I was so furious that I rushed out, only to be forced to the ground by people Alina had ordered, pinned down, and made to kneel.
Mrs. Ariana Walker grabbed my chin and slapped me hard across the face.
"You little beast! Your father tried to extort my daughter, and you still dare to sue her? To call the police?"
"You think the Walker family is that easy to bully? Smash everything, hard!"
"I want him to have no peace even in death!"
"No! Please, stop!"
My mother hobbled out with a cane, trying to stop them, but Alina shoved her to the ground.
I struggled with all my might, hatred fueling every ounce of strength in my body.
Breaking free from their grip, I grabbed a chair and swung it straight at Alina.
But before I could react, someone kicked me from behind, sending me crashing into the wall.
And just like always, Maverick appeared. Right on cue.
Always there to witness the end, never the beginning.
"Brother Maverick, I just brought Mom to apologize to Uncle Liam. I didn’t expect Ariella to act like this toward me. Ah! It hurts so much!"
Maverick scooped her into his arms, casting a cold, sharp glare in my direction.
"Ariella, didn’t I tell you this ends here? Why won’t you listen?"
"That’s not how it happened! She brought people here and destroyed the funeral—"
"No, we didn’t! She’s lying!"
Alina immediately burst into exaggerated sobs, then collapsed to the ground as if she’d fainted.
Ariana jumped in without missing a beat.
"My daughter’s already suffering from depression because of your father’s case; she even tried to take her own life. I beg you. Please let her live!"
Everything we said, Maverick refused to believe. Yet every word from those two vipers, he treated like gospel.
"Someone, destroy the funeral for me."
"Ariella, this is your third strike. If you go against me again, I’ll make sure you never forget it for the rest of your life."
With that, he turned and carried Alina out. She peeked through one eye and threw us a mocking face.
When my mother saw my father’s black-and-white portrait ripped to shreds, she fainted on the spot from sheer rage.
I panicked, rushing her to the hospital for emergency care, hands trembling as I dialed a number on my phone.
When the call connected, I broke down completely. "Help me... I really have nowhere else to go..."
Only the sound of my sobs echoed down the cold hospital hallway.
Not long after the call ended, a video call from Alina popped up.
"Tsk tsk tsk, crying so pitifully! Too bad, Brother Maverick is still standing on my side."
"I was the one who drunk-drove and killed your father, you know? He was still alive at first, but I hated how his blood stained the car Maverick gave me. It scared my dog, so I stepped on the gas and sent him straight to heaven."
"You see this white pipe here? That’s the leg I had your mother’s doctor amputate after I tossed her from the building. I made it into a pipe, just for you. A souvenir!"
"Hahahaha!"
I curled around my phone, trembling, broken, yet the fire in my chest burned hotter than ever.
"You monster... you’re no different from the beasts who once slaughtered civilians."
"Oh? You guessed right. I actually got the idea from a documentary about the Japanese turning bones into pipes."
"Alina, I curse you, may you die a miserable death!"
I lost all sense of reason and charged at Alina, ready to risk everything, to drag her down with me.
I slashed the knife toward her with all my strength, but she only screamed for help with a twisted smile, like everything was unfolding exactly as she had planned.
A warning shot rang out.
Maverick’s men had opened fire, and the bullet grazed my hand.
"Ariella, are you insane? You tried to kill someone with a knife?"
My eyes burned crimson, fury roaring through my chest like wildfire, an inferno I could no longer contain.
"Yes, I’m crazy. As long as I’m still breathing, I’ll kill her."
"Maverick, don’t you dare put on that pained, disappointed face. You make me sick."
"Fine. You asked for it."
"She’s yours to do whatever you want."
With those cold words, Maverick turned and walked away.
"Maverick, you’re not human. You’re a beast!"
"What are you all standing around for? Go get her!"
Terrified, I tore myself free and ran, but just then, the hospital called.
My mother was gone.
I froze. It felt like lightning had struck me, and in that moment of shock, they caught me.
They ripped at my clothes, pinned me down, and refused to let me move.
I shut my eyes in despair.
At the sound of a gunshot, my eyes snapped open.
I knew—it was him. He had come to save me.
