Chapter 15
1751words
Elena's lawyer had done his best in court, but he was up against the perfect evidence meticulously crafted by Julian Thorne, with every detail being flawless. Elena Vance had become portrayed as a greedy, vicious madwoman who ultimately killed due to infighting. Meanwhile, the true devil was at the top of "Paradise Tower," raising a glass to celebrate his victory.
Elena's life was over. Her daughter, her poor, innocent daughter, her future had also been destroyed by Elena's own hands. She would bear the stigma of having a murderer for a mother, living forever in the shadows. Just thinking about this made Elena's heart ache to the point where she couldn't breathe.
Elena opened her mouth slightly, her tongue touching the tiny capsule hidden inside her dental brace. Cyanide. This was her last dignity, and the only thing she could do for her daughter—to spare her from seeing a mother who was nothing more than a walking corpse on visiting days. Rather than rotting behind bars, better to end it all now.
Despair, she had already sunk to the very bottom.
Just as she was about to crush the capsule between her teeth, a piercing screech of tires shattered the highway's tranquility, followed by a violent collision. The entire prison van was shoved violently as if by some giant beast, rolling towards the guardrail at the side of the road. Elena's head slammed hard against the metal wall, her vision instantly going black, while her ears filled with the shrieking of twisting metal and the thunderous crash of shattering glass.
In the chaos, the rear door of the prison van was torn open by some tremendous force, and blinding sunlight and thick gunsmoke poured in together. Several figures in tactical vests and automatic weapons, dressed in black, efficiently subdued the surviving guards. Their movements were precise and cold, as if they belonged to some elite special forces unit.
Elena was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that she forgot to breathe, and also forgot about suicide.
A figure stood against the light at the torn-open door of the vehicle. His silhouette appeared somewhat blurred in the dust and smoke, but those eyes—calm and sharp—Elena recognized them.
"Logan?" she murmured in disbelief.
Serafina's driver, that eternally silent man who followed her like a shadow. How could he be here?
He didn't answer, just quickly walked in and used a portable cutter to sever Elena's handcuffs and shackles. The moment the metal rings clattered to the floor, he grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her out of the prison transport.
"Keep up!" his voice was brief and forceful, devoid of any emotion.
Outside was a scene of chaos. Several black SUVs had blocked the road, and armed personnel had already established temporary defensive lines. Elena was pushed into the back seat of one of the vehicles by Logan. The engine roared, and the car instantly made a U-turn, charging into the adjacent wilderness along a dirt road that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Behind them, the raging fire and billowing smoke from the prison transport proclaimed the complete end of Elena's former life. She leaned against the car window, watching the flames grow more distant, her mind completely blank. This wasn't a rescue; it was a deliberate prison break with a clear objective. But why? She was just an abandoned chess piece, a criminal whose life was worthless.
The car sped along the rugged dirt road for a long time before finally stopping in front of a warehouse that appeared to have been abandoned for years. This place was desolate, a corner not even marked on maps.
Logan brought Elena into the warehouse, which turned out to be much more than it appeared. It was a fully-equipped secret safe house, complete with monitoring screens, weapon racks, and medical equipment. He tossed her a set of clean clothes and a bottle of water, then stood silently to the side, wiping his weapons, as if she were merely a package he had been ordered to retrieve.
"Why?" Elena finally found her voice, her throat painfully dry, "Why save me? Julian Thorn won't let you get away with this."
Logan paused what he was doing and looked up, his eyes revealing emotion other than calm for the first time. It was a complex look, mixing contempt and sorrow.
"I'm not the one who saved you," he said slowly, "it was Mrs. Serafina."
"Serafina?" Elena almost laughed, "She's already dead! Killed by me... by me..."
"She certainly knew she would die." Logan interrupted her, his voice suddenly turning cold, "She also knew long ago that you were the one who killed Anja, Elena."
These words exploded in Elena's mind. She froze instantly, her blood congealing in that moment. She... knew?
"No... impossible..." Elena's lips trembled, "If she knew, why would she..."
"Why would she still give you a chance?" Logan's gaze cut into Elena, "Because she told me that you were a lot like her. Both of you are mothers who would do anything for your daughters. She thought you were just driven to desperation by Julian, and she wanted to give you a way out, even wanted to help you escape from Julian's control."
