Chapter 2: The Crash and the Castle

Part 1: The Panic of a Broken Heart

Riely wrapped both of her arms tightly around the boy's neck. Sobbing violently against his shoulder, her voice cracked into a breathless, desperate plea.

"Z-Zayden... please. Take me to the hospital. I need to be there. Zayden, take me..."

Zayden gently wiped the hot tears from her cheeks, his own expression tight with worry as he tried to calm her frantic breathing. "Calm down, Riely. Just take a breath."

But Riely only cried harder, her chest heaving as she sniffled. "No! He's in... he's in critical condition!"

"Okay, okay. He will be alright," Zayden promised, his voice softening. "I'll take you. But first, let me go ask Aunt—"

He started to rise, but Riely refused to let go. Her arms remained locked around his neck like a lifeline. "No! No need! Just take me right now!"

Zayden bit his lower lip, irritation and worry flashing across his handsome features. Without another word, he hooked his arms under her and effortlessly lifted her off the ground.

Riley gasped in shock, her tear-filled eyes widening. "W-What are you doing?!"

Zayden glanced down at her, a familiar, devilish smirk returning to his lips. "Silly girl. You twisted your ankle and can't even walk, yet you're still throwing a tantrum for that bastard crush of yours?"

Smack!

Riely slapped the top of his head lightly, her cheeks flushing. "Shut up and just take me!"

Zayden raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "As you wish, milady."

They hurried out of the house. Zayden carefully placed her onto the seat of his heavy motorcycle, lifting a sleek helmet and handing it to her. Riely twisted her face into a miserable pout. "I don't want to wear that."

"Childish girl," Zayden muttered. He took the helmet back and gently but firmly pushed it over her head, buckling it securely. "You never fail to annoy me, do you? Even when your precious tutor is fighting for his life in a hospital."

Riely glared at him through the visor. "Are you going to take me, or do you just want to waste my time?"

"Alright, fine. Hold on tight."

Zayden kicked the bike into gear. The engine roared to life with a deafening growl, and within a split second, they tore down the street, accelerating as fast as the heavy machine could go.

---

Part 2: Abandoned to the Shadows

Abandoned because of your own clumsiness.

Across the city, Sabrina Lip stared out the window of her luxury car, those dark words echoing in her mind. Her cold eyes locked onto a building in the distance.

"Hey. Stop right there," Sabrina commanded sharply.

The driver immediately pulled over to the curb, looking back in confusion. "Miss Sabrina, is this your house?"

"Not really," Sabrina replied, a dangerous smirk playing on her lips. "But there are a few things from my past that I need to clear up. Wait here. I'll be back."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll wait," the driver nodded respectfully.

Sabrina stepped out of the luxury vehicle. Her high heels clicked against the pavement as she approached a massive, looming black house. It stood tall and imposing, looking less like a home and more like a dark, forgotten castle.

She reached the front door and aggressively pressed the doorbell, keeping her finger on it. The constant, annoying ringing echoed through the walls inside.

Ha. These people never cared about me half as much as they cared about that witch, she thought, her smirk turning icy. Good. Time to clear the trash.

Finally, the grand door clicked open. A nervous maid peeked out. "Yes, miss? Can I help—"

"Take me inside," Sabrina interrupted, her voice dropping to absolute zero. "I am the owner of this house."

The maid trembled under the suffocating, dark aura radiating from the woman in front of her. Terrified, she immediately stepped aside to welcome her in.

Sabrina walked into the grand hall like a queen returning to her throne. She casually threw her coat onto the polished floor, strode over to the main velvet sofa, and sat down, propping her elegant high heels right up onto the expensive fabric.

The maid gasped, her face turning pale. "M-Ma'am! Please take your heels off the sofa! The boss will scold me if she sees—"

Sabrina snapped her gaze toward the servant. Her red-tinged eyes were so predatory, so intensely savage, it felt as though she was going to eat the woman alive.

"Mind your own damn business," Sabrina hissed. "And as for your precious boss... she will only scold you if she manages to stay alive in this house. Get it? Now get lost before I make you regret being born."

The maid swallowed hard, her eyes filling with pure fear. Bowing her head rapidly, she turned and practically ran toward the backyard garden, desperate to escape the hall.

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Part 3: The Gathering of Rats

Out in the sunny backyard garden, a completely different world existed. A man, a woman, and a teenage girl were sitting around a pristine glass table, laughing and enjoying a peaceful afternoon tea—a picture-perfect, sweet family.

"Ah, Mom! Dad! I got first place in my college exams today!" the younger girl squealed happily.

The father smiled warmly, gently patting her manicured hair. "That's my girl. I knew you could do it."

The mother chuckled, leaning back in her chair with a proud look. "Well, of course she did. At the end of the day, whose daughter is she?"

The father laughed, looking affectionately at his wife. "She's the daughter of the most beautiful mother in the world, naturally."

The daughter burst out laughing. "Hahaha! What a great father!"

