Then she swept her hair to one side, deliberately baring a neck mottled with hickeys. Her eyes glittered with satisfaction she didn't bother to hide.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. Hubert brought me home last night, and I threw a little fit, so he changed the code." She tilted her head, lips curling. "Guess he forgot to tell you."
There wasn't a shred of guilt on Clarissa's face. If anything, she looked pleased with herself, watching me like she was waiting for me to lose it.
But I just stared at her, expressionless. I didn't say a word.
Clarissa rolled her eyes, bored by my lack of reaction, and stepped aside to let me through. A nasty smile curled at the corner of her lips. "Watch your step, sis. Wouldn't want you to throw out your back."
My gaze dropped. I caught her foot sliding out to trip me.
Every humiliation, every degradation I'd swallowed over the past few days surged through me at once. I lifted my foot and brought it down hard.
"Ahhh!"
Clarissa shrieked and crumpled to the floor, clutching her foot.
Hubert came rushing down the stairs, still buttoning his cuff. "What happened? Clarissa, what's wrong—"
Before I could get a word out, Clarissa beat me to it. "I was being nice and opened the door for her, and she didn't even appreciate it. She stomped on my foot on purpose!"
Hubert's face went black. He didn't ask a single question. "Lavinia. Apologize."
Again.
No questions asked. Just apologize.
I looked at Hubert in silence.
It didn't matter what I said. He would never believe me. So I said nothing at all.
Hubert's jaw tightened. "Looks like you don't need those legs of yours."
The words had barely left his mouth before two bodyguards stepped forward, one on each side, pinning me in place.
A third raised a baton and brought it down on my kneecap. The pain was blinding. My legs buckled and I hit the floor, cold sweat pouring down my face. I bit down so hard my teeth nearly cracked, but I refused to make a sound.
Something in my silence set Hubert off. His voice turned brutal. "Fine. You want to play tough? Let's see just how tough you really are."
He ordered the bodyguards to throw me into the freezer.
Hubert stood at the freezer door, his eyes colder than anything inside it.
"Stay in there and cool off, Lavinia. You can come out when you're ready to admit you were wrong."