Chapter 401 401: I told you...he wouldn't win

As per Jedrick's orders, Eveline was ushered into the base without resistance.

No one dared to question her. No one dared to stop her.

Her face remained a perfect mask — blank, unreadable — but her mind was razor sharp, absorbing every detail: the cameras tucked into the corners, the silent nods exchanged between the guards, and the subtle way her guide kept his hand near his weapon.

Alone. Surrounded. But not defeated.

Every step she took echoed in her ears, syncing with the heavy pounding of her heart. She had crossed a threshold now, one where survival depended not on strength alone, but on nerve, on the ability to see one second ahead of her enemy.

She had challenged Jedrick, dared to turn the game against him.

And she knew exactly what that would cost her.

They led her up a narrow staircase, metal groaning underfoot, to a heavy door that loomed like the mouth of some ancient beast.

Without a word, her escort opened it, revealing a large room bathed in muted light.

And there he was.

Jedrick. Seated like a king on his throne, a cigar balanced between two fingers, the smoke curling around him like a living thing. His dark eyes gleamed with a twisted kind of amusement the moment he saw her.

"You seem... determined," Jedrick drawled, his voice thick and deceptively casual, rumbling through the space like a slow-moving storm.

Eveline stood her ground, forcing herself not to flinch as the door clanged shut behind her. Her gaze swept the room — no sign of her parents, not yet. Just Jedrick, lounging like a predator savoring the arrival of its prey.

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he studied her, the silence stretching dangerously thin.

There was something about her — the way she held herself — that made his skin crawl.

That stubborn set to her jaw.

The quiet fire in her eyes.

A flicker of memory flashed through him — Jonathan, younger, proud, and defiant.

The resemblance stabbed at Jedrick's gut, fueling the hatred that had festered for too long.

A cruel, low laugh rumbled from his chest, breaking the moment.

"You're just like him," he sneered, his lip curling. "Jonathan's spirit. His arrogance. Passed down like a disease."

Eveline tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but carrying an edge sharper than any blade.

"I am," she said quietly. "But I doubt you know me as well as you think, Uncle."

Her words hit harder than any scream, laced with a quiet promise:

You have no idea what I'm capable of.

Jedrick's smirk faltered, just for a second.

But it was enough.

that sliver of

den — but

deliberate smile. He crushed the half-burnt cigar into a nearby ashtray, the ember

he said,

"Or maybe just foolish."

designed to intimidate — but she had faced monsters before. She had lived

just another shadow she had

away. His voice

said nothing. Her silence was the sharpest weapon

expression darkened, suddenly

sneered. "After everything I've done to break you, you

Eveline's response was only

thought you were better, Jedrick," she said, each word deliberate, razor-edged. "After all

He stiffened.

finished, tilting her head. "You

a snarling dog. "You dare mock me when you

coolly.

like that,

something shifted in

Then—

wail erupted as red lights

snapped his head toward the ceiling as the room lit up

"What the—?" he barked.

burst open and a guard stumbled in, panic smeared across his

the west wing! The system's been breached — security's

— slowly, purposefully. And then, with absolute calm, she walked past

disbelief, spinning to face her. "What the

died when he saw the monitors

His live feed.

The courtyard.

The hall.

The perimeter.

Bodies.

His men.

Lying motionless. Silent. Defeated.

his team, nowhere to be

he was sure of his victory. He had outmaneuvered them

But now…

do?" he whispered, his

leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs. She looked every inch the conqueror

she said quietly. "But you forgot that

lunged forward, fury overtaking logic, but a blast from behind sent

growled, his voice laced with venom, his eyes blazing like

his fury with unshaken calm, her posture unyielding. "I'd say I am," she said smoothly.

walked toward the surveillance console with measured poise. Her fingers danced across the screen, switching the feed. "Let's

Jedrick's breath caught.

he watched the footage flicker—room after room filled with

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