Outside the orphanage, rows of soldiers in uniform moved quickly to clean up. In just fifteen minutes, everything looked untouched, like the chaos earlier had been a bad dream.

As the evening set in, Evan finally came to. Little Sarah bounced in, holding a bowl of medicine Serena had brewed, her voice full of excitement. "Evan, Serena is amazing!"

Evan assumed she was praising the medicine and chuckled. "Yeah, Serena's pretty awesome. You wanna be like her when you grow up? Maybe I'll send you to med school, how about that?"

"No way!" Sarah shook her head hard, eyes sparkling with determination. "I wanna be a soldier! I wanna be a badass fighter like her!"

Just like Serena, the legendary Scarlet Valkyrie-cool and unstoppable.

Evan paused for a second before smiling and tousling her hair. "Alright then, when you grow up, go be the fiercest warrior ever."

Happy with that, Sarah skipped toward the door. But as she reached the orphanage gate, curiosity took over.

She darted toward it, pressed her face close and peeked through the crack.

Huh?

All the bad guys were gone. No blood left on the ground. Even the little tree branch that had been snapped earlier was fixed and lying neatly again.

She touched the lollipop Serena gave her in her pocket and grinned, secretly delighted.

Wow, not only is she powerful, she's super thoughtful too!

Inside the house.

"Your Highness, Dylan Price's phone is ringing," Gavin Moore said, bringing over a bloodied phone. The caller ID flashed "Oliver."

Serena gave a quiet nod, and Gavin answered the call.

A greasy male voice came through immediately, full of annoyance. "Dylan, the bone marrow transplant from Mabel to Aria is starting soon. Where the hell is the doctor I told you to get? You stalling on purpose?"

Serena's gaze turned icy.

"Long time no see, Uncle Oliver."

Oliver Douglas paused for a beat before testing the waters, "Serena? That you? You're out?

"Perfect timing. Mabel raised you. You should come see her one last time."

Then, the call was filled with Mabel's furious voice, full of rage. "Let me go! You monsters! You killed Daniel and his wife, framed Serena and shoved her in prison. Now you want to take my bone marrow to save your daughter? Over my dead body!"

Right as the call ended, Gavin saw it-murder in Serena's eyes.

With a sharp crack, the phone shattered in her hand.

Her voice was cold. "We're going to the Douglas house."

Gavin stiffened and jumped into action. "Right away, I'll ready the chopper."

At the Douglas mansion.

"Mom!" Esther squeezed Mabel's arm with fake concern. "Aria's my daughter, your granddaughter! If you give her your marrow, she can live. Isn't that worth it? Didn't you always say you just want your family to be safe?"

"Safe? With a daughter like you?" The old lady's voice broke with pain. "You stole the family assets, got Daniel and his wife killed, and now you wanna use my life to save your kid? Dream on!"

Esther's face twisted with anger. "If you hadn't played favorites and handed everything to Daniel's side, would I have needed to fight for it? I didn't steal anything-it was mine!"

Oliver stepped in too, his tone pleading but fake. "Come on, Mom... let's not drag the past into this. Just help Aria now, and the whole Douglas line will never forget your kindness."

"Disgusting, both of you!" Mabel snapped, and slapped each of them hard across the face.

Oliver turned his head away and stayed quiet. Esther, clutching the red mark on her cheek, looked even more pissed. She dropped the act completely.

"Hold this old hag down. Time for the anesthetic!"

One of the nurses nearby hesitated. "But... the doctor's not here yet. If we mess up the dosage and something goes wrong, she's the best match we've got... we can't afford to lose her."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go find Dylan Price! What, is he sleeping on the job?"

Oliver nodded quickly and stepped out to make another call.

Clearly, sweet-talking wasn't gonna work-they needed something a little tougher now.

Esther smirked. "Mom, guess what? Serena broke out of prison. If I tipped the cops off about where she is, you think they'd go easy on her this time? Maybe even a death sentence?"

