Still, it fought to hold her wrist, determined to protect me.
Chloe sneered, “You like tying things up? Let’s see how you like this.”
She wound the snake around the nail-studded stick, driving the spikes through its body.
The snake let out a low whimper, a tear of blood sliding from its eye as it looked at me.
“Stop! Don’t hurt it! Mom…” I screamed.
Chloe’s eyes gleamed with cruelty. She twisted the snake’s body into a grotesque knot and tied it to the stick.
“Two filthy creatures. Disgusting.”
At that moment, my phone buzzed violently.
By now, Richard and Ethan’s flight should have landed. They had told me to care for the snake, that important guests were bringing rare medicinal herbs to prepare for Grace’s awakening.
Before I could answer, Chloe snatched the phone, her lips curling into a sneer when she saw the caller ID: “Precious One.”
“See, Mom? I told you she’s just a gold-digger,” she mocked.
“Who knows how many old men she’s slept with. Filthy slut.”
Martha frowned. “Chloe, stop for now. They’ll be back any minute. Today’s some big occasion, and I was told to tidy the house for important guests…”
“So many people have come, and I hear they’re bringing treasures worth a fortune!”