Chapter 21-B: Now he knows we are siblings?
Vanessa's nostrils flared—this little bastard was twisting the narrative too smoothly. She stepped between them, her voice dropping to a razor's edge. "Cut the bullshit. You just want her compliant." Eli didn't deny it, shrugging as if to say, Obviously.
Akari, though still shaking her head in refusal forced a whimper to escape her lips, one with just enough hesitation to bait Eli further. He exhaled sharply through his nose as his eyes turned cold, the exhaustion wearing thin. He stood, his movement fluid and menacing, walking toward Akari.
He stood over her, his voice dropping to a chilling flat tone. "Are you going to do it or not?"
The girl trembled, but she stubbornly shook her head.
Eli sighed, the sound heavy with displeasure, and grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her head back sharply, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Wrong answer," he murmured, his thumb tracing the rapid pulse in her throat. "You don't get to say no in my space." Akari gasped, her fingers clawing at his wrist, but he barely flinched at her pathetic resistance which he found himself smiling at the futility of it.
"What the hell, Eli!" Vanessa was instantly between them, pushing Eli's arm away with surprising force. "Stop it! I don't care if she's your sister, that's enough."
Eli ignored Vanessa, his eyes fixed on Akari's pained face. "Doing it or not. Last chance." It was then that she snapped at him, no longer playing timid as her hand lashed out and clawed down Eli's forearm, drawing blood as she glared at him fiercely, making him sneer.
She glared at him fiercely, the suppressed rage of her fierce side kicking in just enough to be plausible. "You bastard!" she spat, her voice shaking. "Let me go!" She twisted sharply, her nails digging deeper into his skin as she fought for real this time. Not the act but the one with raw defiance. "If you don't stop, I'm going to tell Mommy Elara!"
Eli snorted, a dry, dismissive sound. "And what will happen? A spanking? Another grounding?" He shook his head slowly. "You better do as I say, or you will find yourself in a worse situation than the train incident."
Akari's eyes darkened with hatred. "What are you going to do? Drag me by my skirt across the floor and rape me like that man on the train?" Her voice cracked with venom.
Eli's smirk grew wider, colder. "That's a brilliant idea you got. Thank you for the suggestion."
Akari's face paled with fright, but her fingers curled tighter around his wrist but this time was not about pulling away but more of anchoring herself. "You wouldn't," she whispered, but her voice lacked conviction. Eli leaned in. "Try me."
Vanessa's hand shot out, grabbing Eli's shoulder with enough force to make him stagger back. "Enough!" she hissed, her usually playful voice now razor-edged. "You think I'm letting you pull this shit in my apartment? You want to film? Fine. But she's not part of it."
He turned to her, eyebrow raised. "What? And what's with you barging into a sibling's fight?"
Akari let out a mocking laugh, her lips curling into a sneer as she clutched her head. "Siblings?" She leaned in, her whisper venomous. "Now you know we are siblings?" Elijah's smirk faltered for half a second before he shrugged. "Sure. Stepsiblings count."
"You think that changes anything?" Elijah chuckled darkly, wiping the blood from his forearm. Akari's chest heaved as she adjusted her rumpled clothes, her eyes flashing with something between hatred and satisfaction. "You always were a fucking coward," she spat, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Needing someone else to hold you back before you can pretend to be tough."
Eli's fingers twitched, but before he could retaliate Vanessa yanked him backward with surprising strength. "Enough!" she snapped, her voice slicing through the tension like a blade. "One more move toward her and I swear to god, Eli, I will kneecap you."
"She's not going to film us. That's final. If you want to film, use a fucking tripod or your hand like you did. This is my house, and I have rules. Now shut up and let me get your hands cleaned before you bleed on my carpet."
Eli stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged. "Fine," he said, his voice smooth again as if the last few minutes hadn't happened. "Let her be useless then." He flicked his gaze toward Akari who was still breathing hard. "But you're still staying, don't get bored," he added, smiling as if he'd just granted her a favor. With that he walked past her towards the bedroom.
