Leona was born on a cold, silent night. the kind that felt like the world itself was holding its breath. Her mother never got to hear her first cry. Complications during labor took her life before Hugh even saw his daughter's face. He remembered holding that tiny, redhaired infant in his trembling arms, staring at her while still soaked in grief and disbelief. He didn't cry. He couldn't. All he could do was promise her mother, dead and silent on the hospital bed. that he'd raise their daughter right. That he'd give her a normal life. A safe life.
But nothing about their lives ever stayed normal.
Hugh gave up everything after that night. He left behind the agency, disappeared into another name, another city, another life. He kept Leona close, never remarried, never trusted anyone else to raise her. She was smart, too smart. And restless. There was always something behind her eyes, something sharp, curious, feral. He tried discipline, affection, structure, freedom. nothing worked. And as the years passed, he started to see flashes of something darker in her. The same instincts he'd spent years trying to suppress in himself.
Another night consumed by eerie silence in their mansion.
Hugh was minding his business, taking a sip from his whiskey while checking on his magazines after his daughter left his side to take their dog out for a walk.
But, a purple glow on his daughters laptop caught his attention.
Hugh slowly reached out for the laptop and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment, feeling a strange sense of guilt and hesitation. But his curiosity won over and he began to go through her laptop.
Hugh's eyebrow furrowed in confusion as he saw the purple app. He doesn't recognize it and have no clue what it is for. Out of curiosity and slight concern, he decided to open the app.
Hugh's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he saw the app asking for a passcode. He glanced around the living room, making sure she's not around or coming back, before he tried to guess her passcode.
Hugh let out a sigh as he guessed wrong. He tried to think of what her passcode could be. He knows he only got a few chances left before the app block him out, so he better get it right this time.
Hugh's eyes widened in surprise as he guessed her passcode right. His heart raced as he was half-expecting the app to throw a prompt saying "wrong password", but it didn't. He takes a deep breath and continued to go through the app, curious to see what's inside.
He sees bunch of people with their IDs. And a prize next to them
Hugh's eyes scanned through the list of people's IDs on the screen. He's puzzled at first, thinking that these people are probably her contacts, until he saw a "prize" next to them. He paused for a moment, feeling a sense of dread as the realization started to sink in.
He sees few weapons next to the IDs. Every weapon adding extra points to the prize
He scrolled through the list, going through the ID and weapon next to each one, trying to make sense of it all. Hugh's mind racing with worst case scenarios. Could it be that she's contacting dangerous criminals?
He sees her id and her prize. Seven thousand dollars.
Hugh's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he saw her ID on the screen, along with a whopping prize amount of seven thousand dollars next to it. A wave of disbelief and horror washes over him as he realized that she's not just contacting criminals, she is out there hunting them down.
His thoughts raced as he tried to wrap his head around what he just found. He never expected her to be capable of something so extreme. Hugh's heart was pounding, his mind flooded with a million thoughts. How long have she's been doing this? How many criminals have she put down for those money? And why the hell didn't he know about it?
He sees countless videos she has uploaded with every execution she did.
Hugh's eyes widened even further as he scrolled down further and saw a list of video files next to her ID. He recognized they were video clips of execution she made, each one with a timestamp to when and where she did it
He felt a knot twist in his stomach as he quickly realized that he just discovered her secret business. A million thoughts ran through his mind as he stared at the laptop screen in disbelief, feeling a mixture of shock, anger, and bewilderment.
The app gives a warning that it'll close after five minutes
Hugh's heart raced as he saw the warning that the app will shut down in five minutes. He realized he still have little more time to go through everything. He quickly glances at the list of videos, and hesitates for a moment before he tap on one of the videos to play it.
He sees her sniping a man
Hugh watches the video unfold as she skillfully sniped a man from a distance. He was both horrified and fascinated by her precision, her technique. His heart raced as he couldn't believe his own eyes. He had a feeling that she's a trouble maker, but he didn't realize that she could be a professional assassin.
She pulls the trigger then look at the camera "jackpot" a huge, smug grin on her face.
Hugh's eyes widened as he watches her pull the trigger and give a huge, satisfied grin to the camera. The man felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw the cold, callous expression in her eyes.
