Chapter 2
642words
I summoned the advisor responsible for internal affairs.
"From this moment, Bella's room security is elevated to maximum level. No one approaches without my written authorization."
"If anything goes wrong again," I fixed him with a stare, "you'll cut off your own finger as penance."
The advisor nodded frantically, fear evident in his eyes.
I had just returned to the master bedroom and sat down when Bella's personal maid burst in, tears streaming down her face.
"Madam! Miss Tiffany has taken men to drag Miss Bella away!"
I set down my whiskey glass. "What?"
"She said… she said Miss Bella broke Master Brandon's prized wine bottle, violating family rules, and she's locking her in the underground freezer for punishment!"
"The freezer?"
That was the massive cold storage facility used for the family's "import-export" meat business, kept at a constant minus twenty degrees.
I stood, grabbed a spare gun from the drawer. "Let's go."
The basement.
The freezer's heavy metal door was sealed tight.
Tiffany lounged on a nearby leather sofa, wrapped in expensive fur, swirling wine in her glass while speaking contemptuously to a servant: "These are Arthur's rules—those who do wrong must be punished."
"Tiffany!" I pushed past the guards and strode in.
Tiffany stood and waved dismissively:
"Mrs. Catherine is here too? What a coincidence. I'm simply helping enforce family discipline on my dear sister."
I glanced at the thermometer displaying "-18°C."
"Open the door!"
"Madam?" Tiffany raised her eyebrows. "This was specifically ordered by Brandon. She hasn't served her full time yet…"
"I said, OPEN THE DOOR!" I repeated, raising my gun slightly.
The two guards exchanged nervous glances, eyeing my weapon, then tremblingly opened the metal door.
A blast of frigid air billowed out.
Bella was curled beneath a meat rack in the corner, frost coating her eyebrows, her body rigid with cold, her consciousness fading.
"Get her out! NOW!"
The bodyguards rushed in immediately to retrieve her.
Tiffany's expression darkened,
"Catherine, what do you think you're doing? In this house, Brandon makes the rules. If he finds out about your interference…"
"Rules?"
I sneered. "Sterling family rules are for traitors and informants, not for pregnant women carrying the family bloodline!"
"This is punishment!"
Tiffany's voice rose to a shriek. "You slum trash, do you even understand what family honor means?"
"Whether I understand honor is irrelevant."
I stepped closer, pressing the gun against her face.
"But I know this, Tiffany—your heart is colder than this freezer and filthier than sewer maggots."
Tiffany froze in terror. "You… you dare touch me! I'll tell Brandon!"
"Go ahead. Tell him."
I glanced at Bella being carried out, her fate uncertain. "Tell him you attempted to murder his wife and unborn child?"
"Tiffany, know your place! You're nothing but a plaything who hasn't even officially entered the family!"
"I am not!"
"Whether you are or not, family law will be the judge."
I turned away from her to address the thug who had been guarding the door.
"Since you believe this place is suitable for reflection…"
I pointed to the freezer.
"You can serve the remaining time in Bella's place. Miss one minute, and I'll have you chopped up for dog food."
"Mercy, madam!" The thug dropped to his knees in terror, but was dragged inside regardless.
Tiffany stomped her foot, glaring at me, then suddenly smiled.
"Catherine, you humiliate me like this today simply because you want to protect that whore."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice venomously.
"But don't forget—Arthur is dead. Brandon controls the family business now. You're just a widow. Do you really think Brandon will treat you like his mother?"
I observed the undisguised murderous intent in her eyes.
"We shall see."
