The Red Room still reeked of Lila's blood. Tatiana and Sofia remained seated far after the door had closed, both women gripping their glasses too tightly, vodka inside trembling like a heart trying to escape.
"She thinks she's indestructible," Sofia shrieked, throwing her glass down forcefully enough to shatter it. "This stinking rat deluded enough to think she can come in here and toss us off our pedestal?"
Tatiana did not respond. Not at once. Sofie's mindset was less calculated than Tatiana's, and colder as well. While Sofia was furious and knit her brow, Tatiana simmered. Her fury slow and quiet. The type of resentment that festered until the urge to discreetly slit a throat emerged.
"She's not wrong," Tatiana finally spoke. "Viktor wants her."
"Then we make her an unavailable option," Sofia hissed, her manicured fingers clutching the table. "We already did it once. We do it again. Only this time…" Her smile turned menacing, revealing sharp teeth. "We don't stop at simply scaring her."
Tatiana inhaled through her nose, leaning back. "It's too clean of a kill. Viktor would scorch the earth for her."
"Let her crucify herself for it," blessed Sofia, head tilting, the smile still curdled.
Tatiana's brows furrowed, surprise apparent in her eyes.
"We remind her of her place," Sofia pressed on. "A whore's daughter. A nice piece of meat Viktor had dressed in silk"—strip away the layers." Make her observe herself in the shattered mirror that is our perception, until her newfound self-assurance comes crumbling down and she's yearning to fade away."
Tatiana's smile completed the upside-down. "What if she makes it out alive?"
"Then we put her body through hell next," Sofia shrugged. "Shatter her piece by piece. Make it so Viktor despises her, and make him witness her fragility."
"Do you have a plan?" Tatiana asked.
Sofia's smile grew wider. "I know precisely where I can begin."
______________________________________________________________
The Trap: A Party in Hell
It rested on Lila's vanity, gold lined in crimson wax. An exclusive family affair. Just the household. The wives thought of it—you know them—optics of diplomacy. Show of goodwill.
They had already made Viktor leave that day, forcing him to escort somewhere to the south. All part of the plan.
Set a bait and watch the makings of a full-blown scheme. It was safe to trust Lila knew better.
But go anyway, and Lila reveals everything.
Because Lila did not hide anymore.
The room was gilded in splendor — gold and black, crystal tears cascading from chandeliers, the music quiet yet full of longing. Sofia was the first to welcome her, a beam that was too wide for her mouth, her fingers clutching too tightly to Lila's wrist near the radius, dragging her inside. Tatiana was like a decorative pearl box on the corner, a predator wrapped in pearls, sipping on champagne as if it were blood.
Lila's first drink was tainted. Not to put her to sleep — no, they wanted her razor aware. But the truth serum they spiked her wine with? That was the truth.
"Let us have some fun with her," Sofia purred, hugging Lila and getting too cozy for Lila's comfort, "confession, fun and motivation."
Lila's lips twitched, barely moving as a sigh escaped her, venting her lips. "I don't think a corpse makes a good competition."
"Let's play a game," Sofia purred, her arm slung around Lila's shoulder. "A little confession game."
Lila's lips curled faintly. "I don't play games with dead women."
Sofia's nails dragged up her thigh under the table. "We'll see who dies first, darling."
_____________________________________________________________________
The Game: Every Scar Tells a Story.
Innocuous queries started getting more blunt. What's your favorite color? First kiss? Then they turned the knob a little.
"Tell us, Lila," Tatiana asked sweetly. "What was your first time like?"
"Pass," Lila gritted her teeth into a glass.
"No passing," Sofia cooed. "House rules."
With a shriek, Lila's throat burned as the serum dictated her voice. "I was thirteen. He was forty-six. My mother held my wrists down."
The entire room was silent, and even Sofia's smile froze.
"Do you remember what he smelled like?" Tatiana purred like a cat with silk and poison dripping from her lips.
Lila's face morphed as she swallowed hard. "Whiskey and sweat."
"Do you remember what he said?"
Clenching her jaw, Lila managed to spit. "I was told I was selected to be the first, and that is the best option."
Eyes shining with excitement, Tatiana leaned forward, "And how does Viktor fuck you now? Does he make you feel lucky too?"
Lila suddenly felt the glass in her hand shatter. As the blood blooming between her fingers and the glass created crimson against crystal, her smile stayed wicked.
"You people think you can use my past against me to screw me over?" she whispered, "Bitches, I wear my scars like diamonds."
Sofia opened her mouth to say something, but Lila was interrupted. Using her speed to her advantage, she stood up and grabbed Sofia by the throat before slamming her onto the wall hard enough to rattle the chandelier."I'm not scared to bear the pain," Lila spat. "I've had intense relationships with my demons, married my trauma, and all the men that have touched me are now ghosts."
When Tatiana went to get up, Lila grabbed a knife and threw it, the blade burying itself into the table an inch from Tatiana's hand.
"Let's try this again," Lila stated, dangerously calm yet fierce. "Next time, make sure to bring something better than old tales and wine."
___________________________________________________________________________
"The wives had it coming," one of the thoughts lingered in her mind.
They had suspected a girl who was still living with her past. Reality was this:
Lila has made peace with her ghosts a long time ago.
But she didn't fear them.
Instead, she fed off them.
Now, she was starving.
_______________________________________________________________________
When Viktor arrived, he found Sofia clutching her throat and Tatiana, who had been mute for years, suddenly speaking her thoughts whose silence had been long overdue.
"What happened?" was the only response he could think of.
The sight of Lila smiling while she wiped the blood from her fingers onto Viktor's shirt made it clear who was the real source of chaos.
"She said, "Your wives tried to play with me. I played back."
With lips brushing against her ear, Viktor pulled her close, "What did you do?"
"I showed them what happens when you corner a girl who's already danced with the devil," Lila said, which sent shivers down my spine. While deadly, the tone was soft.
Desire, shock and everything else in between warred in his mind as he stared at her.
"You wanted—"
He realized that no matter what happens next, he's losing all control over her.
And worst of all?
His absolute favorite, He fucking loved it.
It terrified him, but the change was fraying some wires at the back of his mind."