Alex smirked, licking his lips as his hand slid through his hair in a deliberately provocative gesture. "Who gave you the right to invade my privacy?" he snapped. His arm stretched toward the door. "Can't you ring the doorbell? I didn't give you my code for this nonsense."
"I just caught you cheating on me with my own sister, and the only thing you care about is your stupid door code?!" she screamed, her voice ripping through the room like shattered glass.
"Shh, lower your voice. Why are you yelling?" Fallyn snapped, fumbling with the towel wrapped around her chest, tugging it tighter as though modesty suddenly mattered. "How is this cheating? You're about to be engaged anyway."
"To Mr. Thames, right, babe?" Alexander added lazily, slipping a cigar between his lips as he glanced at Fallyn with a crooked smile.
"How did you know?" Fiona asked, shock freezing her in place. The news had only been delivered that afternoon. How could Fallyn possibly know?
"Oh, don't act surprised," Fallyn laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "Mom and Dad talked to me about it. They made it very clear you're the one they're selling off for marriage." Her eyes glittered with cruel amusement. "And this so-called Mr. Thames? Please. He's obviously some old man."
Her legs finally gave out. She stumbled backward, the sharp edge of the glass wardrobe biting into her spine, the impact barely registered. Everything inside her was already breaking.
"I was busy worrying about us," she whispered, her voice shaking apart.
"Terrified of being torn away from you, Lexy." Her chest hitched as she struggled to breathe. "Thinking of how broken you'd be if the news reached you, never knowing you wouldn't have cared, even if I disappeared."
The silence that followed was merciless.
"I never cheated on you," he said, his tone deep and glacial. He exhaled, smoke spilling from his lips, curling lazily into the air. "I only dated you to get close to Fallyn."
"You were blind," he continued, eyes empty as they swept over her. "Or maybe just desperate." Another slow breath. "You were so dim you never noticed or chose not to. I never kissed you." His lips curved slightly. "Don't even talk about sex."
His face showed no emotion; each word landed like a blade, precise and unforgiving.
"Hahaha—Fiona, did you really think a hottie like Lexy, the heir to Prestige Healthcare, would ever lower himself for you?" Fallyn's words clamped down like a vise, cruel and unforgiving.
Fiona's thoughts spiraled as confusion flooded her heart. Was Fallyn really speaking to her like this? This sharp, venomous tone was nothing like the sister she knew, the fragile girl who always needed pampering, who hid behind innocence and weakness. Had she just heard her sister spewing molten lava without shame?
"Fallyn, this isn't you," Fiona pleaded softly, forcing her voice to stay calm.
"Maybe you're just caught up in the moment. Let's go home. When you've calmed down, we can talk things through."
"What part of this don't you understand?" Fallyn snapped. "I'm Lexy's real girlfriend. We've been dating for months, a few months after you both got together."
Fiona turned slowly toward Alexander, her heart pounding. "Lexy, is this true? Did you—"
"Stop calling him Lexy!" Fallyn's voice cut through the air like a whip. Her brows knitted tightly, and her eyes blazed with open disgust. "That's my nickname for him. I gave it to him myself!"
Fiona's face drained of color as she stared at Alexander but the eyes that met hers were no longer the gentle, loving eyes she had known. They were cold, distant, and unrecognizable, and her heart ached at the unbearable truth reflected within them.
"Oh, Fiona, stop being such a drama queen." Alexander scoffed. "Yeah, I wanted you to call me Lexy because it made me feel closer to Fallyn." His jaw tightened, impatience flashing in his eyes. "Enough of this bullshit. Just go home."
"Exactly," Fallyn sneered. "You should be getting ready for your engagement. After all, the responsibility falls on you." Her lips curled cruelly. "Mom and Dad need to cash in on that money."
The moment the word money slipped from Fallyn's mouth, Fiona's eyes widened. Her heartbeat spiraled out of control.
"What money?" she whispered, staring at Fallyn in horror.
"Moron," Fallyn laughed. "Can't you connect the dots? You're being sold off to some wealthy old man."
'A savior for the house or a sacrificial lamb.' The thought shattered her.
