Dragonlike Son Inlaw

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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I stirred on the bed and then my eyes flipped open. Glancing around, my eyes slowly adjusted to my surroundings. My head throbbed a little, and my hand went to my temple, and then it hit me. I wasn't sleeping. I was under the influence of alcohol, barely aware of what was going on. The only thing that mattered was the heady mix of alcohol that plagued me and the forbidden emotions that thickened the tension in the room.

The man kneeling over me on the bed undid the buttons of his shirt and peeled it off, his eyes fixed on mine, sultry and burning with desire. I blinked as his image doubled-tripled, before coming back to form one person-my brother-in-law. The thought of who he was should keep my conscience in check, but it didn't.

I wanted him. Now. And that's what mattered.

He arched towards me slowly, his hand grabbing the back of my head as his warm lips met mine. My breath caught when he began, slow at first, before the kisses grew more passionate. His free hand trailed down from my cheek to my neck and chest, leaving trails of fire in its wake. Almost of their own accord, a hand travelled to the small of his back, while the other one threaded through his hair.

I returned the kiss with the same fervour as his weight leaned against me, and when he broke away, tracing the kisses down my neck, my breath caught in my throat...

Six Hours Earlier

I watched my reflection in the mirror as tears trailed down her cheeks, staring back at me with hollow eyes, looking defeated.

"I miss you dad," I whispered, the emotions within me bubbling forward. I clenched my jaw as more tears ran down. Then I heard footfalls echoing in the distance, growing closer.

Piper's reflection appeared at the door, clearly irritated. "You're still not dressed up?"

I hesitated for a brief moment before I turned to her. "I've told you before-"

"No!" She snapped. "You don't get to tell me anything as it has to do with my orders." She took a few menacing steps towards me.

I opened my mouth and words failed to come out. She continued without a pause.

"How many times do I have to remind you that you're a Pearson?" Her voice came with weight and command.

"I know that-"

"No, you know nothing!" She shut me up, her trademark scowl taking over her face. "Because if you do, you'd know that part of your responsibility as a part of the Pearsons is never having to question my instructions!"

"I'm willing to marry anyone else," I pleaded. "I just don't want Luther Williamsburg, please."

"You don't get to make that choice, Elena," she took a few more steps into the room, her voice reducing to a low purr. "The Williamsburg are the most powerful families in all of New York, and they control Wall street. You're lucky they even want you."

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