Chapter 11: Basics of taming.

The sterile scent of antiseptics filled the air as Jessica stormed through the medical nursery, her heels clicking like gunshots against the polished marble floor. Her blonde hair was disheveled, strands escaping her usually impeccable bun, and her blue eyes burned with a fire that could melt steel. She had pieced it together—every little whisper, every calculated move, every damn word that snake Kraner had slithered into people's ears—it all led back to him.

"You!" she spat, shoving the heavy wooden door open so hard it slammed against the wall. The sound echoed like thunder in the quiet room. Kraner stood there, calm as ever, his silver hair catching the dim glow of the overhead lights. He didn't even flinch at her entrance, just turned slowly, those icy blue eyes meeting hers with an infuriating calmness.

"Madame Jessica," he said, his voice smooth as silk but laced with mockery. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"You think you can play games with me, you little shit?!" she snarled, stepping closer until they were almost nose to nose. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but from sheer rage. "I know it was you! All of it! The rumors about Clarissa, everything! You've been pulling strings like some kind of puppet master while we're all dancing to your tune!"

Kraner tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion. "My dear Jessica, I have no idea what you're talking about. If anything, I've simply been doing my job—taking care of Lady Tanya's precious children."

"Your job?" she shrieked, her voice cracking under the weight of her fury. "Your fucking job?! Don't give me that bullshit! You think I don't see it? You think I'm blind to how you've manipulated everyone around here? You're not just a slave, Kraner—you're a fucking cancer, eating away at this household piece by piece!"

For a moment, Kraner's mask slipped. His lips curled into something darker, more sinister. It wasn't quite a smile, but it wasn't a frown either—it was the look of a predator who'd finally been acknowledged by its prey. "Oh, Madame Jessica," he purred, leaning in just enough to make her uncomfortable. "You flatter me. But tell me, if I am such a 'cancer,' then why did you let me thrive? Why didn't you cut me out when you had the chance?"

Jessica clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. "Because I underestimated you," she admitted through gritted teeth. "I thought you were just another pathetic worm wriggling in the dirt. But you... you're something else entirely. Something twisted. Something dangerous."

Kraner chuckled softly, the sound sending chills down Jessica's spine. "Dangerous? Me? Oh, Madame Jessica, you wound me. I'm merely a humble servant trying to survive in a world that despises weakness." His tone shifted suddenly, growing colder, sharper. "But perhaps you're right. Perhaps I am dangerous—to those who stand in my way."

"You arrogant bastard!" Jessica snapped, her composure crumbling. She jabbed a finger into his chest, her voice dropping to a venomous hiss. "Do you really think you can keep playing these games forever? Sooner or later, someone will figure you out. Someone smarter than you. And when that happens, you'll be nothing but ash beneath our feet."

Kraner grabbed her wrist before she could pull away, his grip firm but not painful—yet. His blue eyes gleamed with something unreadable, something ancient and predatory. "And yet, here you are, threatening me instead of exposing me. Why is that, I wonder? Could it be because deep down, you admire what I've done? Or maybe..." He leaned in closer, his breath brushing against her ear. "...maybe you're afraid of what I might do if you try."

Jessica yanked her hand free, stumbling back a step. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, and for the first time in years, she felt truly vulnerable. "Mark my words, Kraner," she growled, pointing a trembling finger at him. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot. I will destroy you. I will tear you apart piece by fucking piece, and when I'm done, there won't be enough left of you to bury."

Kraner watched her with amusement, his expression almost bored. "Such passion, Madame Jessica. Truly inspiring. But threats mean nothing without action. So go ahead—try to destroy me. See where it gets you." He turned his back on her, dismissing her like she was nothing more than a pesky fly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Jessica stood there, shaking with impotent rage as Kraner walked away. She wanted to scream, to throw something, to rip him apart with her bare hands. But she couldn't. Because despite everything, she knew one thing for certain: Kraner wasn't bluffing. He was dangerous. Deadly even. And if she wasn't careful, he'd crush her just like he'd crushed everyone else.

Kraner smiled, a smile so sharp it reached the end of his cheeks. "Years of conniving planning, backstabs, betrayals, and finally reaching your pitiful position as a head maid, and it only took some rumors for it all to collapse. Despicable, utterly despicable," he retorted, his tongue so sharp that it made her halt her steps right then and there.