As she spoke, she pulled out a photo and waved it in front of her mother.

It was Serena at the orphanage-clear as day, right down to the nameplate on the building behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Mabel's voice trembled as she snatched at the picture.

"Simple. If you go through with the surgery, I swear, I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll even treat Serena like my own daughter, let her live in comfort here at the Douglas house."

Her voice turned cold. "But if you don't, I make a call, tell the police she's hiding at the Angel Orphanage out in the suburbs. You can bet her life there would be hell."

While she spoke, Esther scratched Serena's face on the photo with one of her polished nails. "Live or die, you decide."

Her grin was full of fake sweetness, like she'd already won.

Mabel looked at the picture, eyes welling up. Tears rolled down her lined cheeks nonstop.

She bit down so hard her knuckles went white. "You... you promise?"

"Of course."

Esther reached out, trying to help her sit up. "We're family, Mom. Would I lie to you?"

Right then, the front door burst open with a loud bang.

Serena stood framed in the doorway, eyes like ice as they swept across everyone. "Dear Esther, I'd love to see exactly how you plan to make my life miserable."

Instant silence. Everyone turned to the door.

The girl in red stood tall against the light, her hem still damp from dew, but the aura surrounding her was thunderous, enough to choke the room.

Esther froze, shocked for a second, then sneered. "Serena? You've got some nerve showing your face here."

From the nearby makeshift surgery bed, Aria Douglas stuck her head out for a better look. Her eyes scanned Serena's striking face, and a flash of jealousy twisted her expression.

"So you're the famous Serena my mom keeps whining about? Honestly? Not that pretty. No wonder she says you're just a stray no one wanted."

"Aria, sweetie, lie back down, okay?" Esther didn't stop her daughter's harsh words. Instead, she turned and yelled at the stunned nurse. "Why are you just standing there? Give her the injection! Don't waste any more time!"

"I dare you to try."

Serena stepped forward. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill that stopped everyone in their tracks.

The nurse froze, syringe trembling in her hand.

Esther laughed mockingly. "Who do you think you are? This is my house. Everything here goes through me. And your grandmother's already agreed to the surgery. What right do you have to get in the way?"

Serena's gaze drifted over to Mabel, who was being held down on the table. Her expression softened. "Grandma, don't worry. I'm getting you out of here today. Safe, I promise."

Mabel's tears had soaked through her collar.

She shook her head desperately, voice breaking. "Serena, just getting to see you one more time... that's already enough for me. Please, just go. Don't bother with me. Esther... she's ruthless. You're no match for her..."

"You heard her."

Oliver turned back after a failed phone call and glanced at Serena with a mocking smirk, arms crossed. "Your grandma agreed on her own. Now that you've said your goodbyes, hurry up and get lost."

Right then, Esther kicked the nurse hard. "Useless! Still standing there like an idiot? Didn't you hear me?!"

The nurse jolted, terrified, and grabbed the syringe, ready to inject the anesthetic into the elderly woman's arm.

Serena reacted fast, sending a throwing dart flying toward the nurse.

But before it could reach the target, Esther shoved a bodyguard in the way.

With a nasty sound, the dart sank into the man's shoulder, blood oozing out instantly.

Esther clapped her hands, mocking, "Serena, thought you could do some movie-style rescue with that sloppy martial arts of yours?"

"What a joke."

The syringe went in, and the drug slowly entered the elderly woman's arm.

Serena's expression went ice-cold, and her eyes were burning with fury. "Esther, you're done."

"Oh yeah? I'll be waiting to see which of us gets dragged out of here."

Esther sauntered over to the operating table, grabbed Mabel's chin and hissed, "Take a good look, Mom. Watch closely how your darling granddaughter dies right in front of you!"

Mabel wasn't completely out yet. Her body jerked at those words. "Esther! You promised-if I donated the marrow, you'd treat Serena well. You lied... argh!"