"No" Fiona slowly shook her head, collapsing to her knees as they hit the floor with a hollow thud. Her hands clutched her chest, trembling uncontrollably. "I'm tired, I'm done with all of this!" she sobbed, her body wracked with violent shudders.
"What the hell?" Fallyn yelled.
"I'm not going to sit here and take this anymore. This is too much for me," Fiona snarled, her voice trembling with fury. "I'm canceling the engagement. And as for you, Lexy your little secret affair won't stay hidden. Maybe you should be bold enough to let everyone know you're dating two sisters." Her words carried a sharp, unshakable resolve.
She struggled to her feet, but Fallyn lunged forward and grabbed her.
"What the hell are you going to run and tell on us?" Fallyn shrieked, yanking Fiona by the hair and dragging her back. "You bitch!"
Their struggle spilled out of the room and into the doorway leading to the staircase, bodies colliding as they fought back and forth. Fiona finally tore herself free, and her hand flew out instinctively a sharp slap cracking across Fallyn's face.
Enraged, Fallyn pounced on her. But Fiona fought back with desperate resolve.
Seeing the chaos and how dangerously close they were to the glass balustrade, Alexander rushed in. Amid flailing limbs and shouted curses, Fallyn shoved Fiona with force. She lost her footing, tumbling from above and crashing onto the cold tile floor with a sickening thud.
"What the hell have you done?!" Alexander shouted, rushing forward.
Fiona lay motionless on the floor, blood streaking the tiles beneath her. She was still alive but barely. Her pulse was weak, her breath shallow as she lifted her trembling hand toward Alexander, her lips parting in a silent plea for help.
Fallyn hurried to his side, panic flooding her face. "What do we do?" she whispered.
Alexander's jaw clenched, fear flashing through his eyes.
"If we take her to the hospital," he said coldly, "we're finished."
The pressure hit Fallyn like a hammer. She didn't want to go to jail. She didn't want her name branded as that of an ex-convict.
Her hands shot out, gripping Alexander in desperate protest. "Alex, do something! I can't go to jail! I have a career to build!"
Alexander stared at her, bewildered. She pressed her hand against his face, her eyes glistening with fear and pleading. "You know I really do love you. I don't want to be apart from you. If I go to jail, I'll never see you again."
Of course, it worked. Alexander couldn't bear the thought of being separated from the woman he claimed to love.
In a cold, deliberate motion, he grabbed a golf club from its place, and with one precise strike to Fiona's head, her cries were silenced.
They moved quickly. Wrapping her in nylon, they stuffed her into the trunk of his car and sped through the heavy downpour, rain cascading from the sky and swelling the river channel far from his home.
There, he dumped her body into the water, watching as it sank, the river swollen and merciless from the previous day's relentless rain.
Fallyn scurried out of the car, her voice sharp with panic. "Why did you leave her here? She could be discovered any minute!"
"It's far from home. Let's just go before we get caught," Alexander replied, grabbing her hand and shoving her back into the car. They sped off without another word.
At that moment, Fiona's consciousness flickered weakly only to be choked as water filled her lungs. Her final moments were bitter, tinged with grim acceptance.
Then darkness swallowed her entirely.
***
She stirred slowly, shrouded in thick fog. Her head throbbed as a deep, paralyzing terror settled in her chest. A voice drifted in faint and unclear calling her name over and over, pulling her back into a world that felt unreal.
"Fiona. Fiona. Fiona—"
Fiona's eyes snapped open. She jerked upright in bed, gasping and coughing as if she had just surfaced from deep water. Nausea twisted her stomach, and panic flooded her chest. Her gaze fell on the coat draped over the chair, a mundane detail that felt impossibly grounding.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her hands trembling as she found her footing. She walked to the door, grasped the handle, and stepped into the living room. Her parents sat on the couch, their faces flickering with uncertainty as they tried to read her expression.
"Why don't you sit down?" Eva asked.
Fiona froze, sitting in silence, her mind struggling to process what had just unfolded before her. Her parents here, in the living room? She herself was at home. She stared at them, confusion knitting her brows.
"We'll be having a visitor by Friday," Eva continued, her voice sharp and commanding, leaving no room for argument. "Mr. Manson Thames will be visiting to make your acquaintance."