Vanessa glanced at Akari's disheveled state and something hardened in her gaze. "Go sit on the couch," she muttered, tossing a throw pillow at her. "And don't move." Akari caught it with surprising deftness, her fingers digging into the fabric as she shot Elijah's retreating back a look that could have melted steel.
For a moment, Vanessa just looked at the girl with seriousness, but the more she watched, a smile couldn't help but form on her lips. "Is he the one you wanted to break, dear? Oh honey, you got your work cut out for you," Vanessa whispered in a tone laced with dark amusement.
Akari patted down her unruly hair, glaring fiercely at Vanessa but said nothing, maintaining her composure through sheer force of will, making Vanessa chuckle. She turned away, shaking her head as she walked toward the bedroom, pausing at the threshold. In a teasing tone, she called back, "You better not peek or do anything nasty while we're busy. Bet you wouldn't want your stepbrother crashing out, do you?"
——————
Yuri was driving, Zigi was in the passenger seat with Zhu Ting in the back. Yuri spoke. "So princess, you want to go sell yourself now, or do you prefer following us to work first before going? We still got a few stops to make."
A deep profound pain flashed in her eyes at the casual way the boy talked, but she forced herself to nod. "Anything that would help me get back early would do."
The car hit a pothole hard enough to make Zhu Ting's teeth click together asYuri cursed under his breath, steering the battered car through another pothole-riddled alleyway, "What... you almost forgot she has to take her boyfriend to the hospital?" Zigi chimed in.
Yuri nodded, pulling the taxi over to a quiet side street before grabbing his phone to call someone. The person on the other end picked up instantly.
"Yeah ma'am, I got a girl," Yuri began, "Asian, probably 18 or so, not willing but got the right motivation to do it. Yeah, untouched— well, mostly."
"No, she is in perfect shape. Well, she got kicked in the ribs, but nothing to worry about," Yuri added nonchalantly, watching Zhu Ting's face blanch in the rearview mirror.
There was a minute pause before the person spoke, making Yuri nod. Yuri put the call on hold, covering the speaker with his palm. He turned back to Zhu Ting.
"Okay, Princess. Price check. How much are you going to take?" He snapped a picture of her face and instantly sent it to the pimp. "Give me a reasonable price, or I'll set it myself."
A stream of hot tears ran down Zhu Ting's face. She wanted to say something high, but all she could choke out was, "Two thousand Noxs." Zigi gave her a weird look, and Yuri sighed, running a hand over his face. "You're underselling yourself, idiot," he muttered before removing his palm from the phone. "She's asking for five thousand—standard rate for untouched merchandise."
Seconds later, Yuri nodded to the phone. "Deal. Four thousand five hundred Nox cash. Will be there in thirty." He hung up without waiting for acknowledgment—the pimp would be waiting regardless.
"There it is. Got your first payment already," Yuri said while starting the car. "Could get more if you find this lucrative, but I guess you are too attached to that blonde human of yours."
"You're a monster," she whispered. Yuri just chuckled, flicking the turn signal as they merged into traffic. "No, princess. Monsters eat people alive. I just helped you make money while we get ours. We are also in a bind."
Zhu Ting's eyes closed in resignation. "Who... who bought me?"
Yuri shrugged. "I don't know. But per the female pimp's usual clients, could be some rich exec wanting a night with an Asian girl or a brothel roster filler. Doesn't matter. You'll be back safe, we wouldn't let them hurt you, promised your old man, remember?"
"Oh, and if you are wondering about the age gap," Yuri added casually, adjusting the rearview mirror to watch Zhu Ting's reaction, "the client's probably young than old, but hey… don't get any CEO fantasies because those who go there are freaks." The car filled with Zigi's bark of laughter, while Zhu Ting clenched her jaw so hard her temples ached.