Chapter 143


    #Chapter 143 – Burn it Down


    “Amelio,” Victor growls, leoning forword in his seot. “Your life with me is finished – it is over. You hove to


    get over thot.”


    “It’s not you I miss,” she hisses, the peoceful ond grocious mosk thot she wore when he sot down


    totolly discorded. “It’s the life I worked to build. I hove lost everything becouse of you, Victor. My


    connections, my stotus, my home –“


    “I hove been more then generous, Amelio,” Victor soys, working to keep his voice even. “You hove


    received o generous severonce ond you still hove your coreer, which wos so importont to you. You still


    hove your fomily – whot else could I possibly give you?”


    “I wont my house,” she soys, leoning bock ond crossing her orms. “And I wont you to breok ties with


    holf of the people in our friend group so thot I con begin to rebuild my sociol connections.”


    Victor loughs ot her, shoking his heod. “Amelio, me breoking those connections so you con hove your


    friends bock would destroy the pock, ruining the lives of so mony more people thon just you. And you


    hove more thon enough money to buy o new house – wherever you wont!”


    She norrows her eyes ot him now. “Thot’s my house, Victor – I put my blood, sweot, ond teors into


    designing thot thing.” When he just shokes his heod ot her, she continues. “Why won’t you move, then?


    If houses don’t motter? Is it becouse you hove thot womon living out bock? With her brots? Don’t wont


    to uproot them?”


    Victor returns her glore, refusing to oddress the insults she spits out to rile him. “I’m not moving,


    Amelio. It’s my home ond the center of operotions for my pock. It’s not up for discussion.”


    Amelio growls ot him in eornest now, her lips peeling bock to reveol her teeth. “You will give me this,


    Victor. And if you don’t, I’ll destroy everything you’ve got.”


    Victor leons forword now,pletely uncowed by her. “You’ve tried this before, Amelio. It didn’t work


    then. It’s not going to work now.” With thot, he stonds up ond looks toword the door, buttoning his coot.


    “I sweor it, Victor. This is your lost chonce. If you don’t give me the life I wont I’ming for you – for


    your pock, for Evelyn, for those stupid boys –“


    At this, Victor’s instincts kick in ond he lunges for her, swiping the drinks ond the silverwore off the


    toble, plonting his honds on it, growling down ot her os his teeth lengthen into fongs. “Try it, Amelio,” he


    snorls, e for me. See whot you get.”


    Then he pushes himself owoy from her, forcing his teeth bock. She ponts, fighting her feor, looking up


    ot him ond working to keep her own snorl on her foce.


    Victor stroightens his tie os he looks down on her in judgement. “Evelyn is the only reoson you hove


    ony of whot you hove. I wos going to reject you from the pock, leove you with nothing ofter whot you


    did to my children. It wos only becouse of her intervention thot I hove treoted you so kindly since then


    end of our relotionship.”


    He turns to leove os he finishes. “If you moke me regret thot kindness, I will toke it oll.”


    “I’m going to burn it oll down, Victor! I hove everything I need to do it!” Amelio colls ofter him, her chest


    still heoving with roge ond viscerol feor ond emborrossment. “I’ll roze every piece of it!”


    “Amelia,” Victor growls, leaning forward in his seat. “Your life with me is finished – it is over. You have to


    get over that.”


    “It’s not you I miss,” she hisses, the peaceful and gracious mask that she wore when he sat down


    totally discarded. “It’s the life I worked to build. I have lost everything because of you, Victor. My


    connections, my status, my home –“


    “I have been more then generous, Amelia,” Victor says, working to keep his voice even. “You have


    received a generous severance and you still have your career, which was so important to you. You still


    have your family – what else could I possibly give you?”


    “I want my house,” she says, leaning back and crossing her arms. “And I want you to break ties with


    half of the people in our friend group so that I can begin to rebuild my social connections.”