Esther twisted her hand harder. The pain wrinkled Mabel's already lined face even more.

"So what if I lied?"

Esther sneered. "You've spent decades in business and couldn't smell a lie this blatant? Right now you're nothing more than meat on my table-I can carve however I want!

"You always favored Serena's family! If she needed the marrow, you'd have been first on the table, wouldn't you?!"

"Yes! I do favor them!" Mabel spat blood, but her voice was clear and fierce. "Serena's parents were more respectful than you ever were! Serena's more decent than Aria! Of course I'd pick them over you! You cold-hearted snake-you don't deserve to be my daughter!"

"Oh, really? I don't deserve it?"

Esther's eyes flared red with fury. She whipped around and screamed at the bodyguards, "All of you-NOW! Whoever takes Serena out, gets a million bucks!"

At her shout, seven or eight men charged at Serena like wild dogs.

But they couldn't even graze her.

She took them down one by one, each blow clean and sharp. The last one had his neck snapped with a twist, collapsing right at Esther's feet, eyes still wide in shock.

Esther took two terrified steps back, her face as pale as a ghost.

Serena darted forward, ignoring her completely. One hand checked Mabel's pulse, the other smoothly sliding a silver needle into a key acupuncture point.

"You're trying to kill her!" Esther snapped back to her senses and jumped at the opportunity. "Perfect-I'll end you myself for betraying the family!"

She gave a clap.

A side door flew open and a dozen men in suits stormed in, leading with a guy holding a military blade, face full of menace.

Esther shrieked, "Go! Chop her into pieces!"Just as the man in black lunged forward, Serena dodged to the side and twisted around, locking a firm grip around his neck.

There was a crisp snap-he dropped dead on the spot.

The others instantly tightened the circle, closing in on her from all sides.

Then, out of nowhere, gunfire rang out.

Or more accurately, a barrage of gunshots erupted all at once, so fast and precise it sounded like a single weapon going off.

The ones closest to Serena dropped like dominoes, each with a neat hole right between the brows. Bodies hit the floor before they even realized what happened.

The living room fell into dead silence. No one dared to breathe, let alone move.

Esther's eyes widened in shock, her voice trembling. "You... you brought backup?"

"Backup?" Serena scoffed.

Right on cue, steady, commanding male voices rang out from beyond the door.

"Phoenix Doom Squad snipers in position-ten ready."

"Vermilion Division snipers reporting-twenty standing by."

"Unyielding Guard snipers in position-thirty ready."

"Sunbird Assault Team snipers locked and loaded-forty sharpshooters."

Oliver froze, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Snipers? You think you're fooling anyone? What are you, some war hero? You really expect us to believe you could command special ops? That's a good one!"

Serena tilted her head and looked at him steadily. Her tone was calm. "Don't believe me, Oliver? Wanna test that theory?"

She raised her hand, mimicked a gun, pointed at his shoulder, and made a soft pop sound with her lips. "Biu."

"You trying to mess with me-"

He didn't get to finish.

A loud bang followed. A sharp pain exploded through his shoulder, blood drenched his shirt in seconds. He collapsed, screaming in agony.

Esther immediately cowered behind her bodyguards, shaking like a leaf.

Serena walked up to her-calm, slow steps-her voice laced with sarcasm. "Esther, I'm not the type to go on a killing spree just for fun. So I'll make a deal. You die quietly, and I'll let the rest of the family go. Sound fair?"

"Pfft! You think a couple of snipers gives you the right to make deals with me?"

She barely got the words out before another gunshot cracked through the room.

"Ahhh!"

Aria Douglas, strapped to a makeshift medical bed, let out a blood-curdling scream. The bullet had pierced straight through her calf. Blood gushed from the wound.

"Aria!"

Esther's fear was instantly eclipsed by panic. She bolted toward her daughter, clutching her in tears. "Don't hurt her! Take me instead!"

