Kristen could not keep track of how many lashes she had received.
She lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised, with old wounds reopening and new ones forming.
Drained and broken, she could only look up at Declan with pleading eyes.
"Stop."
At Declan's command, the whipping stopped.
He watched Kristen with a cold, detached expression and tossed a grape at her.
The grape landed on her face.
According to Declan's rules, a tossed grape was a sign of forgiveness.
The one who was forgiven had to eat whatever was thrown at them,
Unable to stand, Kristen crawled forward and forced the grape into her mouth, swallowing it with great effort.
Declan observed this with a hardened gaze, feeling even more justified in his actions.
"Since you've already messed up, there's no need to go back. In two days, you'll handle the smuggling job. You must ensure that the Nicholls Group cannot recover from this setback. If you make another mistake, I won't be able to protect you. Many are watching you. I've forgiven you way too many times, yet this is how you repay me."
Kristen could only answer with a weak, "I won't make any more mistakes."
Refusing was not an option if she wanted to stay alive.
Declan was satisfied with her response and said, "You can avoid the death penalty, but you'll still face punishment. Clean yourself up and come to my room later."
His order made Kristen feel sick to her stomach, but she had no choice but to obey.
"Yes, I understand."
With that, Declan left the room, and Kristen was left to the mercy of those around her.
Too weak to resist, she allowed them to drag her away.
According to Declan's instructions, she was to be cleaned up.
The hot water stung her open wounds, causing her to shiver in pain.
The women tasked with this job were not kind.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Wait, She’s a Billionaire (Sheena Lawson)
The novel is too abusive it spoils the joy of reading it. I hate the punishment part between sheena and Eliot....