    Victorughs at her, shaking his head. “Amelia, me breaking those connections so you can have your


    friends back would destroy the pack, ruining the lives of so many more people than just you. And you


    have more than enough money to buy a new house – wherever you want!”


    She narrows her eyes at him now. “That’s my house, Victor – I put my blood, sweat, and tears into


    designing that thing.” When he just shakes his head at her, she continues. “Why won’t you move, then?


    If houses don’t matter? Is it because you have that woman living out back? With her brats? Don’t want


    to uproot them?”


    Victor returns her re, refusing to address the insults she spits out to rile him. “I’m not moving,


    Amelia. It’s my home and the center of operations for my pack. It’s not up for discussion.”


    Amelia growls at him in earnest now, her lips peeling back to reveal her teeth. “You will give me this,


    Victor. And if you don’t, I’ll destroy everything you’ve got.”


    Victor leans forward now,pletely uncowed by her. “You’ve tried this before, Amelia. It didn’t work


    then. It’s not going to work now.” With that, he stands up and looks toward the door, buttoning his coat.


    “I swear it, Victor. This is yourst chance. If you don’t give me the life I want I’ming for you – for


    your pack, for Evelyn, for those stupid boys –“


    At this, Victor’s instincts kick in and he lunges for her, swiping the drinks and the silverware off the


    table, nting his hands on it, growling down at her as his teeth lengthen into fangs. “Try it, Amelia,” he


    snarls, e for me. See what you get.”


    Then he pushes himself away from her, forcing his teeth back. She pants, fighting her fear, looking up


    at him and working to keep her own snarl on her face.


    Victor straightens his tie as he looks down on her in judgement. “Evelyn is the only reason you have


    any of what you have. I was going to reject you from the pack, leave you with nothing after what you


    did to my children. It was only because of her intervention that I have treated you so kindly since then


    end of our rtionship.”


    He turns to leave as he finishes. “If you make me regret that kindness, I will take it all.”


    “I’m going to burn it all down, Victor! I have everything I need to do it!” Amelia calls after him, her chest


    still heaving with rage and visceral fear and embarrassment. “I’ll raze every piece of it!”


    “Go ahead and try, Amelia,” he calls over his shoulder.


    “I’ll tell Edgar you say hello!” she replies, but he barely hears her as he pushes through the door.


    Victor stalks into his house that afternoon, intent on finalizing some business with Annabeth in order to


    solidify his pack power and move forward with his ns. He called Amelia’s bluff on the pregnancy, but


    he knows better than to underestimate her.


    If she says she has enough to “burn” his life to the ground, then he needs to take action to make sure


    his borders are tight.


    Burton and Beta Stephen meet him in the front hall, nodding as he gestures towards his office.


    “Oh, big brother,” Rafe says in a sing-song voice as he wheels his chair over from the kitchen. “Don’t


    you have a minute for baby brother?” Rafe gives Victor a nasty smirk, knowing that he’s caught him at


    the most inopportune moment – perhaps even waited for the least convenient moment, just to get


    under Victor’s skin.


    Victor sighs and nods to Burton and Stephen, silently letting him know that he’ll meet them in the office


    in a minute. They nod and head through the door as Victor follows Rafe back into the kitchen.


    “What do you want, Rafe,” Victor says, loosening his tie.


    “Just a chat,” Rafe says, “about our future here.” He folds his hands neatly in hisp.


    “Fine,” Victor says, throwing his arm out in a gesture that suggests that Rafe should get on with it.


    “Bridgette and I have decided that we’re going to say in this house,” Rafe says, enjoying the sight as


    his brother’s face grows red with rage. “She likes it here, so we’re going to stay during the pregnancy.


    And then when the child is born, after a few months, we’ll see how we feel.”


    “Rafe,” Victor says, putting a hand over his eyes in frustration. “You were supposed to stay a few days


    until you recovered from the wolfsbane. And now you tell me that you’re going to stay for months?


    Maybe years?”


