Anya, radiating the fierce, golden-green light of the activated Qilin energy, flew toward the northern perimeter. She had abandoned all pretense of being the meek human; she was the Guardian, and her immediate goal was to draw the entire Lombardi strike team away from the central manor and the vulnerable members of her chosen family.
The security hub was chaos. Lucien, having witnessed Anya's reckless but selfless act, was momentarily paralyzed by sheer terror.
"She's a fool!" Lucien roared, his protective instinct warring with his strategic mind. "She sacrificed her safety for the family!"
"No, Lucien, she gave us the distraction!" Jax yelled, already sprinting toward the underground tunnels. "The Lombardi trackers just went haywire—they're all converging on the garden. We stick to her plan! We hit their tracking hub and end this invasion!"
"Dr. Zuo!" Lucien barked, grabbing a submachine gun from the wall safe. "You and Mother stay here! Secure the traitor and the server! Jax, with me! We go through the south tunnels!"
Anya burst into the abandoned garden. The atmosphere was thick with fog, and the air crackled with her Qilin energy. The empty crater where the Dragon's Breath Pine once stood became her stage.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of boots on stone echoed through the fog. A dozen figures, armed and clad in tactical black gear bearing the Lombardi insignia, materialized near the perimeter wall. They were drawn by the brilliant, overwhelming beacon of Anya's magical signature.
"There!" the lead agent yelled. "The target! Seize the Qilin alive!"
Anya stood her ground by the edge of the crater. She was not trained to fight, but the Qilin's instinct provided a primal, fierce defense.
As the agents rushed her, Anya didn't raise her hands. She unleashed a wave of pure Qilin energy. It wasn't a physical blast, but a profound, overwhelming feeling of disorientation and overwhelming good fortune. The effect was instantaneous and chaotic.
One agent's foot suddenly slipped on a patch of dry stone, sending him tumbling and breaking his ankle.
Another agent's high-tech rifle jammed inexplicably, the internal mechanism seizing up entirely.
A third agent found his vision suddenly consumed by the dazzling green-gold light, causing him to fire wildly into the air.
Anya was weaponizing the Thorne family luck. She was not fighting, she was forcing the universe to reject her attackers.
But the Lombardi team was well-trained. The lead agent, equipped with heavy-duty magical dampeners, forced himself forward, shrugging off the disorientation. He lunged, wrapping a thick, magical cuff around Anya's wrist.
"Got her!" the agent yelled triumphantly. The cuff instantly dampened the Qilin light, reducing it to a faint shimmer. "We move! Get her to the transport—"
Just as the agents began dragging the weakened Anya toward the wall, a sudden, blinding flash of non-magical violence erupted from the dense fog behind them.
Lucien Thorne and Jax had arrived, entering the garden through a hidden gate. They weren't using Qilin magic; they were using pure, lethal, human force—the ruthless protection of the Group Pampering circle.
Lucien moved like a trained predator, silent and utterly focused. He took down the lead agent with a brutal, precise strike to the neck, grabbing the magical cuff key. Jax, wielding a heavy steel crowbar salvaged from the tunnels, created an immediate, chaotic barrier, smashing through the agents' weapons and communications.
"You want the Qilin?" Lucien roared, his voice laced with the devastating fury of a betrayed master. "You take me first!"
Lucien fought with a protective frenzy Anya had never witnessed. He was fighting not for a company or a seat on the board, but for his beloved Xiao Bao. He cut down the Lombardi agents with ruthless efficiency, eliminating the threat that dared to touch his treasured Guardian.
Jax, having destroyed the nearest communications array, raced to Anya and used the key to snap the magical cuff.
"Lucien and I just finished destroying their primary tracking node in the south tunnel, little spirit," Jax whispered, pulling her up. "The entire Lombardi operation is blind and cut off. Now, we end this."
As the final, stunned Lombardi agent fled back toward the perimeter wall, the garden fell silent, save for the heavy, ragged breathing of Lucien and Jax.
Lucien dropped his weapon and rushed to Anya. He didn't speak. He simply pulled her into a protective embrace so fierce it threatened to crush her.
"You reckless, incredible fool," he mumbled into her hair, his body trembling with the aftershocks of terror and relief. "Don't you ever do that to me again. I don't care about the company, the luck, or the guardian status! I only care about you, Anya. Just you. My human, my pet, my love."
Anya clung to him, feeling the genuine, unconditional warmth that transcended the possessiveness of the Master and the trauma of the past. The Group Pampering had shifted. It was no longer about owning the Qilin, but about loving the woman.
"I know, Lucien," Anya whispered, tears finally falling. "But I had to show you that the Qilin doesn't just need protection. She is the Guardian. And I am finally free of the betrayal."
👑 Epilogue Summary: The Pampered Future
The invasion was repelled. Elias Thorne and Ms. Lin were stripped of their assets and handed over to the authorities. The Thorne Group, purified of its internal rot, emerged stronger than ever, their luck soaring thanks to the officially recognized presence of their Guardian Qilin.
The Group Pampering did not stop, but it changed.
Lucien Thorne became Anya's fiancé, not her Master. He spoiled her relentlessly with gifts, but he respected her decisions, dedicating his life to making her feel safe and loved, never confined.
Madam Thorne mentored Anya in the political and magical aspects of the Thorne legacy, treating her as a cherished daughter and the true head of the family's spiritual core.
Jax Thorne released a record-breaking album dedicated to the "Reincarnated Snow Spirit," solidifying Anya's status as a beloved public figure, immune to future slander.
Dr. Zuo continued his research, now developing technologies to help Anya control and utilize her Qilin energy safely, treating her as his most precious scientific collaborator.
Anya, the former delivery girl, was now the pampered, powerful, and respected Guardian of the Thorne family. She had found her place, her love, and her true identity, fulfilling the core promise of the trope: The unwanted girl was recognized, loved, and spoiled by her true family, who would destroy the world to protect her.