33 33#33
33
Emmett seized her hand, grasping the ring with a fierce, unyielding grip.
“This ring doesn’t belong to you!” he hissed, believing that by reclaiming it, he was taking back his promise and the future that was meant for Athena alone. From this point on, his devotion would be solely for Athena.
But Aliana refused to yield. With desperation shining in her eyes, she clung to the ring as if it were her last hope.
“It’s mine! You have no right to take my possessions!”
“In that instant, Aliana’s true colors were revealed, unabashed and unyielding. She had already lost everything else: her aspirations for wealth crushed, her reputation in tatters, her sponsorships revoked. She wasn’t even certain if she would survive this ordeal. But the ring was her final possession, her only glimmer of hope. She fought with all her might to keep it.
The operating room felt claustrophobic and stifling, and Aliana stumbled, her body covered in bruises and lacerations, frantically seeking a safe corner.
Emmett observed her without a hint of sympathy, coldly watching the woman who had fallen so far from her former status.
“Do you enjoy wearing it?” he taunted, a malicious smile playing on his lips as he motioned for some of his men to enter.
“Remove the finger with the ring, Emmett commanded, his voice devoid of emotion.
Outside the operating room, Emmett sat alone, his thoughts as tumultuous as a raging storm. His hand, still bleeding from an carlier wound, was being treated, but his mind was far from the physical pain.
The tormented cries from within barely registered in his consciousness. It was a sound he could scarcely endure, but he knew the floor was reserved for the Davidson family’s important guests, ensuring no interruptions.
His thoughts drifted to his first encounter with Athena, to the cherished memories of their youth, to all they had once shared. His chest constricted, and his heart ached with an emptiness that no action could fill.
“I’m sorry… Athena, I miss you… I love you…”
The once proud and untouchable heir of the Davidson family now sat there, shattered, weeping like a helpless child. Just as he had in his younger days, but this time, there was no one to
console him.
33: 33/33
DE
Only Athena had never feared him. When he was overwhelmed by pain, Athena would embrace him, her voice gentle as a whisper, comforting him with wisdom beyond her years.
It wasn’t until a subordinate placed the severed ring on a tray before him, the bloodied finger beside it, that Emmett’s mind snapped back to reality.
The ring no longer held any significance. It had been tainted, its meaning corrupted. He dismissed it with a gesture, leaving his men to decide its fate as well as that of Aliana’s finger. Emmett’s expression hardened, his voice colder than icc. “Feed it to the dogs.”
A subordinate, having witnessed the entire scene, ventured to ask, “What should we do with the woman?” He indicated Aliana, who had lost consciousness in the operating room from the ordeal.
Emmett’s lips curved into a cruel smile. He rose slowly, his words carrying the weight of a death
sentence.
“Perform a minor brain surgery and commit her to a psychiatric facility.”
Athena was gone, and there should be no trace of Aliana left in this world.
Aliana was a celebrity, constantly in the media spotlight. Since the start of her streaming career, her every action had been scrutinized, and now, reporters had gathered like vultures outside the hospital, blocking every possible exit.
Emmett glanced at the restless crowd through the window before taking the concealed VIP passage without hesitation.
Upon returning to the Davidson family’s ancestral home, he was immediately struck by his grandfather’s cane, followed by the weight of family discipline.
The elderly man, despite his age, possessed the strength of a seasoned fighter, and with a single. blow, Emmett was knocked to the floor.
“You monster! Can’t you see what you’ve become? What unspeakable acts have you committed?!”
Emmett lay there, bloodied, a pitiful sight, as if the world had already condemned him as a
criminal.
“Grandfather, Aliana is alive, and she isn’t pregnant, Emmett mumbled, his voice weary, devoid of further explanation.
The old man exhaled deeply, a mixture of relief and regret. He had dedicated his life to instilling virtue, fearing that his grandson might one day cross a boundary from which there was no
return.
