Melanie set down the glass and ignored the gourmet food in front of her. Every glass of wine she drank was from a vintage bottle, and my staff always took care of every single need she had. She swam in a big pool in a palace, and sat in the lap of a man who adored her. Why did she care if Raven was okay after she’d made her feel like shit? “Please tell me.”

Magnus exchanged a look with me before he answered. “One of my old lovers said something to her.”

“What?” Melanie asked.

He shrugged. “That she doesn’t understand why I left her for someone much less attractive, basically. Which is completely untrue. She just said it to start shit.”

Melanie erupted like a volcano, dormant one moment, then explosive the next. “I’m gonna knock that bitch out! Who the fuck is this skank?” She had more fire than she’d ever had before, grew angrier than I’d ever seen her.

I couldn’t help but chuckle because it was amusing coming from her. Never heard her say anything like that, even when she was jealous of the women I’d been with. “Come on. She’s right. Stasia is sexy, and your sister is a swine.” She could pretend she didn’t see it, but I didn’t buy it. Melanie was the pretty sister. Period.

Melanie turned to me and gave me a look I’d never seen before. Never once in our time together had she been angrier than she was right now, with fire in her eyes and my body as the kindling. She was still for a second before she pushed off me and got to her feet.

I was cold the second she was gone.

Then she shook. Shook hard. Shook like she didn’t know how to channel so much rage.

She made her move. Her palm slapped across my face so hard that an audible smack echoed across the grounds. It was packed with more strength than I would have thought her little body could ever produce. The blow had so much momentum that it made my head turn slightly. The sting was profound the second her palm collided with my face. “Don’t talk about my sister like that, asshole.”

When I turned back to look at her, my eyes were filled with surprise.

There was no remorse on her part.

Melanie marched back to the estate, her legs moving quickly because she wanted to get away from me as fast as possible.

I watched her go and didn’t follow. My hand rubbed my cheek as I glanced at my brother, who looked completely shocked. But I brushed it off and dropped my hand because I didn’t regret what I’d said. “Kinda liked it.”

When I went to bed, she wasn’t there.

I undressed down to my boxers then checked the bathroom and the closet.

She was gone.