Reborn to Ruin Chapter 2

"Wait! It's all a misunderstanding!" Julian sputtered, his face pressed into the manicured lawn. "I'm Marcus's friend! Sera invited me!"

I thought about him pouring champagne on my wedding dress while calling me a whore. I walked over calmly.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

I hit him three times, hard. He staggered, clutching his face. A flicker of darkness crossed his eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a placating smile. "Sera, darling, are you upset about something? You can take it all out on me."

"But," he added, his voice dropping, "I am your fiancé. You shouldn't embarrass me in front of the staff."

"Oh, right," I said, nodding as if I'd just realized. "In that case, our engagement is off."

"Wh... what?" He looked genuinely stunned, clutching his chest. "But... we're childhood sweethearts! Our families arranged this... You can't just... cancel it."

"Childhood sweethearts? Don't flatter yourself," I said coldly. I nodded to the guards. "This man is a trespasser. Teach him a lesson, then throw him out."

I stayed and watched. Only when Julian was curled on the ground, beaten and gasping for air, did I finally turn and walk away.

Getting even felt good.

That evening, I was summoned to Marcus's penthouse. Lily, her face wrapped in bandages, was curled up in his arms, weeping. Julian, his suit now rumpled, was standing stiffly to the side. They had clearly been waiting for me.

I ignored them both and smiled brightly at my brother. "Marcus, darling! Did you call me here to give me my allowance?"

Marcus's face was like ice. "Kneel."

"Why the hell should I?" The smile vanished.

"You ordered your men to beat the heir to the Chenworth family. You viciously mutilated my savior, nearly disfiguring her for life. You tell me if you should kneel!" His voice boomed, trying to intimidate me.

I just raised my voice louder than his.

"I am Seraphina Vance! Who the hell are they? Their status doesn't compare to mine. If I want to bully them, I bully them. Do I need a reason?"

My blatant arrogance left him speechless for a moment. Then, his face contorted in rage.

"You are an embarrassment! You have no class, no upbringing!" he roared. "You scarred Lily's face and you had Julian beaten. For that, you'll take thirty slaps to the face. Now! Do it!"

Two of his personal bodyguards started to move toward me. From Marcus's arms, Lily looked at me with pure, venomous triumph.

"Sera," Julian pleaded, "you made a mistake, and you need to face the consequences. Just accept the punishment."

I wasn't about to let them touch me.

I pulled a sharp, pearl-handled letter opener from my boot. "Anyone who comes near me," I hissed, "gets this in their throat."

I turned my disgusted gaze back to Marcus. "Honestly, if you love Lily so much, why don't you just marry her? You're already acting like a married couple without the ring, hiding her in your penthouse. You're the one with no shame here, brother."

Lily immediately burst from his arms, tears streaming. "Miss Vance! You can hate me, I can take it... but Marcus is your brother! How can you slander him like that?"

Julian chimed in, pretending to defend me but twisting the knife. "Sera, I don't know what's gotten into you, but this... this behavior is really disappointing me..."

"This is the Vance family home," I snapped. "Who gave you permission to speak?"

"Seraphina!" Marcus shot to his feet, his eyes boring into me. "Have you no decency at all!"