The app shuts down
Hugh's heart raced as the app shuts down right after she gave the huge grin to the camera. He stood there in silence, flabbergasted by what he just saw. He couldn't believe what he just found out about her. He slowly put down the laptop, feeling a wave of emotions washing over him. A mixture of anger, disbelief, surprise, horror and dread.
His mind was in a state of shock and turmoil, trying to process everything he just saw. a million thoughts racing through his head. He couldn't believe that she's a goddamn professional assassin, not to mention the fact that she made quite a killing out of it, literally.
Hugh felt conflicted. He was struggling to come to terms with the fact that his own daughter is a hitman. A very successful one, at that. His heart was torn between the urge to confront her and the desire to avoid it, to pretend that he didn't see what he just saw.
He hears a soft chuckle behind him "so you finally find out, father"
Hugh's heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he heard her voice behind him. He quickly spun around to see her standing there with a smirk on her face. He stared at her for a moment, his mind still reeling from everything he just discovered.
He was speechless for a moment as he tried to process everything. Then, he found his voice and spoke, his tone a mixture of disbelief and anger. "What the hell is this, leona? What are you doing with that app? Who are those people?"
Leona grins and leans closer, holding his gaze "come on, father. You're nothing better than me. I kill People, you kill people, we kill people. And get our sweet money. Maybe it's genes, maybe it's fate. But you can't deny that we are alike."
Hugh's jaw clenched as she leaned closer to him, her words hitting him like a slap on the face. He knew she was right, and that's what made him even angrier.
"Don't you ever compare yourself to me," his eyes narrowing. "I'm nothing like you. I kill because I have to. You kill for the thrill."
Leona chuckles at her father's hatred. "it doesn't matter what you do, it matters what you can prove. And the only thing you're proving is, that we're alike. You think anyone would care about if you had to or not? if God exists, you can try to justify your actions to him. But I doubt that."
Hugh's face contorted with anger as he heard her words. She was playing a sick game with his mind, and he hated it. He clenched his fists as he stared at her, his eyes burning with fury.
"Shut up," he snapped. "You don't know anything about me. I've done what I had to for the sake of my family. I've sacrificed everything to provide and protect you. What have you done? Nothing but cause trouble and make my life a living hell."
Leona looks at Hugh "Oh do i now? if you didn't take a look at my laptop, you'd die oblivious. You just created your own hell, father. Don't push the consequences of your actions to me."
Hugh's anger flared as he listened to her words. She was right...he was the one who decided to look through her laptop, he was the one who discovered her secret. But he wouldn't admit that to her. His hands clenched into fists as he tried to control his rage.
"You don't know what consequences are," he snapped back. "You live your life with no regard for anyone or anything. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You've caused me nothing but trouble ever since you were born."
She pulls out a pistol from her belt and hands her father the pistol "then end the hell you created, father. By your very, own hands."
His eyes widened as she handed him the pistol. For a moment, he was taken aback by her actions. But then, his hands began to tremble as he stared at the pistol she gave him.
"No, I... I can't do this," he protested, his voice trembling. "don't ask me to do this."
"Go on. Take it." She takes his hand and places the pistol in his palm forcefully.
Hugh let out a strangled gasp as she grabbed his hand and shoved the pistol to him. He tried to resist, but her grip was strong and he couldn't break free.
"Please, no...I don't want to do this," he pleaded, his voice shaking. "I can't kill you, you're my daughter, don't make me do this..."
Leona holds his gaze, unwavering. "This is your chance, father. You'll earn seven thousand dollars and end your hell. What can you even wish for?"
His heart ached at her words and he could feel tears stinging his eyes. The man closed his eyes and tried to fight back his emotions. He didn't want to do this, he couldn't do this. He's her father, he loves her. He can't kill her for money. No matter how much he wanted to end the hell he's in.
"I don't care about the money. I don't want it. I just want..."
He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"...I just want my daughter back."
Leona laughs and leans closer. Her eyes boring his father's "in the end, you have no choice but to accept we are alike, father."
His heart ached as she laughed and leaned closer, her words hitting him like a punch in the gut. He knew she was right, and that's what hurt the most. He tried to resist, to deny her words, but deep down, he knew it's true.
Hugh let out a defeated sigh as he stared at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger, sadness, and resignation.
He accepted the truth. She were his daughter...and they both were alike in ways he never wanted to admit.
