Chapter 1: The Bullet and the Bell

BANG!

A bullet tore through the air, shattering the concrete wall just inches to the left of a trembling man.

Sabrina stood amidst the smoke, her long black hair flowing over a sleek black dress. A dangerous smirk played on her lips. "Ha! You losers. Did you honestly think you could kill me?"

She calmly leveled her gun at the remaining five or six bodyguards standing in the room. Her voice dropped to a freezing, absolute zero. "Who ordered you to deliver the merchandise? Name that person right now if you want to keep breathing."

The hardened bodyguards immediately dropped their gazes to the floor, terrified. "Please, spare our lives, Miss Sabrina!"

"Shut up!" Sabrina snapped.

BANG!

She fired a round directly into the floorboards near their feet. The lead man screamed in agony, "AAAAH!"

"Shut your damn mouth," Sabrina hissed, stepping forward. "And don't you dare call me 'Boss.' I don't want to hear that name coming out of your dirty mouths."

The other men instantly raised their hands high in the air, trembling violently. "Please, ma'am! The man you just shot was the one the actual boss called! We swear we don't know anything else!"

Sabrina glared at them, studying their expressions with razor-sharp assassin instincts. "If you are telling the truth, then fine. But if you brats are lying to me... your lives end right here."

They bowed their heads rapidly. "Yes, ma'am! Thank you!"

"Then leave," she commanded.

Relieved, the men turned their backs and took two steps toward the exit. But Sabrina didn't hesitate. With blinding speed, she raised her weapon and fired. Two precise shots tore through the air from behind. Blood splattered across the walls as they collapsed heavily to the ground.

The last remaining alive bodyguard raised his hands higher, his voice shaking. "M-Ma'am... how did you take them down so perfectly in one shot?"

Sabrina walked over, casually grabbing the blood-stained collar of the dead man. Her smirk was brutal. "Because I hate people who lie. They paid for what they did."

She turned her icy gaze to the lone survivor. "Kneel."

The man blinked. "What?"

"I said, KNEEL!" she roared.

The man instantly raised his hands and dropped to his knees. Sabrina smiled, a terrifyingly sweet expression. "Oh, good." She waved a hand to the back of the room. "Take this man to the basement."

A younger bodyguard stepped forward to secure the prisoner. "Ma'am, are you heading home now?"

"I don't know," Sabrina sighed, wiping a speck of dust off her sleeve. "I just want to go clean up the mess waiting for me at my house."

The young bodyguard grinned. "Good luck, ma'am."

Sabrina made a mock dumb face. "Wish me luck to stay alive."

The boy laughed. "Don't worry, ma'am. You're awesome."

"Good puppies," Sabrina muttered with a faint smile. She climbed into the back of her luxury car. The driver immediately pulled the gear, stepped on the gas, and sped away from the bloody scene.

---

Meanwhile, across the city, a completely different world was unfolding.

Riely was sitting quietly in her bedroom. She was a beautiful girl, her hair flowing softly over her shoulders as she carefully crafted a handmade card.

The bedroom door clicked open, and her mother walked in, exasperated. "Riely! How many times do I have to knock? You completely ignored me."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Mom," Riely said, offering a sweet smile. "I was just focusing on making this card. Today is Teacher's Day!"

Her mother's expression softened into a warm smile. "Good girl. Well, get ready quickly, because your home tutor will be here any moment now. He is a very good person."

"Yes, Mom!"

Riely carefully packed the handmade card and a beautifully wrapped gift into a neat box. She looked at it, her heart fluttering. My teacher always treats me like a little kid, she thought to herself. But today, I'm going to prove to Sir that I am independent.

Suddenly, the front doorbell rang.

"Oh no, Sir is here!" Riely gasped. She rushed to the mirror, quickly fixing her hair and applying a subtle touch of lipstick. She took a deep breath, whispering to her reflection, "Ah, Riely, you look pretty."

Hiding the wrapped box behind her back, she eagerly opened the front door.

But instead of her mature teacher, a handsome, dark-haired boy stepped inside. He smirked. "Hey. What's up, Riely?"

Riely's face fell instantly. "Ha... It's just you."

"Who else would it be?" he laughed, stepping into the house. He pulled her into a brief, friendly hug. Leaning in, he lowered his voice to a sly whisper. "Do you still like the teacher?"

Riely's eyes widened to the size of saucers. A bright crimson blush rushed to her cheeks. "Hey! Stop it! You can't just say things like that! I am just—"

"Don't worry, it's just me," the boy interrupted, walking into the living room. "You can share things with me."

Riley let out a sad, defeated sigh. "You know what? He still just sees me as his cute little kid. I don't think I have any expectations left."

The boy's tone turned cold and dismissive. "Honestly? That's because he is dumb himself."

"Stop that crap," Riely muttered, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, the loud, sharp ringing of the telephone cut through their conversation. Riely walked over and picked up the receiver. "Hello? Yes, this is Riely."

There was a brief pause as the voice on the other end spoke.

Instantly, the color drained from Riely's face. The telephone slipped from her numb fingers, clattering loudly against the floorboards. Her legs completely gave out, and she collapsed to her knees, hot tears bursting from her eyes.

The boy rushed over, grabbing her by the shoulders in pure panic. "Hey! What happened? Why are you crying? Riely, answer me!"

"He... he..." Riely sobbed violently, her voice breaking into a terrified wail. "Sir got into a horrible car accident... He is in the hospital right now, undergoing critical surgery! Haaa..."

[Chapter End - To Be Continued]