Chapter 927
“When the time comes, I’ll step into the Kalen Group and take part in its decisions,” Sharon said,
Her bright eyes met Jamie’s.
“Jamie, you’ve taught me something Important: power is a woman’s truest ally. Once I get into the Kalen Group, I’ll drive Victoria out. My mother single-handedly kept Kalen Group afloat-everyone has a place there except Victoria. Her ambitions and ideals will be crushed; she’ll be left nothing but a parasite clinging to a man…”
Before Sharon could finish, a stinging slap cracked across her cheek.
“Smack.”
Jamie looked at her with pure disgust. “So you can’t keep the pretense up any longer, can you? I told you-anyone who dares harm Victoria, even her own kin, I won’t spare.”
He hit her with such force that stars exploded behind her eyes. Her head swam; her hair tumbled loose. Her cheek immediately swelled, and a trickle of blood bled from the corner of her mouth.
“Sharon!” Wendy’s voice broke, tears welling.
It took Sharon a long moment to steady herself. When she spoke again, her voice was raw. “Then do it now-kill me. If you don’t, I will make sure Victoria never has peace.”
Murder flashed in Jamie’s eyes. “Don’t think I don’t dare to kill you.”
He stepped forward, but Lex held him back with a firm hand. “Jamie, she might be trying to provoke you.”
Even at his most hotheaded, Jamie could not afford to actually kill Sharon. The consequences would be enormous; Victoria would never forgive him. A death here would change everything.
Slowly, he cooled. His stare at Sharon went glacial. After a long beat, a dark smile unfurled across his face. He slammed a hammer down on the floor.
“Sharon, these men are for your dear friend. There are exactly ten of them–who gets to… is random. But if you smash one of your own fingers, I’ll remove one man from the roster. How does that sound?”
Lex watched Jamie with a new respect. The man’s cruelty was ingenious: force the victim to self-harm, and absolve the perpetrators. Lex nodded to his men.
“Record everything,” he ordered. “Capture her breaking her own finger, so there’s no later denial.”
The men pulled out their phones and began filming.
Wendy cried out,
finished!”
voice raw with panic, “Sharon, no! You use your hands to play the violin. If you ruin them, your career is
Sharon seemed not to hear. She stooped and picked up the hammer lying on the floor. Wendy’s eyes went red with desperate fear. She hated Jamie and loathed the thought of those men touching her, but if Sharon sacrificed her own hand… the guilt
would be unbearable for a lifetime,
Jamie’s smile was slow and patient. “Sharon, you have only one chance for each finger. If you fail to break it… then, regrettably, everyone present will be treated to a free performance. You may begin.”