He took out a tablet from a nearby safe and opened an audio recording.
It was Serafina's voice, clear, calm, with a hint of weariness.
"Logan, if I fail, activate the 'Ouroboros Project.' Elena Vance is the key, find her. She killed Anja, and she owes me for that. But she's also a pitiful person, another victim of Julian. Tell her the truth, then let her choose... whether to continue sinking, or to redeem herself."
The recording carried the sound of Serafina taking a deep breath, then she continued: "Also, contact 'her.' The USB drive has the contact information. Tell her it's time to come home. The debt of the Vanderbilt family must be settled by Vanderbilt blood. Mother used to say that someone from our family would always return at critical moments, and now I finally understand what she meant."
When the recording finished playing, the safe house was completely silent.
Elena stood dumbfounded, all strength seemingly drained from her body in an instant. Serafina knew, she knew everything. She knew how Elena had ruthlessly framed Anja's death on her to cover up her own crime of manslaughter; she knew how Elena had been seduced by Julian, betraying her step by step, pushing her into the abyss.
Yet she, in the final moments of her life, was still thinking about giving Elena a way out. She had even prepared a plan to rescue Elena.
And Elena? In court, she had slandered her with the most vicious words, portraying her as a monster consumed by jealousy. She had even, just minutes ago, harbored resentment for being "dragged down" by her, and was prepared to end it all through suicide.
"Ah——!"
A scream of excruciating pain erupted from the depths of Elena's throat. Her legs weakened, and she fell to her knees as overwhelming remorse and self-loathing completely engulfed her. She pounded the ground with her fists, tears flowing uncontrollably—tears of repentance for her tainted soul. She hadn't lost to Julian; she had lost to Serafina's forgiveness. Serafina's kindness had illuminated all of her ugliness and depravity.
Elena cried for a long time, until her tears dried up and her voice became hoarse. When she finally raised her head again, the desperate silence in the depths of her heart had been replaced by another, more violent emotion.
It was hatred. Hatred for Julian, and even more, endless remorse for herself.
Logan silently watched Elena until she slowly rose from the ground. Her eyes had changed, he knew. The weakness and struggle that were once there had disappeared, leaving only cold, hard determination.
"What is 'Project Ouroboros'?" Elena asked with a hoarse voice.
Logan's face finally showed a hint of approval. He opened another encrypted file on the tablet, and a massive list of assets appeared before Elena. Secret Swiss bank accounts, safe houses distributed around the world, and a list of anonymous members consisting of top experts from finance, legal, and intelligence circles.
"This is the revenge fund the Madam left behind, as well as her army," Logan's voice carried a hint of awe, "She prepared it for you. She knew that only someone who has fallen into the abyss would truly understand how to drag the devil down to hell."
Elena's gaze fell on the last part of the screen, where Serafina had left a message.
"Death is not the end, but the beginning of reckoning."
Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Serafina, you gave me a second life, so from today on, this life is yours. I will inherit your will and, at all costs, make Julian Thorne and everyone who has hurt you pay blood for blood.
"I'm in," Elena said to Logan, her tone calm and resolute.
Meanwhile, in the penthouse of the "Paradise Tower," Julian Thorne was comfortably leaning back on the sofa, savoring the fruits of his victory. Cassandra poured him a glass of whiskey, softly telling him about a new acquisition they had just finalized.
Suddenly, the private elevator door opened silently.
A woman walked out.
She wore a black silk gown identical to the one he had given Serafina, her figure, gait, and even the way her hair swayed in the light matched his memory of his wife perfectly.
Julian's smile froze on his face.
Cassandra also turned back in shock, the wine glass slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor.
The woman slowly raised her head, revealing her face. That face was identical to Serafina Vanderbilt's. But her eyes were colder, more hollow than Serafina's.
"Good evening, Julian," she spoke, her voice carrying a strange tone as if from another world, "you look... not surprised at all?"
Julian abruptly stood up from the sofa, the color draining instantly from his face, seized by a fear he had never experienced before. He stared fixedly at the woman before him, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
