Chapter 102 Scandal Before The Funeral
Kira's POV
I am about to lead Victoria into chaos.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. The sight of Miranda…my treacherous fake sister…pressed against the wall, her lips devouring Victoria’s mate like he was hers to claim, lit a fuse straight to my core.
Victoria’s body vibrated beside me as we moved…muscles coiled tight, breath coming in hot, ragged bursts that brushed my arm.
Her eyes glowed faintly of that unnatural gold and pupils blown wide. I could feel it radiating off her…the jealousy, the agony, the primal scream of ‘my man’ echoing in her veins. Years of searching, ceremonies failing, her father pushing unwanted matches…and now this thief that stole my life is trying to steal the one thing fate promised her.
No.
Not today.
Not on my watch.
I charged forward, Victoria right on my heels. My hand shot out like a whip. Fingers tangled in Miranda’s perfectly styled hair and I yanked hard.
She screamed…sharp, piercing, echoing off the marble walls as her head snapped back. The sound cut through the lobby like a knife, heads turning, conversations dying. Her body stumbled away from the man, hands flying to her scalp as her nails scraped at my grip.
“You bitch!” I snarled, voice dripping venom, loud enough for the gathering crowd to hear. Phones were already out, recording. Whispers rippled… “Fight?” “Who are they?” “Someone call security!”
Miranda’s scream twisted into a pained yelp as I shoved her away, her stilettos scraping the floor.
She spun, face contorted in shock, confusion and fury, one hand clutching her head.
“What the hell?” she started, but I cut her off.
“Husband stealer!” I shouted, pointing dramatically at her like I was accusing her of treason.
Then I paused mid-rant, leaned slightly toward Victoria, and lowered my voice. “He’s technically your husband… right?”
Victoria blinked, then nodded once.
I straightened immediately and pointed again, even more confidently this time. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The crowd swelled…guests in designer clothes freezing mid-sip of their overpriced coffees, bellhops hovering uncertainly. The scent of spilled perfume and adrenaline hung heavy.
Miranda’s eyes darted wildly. “Who are you people? Antonio is my fiancé! Get away from him… get away from us!”
She whirled to the man…Antonio…grabbing his arm like he was her shield. He was tall, dark-haired, handsome in that polished way, but right now he looked like a deer in headlights.
His gaze locked on Victoria, and he gulped…audible, throat bobbing hard, face draining of color like he’d been caught cheating by his wife on their honeymoon.
Victoria stepped forward, shoulders squared, a predatory smile curling her lips despite the fury boiling in her eyes. “Yes, Antonio,” she taunted, voice low and silky, laced with pure ice. “Explain yourself.”
He opened his mouth…stammered something incoherent, “I…I didn’t know… I don’t even know you…”
I didn’t let him complete what he was saying. It could make the crowd think Victoria and I are just crazy.
“Whatever the case,” I interrupted, stepping closer, voice rising for the crowd’s benefit, “this young lady is a homewrecker. Look at her…shameless! Didn’t you say today is your sister’s funeral? Yet here you are, being a whore in a hotel corner instead of crying over her casket!”
Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Phones angled higher. The crowd thickened…whispers turning to murmurs. “Funeral?” “Sister?” “She’s shameless!”
Miranda froze, her face paling under layers of makeup. Her eyes locked on mine…real fear flickering now. “It’s you again? Who… who are you? Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?”
I leaned in close…close enough that only she could hear, my breath hot against her ear, the scent of her confusion sharp and satisfying.
“Remember that summer at the lake house?” I whispered, voice velvet and venom. “You made me swear on my Mom’s grave I’d never tell a soul about you sneaking out to hook up with that married lifeguard. The one whose wife caught you and threw paint on you? You cried for days, begging me to keep your secret.”
Miranda’s breath hitched. Her body went rigid, eyes widening in pure panic. She stumbled back a step, nearly tripping over her own heels. “H-how… who are you? How do you know that?”
I pulled back just enough for her to see my smile…slow, cold, triumphant.
“Hi, sisi,” I said softly. “I’m back. Guess y’all didn’t push me hard enough.”
Her face crumpled…confusion slamming into her like a wild storm. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, eyes bulging with terror. She backed up further, bumping into Antonio as she shook her head over and over again. “Antonio…help…call my mom!”
But Victoria was faster.
She surged forward, grabbing Antonio and slamming him against the wall far from the scene with one hand pinned to his chest.
Her growl vibrated through the air…deep, animal, possessive. I just hope no one else heard it.
Before I could even process what was happening, she took it a step further.
One second she was glaring at him, the next she lunged…her teeth sinking into the curve of his neck. Not deep enough to tear, not deep enough to kill… but deep enough to leave a mark.
What is it with these people and biting others?
He let out a sharp, high scream…more shock than pain…and his entire body went slack beneath her grip.
The sound cut through the air like shattered glass.
Heads turned and whispers died.
The crowd’s attention shifted toward them, curiosity sharpening into suspicion probably at their odd angle. I’m pretty sure it was giving vampire energy.
No.
No, no, no.
I had to fix this. Now. Before anyone started asking the wrong questions. Before anyone realized what Victoria really was.
Why am I even doing this for her?
“YOU!” I shouted, my voice slicing through the rising murmur as I pointed straight at Miranda.
The movement worked. Attention snapped back to me like a rubber band.
“What kind of sister gets caught with a married man on a day that’s supposed to be for mourning?” I demanded, my tone ringing with outrage. “On the day your family is burying someone? What does that say about your upbringing?”
The words landed.
And then the whispers started again…louder this time.
“Wait… isn’t that Miranda Summers?”
“The Miranda Summers? The soon-to-be CEO of The Summers Group?”
“I thought today was her sister’s funeral…”
Gasps rippled through the crowd and phones subtly lifted again.
Recognition dawned across faces…shock mixing with scandalized delight.
And in the middle of it all, one word lodged itself in my brain like a splinter.
Miranda Summers?
My stomach twisted.
Summers?
How dare they?
How dare they take my mother’s name and parade it around like it belonged to them.
Miranda’s cry pierced everything…high, shrill, animalistic in its own way. “No…no…it’s not true. Stop taking pictures…please…stop,” she cried covering her face. “I’m not a slut! He’s my fiance. Antonio, tell them!”
“He’s mine!” Victoria yelled, latching on to a dazed Antonio.
“What the fuck…get off him! Security! SECURITY!”
Miranda yelled as she stumbled away from the crowd and made her way toward Antonio, clutching at his arm, her perfect makeup smearing as tears streaked down. “Help me! They’re insane!”
Antonio just groaned, hand pressed to his neck, staring at Victoria like the world had tilted. The connection…he must be feeling it now in full force.
I stood in the eye of the storm, heart pounding with savage joy, the noise crashing over me like a wave I’d summoned myself. Phones in my face…flashes blinding, voices echoing their thoughts…
“How could she do that on the day her sister should be buried?”
“What’s going on?” “How can she be the new CEO of Summers Group?”
The crowd pressed tighter as screams, shoves, spilled drinks, people trying to ask Miranda questions, security barking orders that no one followed.
Chaos.
Beautiful, deafening chaos.
And I hadn’t even made it to the funeral yet.