"Oh, take you?" Serena stared down at her, voice ice-cold. "Gladly. After all, when my parents died, they were doing exactly what you're doing now-shielding me with everything they had."

"The autopsy said someone jammed needles into all seven orifices. Said they died in extreme pain."

Serena yanked Esther's hair back, lifting her up effortlessly. With a flick of her wrist, silver needles shot into every one of Esther's seven facial points, sharp and swift.

"Now you get to feel it. Every ounce of pain they did, right before they died."

Esther shrieked. "You psycho! I'll kill you!"

Seeing her mother bleeding from every facial opening, Aria turned ghostly pale and lunged at Serena.

Serena didn't even flinch-just kicked her away with one strong move.

But before Aria hit the ground, a shadow darted in and caught her just in time.

"Aria?!"

Oscar Bennett quickly put her down and finally saw the mess in the room-his face darkened in an instant.

"Oscar, that witch Serena-she stopped Grandma from giving me a bone marrow transplant and hurt my mom too! You have to shoot her, now!"

Tears streamed down Aria Douglas's face, making her look pitiful, but that sharp glint in her eyes, exactly like Esther, gave her away.

Oscar believed her without hesitation and immediately pulled out his gun, aiming it at Serena. "How dare you attack your own aunt?! Let her go, now! Or I swear I'll shoot!"

But even with a gun pointed at her, Serena didn't flinch-if anything, the pressure of her grip intensified.

The needle sank even deeper. Blood was smeared across Esther's face, and her scream had changed pitch from the pain, but she still grit her teeth and refused to give in. "Oscar, it hurts like hell! Kill that ungrateful brat right now!"

"Bang!"

Before Oscar could even aim, his gun was shot right out of his hand.

He whipped around, heart pounding, only to see a tall man in full combat uniform standing at the door. The insignia on his shoulder shimmered, almost blinding.

It was the captain of the Lone Hawk Squadron!

"Oscar Bennett!"

The man's voice was deep, laced with unmistakable authority.

Oscar froze on the spot, instinctively snapping to a soldier's stance. "S-Sir!"

He'd trained for a few months under Eliot Barrett in the Lone Hawk Squadron. That voice-he couldn't possibly forget it.

Even though he didn't last long in the unit and eventually got cut, it was still the highlight of his resume and the envy of every soldier he knew.

But what on earth was Captain Barrett doing in Draco City-or more specifically, at the Douglas household?

"Sir, what brings you here?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have seen you acting like such a clown."

Without sparing him another glance, Eliot walked right up to Serena, gave her a sharp military salute, and said with utmost respect, "Captain Eliot of Lone Hawk Squadron reporting to Your Highness!"

"Oscar Bennett trained under me. His recklessness is my failure. I ask for Your Highness's pardon."

"Y-Your Highness?!"

Oscar's brain short-circuited on the spot-eyes wide, heart pounding.

Your Highness?

Did the captain just call Serena Her Highness?!

Weren't the records showing that Serena was just some random nobody? Some toy protected by someone powerful?

But Eliot was a top-tier military man!

Then it hit him-he recalled what higher-ups said during a recent military conference.

The Scarlet Valkyrie, the war heroine who had led countless victorious battles, was returning from the border.

Wait... was Serena actually... that Scarlet Valkyrie?

Those so-called "prison records"? Total fakes?

Of course-Gavin Moore, famous for avoiding women like the plague, protected her like his life depended on it. And Oscar had actually believed it was because she was his plaything?

His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. With a loud "thud", Oscar dropped to his knees and started kowtowing. "I-I was blind and ignorant, Your Highness. Please forgive me!"

Esther, bleeding from her nose and ears, her eyes covered in blood, couldn't see a thing. But when she heard Oscar say that, she froze.

Your Highness?

No way.

She refused to believe Serena could have such terrifying power behind her.

Her mind spun, trying to make sense of it.

