[Beep… beep… beep. The number you have dialed is currently unreachable. Please leave your message after the tone…]
But Mina didn't give up. She kept frantically hitting the call button, dialing Duyen's number again. This was the sixty-seventh time, but Mina didn't even care about the number anymore. Duyen never picked up, and that drove her closer to madness.
Her eyes narrowed as tears streamed down endlessly, blurring her vision. With every press of the call button, she whispered Duyen's name under her breath, like a savage, heartbreaking incantation. If she couldn't hear Duyen's voice within the next few seconds, Mina thought she might just… die.
Dao and the others stood nearby, watching Mina in the Royal Garden's security office. They'd never seen her break down like this before. The way she muttered Duyen's name sent chills down their spines.
Was she even okay?
Or was this her true self finally showing?
Dao shook her head, turning to Naomi again, needing to be sure.
"Hey, are you positive Cai Ying actually… dragged Duyen into that room?"
Naomi nodded without hesitation, though her face was pale with panic. She gasped for air as she spoke:
"I'm sure! I heard it—those brutal, violent sounds inside… Duyen… Duyen…"
Naomi gagged, almost ready to vomit. The screams she had heard still echoed in her skull, shredding her insides.
What had they done to Duyen? And how many men were in there? It had to be something unspeakable.
Dao fell silent, her stomach churning. She'd seen the room herself: Duyen's torn clothes, a pool of blood, and so many broken teeth scattered across the floor. Oh, God. She had almost wanted to defend Cai Ying before, but now? Why the hell was Cai Ying even involved? What grudge did she have against Duyen?
Dao didn't know the full picture, but she was sure of one thing—Valko was behind it. And now, he had walked out of the building like nothing had happened.
The only reason they were even inside the security room was because Mina had forced the guards to let them in. Otherwise, no one would've helped, even after such a horrific event.
Dao leaned back against the wall, trying to steady her nerves. Tonight had been too long, too much. Her eyes drifted to Mina, who sat clutching her phone, sobbing. That pitiful sight pushed Dao to dig deeper. She turned back to the building's CCTV recordings.
"Cai Ying's car is gone from the lot too… and of course, none of these damn cameras are useful. Perfect. Just perfect." Dao cursed under her breath.
Something was off. Around the time of the incident, a strange gust of wind swept through the building, and suddenly every camera glitched out—static, distorted, useless. Only an eerie smear of purple-blue burned across the screen, like some digital infection.
Now, they had no clue how to find Duyen.
Linh's face went pale, her fingers trembling.
"But the door was locked from the inside! How the hell could Duyen just vanish from that room?"
Dao exhaled sharply. "It's not just her. Kai and Jinsung's crew disappeared too. Valko must've ordered them to torture Duyen."
But hearing Linh's words unsettled Dao even more. How could the door be locked from inside, yet no one was left in the room—only blood and broken remnants? She shook her head helplessly.
"I'm done. We have to call the cops."
"No!"
The sudden outburst came from the building staff, their voices overlapping in fear.
Dao frowned. Why the hell were they so terrified?
"If you call the police, Valko will kill me—and my family… Please don't…"
"Yeah… he said we'd lose our jobs if we ever spoke out…"
Dao's temper snapped. She shouted at them, her voice echoing through the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you people!? You're more scared of that bastard than the police? Did you not see what just happened!? A HUMAN LIFE! That's what's at stake here!"
The staff shrank back, trembling. One of them squeaked out,
"Our orders came from Royal Garden's management… We all had to sign NDAs. We can't talk. Not even to the police."
Dao froze. "Royal Garden's management…?"
The Garden was under the Kamakiri family. And their leader was—
Dao's eyes flickered toward Mina. Mina's tear-reddened eyes widened at the mention.
Dao's stomach twisted. If Kamakiri was backing Valko, then the police were useless.
Mina suddenly went quiet, staring at the floor like a broken doll. Nobody could tell what she was thinking.
One staff member finally blurted out,
"Actually… someone else entered the building that time!"
"Kim!" another worker hissed, warning her to shut up.
"Let her speak," Dao snapped.
Kim hesitated, but under Dao's protection, she spilled it.
"I saw a girl come in through the stairwell. She was gorgeous, dressed elegantly. I'd never seen her before. She might've been with Mr.Valko—"
"Kim!" the other guard shouted, eyes shut tight as if denying reality.
Dao's gaze sharpened. "What did she look like?"
"Beautiful… tall nose, blue eyes, long wavy auburn hair…"
Dao's jaw clenched.
"Shana…"
Mina suddenly shot up from her chair and stormed out.
"Mina, wait!" Dao called, but it was too late. Mina was gone.
Dao bit her lip. She knew Mina better than anyone. And right now, Mina was like a tightly wound bomb waiting for a trigger. God help them all if she lost control…
...Again.
