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 hesitation, Eveline

the lion's den — but she wasn't the

of unease behind a slow, deliberate smile. He crushed the half-burnt cigar

said, rising to his

"Or maybe just foolish."

— but she had faced monsters before. She had lived

just another shadow she

voice softened into a mockery of kindness. "A daughter deserves that

was

expression darkened, suddenly

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

But Eveline's response was only a soft smile —

each word deliberate, razor-edged. "After all your schemes and

He stiffened.

she finished, tilting her head. "You

curled back like a snarling dog. "You dare mock

never begged," Eveline said coolly. "You

just like that,

something shifted in the

Then—

wail erupted as red lights pulsed overhead.

ceiling as the room

"What the—?" he barked.

a guard stumbled in, panic smeared

west wing! The system's been breached

stepped forward — slowly, purposefully. And then, with absolute calm, she walked past Jedrick and lowered herself into

blinked in disbelief, spinning to face her. "What the hell

the monitors above the desk flicker and

His live feed.

The courtyard.

The hall.

The perimeter.

Bodies.

His men.

Lying motionless. Silent. Defeated.

and his team, nowhere to be

hitched. Just moments ago, he was sure of his

But now…

he whispered,

back in the chair, crossing her legs. She looked every inch the conqueror he had once thought

kingdom on fear, Jedrick," she said quietly. "But you forgot that fear fades. Loyalty

logic, but a blast from behind sent

voice laced with venom, his eyes blazing like wildfire, ready to scorch her where she

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

with measured poise. Her fingers danced across the screen, switching the feed. "Let's have

Jedrick's breath caught.

jaw tightened as he watched the footage flicker—room after room filled with his guards lying

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