Outside the orphanage, rows of soldiers in uniform moved quickly to clean up. In just fifteen minutes, everything looked untouched, like the chaos earlier had been a bad dream.
As the evening set in, Evan finally came to. Little Sarah bounced in, holding a bowl of medicine Serena had brewed, her voice full of excitement. "Evan, Serena is amazing!"
Evan assumed she was praising the medicine and chuckled. "Yeah, Serena's pretty awesome. You wanna be like her when you grow up? Maybe I'll send you to med school, how about that?"
"No way!" Sarah shook her head hard, eyes sparkling with determination. "I wanna be a soldier! I wanna be a badass fighter like her!"
Just like Serena, the legendary Scarlet Valkyrie-cool and unstoppable.
Evan paused for a second before smiling and tousling her hair. "Alright then, when you grow up, go be the fiercest warrior ever."
Happy with that, Sarah skipped toward the door. But as she reached the orphanage gate, curiosity took over.
She darted toward it, pressed her face close and peeked through the crack.
Huh?
All the bad guys were gone. No blood left on the ground. Even the little tree branch that had been snapped earlier was fixed and lying neatly again.
She touched the lollipop Serena gave her in her pocket and grinned, secretly delighted.
Wow, not only is she powerful, she's super thoughtful too!
Inside the house.
"Your Highness, Dylan Price's phone is ringing," Gavin Moore said, bringing over a bloodied phone. The caller ID flashed "Oliver."
Serena gave a quiet nod, and Gavin answered the call.
A greasy male voice came through immediately, full of annoyance. "Dylan, the bone marrow transplant from Mabel to Aria is starting soon. Where the hell is the doctor I told you to get? You stalling on purpose?"
Serena's gaze turned icy.
"Long time no see, Uncle Oliver."
Oliver Douglas paused for a beat before testing the waters, "Serena? That you? You're out?
"Perfect timing. Mabel raised you. You should come see her one last time."
Then, the call was filled with Mabel's furious voice, full of rage. "Let me go! You monsters! You killed Daniel and his wife, framed Serena and shoved her in prison. Now you want to take my bone marrow to save your daughter? Over my dead body!"
Right as the call ended, Gavin saw it-murder in Serena's eyes.
With a sharp crack, the phone shattered in her hand.
Her voice was cold. "We're going to the Douglas house."
Gavin stiffened and jumped into action. "Right away, I'll ready the chopper."
At the Douglas mansion.
"Mom!" Esther squeezed Mabel's arm with fake concern. "Aria's my daughter, your granddaughter! If you give her your marrow, she can live. Isn't that worth it? Didn't you always say you just want your family to be safe?"
"Safe? With a daughter like you?" The old lady's voice broke with pain. "You stole the family assets, got Daniel and his wife killed, and now you wanna use my life to save your kid? Dream on!"
Esther's face twisted with anger. "If you hadn't played favorites and handed everything to Daniel's side, would I have needed to fight for it? I didn't steal anything-it was mine!"
Oliver stepped in too, his tone pleading but fake. "Come on, Mom... let's not drag the past into this. Just help Aria now, and the whole Douglas line will never forget your kindness."
"Disgusting, both of you!" Mabel snapped, and slapped each of them hard across the face.
Oliver turned his head away and stayed quiet. Esther, clutching the red mark on her cheek, looked even more pissed. She dropped the act completely.
"Hold this old hag down. Time for the anesthetic!"
One of the nurses nearby hesitated. "But... the doctor's not here yet. If we mess up the dosage and something goes wrong, she's the best match we've got... we can't afford to lose her."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go find Dylan Price! What, is he sleeping on the job?"
Oliver nodded quickly and stepped out to make another call.
Clearly, sweet-talking wasn't gonna work-they needed something a little tougher now.
Esther smirked. "Mom, guess what? Serena broke out of prison. If I tipped the cops off about where she is, you think they'd go easy on her this time? Maybe even a death sentence?"
As she spoke, she pulled out a photo and waved it in front of her mother.
It was Serena at the orphanage-clear as day, right down to the nameplate on the building behind her.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Mabel's voice trembled as she snatched at the picture.
"Simple. If you go through with the surgery, I swear, I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll even treat Serena like my own daughter, let her live in comfort here at the Douglas house."
Her voice turned cold. "But if you don't, I make a call, tell the police she's hiding at the Angel Orphanage out in the suburbs. You can bet her life there would be hell."
While she spoke, Esther scratched Serena's face on the photo with one of her polished nails. "Live or die, you decide."
Her grin was full of fake sweetness, like she'd already won.
Mabel looked at the picture, eyes welling up. Tears rolled down her lined cheeks nonstop.
She bit down so hard her knuckles went white. "You... you promise?"
"Of course."
Esther reached out, trying to help her sit up. "We're family, Mom. Would I lie to you?"
Right then, the front door burst open with a loud bang.
Serena stood framed in the doorway, eyes like ice as they swept across everyone. "Dear Esther, I'd love to see exactly how you plan to make my life miserable."
Instant silence. Everyone turned to the door.
The girl in red stood tall against the light, her hem still damp from dew, but the aura surrounding her was thunderous, enough to choke the room.
Esther froze, shocked for a second, then sneered. "Serena? You've got some nerve showing your face here."
From the nearby makeshift surgery bed, Aria Douglas stuck her head out for a better look. Her eyes scanned Serena's striking face, and a flash of jealousy twisted her expression.
"So you're the famous Serena my mom keeps whining about? Honestly? Not that pretty. No wonder she says you're just a stray no one wanted."
"Aria, sweetie, lie back down, okay?" Esther didn't stop her daughter's harsh words. Instead, she turned and yelled at the stunned nurse. "Why are you just standing there? Give her the injection! Don't waste any more time!"
"I dare you to try."
Serena stepped forward. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill that stopped everyone in their tracks.
The nurse froze, syringe trembling in her hand.
Esther laughed mockingly. "Who do you think you are? This is my house. Everything here goes through me. And your grandmother's already agreed to the surgery. What right do you have to get in the way?"
Serena's gaze drifted over to Mabel, who was being held down on the table. Her expression softened. "Grandma, don't worry. I'm getting you out of here today. Safe, I promise."
Mabel's tears had soaked through her collar.
She shook her head desperately, voice breaking. "Serena, just getting to see you one more time... that's already enough for me. Please, just go. Don't bother with me. Esther... she's ruthless. You're no match for her..."