A child she abandoned in the mountains, who'd been adopted from an orphanage, framed and thrown in jail-how the hell did she climb so high in just a few years?

This had to be fake. Probably just actors hired to fool them!

"Oscar, help me!"

Serena snorted and flung Esther to Oscar's feet.

"Go ahead, let's see how he plans to save you now."

Oscar Bennett dropped to his knees again, smashing his forehead on the floor twice in a row, trembling all over.

Esther was drenched in blood, her voice shaky and slurred. She clung tightly to Oscar's sleeve, relying purely on instinct. "She's faking it-she has to be! How could she possibly be anything like a war god or whatever?"

"And that 'Lone Hawk Squadron'? She definitely hired some actors just to scare you! Can't believe you bought that!"

Oscar felt like his scalp was about to split open.

Others might not recognize Eliot, but how could he, Oscar, not know the squad leader personally?

Before Esther could say another word, Oscar slapped her hard across the face, blood spraying as the impact echoed.

"How dare you disrespect Her Highness?! Are you looking to die?"

Then, when he spotted one of the black-clad men inching toward the knife at his waist, Oscar didn't hesitate. He kicked him hard in the stomach. "Wanna die?! You dare offend Her Highness too?! Get down on your knees!"

The men exchanged panicked glances. If even the police chief was this terrified of the woman, there was no way they could afford to cross her.

One by one, they dropped to their knees facing Serena.

Esther stared in disbelief. "Oscar!"

"You said you'd protect the Douglas family forever! And now you hit me-for that little tramp?!"

She couldn't see Oscar's horrified expression. In her head, he'd clearly been bewitched by Serena's looks.

Oscar was scared stiff, worried that any association with Esther might drag him down too. He slapped her again with all the force he had left, screaming, "Hell yeah I hit you! Her Highness is royalty, and you dared to insult her! I'll kill you myself!"

Esther collapsed, dazed and buzzing in her ears, unable to speak.

The way Oscar, once the Douglas family's strongest backup, was now bowing and scraping like a beaten dog in front of Serena made Aria Douglas realize something, even in her panicked state.

Serena wasn't someone they could mess with.

And today, she wasn't here for a nice visit-she was here for revenge. Against Esther.

Aria was only fourteen. She didn't want to die.

Ignoring the blood pooling around her legs, Aria crawled over to Serena's feet, her lips white as a sheet, her expression desperate and sincere. "Serena, please. We're cousins-I'm begging you, don't kill me. It was Esther who crossed the line, not me. I didn't do anything!

"I'm just a kid... I'll cut ties with her from now on-she's dead to me. Just let me go, please?

"I'll follow your lead in everything. I swear I'll never cross you."

To show her loyalty, she crawled forward and slapped Esther hard in the face.

The fear flashed across her eyes for a split second, but the instinct to survive quickly overwhelmed any guilt.

Serena chuckled, amused. She never planned on doing anything to Aria.

But wow-didn't expect her to throw her own mom under the bus so fast just to stay alive.

Esther clutched her bruised cheek, looking shattered.

"Aria... you hit me?!"

She reached out blindly to grab her, but her hands flailed in the air, coming up empty every time.

Aria stared back coldly, watching her tears drip like broken pearls. "You deserve this. Crocodile tears won't save you. Having a mom like you is just embarrassing."

Serena looked at Esther with scorn. "How's it feel, Esther? Getting thrown aside by your own daughter just so she can save her own skin? Must sting, huh?"

Esther's face turned ashen, and her strength drained out of her all at once as she crumpled to the floor.

Why?

Why did those timid fools Serena called parents manage to raise a daughter who came back for revenge, while she got stuck with this ungrateful brat?

She'd pampered Aria all her life, fought tooth and nail for the Douglas family's fortune just to get Aria the best medical care...

And this is how it ends.

Esther burst into laughter, but her tears had already turned red with blood. Her eyes burned with bitter regret.