Their cheerful laughter was abruptly shattered as the maid burst into the garden, breathing frantically. "M-Ma'am! Sir! Someone is in the main hall! She claims it's her house... she looks incredibly dangerous, ma'am!"

The mother's smile vanished instantly. She slammed her teacup down and stood up. "What the hell are you talking about? Honey, come inside with me."

The parents left the backyard, their daughter trailing closely behind them. The moment they stepped into the grand hall, they froze. Sabrina Lip was lounging on the sofa, looking entirely at home.

The father's eyes narrowed in immediate anger. "What are you doing here?"

Sabrina slowly tilted her head back, a mocking, cruel smile spreading across her face. "Oh. Hi, Father. Long time no see."

The stepmother sneered, her voice dripping with disgust. "We are asking you what a filthy rat like you is doing inside our house!"

"Funny," Sabrina whispered, her eyes flashing dangerously. "That is the exact same thing I wanted to ask you, people."

From behind the parents, the daughter, Aileen, stepped forward. "Mom? Dad? What is going—" She stopped dead in her tracks when she recognized the visitor.

A malicious, arrogant thought flashed through Aileen's mind: Oh, this woman came back again? Perfect. Time to have some fun.

Aileen rushed forward, putting on a fake, overly dramatic display of affection. "Oh! Sister! You finally came back!"

"Stay the hell away from me, you little thief," Sabrina barked, not moving an inch.

The father's face turned purple with rage. "Sabrina, shut up!"

Sabrina snapped her gaze to him, talking back without a single shred of fear. "Why? Why are you taking her side again? Even today?"

"Because SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!" the father roared.

For a brief, agonizing second, a deep flash of disappointment flickered in Sabrina's eyes. She looked down, her voice dangerously quiet. "Good. Then who am I? The girl named Sabrina Lip... who is she to you?"

The father scoffed, his expression hardening into pure venom. "An arrogant daughter of a filthy, vulgar mother—"

"DAD!" Sabrina shouted, her voice slicing through the room like a blade.

"Don't you dare call me that!" the father snarled, pointing a harsh finger toward his family. "I only have one daughter, and her name is Aileen. And this is my wife!"

The stepmother crossed her arms, looking down her nose at Sabrina with a triumphant smirk. Aileen copied her mother perfectly, wearing the exact same smug, mocking expression.

Sabrina rose from the sofa, her sharp, assassin eyes locking onto the man who shared her blood. "You never ever loved me. You are the killer of my mother. And that woman and her brat stole our home. They stole my peace."

"No!" the father barked defensively. "They brought me into the light! They showed me how blind I was with your mother!"

"Ah, yes. I see how it works now," Sabrina said, a bitter, dramatic laugh escaping her lips. For the first time in years, tears of absolute disappointment threatened to spill from her eyes, though she forced them back. "Cheating on my mother was her fault. Murdering her was her fault. And this disgusting woman and her daughter kicking me out of my own home... that was my fault, right?"

She took a slow step forward, the temperature in the room dropping to absolute zero.

"You don't even remember what I look like. You don't know where I've been, or whether I am alive or dead. And you still dare to call yourself a father?"

The stepmother dramatically grabbed her husband's arm, faking terror. "Oh, honey, look! Look at your daughter's real face! We gave her so much love all these years, and what does she give us in return? These horrible words!"

Sabrina's gaze whipped to the stepmother, her voice a deadly hiss. "You witch. Shut your filthy mouth."

"See?! Look at how vulgar she is!" the stepmother wailed, fueling the fire.

Sabrina roared, her lethal, underworld presence completely filling the grand hall. "I am the one you gave 'love' to?! Take a closer look at me! When I was thrown out onto the streets and got into a horrific accident, did any of you come?! Did a single person check if I was breathing?!"

She brutally wiped the single stray tear from her cheek, her face hardening into an expression of pure, unadulterated malice.

"I am no longer that weak girl you abandoned. Standing right here in front of you... is the leader of the country's most lethal underworld assassin organization."

With absolute calmness, Sabrina pulled out a sleek cigarette and lit it. She walked straight up to her father, stepping directly into his personal space. She blew a thick, gray cloud of smoke straight into his face, her voice dropping to a terrifying, lethal whisper.

"You will all die a painful, agonizing death."

The stepmother gasped, pointing a shaking finger at her. "Look at her! That is the girl we raised! She is just as trashy and vulgar as that woman who gave birth to her!"

SLAP!

A deafening crack echoed through the castle-like hall.

Sabrina's hand moved with blinding, violent speed. The force of the slap sent the stepmother stumbling backward, clutching her bright red, swelling cheek in absolute horror.

Sabrina stood over her, her eyes burning with a murderous fire.

"Don't you dare spit that dirt from your mouth regarding my mother."

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[Chapter End - To Be Continued]

Author Note. hope you liked the chapter if did so add the book in library and also follow me on my insta akiwrites 2026.