Chapter 19 Debt and Disdain
Finished
Kiara’s hearing had sharpened in the years since the apocalypse. With a firm grip on Joy’s arm, she cut through the panicked crowd, weaving left and right until they reached the employee corridor.
The door was locked. Kiara bent down, pulled a set of lock–picking tools–taken from the same crew who’d once tried to break into her home–from her storage, and worked the lock.
Two quick clicks, and it swung open.
She tucked the tools away, glanced at Joy–rigid, trembling, barely holding it together–and said simply. “Let’s go.”
Joy stumbled after her, dazed, as they hurried down the stairs and out into the basement level.
The scorching wind on the open plaza was picked up by their nostrils, but to Joy, it felt like the first breath after nearly drowning-
What happened just now was terrifying.
The supermarket had been a nightmare–chaos as if hell itself had broken loose.
Kiara didn’t give her time to dwell on it. She strode toward the parking lot with long, purposeful steps.
Joy hurriedly snapped herself out of it and hurried to keep up.
The plaza was dark from the outage, but the dim solar–powered streetlights offered just enough glow to see by.
Kiara kept her senses sharp–she didn’t know if Max had been acting alone or if he had friends lurking nearby.
Every sound, every shadow, every flicker of movement was weighed and measured.
Then there it was. A gaze, heavy and crawling up her spine.
It was an unsettling gaze. Her hand went to the blood–stained combat knife tucked close to her chest, and her gaze snapped to
the source.
“Kiara!”
Yara. Their eyes met, and her half–sister’s face lit up like she’d spotted a long–lost savior.
She practically bounced on her toes before sprinting toward her.
Kiara’s eyes narrowed slightly as she took in Yara’s appearance.
Designer brands from head to toe, perfectly tailored, and not a hair out of place. Her face shone with sweat, but there wasn’t a hint of real hardship in her expression.
Disappointing, Kiara had almost hoped to see her looking ragged and desperate.
Yara hurried over, reaching for Kiara’s arm the way she used to “Kiara, have you moved out from Cora Bay? Dad and I went to your place, but you weren’t there.”
The look in Kiara’s eyes was pure, undisguised disdain. The moment Yara reached for her, she took a step back, brows knitting
Yara had never been this affectionate without a reason–and Kiara knew exactly what that reason was,
She lifted her hand slightly, cutting her off. “I’ve loaned you–what–over a hundred million by now. I’m broke. Pay me
back.
Kiara held out her palm, asking as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
In her last life, she’d been starved for affection. To win Hugh’s approval, she’d given her stepsister anything she wanted. Over the years, Yara had milked her for every dime she could,
Yara’s bright smile cracked, inch by inch. She stared at Kiara in disbelief. “But Kiara? What about your buildings-
Chapter 19 Debt and Disdain
Finished
bled them away,” Kiara cut in. “I’ve got less than 50 grand now, and with prices the way they are, you expect me to just roll over and die?” She gave Yara a shove. “Hurry up and pay me. I’m tapped out”
- It was the first time Yara had ever been cornered for money in the middle of the street. Her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger. She stammered, “I don’t have any. And I didn’t come here for that–Dad’s leg worsened. Could you take care of him for a while?”
Kiara cut her off, flat and cold. “You swindled me out of every cent, and now you want me to take care of him? Sure. Pay me back. With money, everything’s negotiable.”
She wasn’t budging an inch–her focus locked entirely on the money.
The joy Yara had felt when she first spotted Kiara had evaporated.
She had planned to unload her father–the useless burden–onto Kiara. After all, Kiara had been the poster child for filial piety.
But now? Now Kiara was all sharp edges and hostility.
Yara didn’t buy for a second that Kiara had blown through 20 billion. But if it hadn’t been lost on some reckless gamble, what else could explain such a sharp change in her personality?
For the first time, doubt flickered across Yara’s face.
She’d failed to get money out of Kiara, and she hadn’t managed to dump her father on her either. So why keep up the act? Her expression hardened. The sweetness vanished. “You got what you deserved for blowing all that money at the tables. Keep being ungrateful and just wait–karma will catch up to you. Dad still talks about you every single day, you know.”
“Get lost,” Kiara snapped, her voice like ice. She gripped the knife in her jacket, the urge to drive it straight into Yara’s artery flashing hot and quick–but she forced herself to hold back.
When Yara finally disappeared from sight, Kiara climbed into the car, her face still rigid.
Since her rebirth, she’d noticed the cracks in her mind–more bloodthirsty now, sharper, colder.
She decided she’d read up on psychology when she got the chance. In this world, the one with the bigger fist had the louder voice, but that didn’t mean she had to let herself be ruled by her darker urges, becoming a mindless killing machine.
Joy, who had been standing off to the side and forced to overhear every word, slipped into the passenger seat cautiously. She fiddled with her fingers, then glanced at Kiara’s tight jaw and ventured, “Kiara… if you need money, I can lend you some. My dad’s loaded Just–please–don’t gamble. Gambling is bad for you.”
