Brooks's angry roar drowned out my words, cutting off the desperate truth that might, just might, have saved us all. He kicked at my hand, dislodging it from my mouth, then grabbed a piece of the shattered porcelain vase from the table and a handful of the expensive hors d'oeuvres that had been laid out. With a sickening motion, he forced them into my mouth.
"Eat it, you greedy bitch!" he snarled, his eyes wild. "Choke on your fancy food and your broken dreams! You think you're so much better than us, living in luxury while we struggle? This is what you deserve!"
The sharp shards of porcelain scraped against my gums, cutting the soft flesh. The rich, salty taste of the food mixed with the coppery tang of my own blood. I gagged, struggling to breathe, the foreign objects lodging in my throat. My body convulsed, desperate to expel them, but I couldn't. I couldn't speak, couldn't scream, couldn't even whimper. My airways felt constricted, each breath a painful, shallow gasp.
As I thrashed, trying to fight him off, Jazmyne stepped forward. Her designer stiletto, previously a weapon of intimidation, now became an instrument of torture. She brought her heel down, hard, onto my outstretched hand. A sharp, cracking sensation shot up my arm, followed by an agonizing throb. I felt a sickening pop, a sensation of bone grinding against bone. My body screamed, but no sound escaped my lips, only a ragged, choking gasp. My entire being shook uncontrollably, a tremor of pure agony.
Brooks, satisfied with his grotesque display, finally let go of my jaw. He stood over me, his gaze full of contempt, and spat. His phlegm landed mere inches from my face, a final, disgusting insult. He then straightened, adjusting his expensive jacket, as if he had merely been tidying up.
Jazmyne, seeing his satisfaction, turned her attention back to me. Her gaze lingered on my visibly swollen belly. A slow, cruel smile spread across her face as she lifted her stiletto again. This time, she aimed it directly at my abdomen.
A primal terror seized me. My baby. My precious, hard-won baby. Every IVF injection, every painful procedure, every anxious wait, every tear shed in hope and desperation flashed through my mind. This child was a miracle, a testament to my father's unwavering belief in family, and Jerimiah's quiet, powerful commitment. This child was everything.
I scrambled, trying to roll away, to shield my growing bump. "No! Please! Not the baby!" The words were garbled, choked with blood and fear, but the intention was clear. My body, despite the agonizing pain, moved with a desperate, maternal strength.
Jazmyne paused, her foot hovering, a wicked glint in her eyes. "Oh, now you care, do you? Now that the little bastard is threatened?" She let out a short, sharp laugh. "Funny how maternal you get when your little plan is about to unravel."
Brooks, watching the scene unfold, frowned. His triumph had turned to irritation. "This thing is just going to complicate things, Jazmyne. It' s an illegitimate parasite, a stain on the family name. We need to deal with it, now. Permanently." His voice was low, chillingly calm. "Get rid of it. I'll make sure no one ever finds out."
My eyes, wide with sheer terror, locked onto Brooks. My body was shaking uncontrollably, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin. "No!" I cried out, the word a desperate, broken plea. "You can't! He's... he's Jerimiah's!" The name, whispered through bloody lips, was meant to be a shield, a deterrent. Jerimiah Mcpherson. The Shark. The man feared and respected by kings and presidents. Surely, even they wouldn't dare defy him.
Brooks froze, then burst into a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "Jerimiah's? Are you insane, Alexa? That old man? He hasn't been able to father a child in decades! Everyone knows that! He's practically a eunuch, living out his lonely old age in that fortress of his." He scoffed, shaking his head. "You think you can just pin this on him and scare us off? You really are pathetic."
He turned to Jazmyne, a smirk playing on his lips. "She's desperate, Jazzy. Trying to claim some old billionaire as the father to secure her position. As if that would change anything. I am the true Sullivan. The only one left to carry on the name." His words resonated with a twisted sense of entitlement, a self-importance that bordered on delusion.
Jazmyne nodded, fanning herself with a manicured hand. "Exactly, Brooks. She's just trying to manipulate you. Using a powerful name, a convenient lie, to protect her little scheme." Her eyes, cold and calculating, met mine. "Don't fall for it, baby. She's always been a user."
They had no idea. The very reason Brooks had been disinherited, not by me, but by my father's carefully constructed will. A will designed to protect Helios from Brooks's reckless hands. My father always knew you were a liability, Brooks, I thought, a bitter truth bubbling up. He knew you would destroy everything.
But I couldn't argue. Not now. Not with them. My priority was survival, for both of us. "Please," I choked out again, my voice barely a whisper. "Just call him. Call Jerimiah. He'll explain everything. Just... please." I reached a trembling hand toward my shattered phone, lying uselessly on the floor a few feet away. My only lifeline.
Brooks, seeing my attempt, reacted instantly. He snatched the phone, his fingers closing around it, and with a grunt of exertion, brought his heel down on it, crushing it into a dozen irreparable pieces. The sound was sickening, final.
My heart sank, a cold, heavy stone in my chest. Despair threatened to consume me.
Brooks grabbed my chin, forcing my head up. His grip was brutal, his nails digging into my skin. "You think you can play games with me, Alexa? You think you can call your powerful friends to clean up your mess?" His eyes narrowed. "Who exactly do you think you are?"
Before I could even formulate a choked protest, Jazmyne's foot moved. This time, it wasn't a kick to the side, or a stomp on my hand. This time, her sharp, pointed stiletto came down with terrifying precision, directly onto the most vulnerable part of my swollen abdomen.
A scream tore from my throat, raw and agonizing. It was a sound I didn't recognize, a sound born of pure, animalistic pain and terror. My vision exploded into a kaleidoscope of black and red. A searing, unbearable agony ripped through my core, a pain that transcended anything physical, reaching deep into the very essence of my being. I felt it, a profound, visceral wrenching. My baby. My beautiful, innocent baby.
Jazmyne, her face devoid of any humanity, leaned in close to Brooks. "She always makes things so difficult," she purred, her voice a seductive whisper. "But isn't it better this way, Brooks? No more complications. Just you. The sole heir. And once she' s out of the picture, perhaps we can convince your grandfather that this was all for the family' s honor." Her eyes glinted. "Imagine the glory, baby. Think of what your grandfather would say."
The pain was a living, breathing thing, consuming me whole. I felt a cold, wet gush between my legs, a terrifying warmth that quickly turned to icy dread. The baby. My baby. It was gone. I knew it with a horrifying certainty.
"No," I whimpered, a desperate, broken sound. Tears streamed down my face, hot trails against the cold marble. "Please... don't. Not my baby. Please. He's… he's all I have left." I begged, my voice cracking, my hands still uselessly shielding my now irrevocably damaged womb.
Jazmyne merely smiled, a chilling, triumphant grin. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, she raised her phone, the camera lens glinting in the harsh penthouse lights. "Beg, Alexa. Beg for your life. Beg for your honor. Beg for your baby. And maybe, just maybe, I'll consider letting you live. But first, let' s make sure everyone sees the truth about the 'esteemed' Alexa Sullivan."
