Off to the side, Oliver really couldn't take it anymore. "Esther's still your aunt, you know. Can't we discuss this in private? If word gets out, what kinda face will the Douglas family have left in Draco City?"
Serena actually nodded. "You make a good point, Uncle Ollie. You guys-take everyone else away."
Oliver thought she finally saw reason. He even let a smug little smile show-only to have his injured arm yanked hard behind his back a second later.
"Ah-dammit, that hurts! Easy! General Moore!"
His face twisted in pain, but the second he turned and saw it was Gavin Moore holding him down, his eyes nearly popped out.
Oscar Bennett's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he spotted Gavin. He dropped back to his knees, not daring to lift his head. "General, sir!"
Serena snorted softly, looking down at them like they were less than dirt. "Your so-called honorable General Moore is just my bodyguard. Oscar, Oliver, you two should really count yourselves lucky you didn't stick your hands in back then. Otherwise? You wouldn't have made it outta here alive. You'd be in pieces by now."
The cold sweat on Oliver and Oscar's backs was instant. Every hair on their bodies stood up straight.
Oscar, still kneeling, was shaking inside. He wouldn't have crossed Serena even if you paid him. But then a terrible thought hit him-Cora's mess. His face changed in a flash.
Cold sweat ran straight down his spine.
His mind was racing. The second he got back, he was sending Cora into jail for real. He had to bury that scapegoat story and deep. Better to lose one Cora than drag down the whole Bennett family.
Serena glanced toward Mabel, then gave a low command to Gavin. "I've got something else to handle. Take Grandma back to the orphanage. And unless I say otherwise, no one touches that silver needle."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Gavin gently picked up the frail lady.
They drove for quite a while before the car rolled to a stop in front of the cemetery gates.
Serena was first out. Esther and Oliver were kicked out after her.
"I'm here, Dad, Mom," she whispered, her fingers brushing the dust from the carved name on the stone.
At the base of the headstone, the words read: In honor of her service. Erected by the Draco Police Department.
Another reason she let Oscar live.
After it all went down, Esther acted heartbroken and refused to have the bodies buried in the family tomb. The corpses sat in the morgue freezer for ages.
It wasn't until Oscar took over and didn't want to keep footing the storage bill that he had them buried in a cemetery.
A twist of fate, maybe-but at least her parents had a resting place now.
A bitter wind swept through the graveyard, cutting across Esther and Oliver's faces like a warning.
Gavin's men forced the two to their knees in front of the tombstone. Their kneecaps smashed against the freezing stone tiles, and their faces twisted with pain. But neither dared fight back.
Serena leaned forward and yanked a fistful of Esther's hair, forcing her face down toward the gravestone.
Her parents still smiled gently from the photo, like they were alive and watching.
"All these years... has there been even one moment when you felt guilty toward them?"
Despite the pain, Esther jerked her head up, sneering. "Guilty? They should've thanked me!"
Her eyes glowed with manic pride. "Your dad was a coward, your mom spineless. They didn't even have the guts to build anything up. Without me, the Douglas family wouldn't be where it is now. Without me, those Draco families would've eaten us alive!"
Looking at that smug, unrepentant face, the last bit of warmth in Serena's eyes was gone. Cold-completely.
She didn't waste another word. Turning around, she pulled the gun straight from Gavin Moore's belt. With a sharp "click," she chambered a round.
That sound-so crisp and sudden-it was like a thunderclap in the dead air. Oliver jumped with fright, shoulders hunched, practically collapsing to the ground like he wished he could disappear into it.
But Esther still put on a brave face, lifting her chin with a sneer. "What? You gonna kill me?"
"You're the Scarlet Valkyrie, so what?" she mocked, hoping to shake Serena with her so-called future. "You've already taken out so many of my people. When this gets out, it'll just look like you're abusing power. But if you shoot me..."
Esther gave a small scoff and leaned in. "If you shoot me, you'll be the crazy one who murdered a relative over a grudge. You'll ruin your whole life for this. Is it worth it?"
She struggled to her feet, making a slow move toward Serena and reaching out. "Let's just cut a deal, alright? You let me live, I'll give you half the family fortune..."
"Bang!"
The gunshot ripped through the air.
A bullet slammed into Esther's left leg. She let out a scream, crumpling to the ground, her knee smashing against the cold stone, blood immediately seeping out.
Before she could so much as catch her breath-
"Bang!"
Another shot rang out. This time, her right leg. She collapsed completely, slumping in front of the tombstone, face twisted in agony. Blood streamed down her legs, pooling beneath her in the cracks of the stone.
"You really thought I wouldn't?" Serena stepped forward, cold barrel pressed to the back of Esther's head. Her voice was like steel. "Forgot to mention-before I came here, your daughter Aria handed me a letter."
Serena pulled a folded note from her pocket and opened it with leisure.
"A formal letter of forgiveness. Signed by Aria Douglas, stating that if anything happened to you, she'd take your body and wouldn't press charges."
Esther's eyes locked on the handwriting-realizing who's it was-and her pupils shrank. Whatever false confidence she'd had, it was gone.
Serena chuckled dryly and applied just the slightest pressure-enough to turn the letter into dust. The fragments scattered with the wind.
As Esther watched helplessly, Serena added, "But honestly? I don't need that. The Scarlet Valkyrie doesn't need permission when dealing with murderers."
"Click."
Another round locked and loaded.
This time, Esther's face finally cracked. She could feel the chill of the gun and the very real threat behind it-it wasn't a bluff.
Her swagger disappeared. Her voice trembled, teary and panicked. "I was wrong! Serena, I was wrong, please!"
"It was me, I gave your parents those drugs! I set you up-I admit it! Please, I'm begging you, I know you're someone big now, don't throw it all away over me..."
She started slamming her head into the stone, her forehead splitting open with each hit, blood mixing with dirt. "I know you have a future. This isn't worth it, please don't do this..."
But the gun stayed exactly where it was. Serena didn't flinch.
Esther broke down completely, begging through her sobs, "Don't do it! How are you gonna face the family if you kill me? What about your parents-"
"Bang!"
That final shot cut her off.
Esther's body jerked once, then slumped forward, collapsing in a full kneel at the foot of the tombstone. Her forehead hit the stone with a dull thud, blood gushing from the wound and soaking into the earth, mixing with the rest.
Serena lowered the gun, a catch in her throat that had been held back for years. Her voice shook, but her eyes were steady. "You want an explanation? Give it to my parents yourself."
She bent in a deep bow toward the grave, eyes reddening. "Dad, Mom... I did it. I avenged you."
Off to the side, Oliver was pale as a sheet, breathing in frantic gulps, nearly passed out on the ground.
Turning to him, Serena's expression shifted. Her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Your turn, Oliver."
