Chapter 72 Thrown into Blackthorn Compound
William saw Juniper's face blanching, her breath reduced to a thin gasp, eyes rolling toward unconsciousness. He didn't hesitate. In one brutal motion, he drove a kick into Isabella's side, knocking her away. "You're insane... you were going to kill her!"
Isabella barely seemed to feel the blow. Her gaze locked on him cradling Juniper, and something in her broke loose. She lunged again, possessed by one consuming obsession—to kill Juniper. "I'll kill her! Kill her!"
William's hand cut through the air. "Hold her down!"
He had never imagined Isabella's jealousy could turn this vicious, that she would truly try to end Juniper's life.
Dylan moved fast, bringing men with him. For someone who usually looked fragile, Isabella fought with a ferocity that shocked them, forcing two men to wrestle her into submission.
Her eyes burned red, hatred flooding every vein. She could not accept that Juniper had burned her beloved sister, and hurt Benjamin. Juniper deserved to die. She could not, would not, let her go.
Isla, regaining her senses, rushed forward. Her eyes swept over Juniper's battered face and trembling body, then to Isabella's madness. She slapped her twice, sharp and loud.
"Are you out of your mind? How could you try to kill Juniper!"
Isabella locked her eyes on her. "Mom... she's the murderer! She killed Beatrice!"
Isla's hand cracked across her cheek again. "Shut up! How dare you accuse her! You're beyond reason!"
Juniper's voice was weak. "Godmother... don't hit her... I'm fine..."
Before she could finish, she collapsed into William's arms. The crowd closed in.
Benjamin's face was carved in disappointment. He had never believed Isabella's jealousy could be this lethal, that she would truly try to kill.
If he hadn't seen it himself, he would have sworn it impossible.
Isabella met his eyes, shaking her head over and over.
No... it wasn't like that.
Juniper had murdered Beatrice. Juniper had hurt Benjamin. Isabella only wanted to avenge Beatrice, to drive out that demon forever.
She only wanted her family safe.
William's jaw clenched. "Lock her up."
He strode off, Juniper in his arms.
Isabella was shoved into a storage room to await his judgment.
The room was dark, no light but a thin ribbon of moon through the window. She curled into the corner, tears sliding down her face.
Guilt gnawed at her—she had not unmasked Juniper sooner, had let Beatrice die so brutally.
That fire could have been stopped. Beatrice should never have died.
It was Juniper's fault. And hers.
William shielded Juniper. Her parents shielded Juniper. Did they know Juniper had killed the daughter they loved most?
Isabella swore silently—if she breathed another day, she would kill Juniper for Beatrice.
Dawn broke.
The door swung open. A tall silhouette stepped inside.
William stood in the doorway, his presence heavy enough to choke the air.
In the past, if Isabella so much as made Juniper unhappy, he would punish her. Now she had tried to kill Juniper—his rage was already past the breaking point.
He had investigated. Witnesses said the two had been leaning on the railing, Juniper smiling, speaking softly, while Isabella's face was dark. Then, without warning, Isabella attacked.
Someone had filmed it—Isabella beating Juniper, forcing her to the ground.
"How dare you!"
His voice tore through the room, raw with fury.
Isabella looked at him without fear, even with a trace of pity.
Beatrice, the woman he loved most, had been destroyed by Juniper... and he didn't know.
William, the man everyone called brilliant, had been blind.
"Kneel and apologize. Beg her forgiveness."
"In your dreams. I'll kill her."
Her defiance detonated his anger.
His teeth ground together. He flicked his hand.
"Take her."
Dylan signaled the guards. They dragged Isabella out.
"Mr. Spencer, where to?"
"Blackthorn Compound."
Dylan's face tightened—no one had ever returned alive from that place. For William to send her there meant his fury ran deep.
Isabella was shoved into the car. She didn't look at William in the passenger seat, didn't flinch. Her mind held only one thought—how to kill Juniper.
The car rolled into the walled Blackthorn Compound. William flung her to the ground.
Alvin, the compound's head, grinned. "Mr. Spencer, you came in person?"
William's voice was cold. "I hear you can break anyone. Make her obedient."
Alvin Jordan's eyes roamed over her—smooth skin, beautiful face. He smiled. "You know what this place is, right? It's not for the faint of heart."
William's glare was ice. "If I didn't know, would I be here? You want to keep operating here, you do what I say. I don't want her walking out still willing to attack someone."
Alvin thumped his chest. "If you're ordering it yourself, I'll deliver. She'll be obedient. But the level of discipline..."
Here, the rules were brutal. Death was common. It depended on William's line.
William rose, his voice flat. "Leave her breathing."
Meaning—don't kill her. Anything else was fine.
Alvin nodded sharply. "Got it. Put her in the cage. I'll break her."
Two hulking men hauled Isabella like a stray animal and locked her in an iron cage in the yard.
They thought the environment would scare her. She remained silent, her face unreadable, as if nothing mattered.
William hated that look most of all.
If she feared nothing, he would show her what it meant to wish for death.
He turned away. Dylan followed, glancing back at Isabella's pale face, at the wolf-like men surrounding her. Worry flickered in his eyes.
But this time, she had crossed William's line—Juniper had been hurt badly, and William would not forgive.
Here, life or death would be hers to decide.
Alvin stood at the cage, watching the still figure inside. Curiosity stirred.
In all his years, he had never seen someone enter without screaming, without a single reaction.
Special measures would be needed to break her.
He ordered no food for a full day. By the next morning, Isabella was curled in the corner, her body weakened.
Alvin had the cage door opened. She was dragged out, bound to the iron post in the center.