Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 300

As soon as Claire gave the order, Jeffry moved to grab Vanessa.

Vanessa had already become a bundle of nerves, skittish as a startled deer. "No, please! I don't want to go up into those mountains!"

But Jeffry wasn't about to show her any mercy. He hauled her up like she weighed nothing, gripping her as though she were no more than a squirming chicken.

Vanessa's legs flailed wildly, terror dilating her eyes until they looked impossibly wide.

Just as Jeffry was about to carry her out of the villa, Vanessa suddenly shrieked, her voice breaking with desperation. "Claire! You can't do this to me! Your kidney is still inside my body! If you let me go, I'll give it back to you—I swear!"

Jeffry froze mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder at Sean and Claire, silently asking for direction.

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Vanessa looked at Claire with pleading, expectant eyes.

Everyone in the room seemed to think Claire would back down for the sake of her kidney.

But Claire just let out a cold laugh, her bright eyes shining with a glint of frost. "And why," she asked slowly, "would I want my kidney back right now?"

A stunned silence fell. No one could quite believe what she'd just said.

That kidney belonged to her—was she really just going to let Vanessa keep it? Was she really going to let Vanessa off that easy?

Vanessa stared at Claire, her face a mask of shock and confusion. She stammered, "You… you don't want your kidney back?"

Claire's smile deepened, though there was nothing warm about it. If anything, it was the kind of smile that made your blood run cold.

"Oh, I want it back, all right," she replied evenly. "But I never said I needed it back right this second."

Her tone was calm, almost lazy. "My life is just fine right now. I can live perfectly well with one kidney. But you? You only have one left. If I took it back now, you'd die on the spot and I'd be a murderer. No, I'd rather wait. I want to see you dragged off to the mountains, suffering through every miserable day with just that one kidney. After all you'll endure, do you really think you'll outlive me? I can simply wait for you to die, then take my kidney back—legally, cleanly, with no blood on my hands. Why rush? It's a win-win."