Minnie snickered. "So he made that? Big deal. He'd give me all the stars in the sky and name them after me if I demanded it. A mug is nothing!"

She shot a look at Ruth, who nodded. The older woman grabbed my cheeks and drew the piece close to my face.

Lindsay struggled to free herself from her captor. "Lilith!"

Minnie turned to Miley, who stood near the door. "Don't just stand there! Have you forgotten that without the Pendragons, your career as a movie star is over?"

Miley frowned, irritated, and turned to her maid. "Go and help keep those two under control, okay?"

A crowd of four or five answered her call, pinning Lindsay and me hard against the floor. We couldn't move.

"You are our substitutes! How dare you treat us like this?!" I shouted.

Miley silenced Minnie before she could shout back and replied coldly, "You are the substitutes getting in other people's way."

A thought struck me. If they could bust down doors, they might not be just any kind of substitute.

"We're not anyone's substitutes, and we're not here to ruin anyone's relationships! We were abducted and locked up here!" I pleaded desperately, trying to look hopeful. "Please, let us go! We're victims!"

Minnie slapped me hard. My cheek burned from the sting.

"You think I'm just gonna let you go? Think again! Ruth—get it started!" Minnie commanded.

I felt my head yanked back, and blood began to ooze from cuts on my skin, pooling together before dripping off my cheek, down my collarbone, and onto my chest.

I shrieked in pain, and Minnie shot Ruth an irritated glare.

The older woman took a rag cloth from the kitchen and shoved it into my mouth.

Lindsay fought to break free and help me, but Minnie shot Miley a warning look.

With a cold expression, Miley ordered her maid, "Slap her."

Lindsay endured blow after blow. Her cheek was swollen and sore, with a chapped corner of her lip bleeding.

I choked back a sob. "Y-You bitches… You're just jealous of us!"

Minnie, enraged, snatched the broken piece from Ruth and began cutting my face wildly.

Ignoring the pain, I said mockingly, "I'm right, aren't I? You're jealous of us!"

My blood seemed to fill Minnie's gaze with fury.

"How dare you compare yourself to me, you stupid fake!" she screamed.

Miley tried to pull her sister away. "Stop it! There's no need for you to dirty your own hands over this!"

Miley's words cut through the chaos.

Minnie stopped, tossing the piece aside and wiping the blood off her hands before pushing little strands of hair back from her forehead.

"You're right, Miley!" she replied. "Ruth! Slap her until she stops speaking. That disgusting mouth of hers needs to be fixed up good."

The sound of lashes rang through the room.

Trying to boast, Minnie flashed her silver bracelet at Miley and complained loudly, "God, that wench's disgusting blood has stained my bracelet! Do you think Zagreus is going to be mad?"

The bracelet looked familiar. I spat out some blood from my mouth and smirked.

Ruth was stunned and loosened her grip.

The rag fell from my mouth, and I sneered. "Check the bracelet. It has the letters 'L-I-L-I-T-H' carved onto it, right?"

Minnie removed the bracelet, doubt creeping in as she examined it. Her face turned stormy.

"Let me and my best friend go, and I promise you, we won't ever show up in Hanttye again! We won't even be on the Pendragons' radar!" I said.

Minnie was so irritated by our presence that she wanted us to disappear immediately.

But Miley whispered flatly in her ear, "She's trying to provoke you into letting them go, sis. They are just the brothers' toys. If we let them go, though? We'll be overtaking the Pendragons' authority over their property."

My motive had been exposed!

In a fit of fury, Minnie kicked me, and I collapsed.

"How dare you try to trick me?!" she yelled.

The maids leaped out of my way as I started rolling, causing my body to crash into Lindsay.

Alarmed at the injuries on my face, she immediately shielded me with her back against Minnie's onslaught.

Then the doorbell rang.

Minnie frowned and looked up. I raised my head and glanced at the clock.

It was 11:30 a.m. Our housekeeper, Mrs. Harris, always visited us at this time. As usual, she pressed the bell three times before opening the door with her own keys.

