into shock, convulsing, and before I could process anything, my head hung low, too heavy to lift, as if all the life had been sucked out of me.

Still grinning, Nadine picked up my phone. She snapped a few pictures of me lying there, broken, in my misery.

Without hesitation, she posted them to every family group and social media account she could access. No platform was left untouched.

The caption was disgusting, as repulsive as the photos themselves: [I'm desperate for attention, begging for someone to come and spoil me.]

The photos spread like wildfire, going viral in minutes. Before long, people were begging Nadine for copies.

I lay there, utterly helpless. I couldn’t move or speak as tears of blood ran down my face with the last shred of dignity I had left.

'Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad—I'm so sorry. I’ve ruined the Prescott name. I’m so sorry for what I’ve become,' I cried inwardly.

Nadine’s laughter rang through my head. 'You wanna sell yourself so badly? Once everyone sees these, they’ll beg to help you with your little business. You’ll make a fortune. No need to thank me, bitch!'

With my hands bound behind me, I lay there on the floor, utterly defeated.

But at that moment, something inside me snapped. I gathered every bit of strength I had left and kicked Nadine’s high heel with all my might.

She lost her balance and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Her head hit the floor hard, and for a split second, I felt a flicker of victory.

"How dare you kick me?!" Nadine screamed, clutching her head, her face contorting in pain. "Even if I kill you today, no one will give a damn!"

She scrambled to her feet, fury burning in her eyes. She grabbed a fork off the table and, with a deadly glint in her gaze, aimed it straight at my neck, targeting the carotid artery.

I could feel the cold steel pressing against my skin. I knew what was coming.

Just as the fork was about to draw blood, Atticus's voice rang out, panicked. "Bad news. Sir Francis is here. He says he’s coming to see the Madam!"

Everything froze. I barely had time to process what was happening. I could see the look of shock on their faces, the realization dawning on them.

They had no idea the Grandmatriarch they were waiting for was already lying on the floor in front of them, barely conscious and utterly broken.

"Quick, clean up! We can’t let them see us like this!" Atticus snapped, his voice urgent. "If Madam Prescott finds out, our shot at getting into high society will be shot."

Nadine snapped back to reality, her fingers trembling as she dropped the fork.

She nodded quickly, clearly in full damage-control mode. "Yes, yes. Getting the Grandmatriarch’s approval is all that matters. We’ll deal with this bitch later, after we handle the main business."

Atticus moved with quick precision, pointing toward the backyard. "There’s a dog cage in the storage room. Lock her up there."

The minions dragged me outside while the others scrambled to clean up the mess.

In that brief, fleeting moment, I caught sight of Buttercup’s lifeless body, discarded without a second thought into the trash can, and my heart shattered.

...

Third Person's POV

Francis stepped in moments later, holding a cat treat in his hand.

He stopped when he noticed Nadine, an eyebrow raised, clearly surprised.

"What are you doing here? Didn’t I say I’d come pick you up?" he asked, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Nadine twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, her voice sweet as she played the part of the innocent, loving girlfriend.

"Well, I just missed you so much. I couldn’t wait to see you and the Grandmatriarch," she said with a flirtatious grin.

Francis, clearly charmed, rubbed her nose affectionately.

"You... you’re still so thoughtful," he said, his voice soft, warm. Then, his gaze swept across the room, confusion flashing across his face. "Anyway, where is she? Why hasn’t she arrived yet?"

Nadine, now desperate to keep his attention away from the truth, grabbed a cup of tea and knelt before the empty seat at the table. “I’ll wait here. Once she gets here, she can have some tea."

The room fell silent, everyone standing still, their eyes trained on the empty chair. We all waited, but the Grandmatriarch never came.

As the evening dragged on, the tension in the room thickened. Sweat beaded on Nadine’s forehead, and her legs trembled from exhaustion.

Yet, the seat for the Grandmatriarch remained empty.

Suddenly, a servant rushed in, panic evident in his face. "We’ve searched the entire house, but we can’t find the Madam. Could she be missing?"

Francis’s father, James, turned pale, his face sweating. "Keep looking! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to—find her and bring her here!" His voice was frantic, his eyes wide with fear.

“If she’s not here, my son’s engagement party is over. The family head position is done for!” James snapped, his voice trembling with fear.

Panic broke out as everyone scrambled to fix the mess, completely unaware that the one they were looking for was locked in the backyard, barely holding on.

Third Person's POV

Complete pandemonium reigned in the room as people scrambled around in a disorganized frenzy. The air was thick with panic, and it felt like the floor might give way beneath them.

Seeing Nadine looking flustered, Francis rushed to help her up.

"Why don’t you just get up for now?" he said, attempting to sound calm, though the edge of panic in his voice was undeniable.

Nadine's eyes welled up with fake tears, and she shook her head, putting on an innocent act. "Is it because I did something wrong and upset the Grandmatriarch? If so, I’ll kneel right here and beg for her forgiveness."

Francis sighed, torn between comfort and confusion. But just as he reached out to console her, he froze. His hand, which had been reaching for her, came down covered in white fur. His whole demeanor shifted in an instant.

He went rigid, like he had just seen a ghost.

Buttercup’s fur.

He instantly recognized it, and his breath hitched. His eyes darted to the blood trail on the floor, and panic set in as he followed it. When his gaze landed on the trash can, his heart skipped a beat.

Without thinking, he flipped it over.

Buttercup’s lifeless, headless body rolled out with a dull thud, hitting the floor with a sickening sound.

Francis’s whole body trembled. He bent down, hands shaking, as he picked up Buttercup’s body, cradling it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

"What the hell happened?" His voice cracked with disbelief and rage.

Nadine stood still, her face a mask of innocence.

"What’s wrong, babe?" she asked, but there was a slight crack in her voice, a subtle admission of guilt that she couldn’t hide.

In a flash, Francis buried his face in Buttercup’s lifeless body, tears streaming down his cheeks like he had lost his closest family member.

"No! Buttercup, who did this to you?" His sobs filled the room, raw and painful.

Nadine, less than sympathetic, shakily stood up. "It’s just an animal. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Francis’s head snapped up, his eyes wild with fear and sorrow. "An animal? This is more important than my life!" he bellowed, his voice breaking.

The force of his anger sent a chill through the entire room.

Nadine flinched, her confused expression shifting to fear. She didn’t understand why this cat meant so much to him. In her panic, she tried to shift the blame.

"It was my stupid classmate!" she wailed, dropping to her knees with a thud. Her face twisted with shame and fear. "I'm sorry, Francis! It was her fault! She didn’t know any better and hurt Buttercup!"

Francis clenched his fists, teeth grinding together, his face flushed with fury.

“Where is she?!” he roared, his voice dripping with murderous intent. “I’ll kill her!”

Nadine, clearly relieved that Francis’s anger was no longer directed at her, eagerly pointed toward the backyard. “I locked her in the backyard. I’ll bring her in right now.”

...