The Disowned Heiress And Her Billionaire Protector

The rain battered the stained glass windows of the Valenzuela estate. The sound was deafening. It sounded like heavy stones hitting the glass, completely drowning out the violence happening inside the grand hall. Two massive private bodyguards twisted Tina's arms behind her back. They dragged her out of the second-floor corridor. Her shoes scraped against the expensive carpet, leaving long, ugly marks. Tina kicked her legs. She fought with every ounce of strength in her small body. Her arms screamed in pain, but she did not let go of the object against her chest. It was a rosewood urn carved with lily patterns. She curled her body around it, turning herself into a human shield. The bodyguard on her left grunted in annoyance. He shoved her forward. The force was too much. Tina tumbled down the last few steps of the grand staircase. She hit the marble floor of the hall with a sickening thud. A sharp pain exploded in her knees. It traveled straight up her spine. Tina bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted copper. She refused to scream. Instead, she immediately curled into a tight ball on the cold floor, wrapping both arms securely around the rosewood urn. Cathi Finley sat in the single leather sofa by the massive fireplace. She crossed her legs. She slowly swirled the bourbon in her crystal glass. The amber liquid hit the ice cubes, making a soft clinking sound. Cathi reached into her designer bag. She pulled out a legal document stamped with a heavy red seal. She threw it onto the floor right in front of Tina's face. She smiled. It was a cold, practiced smile. She announced that as of this minute, Tina was stripped of all family rights and evicted from the property. Tina slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her chest heaved as she struggled to pull air into her lungs. She stared at Cathi and asked how she could legally alter the trust fund her grandfather had left specifically for her. Footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs. Felicia Roberts walked down. She wore an expensive silk robe that trailed behind her. She looked down at Tina and laughed. She called Tina a nameless stray dog who never belonged in this house anyway. Felicia reached the bottom of the stairs. She walked right up to where Tina was curled on the floor. She raised her foot. She drove the sharp, metal heel of her stiletto directly into Tina's already bleeding knee. Tina flinched. Her whole body jerked from the fresh wave of agony. But she did not look away. She kept her eyes locked on Felicia, her gaze burning with pure, unfiltered hatred. Felicia hated that look. It made her stomach twist with anger. She bent down suddenly and grabbed the edge of the rosewood urn in Tina's arms. She yanked it hard. Tina's survival instinct kicked in. She squeezed the box tighter against her chest. She lunged forward and sank her teeth directly into Felicia's wrist. Felicia let out a high-pitched scream. She ripped her hand back. Without missing a beat, she swung her other hand and slapped Tina across the face. The sound echoed loudly over the rain. The slap made Tina's ears ring. A high-pitched whine filled her head. Blood pooled in the corner of her mouth and dripped onto her chin. She ignored the stinging in her cheek. She just hugged the urn closer, like a mother protecting a newborn. Cathi stopped swirling her drink. Her face hardened. She looked at the bodyguards and ordered them to get to work. She told them to take that cursed rosewood urn and throw it out of her house. The two men stepped forward. One bodyguard placed his heavy leather shoe squarely on the center of Tina's spine. He pressed down hard, pinning her to the marble. The other man grabbed Tina's hands. He forcefully pried her bloody fingers off the wood, one by one. The urn was ripped from her grasp. The bodyguard held it up and respectfully handed it over to Felicia. Tina felt her lungs empty. She let out a desperate, raw scream. She pushed against the heavy shoe on her back, trying to claw her way up from the floor to get her mother back. Felicia looked at the rosewood urn. A malicious smile spread across her face. She lifted the urn high above her head. She looked right into Tina's eyes, and then she threw it down onto the marble floor with all her might. A sharp, cracking sound filled the hall. The wooden exterior split open. The ceramic liner inside shattered into a hundred pieces. White ash exploded outward, mixing with the sharp shards of ceramic across the floor. Tina's pupils dilated. Her brain completely shut down. It felt like a physical hand had reached into her chest and ripped her heart out. She could not breathe. Lightning flashed outside the window. The harsh white light illuminated the pile of ash on the floor and the completely blank, dead look on Tina's face. A guttural sob ripped from Tina's throat. It did not sound human. She scrambled forward on her hands and knees, ignoring the pain. She reached out with shaking hands, trying to push the white powder back together. Felicia stepped back in disgust. Then, she deliberately placed her shoe right in the middle of the ash pile. She ground her heel into it, smearing it across the marble. Something inside Tina snapped. The numbness vanished, replaced by a rush of boiling heat. She grabbed a large, jagged piece of ceramic from the floor. She lunged forward and slashed it hard across Felicia's calf. Felicia shrieked. She collapsed onto the floor. Bright red blood instantly soaked into the expensive Persian rug beneath her. Cathi jumped up from the sofa. Her bourbon spilled onto her hand. Her face turned pale with panic. She screamed at the bodyguards to grab the crazy bitch and break her legs right now. The bodyguard pulled a steel telescopic baton from his belt. He swung it down hard. The metal connected with the center of Tina's back. Tina coughed violently. A spray of blood hit the floor as she collapsed face-down. The man raised the metal baton again, aiming for the back of her head. Before he could bring it down, the heavy side door of the hall crashed open. Aidan Vance, the elderly estate butler, charged into the room. He was holding a double-barreled shotgun. He aimed the dark, hollow barrels directly at the bodyguard's chest. Aidan's eyes were red and watery. His hands shook slightly, but his voice was loud. He ordered everyone to step back. He swore he would pull the trigger if anyone touched another hair on the girl's head. Cathi dropped behind the leather sofa. She covered her head and screamed at the guards to kill the old man. The bodyguards froze, their eyes fixed on the shotgun. Aidan did not waste a second. He grabbed Tina by the back of her shirt and hauled her up. He pulled her behind him, keeping the gun pointed forward as he backed toward the main entrance. Aidan pushed the heavy oak doors open. The violent wind and freezing rain instantly rushed into the hall. He dragged the heavily bleeding Tina out into the pitch-black storm.