"Guests?" I echoed surprised.
We hadn't had those since I arrived here. And Ilay hadn't said anything about anyone visiting. So they probably weren't important.

"Ye-yes," she answered with a shaking voice.
Just like everyone else in the house, yester events had left them completely trembling from their souls. I had passed by the 'slaughter' house which was also Ilay's den, and witnessed the horrific punishments I had given.

Irina had lost three fingers according to my instructions, crushed to a pulp.
She had been barely conscious when I saw her. Didn't even have the life to curse or glare at me.
It had been a satisfying sight. But not as beautiful as Aya who had lost her hand and then bandaged to stop the bleeding.

I could hear her screams from a distance, and when I walked into the room where she was being held captive, my heart thumped as relief coursed through me.
At some point, I had doubted Ilay's relationship with her. But seeing just how easily he let me destroy her gave me the assurance I didn't know I had craved.

"I'll get back at you for this!" Aya had screamed from the floor, chains around her ankles and wrist like a beast.

Her eyes had pierced my chest aiming to take down my soul. But she had no idea just how much I had changed since getting together with Ilay.
"Better pray to still be alive by then, sister." I had teased brushing her hair off her face. 

********************

An hour later, I was summoned downstairs by Ilay and was allowed to wear whatever I desired. With the heating system of the mansion running to my wishes, it was warm enough for me to get comfortable in a pair of baggy shorts and Ilay's shirt.
I understood his mind when he said that I could wear whatever I wanted. He meant that I should not bother dressing up for whoever I was about to meet wasn't important before his eyes.

As Leah led me to the parlor, the servants I met along the way bowed so low that I worried they might smack the floor on their heads or even twist their spines.
The fear still hanging in the air was so thick that a sword could cut through it.

Occupying the couches were Faina and her husband, Irina, who sat beside an older couple whom she resembled, and finally, Ilay, who sat by himself.
All eyes flew towards me except Ilay's, but they didn't make me feel uncomfortable. Only Ilay's could accomplish that. He had now become the only person I feared yet craved to be close to.

Ilay patted his thigh and I understood where he wanted me to sit. My heart somersaulted as merry spread through it thoroughly. Why was I excited by him being such a bad boy in front of his own dad? Well, if a father could easily marry the girl his own son had dated at one point, then he deserved no respect from his son's wife.
I had promised myself to only obey and follow whatever Ilay said and did.

He drew me closer to his chest and pressed his face on my shoulder. "You look fucking sexy. You should wear only my shirts from now on," Ilay whispered naughtily.
I couldn't help but giggle, ignoring every single person present except my psycho.

"Anything to make you happy."

"Ahem!" Ilay's dad, Craig, cleared his throat. But his son disregarded him as he stroked my arm.

"Ilay, I understand that we came unannounced, but we'd like to wrap this inci-"

"Don't rush me!" Ilay snapped, his attention falling on the man I assumed to be Irina's dad. "I just called my wife here. I interrupted whatever important thing she was doing just to entertain you. If you're in a rush, how about you go start packing up your bags to vacate your company?"

Tension broke on the older man's face and his mouth slowly zipped like a meek dog retreating.
And, had Ilay said I was doing something important? I wanted to break out in a laugh because I had been doing nothing other than watching videos on the internet.

"Kally," Craig called realizing that he could get to Ilay only through me. "Could you please ask your husband to focus for a moment? They won't take up much of your time."

I hooked my arm around his neck and slid the hand in his hair. "What's this meeting about?"

Ilay sighed as if bored to his soul and then looked at me with the same exhausted gaze he used on things that didn't entertain him.
"I hear they came to apologize to me. But I already told them that she didn't do anything to me."

"Oh? How interesting." I smiled and faced the couple sitting next to their daughter.
Irina's hand was fully bandaged and was missing three fingers. Her skin was pale and her eyes dull with what looked like exhaustion and puffy from crying. Overall, she was a mess. An ugly mess.

The mother's anger was restrained almost perfectly by the smile gracing her face as she got up. From the two bags sitting on one of the empty couches, she drew out a red velvety gift box that was the size of a palm.
Feigning humbleness, she presented me with the gift.
"An apology gift that may appease your anger."

"Wow! You came prepared, eh?" I mocked receiving the present.
From its weight, I already had a few ideas about what it might be.
Upon opening it, a wristwatch that seemed to glitter like diamonds in the sun smiled at me. It was literally embedded with tiny diamonds all over it that reflected the light falling on it, making it look as expensive as it might have been.

"How much is this worth?" I asked lifting it from its box.

"One million dollars."

"Oh!" I dropped it back in the box with a little pride to show them that buying expensive things would not give them power over me.
If such an expensive piece of jewelry had been presented to the old me, I would have fallen on my knees and done their bidding. But Ilay had once bought me a painting worth fifty million dollars just to decorate the wall of a college student. What was a mere million in comparison?

"Not bad. But don't you think this is a little low-priced? I mean, this might be the cheapest gift I've received, especially for an apology."

The couple eyed each other taken aback. They must have expected me to happily accept it and shake hands for peace. From what I had learned in this underworld, one had to be the supreme predator to establish dominance over the others.
Take Ilay for example. He was yet to be the Czar and yet had so many companies and organizations in his palm. They hated yet feared him. Which was far more valuable than fake loyalty.

"Kally, can you please not make-" Faina had begun speaking when she was silenced by a single glare from Ilay.

Craig didn't bother saying anything. He was there maybe to make sure Ilay didn't send our in-laws back in caskets.
"Um...you're right. It's my fault for daring to think that a million dollars would equal the crimes of our daughter."

I smiled at the couple, pushing them to their limit. "You're right. She framed me. I could have lost my life for the dirty game she had played. So I expect a satisfying apology gift worthy of 'her' life."

"What about your sister?" Irina suddenly cried out. "She-"

"Don't worry about her. I'll take my time with her. As for you, three fingers were an act of mercy. You better behave from now on unless you want to lose more parts of that beautiful body of yours." I grinned, adding acid to their raw wound.

The father gritted his teeth secretly but I caught it. And the mother, damn! Her eyes felt ready to slice me into tiny pieces even though she wore a polite smile.
"How about we compensate you with money? Fifty million dollars?"