I drove toward the location and parked a mile away to avoid alerting anyone. Moving stealthily, I avoided the hidden guards and CCTV cameras scattered across the area.
For some reason, the place felt familiar… but I couldn't remember why.
I pushed the thought aside and continued forward.
Reaching a safe spot, I hacked into their system. One by one, the camera feeds appeared on my screen, revealing guard positions and blind spots.
Then I saw it.
A man was beating Judy mercilessly.
My grip tightened. I forced myself to stay calm, speeding up the download of all necessary data. I connected every camera feed, mapped every route, and created a sound-trigger system that would alert me as I moved.
When everything was finally ready, I moved through the blind spots.
But I was too late.
That man
Desmond Mason.
He got there before me.
Felix was already inside. Trapped.
Judy…
She was barely recognizable.
Guilt hit me hard. I could have prevented this. But instead, I hesitated—wanting to understand that man.
I swallowed it down. This wasn't the time.
I raised my gun and aimed at the lights in the room.
Then I heard his voice.
"If you won't take the mission… then she'll pay the price."
A pause.
"Strip her."
My vision went cold.
"Let them have her."
Something inside me snapped.
Felix dropped to his knees, his body shaking. Judy struggled weakly, her clothes already torn, barely covered.
I pulled the trigger.
The man closest to her dropped instantly, shot clean through the head and heart.
Before anyone could react, I changed position and shot out the lights. Darkness swallowed the room.
Gunshots echoed.
Chaos.
I shot the man restraining Felix and tossed him a gun.
He caught it immediately.
Like we had done this before.
Without hesitation, he fired, taking down the men dragging Judy.
I moved fast, reaching her and pulling her into my arms before anyone else could touch her.
Felix threw his coat over her.
I didn't stop shooting.
That night…
I killed more people than I ever had before.
And none of them saw my face.
As I moved toward the exit, I glanced back.
Felix and Desmond stood facing each other, guns pointed.
Saying something I couldn't hear.
I didn't wait.
Judy's life came first.
As I jumped down toward the exit, a gunshot.
Pain exploded in my shoulder.
I staggered, biting back a cry.
The bullet had grazed me.
I didn't stop.
Outside, I contacted my assistant. Within minutes, he arrived with the car. We drove off immediately.
Halfway down the road, we switched plans.
We abandoned the car, set it on fire, and moved through the forest to another vehicle waiting ahead.
By the time we left, it looked like an accident.
No trace.
No evidence.
Nothing.
He dropped me near the estate.
I slipped back inside the same way I left, returned to my room, and quickly cleaned myself up. I removed the dye, treated my wound, and covered it with makeup so it looked untouched.
The mannequin was removed. Everything was restored.
I lay on the bed, pretending to sleep.
Gun in hand.
Then,
BANG.
The door shook violently.
I stayed still.
Two minutes later
CRASH.
The door was forced open.
In one swift motion, I raised my gun, using my injured arm, and pointed it straight ahead.
"Take one more step," I said coldly,
"and you die."
Silence.
Then I saw him.
Desmond Mason.
I smirked slightly.
"So this is how you treat your so-called goddaughter?"
One of the men tried to step forward, but he stopped him.
Then he walked toward me himself.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
And without warning
He yanked the cloth covering my shoulder.
I blinked at him coquettishly, a faint smile playing on my lips.
"What?" I teased softly. "Have you changed your mind? Want to turn me into your little toy instead?"
My fingers trailed slowly from his chest downward, deliberately provoking him.
Just as my hand was about to go lower,
He grabbed my wrist and shoved me away harshly.
"You must be joking," he said, his voice laced with annoyance and frustration.
Without another word, he turned and walked out.
The moment the door closed, I let out a slow breath.
Relief.
From the very first day in that hacker's garden, I knew he had been suspicious of me. Just now, when he yanked my clothes, it wasn't out of impulse, it was a test.
He wanted to see if I was injured.
If I had been there tonight.
But I was one step ahead.
I had no choice but to play along… even though my shoulder was already screaming in pain.
The moment I was alone, I felt it,
Warm liquid trickling down my skin.
Blood.
Clicking my tongue softly, I removed the makeup covering the wound and cleaned it properly this time. Without the disguise, the injury looked worse than I had allowed myself to admit.
Still… I couldn't care less.
After dressing it again, I lay back on the bed.
Sleep took me almost instantly.
The next morning, a message came in from Felix.
Where did you take Judy?
I stared at it for a moment before replying.
Didn't you say you didn't want me involved? So why are you asking me now?
A pause.
Then another message came in.
Is something wrong with her?
I scoffed softly.
Tsk. I thought you said you loved her? The one chance you had, you wasted it.
He didn't reply after that.
I knew I was being harsh, but it was necessary.
If Felix acted on emotion now, everything would fall apart.
And more importantly…
I had eyes on me.
After getting ready for the day, carefully covering my wound with makeup, I packed my laptop and important files into my bag.
I asked the driver to take me to a café not too far from the hospital Judy was admitted to.
Once there, I handed my laptop and USB drives to the manager, one of my people. Before that, I had already transferred everything to my phone.
Right now, my phone was all I needed.
Everything else… was just a distraction.
After that, I told the driver to take me back to the mansion.
Barely five minutes into the drive, I spoke again.
"I need to use the restroom."
The car stopped.
I stepped out calmly… then slipped away.
Through the window on the other side, I climbed out and disappeared without a trace.
At the hospital, I made my way quietly to Judy's room.
She was awake.
Standing by the window.
But the Judy I knew,
The lively, spirited girl,
She wasn't there anymore.
Something inside me tightened.
Guilt crept in slowly.
Maybe…
Maybe I could give her a chance.
A chance to be a friend.
But what if she betrays me?
…Yet she already proved herself, didn't she?
My thoughts clashed violently.
In the end, I made a decision.
I would try.
Just once.
"Judy…" I called softly, almost a whisper.
She turned.
Her eyes met mine.
A faint, tired smile appeared on her lips.
"Thank you… Catherine."
I froze.
Caught completely off guard.
…How did she know?