Kaya swallowed hard. Her throat felt painfully dry. The person standing in front of her was staring at her like she was his worst enemy.
Zian glared down at the tiny figure. He caught the fear in her eyes instantly. Why was she acting like some helpless victim? That fragile, innocent act in front of people. He knew these tactics of gaining sympathy, playing weak all too well. But he wasn't going to fall for it the way his parents clearly had.
Kaya was about to turn and run when his voice stopped her.
"So you've already started showing your true colours?" he spat, his eyes dropping to her hand. She was holding his mother's phone, and he was sure she was planning to steal it.
Kaya couldn't understand what he meant at first, too terrified to think straight.
"So where exactly are you planning on hiding my mum's phone?" he snapped. She stared at him, then at the device in her hand, confusion twisting into panic.
"After all, you're stealing it, so I'm sure you've already figured out where you'll hide it. Right?"
Her eyes instantly filled with tears. He was calling her a thief. She had faced a lot in life, but she had never even looked at something that wasn't hers with bad intentions let alone stolen anything.
She tried to tell him the truth, but nothing came out. Her voice, her only way to defend herself, was gone. And that hurt even more.
Zian, still glaring, noticed a tear roll down her flushed cheek. Kaya quickly extended the phone toward him, then shook her free hand desperately. After that, she tapped the phone and pointed to the kitchen.
He understood her signs immediately. She meant she was taking it to his mother. But did she really think he would fall for her little silent act? Her tears? Her gestures?
She shook her hands again, more urgently this time, trying to tell him she would never steal from anyone. Her eyes were glossy and trembling. Zian clenched his jaw, irritated beyond reason. Her tears only annoyed him more.
He stepped forward threateningly, making her flinch. Kaya instantly backed away.
Keeping a small distance between them, he glared directly into her golden, shimmering eyes. He hated even standing under the same roof as her. In his eyes, she was worthless and nothing but a cunning girl who knew exactly how to manipulate rich families, twist their emotions, and trap them.
He was convinced her whole family was involved, and this was all a game to make his parents their next target.
And he wasn't going to let that happen.
Kaya froze the moment her eyes met his piercing blue ones. From up close, he looked even more terrifying, and that deep scowl on his face made her stomach twist.
"Listen to me, you ugly little rat."
A fresh wave of tears blurred her vision. She knew she wasn't pretty, but hearing it out loud still hurt. It pulled her straight back to those awful moments with Paul, where he had insulted her again and again behind closed doors.
"These tears of yours won't work on me. I know exactly what intentions your wicked family sent you here with. But I won't let you succeed. Before that happens, I'll snap your neck and slit your tongue. Did you understand that?" he growled.
That was enough for the fifteen-year-old girl to completely fall apart. She broke down, sobbing so hard her breath kept catching in her throat.
His scowl only deepened at the sight. To him, it was nothing but an act. He opened his mouth again.
"You-"
"Get away from her, right now," Damien's voice thundered. Zian stiffened.
Straightening up, he turned to see his dad standing a short distance away, emerald eyes locked on him in pure anger.
Damien strode toward them. When he saw Kaya still crying, trembling, barely able to breathe, he clenched his jaw and shot a heated glare at his son.
"Ssh... Kaya, calm down, dear," Damien said softly. He knelt in front of her and cupped her tear-stained face.
"Don't cry, please." But she couldn't stop.
"Dad, she's acting. She-"
"Shut your awful mouth, Zian Karlson." Damien cut him off sharply. He had heard every word of how his son insulted her, threatened her. He knew Zian was temperamental and rude, but he never thought his mindset could be this low or disgusting.
"Don't you dare utter a single word more," Damien warned, pointing a firm finger at him.
Zian's anger rose like fire. His own father was humiliating him because of that lowlife girl, and doing it right in front of her. It burned his ego and pride like nothing else.
Zia rushed out of the kitchen as soon as she heard Damien shouting.
"What happened?" she asked confusedly, until her eyes landed on Kaya, who was quietly crying.
"Kaya, what happened, baby? Why are you crying?" she asked while coming closer. Kaya didn't speak. She only held out the phone.
Zia stared at it, puzzled, and then something clicked in her mind. She took the phone from Kaya.
"Did I leave it behind that vase?"
Kaya slowly nodded.
"Oh... that's why I couldn't find it in the kitchen or the other rooms. But why are you crying, dear?" Zia's confusion only grew.
"Because our precious son accused her of stealing your phone."
Zia's eyes widened as she looked at Damien.
"What?" She shot a shocked look at Zian.
"Yes, he accused her and was threatening her," Damien said through clenched teeth.
"Zian, why, son? Why would you treat her like that?" his mother asked, disappointment clear in her voice.
Zian tightened his fists. Both his parents were scolding him over this ugly stranger they had taken in just weeks ago.
"Because she is pretending and you both refuse to see it," he snapped. Damien's jaw ticked.
"You don't understand anything. She saved your life, Mum, at the cost of her own. Do you really think anyone is this selfless nowadays?" He didn't hold back anymore.
"She planned everything beforehand. I'm sure her parents are involved too. They all decided she would act like an orphan so she could gain your sympathy a-"
"Enough." Damien's voice boomed through the hall. Zia flinched and Kaya shrank back.
Zian met his father's furious stare without looking away.
"Zia, take Kaya inside," Damien said, still glaring at his son. His tone left no room for argument.
"Damien, calm d-"
"Take Kaya inside, Zia."
Zia let out a breath and gently held Kaya's hand before guiding her toward a room.
Once they were gone, Damien stepped closer to Zian. His glare darkened as he looked at his son, who resembled a younger version of himself, except this one seemed far more reckless and dangerously hot headed.
"I've been overlooking your behaviour until now because I believed you would eventually understand and stop," Damien said, lifting his index finger right in front of his son's face. "But what you did today... I'll count that as your only mistake toward Kaya."
He stepped closer.
"And if you ever cross that line again, you won't be lucky enough to have your mistake ignored. Understood?" His voice rose, sharp and loud.
Zian's jaw flexed, but he held himself back from answering.
"If you can't be polite to her, then at least act like a human. Or better, just stay out of her way. That poor kid has already gone through more than enough. Don't add to her suffering if you can't reduce it."
Zian's nails dug painfully into his palms. Rage burned through his chest, roaring to come out.
"Accepting her or not is your decision," Damien said, his tone dropping into something cold. "But don't you dare hurt her again."
He gave Zian one final hard glare before walking away.
The moment his father disappeared, Zian darted into the training room where he was taught to control himself or at least, where he was supposed to.
But control was the last thing he had. His anger was boiling, choking him.
He launched himself at the punching bag, hitting it with explosive force, sending it swinging violently. He kept pounding it, again and again, until his knuckles turned dark red. His breath grew harsh. Sweat ran down his temples. His neck and forehead throbbed with bulging veins.
He was shaking with fury.
With a final, brutal punch, he grabbed the bag and held it still, panting. His blue eyes were burning with hatred.
"You're gonna terribly regret this," he seethed out to himself. "You fucking mute."
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Thank you for reading so far... 𓆩❤︎𓆪
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