Fair game

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3RD POV

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Standing before a full-length mirror, Aya hissed in pain while unwinding the bandages from her abdomen, patches of blood decorating it.

She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, but that wasn't enough to hide her pain. It made her shed tears, and her lungs constricted from the intensity of the pain.

When the dressings were full off, she forced her eyes open to look at the markings Ilay had given her, forever reminding her of her dear sister.

'KALLY', the name was carved on the very flesh of her stomach like an animal being branded. He told her that from now on, she belonged to her little sister and if Kally wished to slice off her arms and legs, Aya was to willingly do so with a smile on her face.

She was well aware of just how much Ilay spoiled his women. She had once been there and had bathed in the glory of being his wife. He had showered her with all types of gifts that money could buy, protected her and her family, and never refused anything she asked from him except...affection.

Aya gritted her teeth glaring at her reflection. Bitter that her very own sister had become her replacement.

She wondered why Ilay looked at Kally the way he did. After spending years around him, Aya had memorized to heart Ilay's likes and dislikes. Who he despised and who he craved. Trying to please him, she had put on this fragile persona of a damsel in need of a hero. And Ilay had filled the prince's shoes without any hesitation, for theirs had been a symbiotic relationship.

So what had changed with Kally?

Ilay would kill for the woman by his side, but never, personally brew concoctions for her.

She had wondered why Ilay hadn't killed her, but it was all because Kally asked him not to. Instead, he had given her Nightmare Needles, a vicious poison that acted up at night and made the whole body feel like it was being pierced by a thousand needles from the inside.

She was told she'd receive a pill every week to weaken the poison so she could live longer. Ilay didn't want to completely detoxicate her, no. He wanted her to keep suffering the horrors of the night and smile to Kally's face lest she be thrown back into the torture hell.

"Fuck this! Why should I listen to you? I've already confessed everything to you. So why won't you spare me?" She broke down crying at the mirror. And the wounds started bleeding.

"Kally, you shouldn't have gotten involved with him. Why should he favor you? You're nothing but a naive little girl... Ilay will be mine again. But don't worry, I won't be heartless to you like you are to me. We can even share him." She added a maniacal laugh and more blood squeezed out.

With an insane expression glued to her face, Aya swept a finger on her bloody abdomen, coating it with the dark red liquid before writing Ilay's name on the mirror. "I made only a single mistake Ilay, so I'll work hard to earn your forgiveness. I'll be a good girl. I'll listen to you better than any other woman ever will. Kally is rebellious. She won't stuck with you if she sees the real you. Only I can love you Ilay. We're meant for each other."

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Aya sucked in more air than normal and then exhaled it all while pushing out a simple smile and walking through Milan's door.

She walked carefully, as if treading on thin ice to keep her act together until she got to his desk. "You called for me, Sir."

Milan lifted his eyes lazily before pushing his back to relax on the chair. Without saying a thing, his eyes raked the five-foot-six female with little to no interest.

Feeling like a specimen under a microscope, Aya held her breath and retained the fake yet believable smile. "You grew up with Kally, no?"

Folding her fists behind her, Aya answered, "Yes. Is there anything you wish to know about her?"

Milan leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk and his chin on his knuckles. "What does she like? Food, gifts, and such."

Aya's eyes immediately hardened for a second, but she effortlessly hid it by looking away while faking a light giggle. "Looks like my sister has left such an impression on you as well."

"It's fair game. My brother hasn't claimed her, so I still have a chance."

"But..." Aya frowned. "Aren't you married? What about your-"

"Don't bother about that. Our relationships aren't something you can understand as an outsider," Milan shushed her coldly.

His words made her nails dig into her palm, anger slicing her chest while the building resentment grew an inch longer.

'An outsider!' Aya retorted in her head, desperately holding back the urge to smash Milan's face with the vase sitting on the closer corner of his desk.

"I'm sorry for asking."

"No problem. So just do as you're told me. And don't dare lie because then, you'll have me to deal with. And I must warn you-" a creepy threatening grin surfaced, "-I'm just as ruthless as my brother. So go out. Go and make me a list of what I need."

Aya bowed. "Right away."

She cursed him with her eyes as she turned around to leave.

As she closed the door behind her, she met Luka standing on the opposite side, leaning against the door while looking at Milan's office. She couldn't read through his calm composure which she wasn't sure whether it was from experience or timidness. But just like his brothers, Aya found him mysterious and underlying frightening.

She bowed to him but he ignored her and walked past her to his brother's office.

"Fuck this family!" Aya mumbled clenching her fists as tightly as they could until a nail bent backward.

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"Who was that?" Luka asked lowering himself on a couch. "I haven't seen her around but she looks-"

"Kally's sister."

"Why, why would her sister be working as a maid here?"

Milan shit his brother a warning glance. "Don't involve yourself with their personal issues Luka. You know Ilay too well. She must be paying for a crime."

"You're talking as if you're a saint. Didn't you go to their room last night?"

Milan picked up his phone and then hurled it at Luka. He sucked just in time and it smashed against the wall behind him. "Are you spying on me?"

Luka smiled teasingly. "Not you exactly. You just happened to show up there."

"Are you spying on... Kally?"

Luka's smile turned into a vicious grin that spilled darkness. "I'm quite intrigued by the kind of girl Ilay brought home. He doesn't love her, yet protects her like she's his world. Aren't you curious? Isn't that why you got entangled with her?"

Feeling caught, Milan diverted his gaze to the flowers on his desk. "We fucked."

The proud face Luka had on was wiped away in a second because of his brother's revelation. He expected that they would make out like the last time, not full sex. "He, he let you fuck her?"

"What else? Do you think I forced my way with her?" Milan asked displeased. "You're the only sadist in the room, Luka."

"That's not fair. Why wasn't I invited? We always shared interesting things between the three of us when we were younger," Luka whined. "No big deal. I'll just wait for my chance... So, how was it?"

Their eyes met and silence grew for a few seconds. They both acknowledged that their family was just trauma and red flags walking around and smiling at each other. Because normal brothers would be discussing theirsister-in-laww in this manner.