Watching her stay there, he continued further. "If I knew you were such a PATHETIC crybaby of a woman, who can't even deal with a single slave, I would have gone easy on you from the first place. You could have just begged me outright, told me you were just a weak woman who needed a real man to put you in your place."

"...stop..." she replied, her voice reeking with caged rage.

Kraner felt the points coming into his system, and they were racking up quite more than before, which only showed how much anger he was able to pierce out from her.

"Haha... what, now you can't even take actual facts? Actually, these are words of encouragement really. The situation you are in right now can only describe you as a fat whore ass bitch who is clinging to only hopes and dreams to stay within the Ruxnard household," he added.

He could feel the heat her body was generating through pure ember. He thought she would come outright after some words, but he was surprised that she could still stomach more of his playful words.

Finally, she faced toward him, her eyes contracted with wrath, her hands gripping tightly, ready to unleash what she had in store. "Final warning, shut... the... fuck... up," she spoke, her voice turning to sheer irritation.

Kraner placed the new points he just received into his agility. "...you are a... whoorreeeeee..." Kraner replied.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of a sudden, there was intense heat and light within the room. Within seconds, a lane of pure fire reached Kraner. And with an inch of hair distance, he dodged. But she was not done yet; she kept pumping her fire toward wherever he moved. It was surprising seeing a slave move so fast, but that mattered not as her mind was encased with only rage, anger, wrath. Her only intention was burning the vermin of a man before her.

"...you fucking slave, stay fucking still..."

She pushed more, using more of her ember, finally getting him to a corner, but she gasped, seeing something that should not be there. She pulled her ember back as fast as possible, but the fire she had already launched was reaching her intended target.

"...no," she said with desperation, her eyes finally catching the glimpse of two babies lying behind Kraner.

'...so he planned it all,' she finally realized, as she saw Kraner and the two babies partially engulfed in her red flame, Kraner taking most of the brunt of it, only a small fire scratching the small boy's arm.

"Now you have done it, haven't you? Now they are weeping because of you," Kraner said, patting the baby as he placed a detoxifying medicine on the baby's small wound.

"No, no, I... I did not. I did not do it on purpose," Jessica said as she backed away in grim terror. Now she was actually done for; she had done something she should never have done—hurt someone who should never ever have been hurt.

Kraner's smile was easy to see as he pointed toward the camera and to his IIA, which also had the live health data of the children.

"When did... Lady Tanya give you...?"

"Right after your 'woo hoo, I didn't do anything' act... She trusts me now, more than you know. So now you know what you have done, and what... I can do..." He mocked as he linked Lady Tanya's IIS, ready to transfer the burn wound data of her child's hand.

There was only terror and panic in her eyes; her haughty attitude, her pride, her status—everything halted. What could she do? The ploy he had concocted was diabolical, even letting innocent children be hurt, even letting himself be burned to a degree.

"What, what do you want? You won, okay. I won't come in your way any longer," she proclaimed.

Her panic only doubled in time as Kraner was only showing his cryptic smile. Sweat running down from her forehead, awaiting what he would say, what he would do. Kraner only reached his hand to the camera, smothering it with his burned blood. The babies were still crying, so he calmed them down, letting the boy suck his burned and bloody thumb.

"What are you doing?!" cried out Jessica, but all of a sudden, the door behind her slammed closed.

"Now that you and the babies are quiet, from now on only I will speak. You, my dear, will only listen and do as I say," he commanded.

"What?! What the fuck are you babbling...?!"

Slap!

She was interrupted midway, her left cheek getting a sound slap. "How dare youuuu..."

Slap!

"You insolen..."

Slap!

"Wait... wa—"

Slap!

"I said wai—"

Slap! Slap! Slap!

"Did you forget what I just said? Do not speak unless you are spoken to, bitch!" He shouted toward her, his hand swinging again.

SLAP!

She had already stopped feeling her cheeks altogether, but the last slap knocked her down on the ground. Now she finally knew what she should do, and that was nothing. She could do nothing as of this moment. What she needed to do now was bide her time. Her chance would surely come in the future. That much was clear enough for Kraner to see, looking at her glaring eyes toward him.

'But after the experience I am about to give her, she will not be the same haughty Madame Jessica anymore,' he thought as he unveiled his belt.

"What I want you to do now, Madame Jessica, is for you to ohhh sooo kindly..... strip," he said nonchalantly.

".....?"