Chapter 40:
Kristina’s POV:
Leonardo’s wrath crashed over me like a storm unleashed, all because of that insufferable Makenna.
Never before had he raised his voice so fiercely, his finger practically spearing the air between us as he scolded me with a venom that left no room for rebuttal. My chest burned with anger, but my voice stayed trapped in my throat. If only I could rip Makenna apart, shred by shred. That wretch!
She was the source of all my misery. Since her arrival at the palace, my life had spiraled into nothing but chaos.
Teeth clenched in frustration, I stormed out of the main hall. One of my followers, Molly, trailed behind like a nervous shadow and ventured cautiously, “Miss Harrison, she’s nothing more than a sex slave. You could make her vanish from the face of the Earth without a second thought. She wouldn’t even see it coming.”
Rage ignited in my chest, and I whipped around, slapping her hard across the face.
“Fool! Useless!” The sight of her was a cruel reminder of yesterday’s humiliation. The thought of Makenna fighting back made my blood boil. “How did you let that bitch get the upper hand yesterday? You’re all worthless!”
Molly whimpered in pain, her hand flying to her cheek as she stammered, “I’m sorry, Miss Harrison. It was my mistake—it won’t happen again, I swear.”
Her groveling only deepened my disgust. Teaching her a lesson felt like a waste of time. With a derisive snort, I ordered, “I don’t care what you do; just make sure that bitch regrets stepping foot in this palace. It’s time she was thrown out like the trash she is.”
Makenna was a thorn in my side, and as long as she stayed in the palace, she was a constant threat to my peace.
No, merely tossing her out wouldn’t satisfy me. I wanted to see her beauty marred, her fate twisted so no prince would glance her way again.
“Rest assured, Miss Harrison, I’ll do everything in my power,” Molly vowed, her head bobbing like a puppet.
ⱠⒶⵜẸŞ₸ ₡Ḥ₳₱₸ɆⱤŞ ⱻ g𝒶lnovєl𝑠.𝑐ᴏm
I snorted and continued my furious march.
Just then, two women passed by, their whispers catching my attention. My ears pricked up at the mention of Makenna.
Narrowing my eyes, I stopped them in their tracks. “Hold on! What were you just saying about Makenna Dunn?”
Recognizing me, the women quickly bowed, their voices trembling with fear as they greeted me. One of them said, “Miss Harrison, we were just saying that Makenna will be in a climbing competition tomorrow… with another sex slave.”
A climbing competition?
I couldn’t suppress the sneer curling my lips. “Makenna Dunn? Climb? She’s barely got the scent of a wolf on her. What makes her think she can do anything but humiliate herself?”
The women nodded eagerly, their faces plastered with sycophantic smiles. “Absolutely right, Miss Harrison. She’s nothing but a pathetic she-wolf, lowly and weak. There’s no way she’ll win, especially not against such a strong opponent.”
Their words pleased me, and I allowed myself a small, condescending smile. “Naturally. That fool doesn’t stand a chance.”
Makenna’s audacity was laughable. To accept such a challenge was sheer idiocy. But then again, her failure would bring me no small amount of satisfaction.
Having extracted all the information I needed, I waved them off impatiently. “That’s enough. Get out of my sight.”
Once the women scurried away, Molly chimed in, eager to please. “Miss Harrison, you have nothing to worry about. She’s bound to lose, and when she does, she’ll be a laughingstock. The princes will drop her like a stone.”
Though her words offered some comfort, a nagging fear gnawed at me. What if Makenna had a trick up her sleeve? What if, by some miracle, she managed to come out on top? I had yet to defeat her, and that thought twisted the knife of doubt in my gut.
The mere possibility made me grit my teeth with renewed anger.
That wretched woman! I couldn’t kill her, and I couldn’t drive her away. She was a problem that refused to be solved!
“I won’t let her win.” My voice dropped to a menacing whisper as I turned to Molly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that bitch loses tomorrow. I don’t want to see her smirk again.”
Molly pondered my words, her eyes suddenly lighting up with a wicked idea. “Miss Harrison, I think I know just the thing to make sure she loses—and she’ll be so disgraced that no prince will ever want to be near her again.”
Excitement sparked in my chest, and I demanded, “What are you planning?”
Molly leaned in, whispering her scheme in my ear. The more she spoke, the wider my grin grew.
“That bitch is as good as dead!”
