Maybe it was the thought of death that gave her courage, but the regret hit instantly when he said, “Okay, since you won’t apologize, I think Aunt Isabel will be happy to pay the price for her daughter’s misdeeds, right?” He made a call, his voice cold. “Notify the mental hospital that Isabel’s special medication will be discontinued from today.”
“No!” Linnea trembled, grabbing his hand. “I’ll apologize to Agatha. Please don’t stop my mother’s medication. Don’t—”
“Kneel down,” he cut her off, lips curling in cruelty. “You have one chance. If you don’t kneel now…”
She no longer dared to hesitate. She knelt before Agatha, bowing repeatedly. “Miss Agatha, I was wrong. Miss Agatha, I was wrong!” Her voice grew louder with each repetition until it tore at her throat, blood seeping from her scalp where it met the floor.
Only then did Agatha feign magnanimity, helping her up. “Soren, I want to go shopping. Let’s go.”
Soren bent down, picked her up, and said gently, “As you wish, little ancestor.”
Those three words pierced Linnea’s heart like a blade; once, they had belonged only to her.