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.

of hesitation,

— but

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

he said, rising

"Or maybe just foolish."

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

shadow she had to

few feet away. His voice softened into a mockery

silence was the sharpest weapon

expression

not the deserving one," he sneered. "After everything I've done

he intended. But Eveline's response was only a

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

He stiffened.

finished, tilting her head. "You lack

dog. "You dare mock me when you came here begging to see

coolly. "You just

like

calm exterior, something shifted

Then—

as red lights pulsed overhead. The fire

snapped his head toward the ceiling as the

"What the—?" he barked.

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

Something's wrong in the west wing! The system's been breached

absolute calm, she walked past

face her. "What the hell are

saw the monitors above

His live feed.

The courtyard.

The hall.

The perimeter.

Bodies.

His men.

Lying motionless. Silent. Defeated.

his team, nowhere

Just moments ago, he was sure of his

But now…

he whispered, his voice

her legs. She looked every inch the conqueror he had

said quietly.

fury overtaking logic, but a blast from behind sent

growled, his voice laced with venom, his eyes blazing like wildfire, ready to scorch

unshaken calm, her posture unyielding. "I'd say I am," she said smoothly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have begged me to walk into

toward the surveillance console with measured poise. Her fingers danced

Jedrick's breath caught.

with his guards lying unconscious. Not dead. Not bleeding.

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