The key barely slid into the doorknob when the wind blew it slightly ajar.

Remembering what her employers had instructed her, Mrs. Harris pushed the door open quickly and rushed inside.

"Who the hell are you?!" Minnie demanded.

Mrs. Harris sized her up. "Aren't you… Miss Minnie Stein?"

Before Minnie could do anything rash, Miley stepped in between them.

"Yes," she replied flatly.

Mrs. Harris glanced at us lying on the floor with blood on our faces. Horrified, she rushed toward us. "Oh God, Ma'am! What happened?!"

Her path was blocked by one of Minnie's maids.

Furious, Mrs. Harris tossed her groceries to the floor.

"What the hell is this supposed to be, Miss Stein?! Both of my mistresses are pregnant! If my employers find out that you've been harming their heirs, you can bet your life is over!"

Miley finally showed an emotion—surprise. "They are pregnant?"

Mrs. Harris nodded. "Mr. Zagreus and Zion might have been flirting with you two and stirring up some rumors, but both Miss Lilith and Lindsay are their lawful w—"

She did not finish her sentence.

Minnie waved, and her maids responded by shoving cloth into her mouth and tying her hands behind her back.

A woman who was pregnant would be worth more than a substitute who was not. The Stein sisters understood—they had to ensure that the Pendragons' heirs would come from them.

"You are pregnant?!" Minnie demanded shrillily.

We shook our heads.

At first, we wanted to abort the babies. But at this point, we had been with them for four months. As orphans, Lindsay and I had only each other as family. We hardly had anyone else to whom we were connected by blood.

Maybe it was not so bad, you know? So we wanted our babies to be born.

Unfortunately, Miley's eyes grew cold. "Separate them from each other."

The maids, wearing expressions of disgust, pulled me away from Lindsay.

"Should we get them to an abortion clinic?" Minnie asked frantically.

"Kick them. We don't even know if they are pregnant. They certainly denied it."

"But why? That woman said they were…"

Miley rolled her eyes, and Minnie stopped. She had no idea why her sister wanted it done this way, but her ideas had never backfired on them since they were kids.

"You heard her! Do what she said!" Minnie ordered, and the maids nodded.

I tried to protect my belly, but they pulled my arms away. My slightly protruding belly was exposed.

Then, they began to kick and stomp on my stomach.

I begged, "Please, don't! The baby is innocent!"

"Anywhere but there, please!" Lindsay cried out.

Minnie clapped. "Oh, so touching. Stop doing this, you guys."

The maids halted, and we sighed in relief.

"Instead, you should break their arms and feet first! Easier to shut them up."

The maids pulled our arms wide open, and suddenly, they grabbed some chairs and swung them down, hard.

Our screams of agony reverberated in the villa.

Mrs. Harris looked away—she could not stomach it.

Minnie was not at all troubled. "Break their legs!"

We were edging close to blacking out from the pain.

Under Miley's command, the maids resumed kicking our stomachs.

Suddenly, the phone rang. The sound felt so out of place.

Minnie stepped forward impatiently. She was about to pick it up when Miley pulled her sister away. "You can't take that! It's likely Zagreus or Zion!"

She scanned Lindsay and me, half-conscious on the floor. "They haven't lost their babies. If the brothers learn about this… we might be in for huge trouble."

Minnie nodded and turned to Mrs. Harris. "I'll release you now. You know what you should and shouldn't say, right?"

The woman nodded in fear. She picked up the phone.

"H-Hello? Oh, Zagreus?" she said aloud. "Asking about how Miss Lilith is doing?"

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Minnie's forehead.

Lindsay and I shot pleading looks at Mrs. Harris. We opened our mouths, ready to call out for help. Before we could, though, Minnie had the maids covering our mouths and noses with rags.

We could not breathe—let alone speak.

Struggling, we looked at Mrs. Harris with reddened eyes.

She gripped the phone tightly. "Um, M-Miss Lilith is… She's…"