Sophia Sullivan dragged her exhausted body back to the villa after work.
She massaged her sore shoulders as she parked the car.
Just as she reached the entrance, she froze.
The edge of the doormat had been slightly disturbed.
Someone had been here.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
Her right hand slowly gripped the doorknob.
She couldn’t be sure if the safe room was secure.
But the intruder had to be dealt with immediately.
Sophia kicked the door open with force.
A flying strike aimed straight at the shadow behind it.
"Bang—"
Leo Carter was sent flying backward.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he struggled to get up.
Seeing Sophia’s ruthless combat skills, fear coiled in his gut.
But he forced a sneer anyway.
"Sophia Sullivan, you’ve really climbed high now."
His eyes swept over the luxurious villa, jealousy gnawing at him like a venomous snake.
"How many nights with Ethan Sullivan did it take to buy this?"
Leo spat on the ground, his face twisted with hatred.
"Think sending me to a psychiatric hospital will make it all go away?"
His voice grew more frenzied, his eyes bloodshot.
"I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re just an orphanage rat!"
Before he could finish, he was slammed onto the floor again.
Sophia moved like lightning.
A punch to his shoulder blade, followed by an over-the-shoulder throw.
The crisp sound of cracking ribs echoed through the room.
Leo’s vision blurred from the pain.
"You bitch! Agh—"
Sophia’s combat boot pressed down on his shoulder.
She drew a dagger, her brow slightly furrowed.
"Killing you here would be messy."
The blade pressed against his throat.
"But I warned you—next time, I’d take your life."
Leo suddenly let out a manic laugh.
"You think I came unprepared?"
Sophia’s limbs went weak without warning.
Her vision blurred.
"You drugged me."
The dagger clattered to the floor.
She braced herself against the wall, barely staying upright.
Three years of peace had dulled her vigilance.
"Anesthetic powder on the doormat."
Leo wiped blood from his mouth as he staggered to his feet.
"Impressive you lasted this long."
His broken bones made every movement agonizing.
"Now it’s my turn."
——
Sophia woke to searing pain.
She found herself tied to a steel frame in an abandoned factory.
Chloe Evans sobbed nearby.
Leo was frantically adjusting a phone stand.
"Since you all treated me like a dog,"
He turned on the live stream, his smile grotesque.
"Let’s play a death game."
The stream’s title flashed in bloody red letters:
"Guess Who Dies First?"
He laughed hysterically into the camera.
The pain of severed fingers, broken bones, and Chloe’s disdain—
All his hatred erupted at once.
"Will Ethan Sullivan and Liam Winston come to save you?"
He raised a bloodstained cleaver.
"Let’s find out."