A manic, echoing laugh burst from Alisha's lips as she stumbled backward, swaying under the suffocating weight of her own delusion.
"Oh..." she jeered, her eyes gleaming with a twisted, venomous amusement. "It seems I gave birth to a fool, just like his father. Seriously, Kyle, do you think the world is a game? It is a savage struggle for survival! The strong devour the weak, and in this palace, I am the strong one, my sweet boy."
Before another toxic word could slip past her lips, Kyle stepped forward. Driven by pure, unyielding fury and a lifetime of suppressed resentment, his hand swung through the heavy air, delivering a brutal, resounding slap across her cheek.
The sharp crack of the blow shattered the silence of the room, snapping her head violently to the side.
