Kailee lay on the floor, her shrill screams piercing the air. Cassie stood over her, chest rising and falling evenly. She flexed her right hand, shaking off the stinging numbness in her palm.
Kathleen saw her daughter hit the ground. A horrific shriek tore from her mouth. She threw herself off the sofa and dropped to her knees beside Kailee.
Kathleen's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide with pure, venomous hatred.
"You bitch!" Kathleen screamed. She lunged upward, hands curled into claws, aiming her sharp nails straight for the fake scars on Cassie's face.
Cassie shifted her weight to her back foot and leaned her torso backward. Kathleen's fingernails swiped through empty air, missing by an inch.
Cassie looked down at the two women groveling on the floor.
"Look at yourselves," Cassie said, her voice dripping with cold disdain. "Pathetic."
Kathleen's face contorted. She gasped for air like she might choke on her own rage.
Josephus watched his wife and daughter humiliated. His fragile pride shattered. A low, guttural roar erupted from his chest.
He charged at Cassie.
He pulled his thick right arm back, curling his hand into a massive fist, aiming a devastating punch at her head. The force of his movement pushed a gust of air against her face.
Cassie planted her feet firmly on the rug, her core tightening as she calculated his trajectory.
The moment his fist flew forward, Cassie ducked and twisted her torso to the right.
Josephus's heavy fist sailed past her ear. The momentum of his missed punch pulled his body forward. He stumbled, losing his balance.
Cassie pivoted on her heel. She drove the toe of her designer heel hard into the back of Josephus's knee.
The precision strike hit the nerve. Josephus cried out in pain. His leg buckled, and he crashed down onto one knee.
The commotion sent the remaining maids fleeing toward the kitchen, screaming. A tall porcelain vase was knocked over in the panic, shattering into hundreds of pieces across the floor. Absolute chaos.
From the corner of her eye, Cassie saw movement.
Kailee had scrambled to her feet. She grabbed a heavy ceramic teapot full of scalding hot tea from the coffee table. With a scream of fury, Kailee hurled the teapot directly at Cassie's head.
Cassie's heart skipped.
She grabbed the heavy velvet throw pillow from the armchair and threw it up like a shield.
The teapot smashed into the pillow. Boiling hot tea splashed across the velvet, sending up a cloud of steam. A few drops hit Cassie's forearm, burning her skin, but she'd avoided a catastrophic hit to her face.
Cassie tossed the soaked, steaming pillow aside. Her patience was gone.
She closed the distance between her and Kailee in two quick strides. She grabbed a thick handful of Kailee's hair.
Cassie yanked backward, forcing Kailee's head to snap back, exposing her throat.
She raised her hand and delivered two brutal, back-to-back slaps across Kailee's face. The impacts sounded like gunshots.
Blood immediately welled up in the corner of Kailee's mouth. Her eyes rolled back slightly, the fight completely beaten out of her.
Cassie shoved Kailee backward. Kailee collapsed onto the sofa like a broken doll, letting out weak, pathetic sobs.
Behind her, Josephus was struggling to stand. His eyes were bloodshot, entirely devoid of reason. He limped to the corner of the room and grabbed a heavy metal golf club from a display bag.
He gripped the club with both hands and swung wildly toward Cassie's head. The metal shaft sliced through the air with a terrifying swoosh.
Cassie threw her body backward, rolling over the arm of the sofa to dodge.
The heavy club smashed into the glass coffee table. The thick glass exploded. Shards flew in every direction, slicing through the fabric of Cassie's dress and scratching her calves.
Cassie scrambled to her feet, ignoring the stinging cuts on her legs. She grabbed a heavy brass table lamp, ripping the cord from the wall. She held it up like a club, her eyes locked onto Josephus with cold intensity.
Josephus raised the golf club again. He let out a feral scream as he stepped over the broken glass, closing in.
Cassie tightened her grip on the brass lamp, muscles burning with adrenaline, ready to strike.
"Kill her! Beat her to death!" Kathleen shrieked from the corner.
Cassie's jaw locked.
Just as Josephus began his downward swing, a deafening crash echoed from the front of the house.
Everyone froze. Josephus's golf club stopped in mid-air.
The massive oak front doors were kicked open with a force that splintered the heavy brass lock and sent the doors crashing violently against the interior walls.
Bright morning sunlight flooded the dark foyer.
A tall, broad figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light. Pure, suffocating violence rolled off him in waves.
Dane Frederick stepped into the house. His face was a mask of absolute, terrifying rage.
Cassie's breath caught in her throat. Her grip on the brass lamp loosened.
Adrian, Dane's assistant, marched in right behind him, followed by a dozen men in black tactical suits. The bodyguards flooded the living room, instantly taking control of the space.
Dane's dark, furious eyes swept the room and locked onto Cassie, backed into the corner, surrounded by broken glass.
The muscles in his jaw feathered. He strode across the room, ignoring the glass crunching under his expensive leather shoes.
He reached her in seconds. He grabbed her arm and pulled her hard against his solid chest. His large arm wrapped tightly around her waist, locking her against him.
Cassie's face pressed into his suit jacket. The sharp, clean scent of cedar and cold air filled her lungs, immediately calming her racing heart.
Josephus stood frozen, the golf club still raised slightly. He stared at the billionaire in his living room. His hands began to shake violently. Cold sweat drenched his collar.
Dane slowly turned his head to look at Josephus. His eyes were completely dead.
"Drop it," Dane ordered. His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of a death sentence.
