Chapter 344

Victor threw his head back and laughed. "Arthur, this is hardly the time for sentiment. You should be focused on convincing your precious daughter to sign over the Noir family assets."

"Never," Arthur growled. "Hazel, just go. Don't worry about us."

Thorn strained against the bodyguards holding him back. "Victor, give them the antidote. This is between you and me."

Victor waved a dismissive hand. "Break his leg."

"Yes, sir," one of the guards said.

"No, please, not my son," Isabel cried, trying to reach him but getting blocked.

As the men closed in on Thorn, Isabel’s desperate gaze fell on Sienna. But what could she say? The Noirs already owed her more than they could ever repay.

"Stop," Sienna said, her voice cutting through the tension.

A smug grin spread across Victor’s face. He knew threatening Thorn was far more effective than going after the old couple. After a decade together, he refused to believe there was nothing between Thorn and Hazel.

"Don't listen to him," Thorn pleaded. "Just get my parents out of here." He wouldn't be her burden.

Sienna’s expression remained glacial as she stared at Victor. "Lana."

"Ma'am," Lana said, as she produced two small vials and handed them to Arthur and Isabel. "Here's the antidote. Drink it."

Victor’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible. How could you have the antidote? Even if you had it stashed somewhere, you couldn’t have gotten it this fast. It’s fake."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Arthur and Isabel downed the contents of the vials. The crushing pain in their chests began to subside.

"I told you, Victor, you’re not in a position to make demands," Sienna said calmly. "Tell your men to stand down. I'll let them live. I'd prefer not to make a mess today."

Sienna’s words were meant as much for the guards as they were for Victor. They all knew her reputation, and the fear on their faces made Victor’s expression twist with rage. "Useless fools! Get them. Get them all."

The first guard who lunged forward dropped to the floor, a single, neat hole in his forehead.

Victor stared, his shock turning to horror as he glanced toward the window. A sniper.

"I’ll say this one more time," Sienna’s voice was dangerously low, "Get out, if you want to live."

Seeing their colleague fall, the remaining guards froze. They all knew crossing Hazel Noir was a death sentence. The memory of how she’d brutally dealt with her opposition when she took over the family was seared into their minds. A shiver of pure terror ran through them. She didn’t bluff.

"Miss Hazel, please, don’t kill me. I’m leaving, I’m leaving right now!"

"It was Victor, Miss Hazel. We were just following orders. Please, spare us!"

Sienna gave a slight nod. "Then go."

The men scrambled for the door. A series of short, sharp cries echoed from the hallway, followed by an abrupt silence.

Victor stumbled backward, his face a mask of terror. "You… you’re a monster, Hazel. A devil."

Sienna casually examined her fingernails. A bit long, she thought. "What a shame," she murmured. "All those men you worked so hard to cultivate, gone just like that. What am I to do with you, Victor? If you’d just stayed in your lane, there would have always been a place for you. But now…"

"You can't kill me," Victor yelled, his voice cracking. "I’m your uncle. We’re family, Hazel."

"Ah!" A wet, tearing sound cut him off. Blood blossomed on the front of Victor’s shirt.

He looked down in disbelief at the handle of a knife protruding from his chest. Slowly, he turned his head and saw Thorn standing behind him, his hand still outstretched.

"Thorn… you…" Victor crumpled to the floor.

Arthur and Isabel turned away, their eyes shut tight. He deserved it. If it wasn’t him dead, it would have been them.

"Hazel," Thorn started, taking a step toward her.

Suddenly, Eleanor launched herself from the shadows, a dagger clutched in her hand, aimed straight at Sienna.

"Die, Sienna, just die!" Her face was a twisted mask of psychotic obsession.

In a blur of motion, Sienna shoved Thorn aside and caught Eleanor’s wrist. She felt a slick, warm wetness on her palm as she twisted the dagger away and sent Eleanor flying with a vicious kick.

Eleanor landed in a heap, her crazed laughter echoing in the room. "Hazel, you bitch. You’re going to die. I’m going to make you die."

Thorn stalked over and planted his foot squarely on her chest, pressing down until she gasped for air.

"Thorn," she wheezed, her face turning purple. "Why won’t you ever look at me?" She searched his face for any sign of affection, but found only cold, bottomless contempt.

She started laughing again, a ragged, ugly sound. "It doesn't matter. You're finished, Hazel. You're finished."

Lana rushed to her side with a cloth, but Sienna waved her away, frowning at her hand. She didn’t feel any pain, but the slick residue from the dagger felt wrong.

"What did you do?" Thorn snarled, pressing his foot down harder.

Eleanor’s face contorted in a triumphant, hideous grin. "It’s called Lustbane. Just a single drop is enough to turn even the most pristine woman into a filthy, desperate slut. I get to watch you fall, high–and–mighty Hazel. I get to watch you become worthless trash."

The name sent a chill through Thorn. His face darkened.

"You bitch," Thorn growled, increasing the pressure on her chest. "The antidote. Now."

Eleanor choked, her face swelling and red, but her eyes were filled with defiant glee. "There is no antidote," she rasped. "You know how it works. It’s made for women. No cure." She started to laugh, a broken, breathless sound. "God. I’m so itchy. So hot…."

Her body began to writhe on the floor beneath his foot. Disgusted, Thorn stepped back.

"Lock her up," Sienna commanded, her voice like ice. "Let’s see just how effective this poison really is."

"Yes, ma’am," Reno said, as he pulled on a pair of tactical gloves and hauled Eleanor to her feet.

Eleanor was already losing her mind, babbling incoherently as Reno dragged her out. "Don’t lock me up. I need a man. Get me a man."

Her voice turned into a desperate moan. "I need them to fuck me. I need it."

Her eyes rolled back in her head. "I’m a slut… Hazel, you’ll be just like me. You’ll beg for it. Beg for a man."