Chapter 25
"I was just trying to survive!" Diane wept hysterically, her aristocratic arrogance entirely broken by months of starvation and isolation. "You left me with nothing! I'm freezing to death!"
"You tried to sell my supply routes," Claire murmured, walking slowly toward the cowering woman. "You attempted to compromise the safety of my empire. And by extension, the safety of my son."
"He's not even a Bennett!" Diane screamed, a final, desperate surge of venom escaping her lips. "I know who his real father is! He's a monster's child!"
Claire did not flinch. She did not raise her voice. She simply looked down at Diane with profound, absolute disgust.
"He is my child," Claire corrected, her volume incredibly low but carrying a lethal, apocalyptic promise. "And you are nothing but trash."
Claire didn't draw a weapon. She turned her back on the weeping, pathetic woman.
"Marcus," Claire ordered. "Take the wood from the stove. Take the blankets. Leave her the clothes on her back."
"Claire, no! Please!" Diane shrieked, crawling across the dirty floorboards. "I'll freeze! You can't do this!"
"You struck a four-year-old boy," Claire whispered softly, not looking back. "Enjoy the cold."
May you like
The elite operators systematically stripped the cabin of any heat source or comfort, moving with terrifying efficiency. They left Diane shivering violently in the corner, the broken door allowing the freezing storm to pour directly into the room.
Claire walked back out to the waiting, heavily armored SUV. She had delivered her final judgment. Diane Bennett would never survive the winter.