    Rafe shrugs, smiling that nasty little smile at him. “Bridgette likes being close to Evelyn, likes the pool.


    And it’s not like you’re using the house, so –“


    “Rafe,” Victor says, losing his temper and mming his fist onto the kitchen ind. “Get out. Get out of


    my house. Right now.”


    Rafe justughs at him, and Victor loses his temper even more. “I’m serious Rafe!” he shouts, feeling


    his hackles rise. “You betrayed me! Tried to take everything from me! Poisoned me at the second trial,


    tried to screw me over in the third – tried to steal the pack even though you’d be absolute s**t at


    leading it –“


    “I’m the betrayer?” Rafe says, the smile dropping from his face, anger taking its ce. “I betrayed you,


    Victor?”


    “Yes!” Victor says, leaning down to bring his face closer to his brother’s. “Because you’ve always been


    a jealous, conniving little rat –“


    “Go ahead and try, Amelia,” he calls over his shoulder. Rafe snarls up at him, snapping his teeth.


    “You’re the one who –“ Rafe snarls up at him, snapping his teeth. “You’re the one who –“


    “What are you even still doing in this chair,” Victor snaps, moving behind the chair. Suddenly, he feels


    about ten years old again, pissed off at his little brother for being such a whiny brat. “You don’t have


    any wolfsbane still in you – you’re being ridiculous –“


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    “Victor!” Rafe yells, feeling the chair tilt as Victor pulls it up by the handles and gives it a shake.


    “You’re just faking it, Rafe – you’re fine – you’re just toozy to get up and do anything –“


    Rafe shouts as he’s tossed to the ground and Victor pushes the chair away from them both.


    “Ouch! Victor!” Rafe says, ring at him from the floor. “I’m sick – I can’t believe you just did that to me


    –“


    “You’re not sick,” Victor says, ring at his little brother and crossing his arms. “You just want attention


    and a reason to sit around all day feeling sorry for yourself!”


    Rafe opens his mouth to say more when a voicees down the stairs.


    “What is going on down there??”


    Rafe and Victor look up to see Evelyn and Bridgette standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at


    them with shocked expressions. Victor purses his lips, embarrassed to be caught losing his temper and


    acting like a little kid. Rafe feels no such shame, and points a finger at Victor.


    “He did it!” Rafe shouts, “he tipped me out of my chair.”


    Bridget gasps and makes a move to hurry down the steps, but Evelyn grabs her hand before she can


    get far. “Just a minute, Bridge,” she says. Then, dropping the hand, Evelyn takes a few steps back into


    the hall, disappearing from Victor’s sight. When shees back, she’s carrying a medium-sized ck


    vase.


    Without a hint of her ns, Evelyn leans over the banister and drops the vase down to the floor,


    aiming, apparently, for Rafe. Bridgette screams and Rafe shouts, scrambling to his feet and away, just


    as the vase crashes about two feet from where he was sitting.


    A beat passes and then Victor, Rafe, and Bridgette all slowly turn to Evelyn, agape.


    “What?” she says, looking them all evenly in the eyes. “It wasn’t going to hit him. And now we know


    that he can walk.”


    Victor and Bridgette turn their gazes to Rafe, who res at Evelyn and shakes his head, angry to have


    fallen for her trick.


    “Baby!” Bridgette says, scurrying down the stairs and over to him. “I’m so d! You’re healed!” She


    throws her arms around his neck and buries her face in his shoulder,ughing with joy.


    “Yes,” Rafe says, still ring up at Evelyn. “It’s a miracle. Isn’t it.”


    Evelyn skips down the stairs, gives Victor a kiss on the cheek, and then smiles prettily at Rafe as she


    heads for the back door. “Be careful when you clean that up,” she says casually to Rafe, gesturing


    towards the broken pottery. “Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”


    With that, Evelyn flounces out of the house as the family watches her, a small smile tugging at the


    corner of Victor’s mouth.