Dao couldn't help but worry about Mina, but she had to admit that the recent situations with Valko and Duyen had really pushed Mina to the edge. And at some point, everyone would know.
Was it fate from the start? That they could never escape it?
"Stupid girl..."
Those words slipped out of Dao's mouth. Even though no one know who it was aimed at.
---
Mina's red Maserati tore down the rain-slick streets, tires screaming against the asphalt. Her eyes gleamed sharp and merciless as she gripped the wheel, the engine roaring like thunder in the storm.
Her phone connected to Bluetooth, dialing an unnamed contact. After a long wait, the line clicked on.
"Miss Mina…" Amuro's voice rasped weakly through the static.
"What the hell, Amuro? Don't tell me you couldn't handle her." Mina's tone was icy, uncaring.
"That's… about right…"
He coughed blood, pinned halfway inside the mangled wreck of a Toyota crushed beneath a bridge. His body was a twisted nightmare.
"Where are you?" Mina asked sharply.
"You won't believe me… but—"
"Can't move?" Mina whispered.
"No…"
Amuro laughed bitterly, his ribs grinding as he shifted in the wreck.
"I'm sorry, Miss Mina. I failed. I'll file a report when I return—"
"Do you need backup? I'll send people."
"No. I already called a few. They'll be here soon. It would be pretty bad if they started with questions. I'll just say it was a car accident."
"Fine. You've done enough. Rest. I'll rely on your nephew for now."
"Miss Mina…" His voice cracked with hesitation. "There's something… strange about her. I don't even know what to call her. She chased me—she tried to kill me. She wasn't…"
Mina's eyes narrowed. "Her? You mean Shana?"
"The black box has it all. She was fast… too fast. In my family, we've passed down horror stories through generations… I think she's one of them—" He coughed violently, blood bubbling at his lips.
"You're delirious. Save your strength."
"Maybe… but you should watch that footage."
"Hmm…"
Mina ended the call, but Amuro's words lingered. A supernatural being? Ridiculous. And yet, if Kamakiri's top assassin couldn't handle Shana… then who the hell was she?
Too many enemies.
Mina clenched her teeth.
Too many enemies.
Where to begin?
Her car screeched to a halt in front of Tuan Mo's Pho Shop—Duyen's house. Mina's eyes immediately darted to the attic window. The light flickered off, as if hiding from her.
So Duyen was home. Then why hadn't she picked up? Why?
Why!?
Mina bolted out of the car into the downpour, pounding on the front gate like a madwoman.
At last, the door creaked open.
It was Mr. Tuan—Duyen's father. He looked haggard, worn down by something unspeakable. He didn't even look surprised to see Mina drenched and desperate.
"Uncle! I—" Mina's throat tightened, tears welling again.
"Duyen's home, right? Please, let me see her!"
But his eyes were bit cold. "No. She's staying at a hotel tonight—"
He started to close the door, but Mina shoved against it with all her strength.
"No! I went there already—she wasn't there! She's inside, isn't she? With Shana!?" Mina screamed, sobbing, her hair plastered to her face.
"Please, let me in! I just want to see her!"
She clasped her hands together, begging. "Please!"
Mr. Tuan's jaw tightened. He hated this. But his voice stayed cold.
"Mina…"
"Y-yes…?"
"This has to stop."
The rain filled the silence. Mina laughed bitterly through her tears, as if she'd misheard.
"Stop? What do you mean, stop? I must've heard wrong…"
"Shana told me everything." His next words cut like knives.
"That you're a married woman, Mina."
…What?
Mina's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-what…? Uncle...I—"
"So please, as an elder speaking honestly—you need to end this. For your sake, and for Duyen's. Whatever you were hoping for from this. Nothing good will come of it."
Her mind reeled.
Married?
No.
No, that couldn't be true.
Mr.Tuan wouldn't say this.
He couldn't.
But he went on, voice breaking slightly.
"I don't want my daughter caught in your mess, you know what I mean? Go home, Mina. Before you get sick."
He pried her hands off the gate and shut it firmly. The lock clicked.
Mina staggered back, arms limp.
A burden to Duyen?
Was that what she was?
Her chest heaved. Maybe… maybe it was true. All the chaos lately had revolved around her.
But his words carried something more.
Married.
Mina, already married.
It was over?
Over...
Mina covered her face, half-laughing, half-sobbing. She tilted her head back, letting the icy rain soak her.
"Because I'm married…?" she whispered.
How could the rain ever wash it off her? Wash it off me?
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Her laughter echoed through the storm. She stared up at the dark attic window.
Was Duyen watching?
Is Duyen seeing her miserable appearance?
Married. The word lingered on her lips.
If that was the obstacle, then there was only one solution.
Just remove it.
"Just... get rid of it..."
Her lips curled into a vicious smile. And the rain kept falling coldly like that, as if signaling an upcoming storm.