AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe no. But I can definitely maim you.” He smirked, the implication clear.
He could maim her just as she’d maimed him—or, rather, as he’d maimed Lucero in the past.
Noelle gripped the fork tightly, her eyes narrowed on Sergio. Her wounds pained her, but she’d suffered worse in the past. Considering how many times he’d taken her to the brink of death—to where no part of her body was left untouched by pain—this was child’s play.
What was a little blood when she would have the equivalent from him?
Gritting her teeth, she nodded to herself in self-assurance. He might have caught her unawares those two times, but she wouldn’t give him another opening to hurt her.
There wouldnotbe a third time.
Just as he jumped on her, his knife positioned to stab her, Noelle remembered the lessons she’d learned from Yuyu and stepped to the side, fitting her arm against his and bringing her knee to his midriff with as much force as she could.
Sergio gave a yelp of pain as he doubled over, and it was enough for Noelle to take advantage and bring her fist right under his jaw. The effect was immediate as the blow nearly knocked Sergio off of his feet.
“How does it feel to be on the receiving end, husband?” she asked with a smug smile.
In the past, she’d been too shocked to act, and when the shock had worn off, she’d been too hurt to move. Now, she wouldn’t make the same mistake. She already knew what to expect from him, and she was well aware that deep down he was nothing but a coward—one that hid in front of his riches and his people’s worship.
Sergio fell back, slipping on the bloody floor as he whizzed out loud in an attempt to regain his breath.
Before he could recover, Noelle was on him. She raised the fork up high, gaining momentum before bringing it down on him with all the strength she could muster, stabbing him in the chest.
“Pera,” he yelled. “Maldita pera.”
Though he must have felt the pain deeply, he still had fight in him as he punched her in the stomach where he’d previously cut her. The blow surprised her just as a wave of pain assailed her.
She let out a harsh breath as she wrestled the knife from his hand, and despite the fire burning at her flesh, she pushed on, knowing she couldn’t give up now.
Placing the blade to his throat, she looked him in the eyes, erasing all previous acts from her features, so that he could see her true feelings.
“I despise you, Sergio. And one day… One day Iwillkill you.”
“Not if I kill you first,” he replied, his nostrils flaring.
“We’ll see which one succeeds first.”
And with one last look, she rose, wincing as more blood poured from her wound.
“You can’t kill me just as I can’t kill you, Noelle,” Sergio called out. “You already know I’ve put in place enough contingency plans that if anything happens to me, you and that light-haired witch you’ve adopted will both pay.”
Noelle stopped right at the entrance, half-turning.
“It seems we’re at a standstill, then. Hold your end of the bargain and don’t fucking interfere in my business and I will do the same,” Noelle stated in no uncertain terms. She gave him one last look before she left, satisfied she’d had the last word despite the crippling pain in her middle.
She wondered how badly she’d been hit. She was already limping from the stab in her thigh, but it was her abdomen that was paining her the worst. Still, it had been worth it.
Every little disgusting and atrocious thing, had been worth it, to make Sergio see she would not be bullied, just as she would not stand for any disrespect. Since they couldn’t kill each other—yet—he needed to realize that an open war with her would degenerate so badly, the entire hacienda would become one big casualty. And despite Sergio’s belligerent self, she knew he wouldn’t want that.
Not when his popularity depended on him upholding the peace and prosperity in the region.
A war… A war could both discredit and disgrace him. And Noelle couldn’t wait for that to happen.
She might not be able to kill him, but she had other ways of keeping him in line.
By now he should have realized that she was far from the innocent eighteen-year-old he’d insisted on marrying.
“Noelle?” Lucero’s eyes widened in horror. “What happened?”
