Chapter 13

After finishing breakfast, Matilda was helped back to her room by Grace. As soon as she left, Simone leaned back in her chair with a sneer. "The first branch has always been weak, and now Sabrina went and screwed things up even more. I don't care how hard Cassian works, he's just wasting his breath. Sooner or later, this whole family is gonna be under our control." Emily sat quietly in the corner, head down, saying nothing. Simone glanced at her and couldn't help but take a jab. "No offense, Emily, but if Anders is gonna take over the family business, you better step up. You can't be acting all timid like this. I heard he was with that actress Ashley Woods the night he got into the car accident. If you keep playing safe, don't blame anyone when you end up like Sabrina." Emily's face turned pale, voice barely above a whisper. "Anders treats me well..." Simone snorted. "When Sabrina first married in, Cassian treated her like a queen on the surface, too. But how often did he actually come home? She wouldn't have run off with another guy if she felt even a little cared for. But hey, at least you have manners and wouldn't do something that low." Seeing Emily clearly embarrassed, Olivia finally couldn't take it. "Simone, can you not be so harsh? Emily's still family." "Exactly because she's one of us that I'm giving her a heads-up," Simone said, then casually changed the subject. "Heard that trashy woman Sabrina got locked in the basement by Cassian last night. Who knows if she's still breathing in this cold? Olivia, Emily, why don't we go check it out?" Olivia rolled her eyes. "She brought this all on herself. Honestly, you keep bringing her up like she's worth your time. It just drags your level down." "I want that disgusting pair to get what's coming to them!" Simone bristled just thinking back on it. "Because of them, mom suffered so much! Mom may have let it go, but me? I'm not that generous!" A flash of emotion crossed Olivia's expression, but she just said coldly, "They were never good enough to even be compared to mom. I'm not going-too gross." As Olivia walked off, Simone turned to Emily. "Come on, Emily, come with me!"Emily hadn't even gotten a word out before Simone dragged her along. ***** Moments later, Simone pulled Emily into the basement. The place was always dark and damp, and even from a distance, you could feel the cold, creepy air seeping out. Emily hesitated, clearly scared, but she didn't have much choice-she could only bite the bullet and follow Simone down. As they reached the entrance, the dim light revealed a figure curled up in the corner. Simone huffed, "No food or water all night, and you're still kicking? Guess it's true what they say-cheap lives linger longest! Sabrina, you're something else, huh?" Sabrina stayed silent. Simone stared at her trembling figure and sneered, "Finally scared now? But yesterday you were pretty bold-daring to put your hands on me!" Still no response. But the figure was shaking even more now. Emily looked uneasy and mumbled, "Is she sick or something? She looks... off." "Oh please, playing the sick card now?" Simone rolled her eyes. "You're not even on par with sewer rats anymore. Dead or alive, no one's coming to feel sorry for you." The figure kept quivering, silent, like she was being shaken apart. "Still pretending?" Simone snapped, clearly fed up. She spotted a wooden stick lying by the wall, grabbed it, and without hesitation shoved it past the bars, swinging at the figure hard. There was a dull thud, followed by some weird, chilling screeches from under the clothes. Simone, irrationally fired up, hit a few more times. "Come on! Keep pretending, you wretch! I'll beat the crap out of you!" Emily, standing aside, started to panic even more. She tugged Simone's arm and whispered, "That... that doesn't sound like her..." Simone froze for a second. Yeah, that didn't sound human at all. She stared at the squirming shadow, suddenly creeped out. Using the stick, she jabbed again. "Cut the crap, Sabrina! Get your ass out here!" She pushed as hard as she could, and the "person" toppled over. The clothes shifted and loosened, and from the open collar came a wave of thick, black, furry creatures. The place was already dark, but once the massive rats started charging their way, Simone finally got a good look. "Holy crap! R-rats!" With blood-curdling screams, the two women bolted out of the basement, stumbling over each other on the way.