Chapter 311: Rachel's Demand

David’s POV

Justin exploded like a bomb going off.

“DAVID, STOP!” he screamed, voice cracking into something feral and broken, thrashing so hard against the ropes that the chair legs scraped and banged on the concrete like gunshots.

Blood ran fresh from his wrists where the cords cut in, but he didn’t stop. His eyes were wild, red-rimmed, spit flying as he roared.

“Stop playing the fucking hero! I don’t need you saving me anymore! You hear me?!”

He jerked forward so violently one of the men had to grab the back of his chair to keep it from toppling.

“All these years you’ve been working for these monsters…for her family…thinking you were protecting me? You hated me! You blamed me for your Mom’s death! You thought I was the Dark Prince, the killer, the sick freak who ruined everything! And you still carried that shit for me?!”

His voice shattered, raw and ugly with guilt. “It’s my fault, okay? I hated you! I tried to destroy what you had with Holly because I thought you were the monster! I believed every lie they fed us! If I’d known…if I’d known it was all some old man’s twisted game…I would’ve cherished you! I would’ve been the little brother who had your back instead of the one who made your life hell!”

Tears poured down his face, mixing with snot and blood.

He was sobbing and screaming at the same time, chest heaving like he couldn’t breathe.

“You deserve to be happy, David! You’ve carried every burden, every scar, every time father and I called you a monster. Give me some of the load! Let me take it this time! I’ll go to jail, I’ll rot there, but no way in hell am I letting this bitch wrap you around her finger again! You’re done being their dog!”

He thrashed harder, chair rocking. “I won’t hold it against you if you walk away, David! So please, be selfish for once! Don’t get tangled with them anymore! This is my mess now!”

I looked at him…my little brother, feral, furious and bleeding…and something in my chest cracked wide open. A sad, tired smile pulled at my lips even though my eyes burned.

“All our life has been a lie,” I said quietly, voice hoarse. “We were played. Turned against each other like dogs in a pit. I can’t believe it…all those years I hated you, blamed you, carried the weight because I thought you were the monster.”

I swallowed hard. “But you’re still my little brother. There’s no way I’m sitting still and letting you rot in jail for something you didn’t do. I’m used to being the scapegoat. It’s what I do best.”

Justin’s eyes went huge. “David, no—”

I turned to Rachel, ignoring the way my brother was still fighting the ropes like a wild animal. “Go on. I’m listening.”

Justin kept resisting, screaming through tears. “David, please! Don’t do this! You don’t owe me anything! Let me handle it! I’m begging you—”

Rachel just smiled that same unhinged smile and lifted one finger.

Two of her men rushed forward. Justin thrashed like a madman, head whipping side to side, but they slammed a strip of duct tape over his mouth mid-scream.

His muffled roar still came through…raw, desperate, furious…as he bucked and kicked, eyes locked on me like he could burn the decision out of my head.

Rachel leaned back, legs crossed, looking at me like I was her favorite toy.

She didn’t even flinch at Justin’s muffled screams. She just sat there quietly, like she was at a fucking tea party, watching my brother thrash against the tape like it was the best entertainment she’d had all year.

His eyes were wild…pure feral rage mixed with desperation…trying to burn a hole through her skull while his body bucked so hard the chair legs scraped grooves into the concrete floor.

She clapped her hands together slowly, that manic giggle bubbling up again.

“Oh my God, look at you two. Your family is just so cute. So weak and messy. My family’s been draining you dry for years, sucking the life out of you like cheap juice boxes, and you’re still here screaming and crying like it matters.”

She tilted her head, smiling that psycho-sweet smile. “That’s the thing with the weaker class in society, you know? Stupidity wrapped in ‘honor.’ You finally figure out you’ve been played, used as pawns in someone else’s game, and what do you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You’re powerless. It’s such a pity, really. I almost feel bad for you…”

She pressed a hand to her chest like she was actually sad. “But the blood running through my veins won’t let me. It’s stronger. Smarter. It only knows how to win.”

I stared at her, chest heaving, every muscle in my body screaming to rip her apart. “You think you can get away with this unscathed? You sure your brother’s safe wherever the hell he is? Hasn’t gone wild yet? Maybe he’s already on his way back, ready to turn himself in for all the shit he actually did. Ever thought about that?”

Rachel threw her head back and laughed…loud, sharp, echoing off the walls like broken glass.

“Impossible. I’ve been with Stefan all those years. Right up until I heard the Millers were destroying our family, dragging Mom and Dad to jail. I had to come back. Fix everything. Take our honor back. And guess what? I’ve already started.”

Her eyes gleamed with pure evil. “As it stands now, Ava Miller is completely at my mercy. Because it’s not just her sister I have in custody anymore…it’s her little son too.”

The words hit like a gut punch. Ava’s kid? This is bad.

I growled low in my throat, the sound ripping out of me before I could stop it. “You’re just a monster.”

She smiled wider, like I’d paid her a compliment. “I know. It runs in the family. Anyway, stop letting your imagination run wild, David. There’s no way Stefan is coming back. I have his passport locked away. Besides, he’s tucked in some forgotten mountain in China right now, ‘learning’ with the monks. No phones. No internet. No escape. No one can find him. Hell, he can’t even find himself anymore.”

Justin’s muffled screams got louder behind the tape…raw, furious, desperate.

His whole body shook with the effort, eyes locked on me like he was begging me to stop listening, to fight back, to do anything but play her game.

I could see fresh tears streaming down his face, the way his shoulders heaved with every choked sob. He was breaking right in front of me, and it tore something deep inside my chest.

Rachel watched us both for a long second, savoring it like fine wine. Then she leaned forward again, voice dropping into that silky, dangerous tone.

“But enough about Stefan. Let’s talk about the real game I have planned for tonight.”

I felt my stomach twist into knots. Justin’s muffled roar hit a new pitch…angry, terrified, pleading all at once.

Rachel’s smile turned downright wicked.

“For the game,” she said, turning to me. “We are going to have sex. Right here. Right now. In front of your brother and your little girlfriend.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” I said furiously. She has to be joking…right?

“Yes, David. Yes I am,” she replied, with a smile that had my insides churning with disgust.

Shock slammed into me so hard my knees almost gave out.

I stared at her, mouth dry, heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted to explode out of my chest. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be what she meant.

Justin’s muffled scream tore through the tape again…raw, broken, furious…his body jerking so violently with his muffled objections.

And just then, Holly stirred on the floor and her eyes fluttered open.

Shit.