"But you're not satisfied with this much revenge, are you?"
The question landed like detonation.
Alex's jaw tightened fractionally.
Satisfied?
The word echoed through his mind with bitter precision.
Pocket money cuts and public humiliation were barely appetizers. What he had planned for Sophia — the complete, systematic dismantling of everything she valued, would make everything so far look like warmup.
But he definitely couldn't share those plans with her aunt.
"Tell me, Alexander Hale," Catherine continued, voice dropping lower, carrying weight that suggested genuine interest rather than casual curiosity.
"What's your endgame?"
A pause, deliberate.
"What are you planning to do to my pitiful niece?"
The concern in her voice didn't match the mischievous expression on her face... lips curved in smile that suggested she cared deeply about Sophia's fate while simultaneously finding the entire situation entertaining.
