Chapter 297

Patricia Kensington was stirring a pot of soup when the front door creaked open. She wiped her hands on her apron and peeked around the kitchen doorway.

Her daughter Olivia stood in the foyer, wrapped in a man's oversized coat that drowned her petite frame. The angry purple bruises on her neck stood out against her pale skin.

The wooden spoon clattered to the floor as Patricia's face twisted in rage. Her precious Nathan was rotting in jail while her daughter was out whoring around!

"Mom." Olivia's voice was hollow with exhaustion. She barely glanced at her fuming mother before turning toward the hallway.

A sharp crack echoed through the house before Olivia registered the stinging pain across her cheek. She pressed a trembling hand to her face, staring at Patricia in disbelief.

Patricia dug her sharp fingernail into Olivia's forehead hard enough to draw blood. "Where have you been, you worthless girl? Tell me the truth - did you spread your legs for some man? I raised you to protect your purity! A woman's value lies in her virginity! Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

Spittle flew from Patricia's lips as she screamed. To this traditional, uneducated woman, a daughter's virginity was her only bargaining chip.

Olivia had always been second to Nathan in Patricia's eyes. While her brother got an overseas education, Olivia worked three jobs to pay her local university tuition.

Daughters were financial burdens in Patricia's worldview. But with her golden boy imprisoned and legal fees piling up, she'd pinned her hopes on Olivia's untouched body.

Just last week, Patricia's friend boasted about her daughter becoming a rich man's mistress - luxury penthouse, designer handbags, endless cash. That trashy girl had worked in nightclubs! If she could land a sugar daddy, surely Olivia's virginity could fetch an even higher price.

Patricia had already enlisted her friend to scout potential buyers. The deal was supposed to be finalized this week.

Now this?

She wanted to strangle the life from her useless daughter.

The market value difference between a virgin and used goods was astronomical!

"I'm exhausted, Mom. I need to rest." Olivia's voice cracked. After everything she'd endured, her mother's first concern wasn't her wellbeing but her damaged merchandise.

Patricia grabbed a fistful of Olivia's hair and yanked hard enough to tear strands from her scalp. "Answer me! Are you still pure?"

The searing pain broke Olivia's last thread of control. "No! I was raped! Happy now?" she screamed, tears streaming down her bruised face.

Patricia froze for one stunned moment before grabbing the nearest object - a wooden rolling pin - and swinging it at her daughter's head.

"You stupid slut! Your brother's suffering in prison and you're out getting defiled? You deserved it! I was counting on you to bring in money, but you've ruined everything!"

Olivia barely dodged the blow, catching the rolling pin mid-swing. Through her tears, she stared at her mother with icy clarity. "Am I just a paycheck to you? Aren't I your child too? Why does Nathan get everything while I get nothing?"

"Don't you dare speak about your brother!" Patricia shrieked. "He's in jail because of that Evelyn Sinclair! Instead of earning money to help him, you waste time with that tramp! You want to kill me with stress!"

"Nathan committed a crime! He tried to drug Evelyn for his pervert friends! He's getting exactly what he deserves!" Olivia spat back.

Patricia's face purpled with rage. She lunged at Olivia, nails raking bloody lines down her daughter's face.

"Your brother needs money for his appeal! Now that you're spoiled goods, you're worthless! If you've already opened your legs, you might as well make money from it! Find a rich client - consider it repaying your debt for raising you!"

Olivia stared at her mother's greedy expression, the crumpled check burning in her palm. Her own mother wanted to pimp her out. The grotesque irony shattered what remained of her heart.

She threw the check at Patricia's face. "You want me to whore myself out? Here's your blood money!"

As she limped toward her bedroom, every step sent fresh pain radiating through her battered body.

Patricia barely noticed her daughter's agony. She snatched up the check, gasped at the amount, and immediately grabbed her purse to rush to the bank - abandoning her half-cooked dinner and traumatized daughter without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Evelyn paced her apartment after learning Sebastian had rescued Olivia. She needed to see her friend, needed to know she was safe.

Dominic stopped her at the door. "Olivia's been through hell. Give her a few days to recover before visiting. She won't want you seeing her like this."

Guilt gnawed at Evelyn. Olivia had suffered because of her. How could she rest without seeing her friend's condition with her own eyes?

After Dominic took the twins back to Blackwood Manor, Evelyn tried calling Olivia repeatedly. No answer - Xavier had confiscated her phone.

Unable to wait another minute, Evelyn hailed a cab to the Kensington residence.