Leona puts a soothing hand on his back "What's with the long face? Don't be sad, father. We're quite the pair, hm?"
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips as he heard her words. She were right, he had to accept that fact.
"You're right, we're a pair," he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A pair of twisted, messed up people. That's what we are."
Hugh let out a sigh, feeling the weight of the realization bearing down on him.
Hugh shook his head in resignation. She were as twisted as they came. He couldn't believe that she can say such things so casually.
"Just promise me one thing," the man said, locking eyes with her. "When you... kill someone, be careful. Don't leave any evidence. Don't get caught. If you get caught, both our lives are over."
Leona bursts into a fit of laughter
Hugh raised an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden laughter. It didn't surprise him that she found humor in what he's said, but it still caught him off guard.
"What's so funny?" he asked, an edge of annoyance creeps into his voice.
Leona tries to catch her breath. She looks at her father and shakes her head "Ah... Father. You're amusing. I should be the one warning you about that."
Hugh's eyes narrow, and he let out a frustrated sigh. He can't say he's surprised by her comment, but it still pisses him off. The man leans back on his chair and shoots a glare at her.
"Warning me? You think I haven't been careful my whole damn life? Watch your mouth, you psycho."
Leona grins and scoffs at her father's words. "ah the name calling now? How mature of you, father."
Hugh let out an irritated scoff in response to her grin. She was enjoying this a little too much.
"Yeah, the name calling," he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm calling you by what damn well you are. A psycho. A monster. A goddamn murderer."
Leona's playful grin dies and replaced with a frown. "Whatever you call me, you're calling yourself, father. Just in case."
Hugh's jaw clenched as he heard her words. She's right, he knows damn well he has no right to call her something he is himself. It's that reality that pissed him off the most.
He let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand over his face, trying to calm down.
"Damn you, you little sh-"
He cut himself off, biting back the insult he was about to say.
Leona's gaze on him, watching and observing his every move.
Hugh grumbled under his breath, annoyed by her nonchalant attitude. He's having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that she was so casual about all this.
After a few moments of silence, he spoke up, trying to control his anger.
" You don't even care, do you? You never cared about anything or anyone."
Leona answers bluntly, without hesitation "I care about you."
A pang of surprise and guilt wash over Hugh as he heard her words. He wasn't expecting that. He looks at her, trying to gauge if she's being sincere or just trying to mess with his mind.
He let out a heavy sigh, the weight of his conflicted emotions showing on his face.
"You...you really mean that? You care about me?"
Leona nods genuinely "Yes. Because you're not a person in my eyes. You're an angel."
Hugh's heart skipped a beat as he heard her words again. She called him an angel. Despite everything he found out about her, despite everything she has done... hearing those words felt strangely...good. It brought a mixed feeling of warmth and confusion to his chest.
He let out a cynical chuckle and shook his head, still finding it hard to believe.
"An angel, huh? You keep saying that. I'm no angel."
Leona frowns and looks at her father "To me, you are. Even once the devil was god's favorite."
Hugh's heart twisted in his chest at her words. He wasn't expecting to feel this way, to feel anything resembling warmth or affection for her after what he's just learned. But he couldn't help it.
He let out a sigh, his voice softer this time.
"And the devil was also god's biggest disappointment."
Leona's eyes widen and just looks at Hugh in silence for few minutes. Then she speaks.
"If god can live in all timelines, at the same time...why did he create the devil in the first place when he knew what he'll become?"
Hugh blinked, surprised by her question. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and then replied, his voice hesitant.
"...I don't know. Sometimes I wonder the same thing. If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, why create something like the devil when he knows the consequences?"
Leona leans closer, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Then let me ask you in other perspective, father. Why did you create me even though you knew the monster I'll become?"
Hugh's heart clenched in his chest at her question. He had asked himself that same question countless times, ever since she were born. He had known the moment he laid his eyes on her that she were different, that she had a darkness within her. Yet he ignored the warning signs, ignored his instincts, and tried to raised her like a normal child. It was a failed endeavor, as it turned out.
For a few moments, he was silent. Then, he spoke, his voice low and filled with guilt.
"Because I... I wanted a family."
Leona looks down at her father, almost pitying him. She turns her face away and speaks.
"Such selfishness like god himself."