Violet didn’t let Mr. Flint continue. She interrupted sharply, her voice steady and firm.
"We have an agreent! My father’s debts are cleared as long as I work for Mr. Rexter!" Violet squared her shoulders, refusing to cower in front of the man who exuded nothing but malice.
Mr. Flint smirked, clearly unfazed by her defiance. "True," he drawled, taking slow steps further into the room and claiming the chair Violet had been sitting in. "But I heard you were fired. Quite a shock, considering that almost never happens." His tone dripped with amusent, the power dynamic he enjoyed making the air feel heavier.
Violet clenched her fists but stayed silent, her gaze cold.
Flint chuckled, gesturing lazily at his stony-faced bodyguards flanking him. "Now, I’m here to collect on Mr. Luke’s new debt," he announced.
Violet felt a sickening weight settle in her chest. She didn’t need to hear more to know what was coming.
"Your father," Flint began with faux sympathy, "needed a fresh wad of cash. Urgent circumstances, hospital bills, you know how it is. And out of the goodness of my heart..." Flint paused, chuckling as if the words were too ridiculous even for him. "...I borrowed it from a friend before lending it to him. With interest, of course. Three tis the usual."
Violet’s jaw tightened, her anger bubbling as Flint grinned. "Your father didn’t hesitate to agree. He accepted it in the blink of an eye!"
Across the room, her mother June sobbed quietly, while Sarah clung to her like a lifeline. Oliver stood frozen, his usual sharp tongue nowhere to be found. Violet scanned their faces, all twisted with guilt, fear, and desperation. Then her gaze fell on Luke.
Her father was kneeling on the ground, forehead pressed to the floor, his voice trembling as he begged.
"Please, Mr. Flint! After what happened, we needed the money for hospital bills! I thought if I gambled a little, we’d have more than enough to cover both the debt and the bills!"
His wailing grew louder, echoing in the tense silence of the room. "Please! Don’t hurt ! Don’t hurt !"
Violet’s expression remained blank as she stared at the man who had already failed her too many tis. Without hesitation, she turned to Flint.
"You can take him," she said flatly, shrugging as though the matter was trivial. "What else are you waiting for?"
Flint’s grin widened, his amusent only growing. "Oh, I plan to," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But Luke alone doesn’t cover a fifty-million-dollar debt. Not even close." His gaze locked onto Violet with unsettling intensity.
Her stomach churned as he added, "You don’t think I ca here just for him, do you?"
Oliver, who had been silent until now, panicked and blurted out, "I-I have money! I have about ten million!" His voice wavered with desperation as he pleaded, "That should cover , my mother, and my siblings!"
Flint chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Ten million? That’s barely a dent. It could maybe cover one person."
Before Violet could process Oliver’s betrayal, Sarah dashed forward, grabbing Violet’s bag and unzipping it. "This should be more than ten million! This should cover , right?" Sarah’s tone was frantic, her desperation palpable.
Violet stood frozen, her body radiating a cold, seething fury as she watched. First Oliver. Now Sarah. Her gaze settled on her mother, waiting, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t follow suit.
Flint spoke again, cutting through the tension. "That still leaves your mother...and you." His lecherous eyes glinted as they lingered on Violet. "But you, my dear...you’re worth much more. Those purple eyes alone could fetch twenty million, maybe even thirty."
Violet’s heart clenched as she turned to her mother, who stuttered through trembling lips, "...I’m old. If they take , I’ll die. We’ll die."
June’s tear-streaked face and pleading eyes didn’t move Violet. Instead, they solidified her rage.
"You all knew I wasn’t related to you by blood, didn’t you?" Violet’s voice was barely a whisper, yet it cut through the room like a knife.
Her family refused to et her gaze, their silence deafening.
"But does blood really matter?" Violet demanded, her voice rising, the weight of their betrayal pressing on her chest. Still, none of them answered.
She turned her attention back to Flint, who seed thoroughly entertained by the drama unfolding.
"I wasn’t fired," Violet said, her voice strong again. "Lord Cain would kill you if he found out you took ."
Flint laughed, shaking his head. "Sweetheart, Lord Cain won’t know. Where you’re going, no one will be able to trace you back to ." He stood, smoothing his jacket as he smirked. "And trust , I’ll get my money’s worth."
Violet gritted her teeth, panic rising as she tried one last desperate attempt. "I-I can get you the money. Ten million. Just give —"
Flint’s booming laugh silenced her. "Why would I settle for your money when I can make so much more off you?"
Violet barely had ti to react before one of Flint’s bodyguards stepped forward. His massive fist was the last thing she saw before pain exploded in her head, and darkness consud her.
Flint gestured to his n to pick up her unconscious body. Dusting off his suit, he turned to Luke with a sharp glare. "Half of whatever I sell her for will go toward your debt. Consider yourself lucky."
Luke imdiately bowed his head, gratitude plastered across his face. "Thank you...thank you. We accept it!"
Flint sneered but turned to June, who was still sobbing quietly in the corner. "Don’t worry, old lady. She’s just going to work. It’s not like she’s going to die," he said mockingly.
Sarah and Oliver chid in, their voices filled with false reassurance. "Mother, she’ll still have plenty to eat. If soone can afford to buy her, they can afford to feed her!"
"She might even charm soone rich with those looks of hers," Sarah added, frowning but clearly relieved.
Luke, emboldened, grinned. "Once we have the money, we’ll move to the mid-section of the district. We’ll live like kings!"
As Flint and his n carried Violet out, her so-called family turned their backs on her once again, already dreaming of the better lives they’d have without her.
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