Suddenly, Tiana let out a dramatic cry. "Oh, Ashton! This burn on my face looks so terrible! Kathryn's probably trying to make me look ugly because she's jealous that you love me!"
I raised an eyebrow at her theatrics.
"You can have Ashton all to yourself, Tiana. I'm literally asking him to end our mating bond right now. If he truly loves you, he would have ended it already, wouldn't he?" I said bitterly.
"Shut up!" Tiana screamed at me, then turned back to Ashton. "Ash, don't you think Kathryn deserves a punishment? Look what she did to me—I look horrible now!" She cried, clutching her face dramatically.
Ashton's fury intensified.
He then snatched the mirror from Tiana, aggressively broke it on the floor, and picked up a sharp shard.
He stepped toward me, his voice low and menacing. "Let this be your final warning. I don't want to see you using your cursed fire powers again, or I'll have you imprisoned."
I met his glare with a smirk. "Between the two of us, Ashton, you're the one who deserves imprisonment more. In fact, you should thank me for keeping silent all this time—for not exposing your dark secrets."
Ashton aimed the shard recklessly toward my face. "Enough of your nonsense. Apologize to your sister!"
"I will never apologize to her," I said firmly, lifting my chin.
He sighed, still holding the shard dangerously close to me. "Don't make me repeat myself, Kathryn. Do as I say, or else—"
"Or else what, Ashton?" I interrupted, my voice steady. "You'll cut my face with that shard? Go ahead—do it!" I moved even closer, pressing my face toward the sharp edge. "Wound my face, make it bleed, hurt me. I've endured worse pain from you. One more cut won't make a difference."
He stared at me, shocked by my defiance, before finally tossing the shard aside in frustration.
"So, you can't do it after all," I said.
Ashton clenched his jaw. "This conversation is over. There will be no severing of the mating bond, and that's final."
Tiana chimed in smugly. "Looks like Ashton still needs your maid services."
Without hesitation, I lunged toward her and slapped her hard across her right cheek. She gasped, eyes wide in shock.
"Learn to keep your mouth shut when no one asks for your opinion." I spat before slapping her again, evening out the redness on the other cheek which had been slightly burned.