"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.

Off to the side, Oliver really couldn't take it anymore. "Esther's still your aunt, you know. Can't we discuss this in private? If word gets out, what kinda face will the Douglas family have left in Draco City?"

Serena actually nodded. "You make a good point, Uncle Ollie. You guys-take everyone else away."

Oliver thought she finally saw reason. He even let a smug little smile show-only to have his injured arm yanked hard behind his back a second later.

"Ah-dammit, that hurts! Easy! General Moore!"

His face twisted in pain, but the second he turned and saw it was Gavin Moore holding him down, his eyes nearly popped out.

Oscar Bennett's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he spotted Gavin. He dropped back to his knees, not daring to lift his head. "General, sir!"

Serena snorted softly, looking down at them like they were less than dirt. "Your so-called honorable General Moore is just my bodyguard. Oscar, Oliver, you two should really count yourselves lucky you didn't stick your hands in back then. Otherwise? You wouldn't have made it outta here alive. You'd be in pieces by now."

The cold sweat on Oliver and Oscar's backs was instant. Every hair on their bodies stood up straight.

Oscar, still kneeling, was shaking inside. He wouldn't have crossed Serena even if you paid him. But then a terrible thought hit him-Cora's mess. His face changed in a flash.

Cold sweat ran straight down his spine.

His mind was racing. The second he got back, he was sending Cora into jail for real. He had to bury that scapegoat story and deep. Better to lose one Cora than drag down the whole Bennett family.

Serena glanced toward Mabel, then gave a low command to Gavin. "I've got something else to handle. Take Grandma back to the orphanage. And unless I say otherwise, no one touches that silver needle."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Gavin gently picked up the frail lady.

They drove for quite a while before the car rolled to a stop in front of the cemetery gates.

Serena was first out. Esther and Oliver were kicked out after her.

"I'm here, Dad, Mom," she whispered, her fingers brushing the dust from the carved name on the stone.

At the base of the headstone, the words read: In honor of her service. Erected by the Draco Police Department.

Another reason she let Oscar live.

After it all went down, Esther acted heartbroken and refused to have the bodies buried in the family tomb. The corpses sat in the morgue freezer for ages.

It wasn't until Oscar took over and didn't want to keep footing the storage bill that he had them buried in a cemetery.

A twist of fate, maybe-but at least her parents had a resting place now.

A bitter wind swept through the graveyard, cutting across Esther and Oliver's faces like a warning.

Gavin's men forced the two to their knees in front of the tombstone. Their kneecaps smashed against the freezing stone tiles, and their faces twisted with pain. But neither dared fight back.

Serena leaned forward and yanked a fistful of Esther's hair, forcing her face down toward the gravestone.

Her parents still smiled gently from the photo, like they were alive and watching.

"All these years... has there been even one moment when you felt guilty toward them?"

Despite the pain, Esther jerked her head up, sneering. "Guilty? They should've thanked me!"

Her eyes glowed with manic pride. "Your dad was a coward, your mom spineless. They didn't even have the guts to build anything up. Without me, the Douglas family wouldn't be where it is now. Without me, those Draco families would've eaten us alive!"

Looking at that smug, unrepentant face, the last bit of warmth in Serena's eyes was gone. Cold-completely.

She didn't waste another word. Turning around, she pulled the gun straight from Gavin Moore's belt. With a sharp "click," she chambered a round.

That sound-so crisp and sudden-it was like a thunderclap in the dead air. Oliver jumped with fright, shoulders hunched, practically collapsing to the ground like he wished he could disappear into it.

But Esther still put on a brave face, lifting her chin with a sneer. "What? You gonna kill me?"

"You're the Scarlet Valkyrie, so what?" she mocked, hoping to shake Serena with her so-called future. "You've already taken out so many of my people. When this gets out, it'll just look like you're abusing power. But if you shoot me..."

Esther gave a small scoff and leaned in. "If you shoot me, you'll be the crazy one who murdered a relative over a grudge. You'll ruin your whole life for this. Is it worth it?"

She struggled to her feet, making a slow move toward Serena and reaching out. "Let's just cut a deal, alright? You let me live, I'll give you half the family fortune..."

"Bang!"

The gunshot ripped through the air.

A bullet slammed into Esther's left leg. She let out a scream, crumpling to the ground, her knee smashing against the cold stone, blood immediately seeping out.

Before she could so much as catch her breath-

"Bang!"

Another shot rang out. This time, her right leg. She collapsed completely, slumping in front of the tombstone, face twisted in agony. Blood streamed down her legs, pooling beneath her in the cracks of the stone.

"You really thought I wouldn't?" Serena stepped forward, cold barrel pressed to the back of Esther's head. Her voice was like steel. "Forgot to mention-before I came here, your daughter Aria handed me a letter."

Serena pulled a folded note from her pocket and opened it with leisure.

"A formal letter of forgiveness. Signed by Aria Douglas, stating that if anything happened to you, she'd take your body and wouldn't press charges."

Esther's eyes locked on the handwriting-realizing who's it was-and her pupils shrank. Whatever false confidence she'd had, it was gone.

Serena chuckled dryly and applied just the slightest pressure-enough to turn the letter into dust. The fragments scattered with the wind.

As Esther watched helplessly, Serena added, "But honestly? I don't need that. The Scarlet Valkyrie doesn't need permission when dealing with murderers."

"Click."

Another round locked and loaded.

This time, Esther's face finally cracked. She could feel the chill of the gun and the very real threat behind it-it wasn't a bluff.

Her swagger disappeared. Her voice trembled, teary and panicked. "I was wrong! Serena, I was wrong, please!"

"It was me, I gave your parents those drugs! I set you up-I admit it! Please, I'm begging you, I know you're someone big now, don't throw it all away over me..."

She started slamming her head into the stone, her forehead splitting open with each hit, blood mixing with dirt. "I know you have a future. This isn't worth it, please don't do this..."

But the gun stayed exactly where it was. Serena didn't flinch.

Esther broke down completely, begging through her sobs, "Don't do it! How are you gonna face the family if you kill me? What about your parents-"

"Bang!"

That final shot cut her off.

Esther's body jerked once, then slumped forward, collapsing in a full kneel at the foot of the tombstone. Her forehead hit the stone with a dull thud, blood gushing from the wound and soaking into the earth, mixing with the rest.

Serena lowered the gun, a catch in her throat that had been held back for years. Her voice shook, but her eyes were steady. "You want an explanation? Give it to my parents yourself."

She bent in a deep bow toward the grave, eyes reddening. "Dad, Mom... I did it. I avenged you."

Off to the side, Oliver was pale as a sheet, breathing in frantic gulps, nearly passed out on the ground.

Turning to him, Serena's expression shifted. Her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Your turn, Oliver."