In the past, I would have burst into tears the moment her hand hit my face. I would have sobbed and begged for mercy. But today, even though my skin stung and my vision blurred, no tears fell. My heart felt like it had turned into a cold, hard stone.
"See, Secretary Dune?" the Chairwoman said, her voice dripping with disgust. "This is why both dogs and humans need education. Without proper training at home, they don't know when to bark and when to shut up."
She looked at me as if I were something she'd stepped on in the street.
"That Elara is the same," she continued, clicking her tongue. "She learned from her vulgar mother as a child, and now her tastes are just as cheap. Getting obsessed with a flea-bitten rat like this and losing her mind. It's pathetic."
