Ariana's red lips curled into a venomous smile as she circled her elder sister like a predator savoring its prey. The room, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, did nothing to soften the icy tension between them.
"I love it when you suffer, Penny." Ariana's voice was a silken blade, dripping with malice. "Consider this marriage your karma, your punishment for the shame your very existence brought upon Mother and our family."
With deliberate grace, she walked to the single chair at a corner and sat, crossing her long, sculpted legs. Her designer dress clung to her like liquid sin, and her cold blue eyes never left Penny's face.
Penny had a lot of questions to ask. She wanted to know why all of a sudden her most loved person in this world turned out to be her worst nightmare.
She wanted to know why Ariana changed overnight. Why did she suddenly hate her so much? But she already knew the answer to that.
Maybelline must have finally succeeded in poisoning her daughter's mind against Penny.
But they had nothing to worry about. Once she's done with her revenge, she would love their lives for good and make sure to never return.
As for the faceless bastard who fathered, if he's still alive, she promises to smack him hard for committing such atrocity with her mother. If he hadn't been a total asshole, she would never be in this situation.
"Those words won't heal him, Ariana," Penny shot back, her voice steady despite the storm inside her.
Ariana's laugh was a tinkling bell laced with arsenic. "Who said I'd bother treating him?"
"You did," Penny said the obvious. She had wanted to treat him herself if her sister didn't force herself in again. She was so sure Osvaldo was running a fever now.
"Oh, Penny," Ariana sighed, feigning pity. "Has all that self-righteous fat clogged your brain? Did you really think I'd dirty my hands on that rabid dog?" She flicked an imaginary speck of dust off her sleeve. "I'm only here to claim the credit. After all, his injuries are minor child's play for someone like you."
Penny's eyes narrowed.
Ariana leaned forward, her smile saccharine. "You helped me with my medical projects, didn't you? Don't pretend you're clueless. I know how… resourceful you can be when it comes to patching people up too." She had been the one to convince her parents not to further her sister's education.
Ariana was hellbent on taking everything Penny owned, including her career choice.
"So?" Ariana purred. "Don't you want to save him, Penny?" She asked.
"Remember, if you don't treat him, the blame will be on you." She added.
"Say you're a dummy without actually saying so Ariana. You and I both know your years spent in school is a sham." Penny said and walked up to Osvaldo.
Her dumb sister thinks his problem was minor injuries. But the whips caused severe damage to his body.
If care is not taken, Osvaldo might need surgery and she doubts the Adkins family has supplies for it. She needs her medical kit, but it's at the lab at the far end of the city. A place no one knew about.
Penny couldn't go there. Not now. She would only do a little to keep him stable And maybe visit the lab by tomorrow. Hopefully, after the test, it wouldn't result in that.
Penny worked quickly, her fingers steady as she stitched the wound closed. Needle piercing flesh, thread pulling taut, each loop precise. Blood smeared her gloves, but she didn't flinch. She looked so professional as she worked on him silently.
At some point, Ariana wondered who her sister was. But she pushed any good thoughts aside. Penny was nothing but a fat smelly pig. Everything she's doing now is a result of the project she did for her.
Everything Penny is right now is all thanks to her.
When the last knot was tied, Penng wiped his skin clean and pressed a sterile bandage over it.
Then, she took his hand, turning it palm up. The veins stood blue against his skin. A sharp prick, a flash of crimson in the IV chamber. She hooked up the fluids, adjusting the drip until it fell in a slow, steady rhythm.
She checked his pulse one more time to see if it was normal before letting out a sigh. He seemed okay, and she did not find any damaged body parts except his battered skin.
"Wow." A clap sounded from a corner. Ariana's blue eyes twinkled at the perfect job her sister had done.
Penny has done the work, now it is her turn to shine. She was more than ready to take credit for everything Penny had done.
This is the reason she had asked for Penny's assistance in the first place.
"Thank you, Penelope. This doesn't mean you're off the hook. You still have my project to do." Ari said ungratefully and Penny nodded.
"Of course sister." She said calmly.
She watched her sister walk towards the door, but before Ariana could reach the door, it burst open and three men stepped in.
Their eyes scanned the room till they landed on the man on the bed, then their eyes went wide.