Theo lay unconscious in the hospital bed, his small face flushed with fever. An IV line ran into his arm, the steady drip the only sign of control in an otherwise worsening situation.
When Rhys stepped inside, he immediately felt it-
The tension.
Theron sat beside the bed, silent, still, but the pressure around him was suffocating.
"Sir," Rhys said quietly.
Theron stood without a word and walked out. Rhys followed, and the door clicked shut behind them.
"Any update on Nyx?" Theron asked.
"We reached him," Rhys said carefully. "He refused."
The air shifted.
Rhys didn't pause.
"But I tracked his movements. He's heading to the capital-someone important is here. He's already booked a flight. Arrival should be tomorrow afternoon. I'll have people waiting at the airport."
"No."
Theron's voice cut clean through the hallway.
"I'll go."
Rhys blinked, then nodded. "Understood."
Theron didn't explain.
He didn't need to.
If Nyx was as difficult as they said-
Sending someone else wouldn't be enough.
Monroe Residence
Dinner had just ended when Howard returned.
Scarlett set her glass down.
"Mom, Louie-I need to step out for a bit. Something came up."
Amy looked concerned, but didn't stop her. Louie just gave a small nod.
Outside, Scarlett didn't waste time.
"Well?"
Howard's expression darkened. "I found out who did it."
A pause.
"It was Colin Drake."
Scarlett's eyes went cold.
"Why?"
Howard hesitated, just for a second.
"Louie's fiancée thought he wasn't good enough for her. She got involved with Colin. Louie caught them together... confronted him."
He exhaled slowly.
"It turned into a fight. Colin had his guys step in. They broke Louie's legs... then wrecked the yard."
Silence.
"And now," Howard added, "she's engaged to Colin."
A sharp crack echoed as Scarlett's fingers tightened into a fist.
The air around her seemed to shift.
"Where is he?"
"At a club."
Scarlett got there fast.
Too fast.
Inside the private room, Colin Drake was exactly where you'd expect him to be-sprawled across a couch, surrounded by women.
One draped over his left arm. Another leaning into his shoulder.
He laughed, careless, indulgent.
"Oh, you're awful," one of them teased, pressing closer.
"Yeah?" Colin smirked. "You like that, don't you?"
He leaned in for another kiss-
The door slammed open.
Hard.
The entire room went still.
Colin turned, annoyed-
Then froze.
His gaze locked onto Scarlett.
And shifted instantly.
Interest. Sharp. Unfiltered.
"Well... now this is new," he said, pushing the women aside as he stood. "Who are you?"
Scarlett didn't react.
"Are you Colin Drake?"
"That depends," he said lazily. "Who's asking?"
But his eyes stayed on her.
A woman like that didn't walk in by accident.
And she definitely didn't walk in for someone else.
Howard stepped forward slightly, already reading the look on his face. If Scarlett hadn't stopped him earlier, Colin would already be on the floor.
"Gloves," he said quietly.
Scarlett took them without looking.
Slid them on.
Then raised her eyes.
Cold. Focused.
Something about it made Colin pause.
"Alright," he said, a little less relaxed now. "What do you want?"
Scarlett tilted her head slightly.
"Louie Monroe is my brother."
The shift was instant.
Recognition hit.
"...Scarlett?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"Scarlett Hayes. Right?"
A slow grin spread across his face.
"I thought you were still locked up. What, they let you out early?"
Scarlett didn't answer.
Colin let out a short laugh, the mockery clear.
"What, you here to stand up for him?" he said. "Your brother picked a fight he couldn't win."
He leaned back, tapping his cheek.
"Go ahead. Take your shot."
His grin widened.
"I won't even move."
Scarlett looked at him for a second.
Then-
"Your call."
She moved.
Fast.
Too fast for him to react.
CRACK-
The sound echoed through the room.
Colin's head snapped to the side as his nose shattered on impact. The force sent him flying backward, crashing hard onto the floor.
A beat of silence-
Then-
"AAAH-!"
He screamed, clutching his face, blood pouring between his fingers.
"You-!" His voice broke into a roar. "I'll kill you!"
Scarlett walked toward him, unhurried.
"Oh?" she said calmly.
Her foot came down-
CRACK-
The sound was worse this time.
A scream tore out of him, raw and uncontrolled.
"Stop-!"
Too late.
She pressed down harder.
Bone gave under pressure.
Another scream. Louder. Desperate.
She didn't rush.
Didn't hesitate.
By the time she stepped back-
Both legs were destroyed.
Colin lay there shaking, his face drained of color, his body barely responding to the pain.
Scarlett looked down at him.
Unmoved.
"Now we're even."
He glared up at her, hatred burning in his eyes-
But he didn't say another word.
He couldn't.
Right then, Brielle rushed in.
She stopped cold at the sight.
"Honey?!"
Her voice cracked.
She stared at Colin, broken on the floor, panic flooding her face.
"What happened?! Who did this?!"
"I did."
Scarlett's voice cut through the room.
Brielle snapped her head toward her.
"Scarlett?!"
Shock turned to anger almost instantly.
"What is wrong with you?!" she snapped. "You're insane! You should've stayed in prison!"
Scarlett didn't react.
"Whether I belong there isn't your concern," she said evenly.
Her gaze sharpened.
"I broke his legs because he broke my brother's."
A beat.
"You knew that."
Brielle didn't hesitate.
"He deserved it."
The temperature in the room dropped.
Scarlett's expression hardened.
"Deserved it?"
Her voice was quiet.
Controlled.
"He worked himself to exhaustion for you," she said. "Gave you everything he had."
Her eyes locked onto Brielle's.
"And that's what you call deserving it?"
Brielle let out a short, dismissive laugh.
"He had nothing," she said coldly. "No money. No future. Did he really think that was enough?"
Scarlett let out a quiet laugh.
Her gaze lingered on Brielle for a moment.
Pretty, sure.
But compared to Louie?
Not even close.
That wasn't bias.
It was fact.
She didn't deserve him.
"What's so funny?" Brielle snapped. "Am I wrong?"
She lifted her chin, smug.
"A guy who can't even make three grand a month thinks he can marry me?"
"My fiancé's different. He's got money. He runs his own company. He actually knows how to treat me."
"If I want a designer bag, I get one. Your brother? He'd have to kill himself just to afford it."
Every word dripped with contempt.
Scarlett drew in a slow breath, holding her temper in check.
Her eyes flicked briefly to the women huddled in the corner-
Then back to Brielle.
"You see this?" she said evenly. "You're engaged to him, and he's still hooking up with other women."
"What's that got to do with you?" Brielle shot back. "I don't care. I want him."
But that wasn't true.
Not completely.
No one was that indifferent.
She just chose not to look too closely.
Money.
Status.
The life she wanted.
Scarlett's gaze hardened.
"Good," she said quietly.
"Then stick with that choice."
There was a weight behind her voice now.
A promise.
"You're going to regret it."
"Everything you said. Everything you chose."
At first, she'd only planned to teach Brielle a lesson.
Now?
That felt like a waste.
No-
She wanted something else.
Something lasting.
Not pain.
Regret.
The kind that stayed with you.
The kind that didn't fade.
"Let's go," she said, turning to Howard.
She walked out without another glance.
Behind her, Brielle's voice cut through the room-
"Stop right there, Scarlett! You think you can just walk away after this? I'm calling the police! I'll send you back to prison!"
Scarlett didn't slow down.
Didn't even turn.
She was already gone.
Howard lingered for half a second, glancing back at Brielle.
Amused.
Calling the police?
That was cute.
If she thought that would work-
She had no idea who she was dealing with.
