Chapter 6 - Shattered Glass and Broken Bonds
The phone lay in ruins on the marble floor,
the delicate internal circuits completely destroyed under Scarlett's heel.
Ivy stared at the broken pieces,
feeling a strange mixture of profound dread and intense anticipation.
She knew that the wheels of fate had just been set into violent motion,
and nothing could stop what was coming.
Scarlett turned back to Ivy,
her face contorted with an ugly,
vengeful satisfaction.
Without warning,
Scarlett raised her hand and slapped Ivy across her injured face once again.
The sharp sound of the strike echoed loudly through the boutique,
causing Ivy's head to snap back violently.
"Like mother,
like daughter,"
Scarlett sneered,
wiping her hands on a silk handkerchief as if she had just touched something contaminated.
"All empty threats,
absolutely no real scent or power behind it."
"Your mother thinks she can scare the Crimson pack with cheap words over a phone line?"
Kane stood by,
his initial unease seemingly fading as he looked at Ivy's pathetic,
bloody state.
He convinced himself that Ivy's family was likely just a minor,
insignificant pack from the distant borders.
After all,
if they were truly powerful,
he would have heard of their name long before now.
"You're done here,
Ivy,"
Kane said,
his voice hardening as he looked down at his former fiancée.
"Your claim on me is officially broken,
and your presence in this territory is no longer tolerated."
"When your mother arrives,
she will collect your broken body and take you back to the mud you came from."
Ivy didn't answer him,
she simply spat the blood from her mouth onto his clean black shoes.
Kane's eyes narrowed in anger,
but before he could react,
Scarlett let out another mocking laugh.
"Look at her still trying to act tough,"
Scarlett laughed,
gesturing to the guards who were still holding Ivy down.
"When she shows up,
Kane,
I want to strip her mother right next to her."
"We will show the entire world what happens to those who dare to cross us."
The guards tightened their grip on Ivy,
waiting for the final command to drag her out into the public square.
The air in the boutique felt incredibly suffocating,
the scent of fear and blood mingling together.
Ivy closed her eyes,
focusing her remaining energy on holding her head high despite the pain.
She knew she just had to survive for a little while longer,
just until the storm arrived.
Outside,
the sky grew rapidly darker,
heavy black clouds rolling over the city,
blocking out the remaining daylight.
The wind began to howl fiercely through the streets,
rattling the massive glass windows of Lumi Bridal.
It felt as though nature itself was reacting to the terrible injustice being committed inside.
Scarlett walked over to a nearby velvet couch,
sitting down gracefully while an assistant nervously brought her an ice pack for her wrist.
"We will wait here,"
Scarlett announced,
her eyes fixed on the entrance doors.
"Let's see how long it takes for this brave mother to come and save her precious little girl."
Kane sat down beside her,
though he couldn't completely shake the lingering feeling of impending doom that gripped his chest.
He looked at Ivy,
who remained kneeling in the center of the room,
May you like
her eyes steady and completely devoid of fear.
That lack of fear worried him more than any scream or tear ever could have.
