Chapter 22
Yvette stumbled out of the bar, feeling a little buzzed. The cool night air hit her, helping her head clear up. She glanced at the group of eager guys nearby, her eyes cold, almost hostile, as if they were already done for.
Yvette halted in her tracks. The guys kept chatting about their next moves and the kind of fun they were chasing. It took them a moment to notice she wasn’t following. They turned back, ready to grab her.
“Let go of me, or I’ll chop off that hand and feed it to the dogs,” Yvette warned.
The guys froze, taken aback by her fierce words. But they quickly regained their swagger, spitting on the ground and laughing crude jokes. Come on, darling, you’re with us. No need to play hard to get.”
“Let’s go to the back alley.” Yvette rolled up her sleeves casually and stretched, thinking a little venting could help her shake off the effects of the drinks faster.
Seeing Yvette not pushing back and even suggesting the back alley, the guys eagerly followed her lead.
Ten minutes later, down the alley behind the bar, the cocky group was now scattered on the ground–some with busted heads, others with broken legs, and one guy had a crushed nose. The worst off was so beaten up that you couldn’t even recognize his face anymore.
They had tried to use some kind of drug on Yvette, thinking they had knocked her out cold. Just as they were about to make their move, she suddenly opened her eyes–sharp and focused. She hadn’t been drugged at all.
Of course, Yvette was ready for anything. A drug? Please! She knew all about that stuff. How dare they use a quick–acting drug that lasted only an hour on her?
Ten minutes had gone by, and now they were pinned to the ground, taking a beating. Every time one of them tried to sneak in an attack, it was like she had eyes everywhere. They felt like their insides were being crushed with every hit.
They couldn’t believe how utterly they were losing to a woman. Every attempt to fight back only led to more pain. These guys were truly scared now, tossing aside all ideas of pride. They realized that if this kept up, they might end up paying with their lives.
Yvette leaned in slightly, giving off an air of both arrogance and playful mischief. Disgusted with the blood on her hands, she tore a piece of fabric from her jacket, wiped off the stains, and tossed it carelessly to the ground.
The group watched in stunned silence, too frightened to even breathe. They felt as if she wasn’t just ripping fabric but their souls. One by one, they bent down deeply, begging for mercy.
“Please, we were wrong! Just let us go!”
“We’ve got cash! We can pay you all!”
“Don’t hurt us! It’s our first time. We swear we won’t do it again!
“Please, I’m begging you…”
It was a surreal sight–grown men begging a girl. Yet Yvette stood firm, her chilling gaze fixed on them. “First time?”
Under her piercing stare, the man started to sweat nervously. Finally, he stuttered, “I meant this is the second time! Yes, the second time! We’ve paid before!
The others quickly echoed him, “Yeah, right! We’ve paid.”
With a smirk, Yvette stepped closer, pulling out a black pill from nowhere, and shoved it into the mouth of the lead bald guy.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Before the bald guy could react, he swallowed it. Panic set in as he started gagging, clawing at his throat.
“It’s a dissolving pill–no need to waste your energy. I don’t like wasting time on nonsense. Want to leave a last message?” Yvette said coldly.
“I’ll talk, I swear! Please, just give me the antidote!” he pleaded.
Two years earlier, a girl celebrated her birthday at a bar. She was new at such a place–just a good student dragged along by her friends. They spotted her and, when her back was turned, slipped something into her drink. They assaulted her, recording the entire act to blackmail her. If she dared to report it, they threatened to post the video online. A few days later, that girl took her own life, leaving behind a note.
“Her grandmother wanted to file a report. We paid off the deputy chief of police, and he fooled the old lady, claiming there wasn’t enough evidence. They even took the note the girl left behind. The poor grandma couldn’t handle it and ended up taking pills.”
“We really didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“We were just having fun. But that girl took it too seriously.”
“Right! We never thought it would end like this.”
After their confession, they didn’t even dare to look up.
Yvette lit a cigarette, watching the smoke curl into the night silently. A wave of irritation bubbled up inside her, giving her eyes a fierce, unsettling glint. Just as the flame was about to singe her fingers, she pinched it out and shot a text to Eagle King. Gradually, her urge to lash out faded.
She tossed a small box onto the ground, lightly kicking it with her foot. With a stern expression, she glanced toward a shadowy corner of the alley and then to the men standing in front of her. “Eat this, and you can leave.”
The men opened the box to find it full of colorful candies that looked surprisingly tempting.
They couldn’t believe Yvette would really carry poison disguised as candy. Instead, they started to think she was just bluffing -maybe nervous since they had brought up knowing the deputy chief.
Despite feeling a bit overconfident, they didn’t want to push their luck. They snatched a piece of “candy” and swallowed it before sprinting away, as if they were being chased. In an instant, they were gone.
The once noisy alley fell completely silent. The night air was crisp and cool, lit only by the dim glow of the moon. Streetlights cast long shadows behind Yvette as she stood alone against the chilly wind. “Come on out. How long are you going to hide?”
Jeremiah, who had been watching her for a while, stepped out. “Good moves.”
Their eyes locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to back down. Yet at that moment, they both recognized something familiar in each other–they were both lone wolves, wandering through life without anyone to save them from their pasts, each carrying equal power and pride.
“Did you want to kill them but hold back because of me? You noticed me quite a while ago. You had plenty of chances to take me out, so why didn’t you?” Jeremiah asked.
If Andrew had been there, he would have been shocked at how “wordy” the cold, distant Jeremiah had become.
“It’s a hassle. Annoyed, Yvette tugged at her collar, instinctively reaching for a piece of candy from her pocket, only to remember she had given her last ones to Eagle King.
‘A hassle? That’s
that was the fun she didn’t kill me? Just how scared of trouble is she?‘ Jeremiah amused. After more than twenty years, thing he’d ever heard.