The Viper's Venom

Sweet Little Val

~Valeria's pov~

"James and Killian, I want you both to go upstairs." Verena, my oldest sister, commanded firmly, her voice brooking no argument. 

James and Killian exchanged nervous glances before obediently heading up the stairs.

 I turned to face my sisters, trying to gauge their anger and figure out what had caused them to show up unannounced. 

Verena stood up, her expression unreadable as she crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing with a mix of disappointment and concern as she stared at me with a stern look.

My heart pounded in my chest, knowing that I was in for a serious lecture.

Despite being the youngest in the family, I had never been more afraid of anyone than Verena in that moment.

 Her unwavering authority and steely demeanor commanded respect and obedience from us all. And as she began to speak, her words were sharp and cutting, leaving no room for argument or escape.

"Valeria Kaiser.." She gritted out.

"I'm actually Valeria Vox-" I stopped talking when she glared, feeling the weight of her disapproval bearing down on me.

"If only your husband remembered you were his wife, you'd truly be a Vox."

Verena's words stung like a slap in the face, making me flinch involuntarily. The tension in the room was palpable, suffocating me as I struggled to find the right words to defend myself. 

But at that moment, I knew that there was no use in trying to reason with her. So I stood there silently with my head bowed, letting her words hang in the air between us.

 It was a painful realization that even though I held the title of wife, I was nothing more than a forgotten presence in his life.

"You told us that you were fine. That you were okay. But clearly, that was all a lie," she continued, her voice dripping with contempt. "If everything was truly fine, why did you go to such extreme lengths as pretending to end your life in front of the entire world? What about the fact that you killed your entire MAFIA ORGANISATION in a fit of rage? How could that have been fine?"

"It wasn't a fit of rage. I planned it out-"

"WHAT IF YOU HAD GOTTEN KILLED FOR REAL? " She interrupted, her eyes blazing with anger. "Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in? And for what? To prove a point?"

I flinched at her words, feeling the weight of my actions crashing down on me. I had thought I was being clever, manipulative, but now I could see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

"Val. Look .At .Me .When .I'm .Speaking " she commanded, her voice low but filled with authority. Reluctantly, I met her gaze and saw the mixture of emotions swirling in her eyes.

Guilt, anger, and betrayal.

"I won't stand by and watch you put yourself in harm's way like that again," she said firmly. "You

 are not invincible, and neither am I. Stop pretending like you fucking are! Besides, even if you did it, why didn't you warn us before?! Do you know the heart attack we got when we found out you were in that situation? 

Do you even care about the people who care about you?" Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I realized just how selfish and reckless I had been.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, you're not. I'm a hundred percent sure you're going to do this again because you're doing it all for that man! That man who you call your husband but who doesn't deserve you at all."