It was an evening in July, at seven o'clock, and the light of the sky had not yet faded.
At the summit of Serenity Ridge, in front of an unnamed tombstone, stood Tina Reed in black casual attire. Her delicate face, as if carefully sculpted, was touched by the cool air, "Mom, tomorrow is the day. I've heeded your advice, subdued my edge for ten years, and tomorrow-I will return to the Reed family."
The surroundings were silent, her only response, the bustling wind.
"Bang!"
A loud noise reverberated; Tina turned her head, her enchanting eyes narrowing slightly, then she looked toward the nearby disturbance.
A black sedan was parked there, its body skewed at an odd angle due to a burst tire.
A man in black sportswear emerged from the car, staggering forward as if wounded.
Then, a dozen or so people in black attire followed him.
Jared Farrell looked back, his austere face cloaked in a layer of chill. With one hand clutching his abdomen, his lips were pale.
"Don't bother running. We've paid too much to let you escape," a man in black approached him, the leader exuding an air of deadly calm, his face devoid of emotion.
"Just you?" His eyes narrowed, voice as cold as ice.
Pain in his abdomen was assaulting his brain, and he could feel the blood draining from his body-he wouldn't last much longer.
"Let's see then," said the leader of the men in black, and he attacked.
"Eh?"
At that moment, a stone, seemingly from nowhere, hit the man in black, causing his hands to tremble and his body to kneel on the ground.
The man's face changed drastically as he growled, "Who?"
Tina Reed spoke in a faint voice, devoid of emotion, "You're disturbing my mother's rest."
A dozen gazes turned towards her, all heavy with gravity.
Even the man with the dark, brooding eyes showed a hint of surprise.
These men before him were international assassins, each capable of taking on ten men, yet they were all felled by a stone from this teenage girl.
This girl-was extraordinary!
"Mind your own business, or seek death!" the leader's eyes turned cold, and he ordered in a low voice, "Kill!"
The others immediately rushed forward.
Tina's eyes narrowed, emitting a trace of coldness.
"Be careful!" Jared moved as the men in black charged at Tina.
Suddenly, his steps halted, his dark pupils filling with disbelief.
The dozen assassins didn't even have the chance to strike; they all fell before Tina.
She stood still, her expression calm, not even blinking.
If it weren't for her hands that had yet to retract, he would have thought he was hallucinating.
"Get lost!" Tina's jaw lifted slightly, her voice cold as frost.
The men in black looked at her as if she were a ghost, "Who are you? What did you do to us?"
They still didn't know how they had fallen.
All they saw was the girl slightly raising her hand, scattering some powdery substance, and then they were downed.
And they hadn't even touched a single hair on the girl.
Before Tina could reply, all the men in black already fell to the ground.
Tina glanced at them briefly before looking towards Jared, not far away.
Just one look, and Jared's heart trembled; those eyes were so clear, like a bright moon.
Jared collected his thoughts and walked over, his tone gentle, "Thank you."
Tina glanced at him indifferently, "I didn't do it to save you!"
She just didn't want her conversation with her mother to be disturbed.
With that, Tina turned and patted the tombstone, "I'm leaving, you take care."
She turned to leave but was stopped by a call, "May I know your name? Perhaps one day I can repay you."
"I had no intention of saving you." Tina waved her hand and continued walking.
"Wait-Thump!" Before Jared could finish speaking, he collapsed straight to the ground.
Tina turned back, her eyebrows knitting together, then she walked away.
Unexpectedly, a gust of wind blew, and Tina halted, looking up at the unnamed tombstone, "Do you want me to save him?" Silence was her response. After a moment, Tina spoke with a hint of reluctance, "So be it!"
Tina knelt down, lifting his clothes; she had noticed at a glance that he was injured in the abdomen, and quite severely.
However, it wasn't a significant problem.
She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bag, sprinkled some medicine powder on his wound, then pulled out another bottle and fed him a pill.
If he were awake, he would have recognized it as the highly sought-after Lotus Calm Tablets from the black market, a single tablet being sold for five million dollars, with no market price to match its value.
After administering the pill to Jared, Tina didn't linger any longer and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, at Moon Gate Estate in Ensford.
"As long as I live, Tina shall never set foot in our doors!" a furious voice erupted, audible throughout the villa.
In the living room, Tina's gaze shifted slightly towards her fuming grandmother, Elizabeth, her peach blossom eyes slightly downcast, betraying no sign of disturbance beneath her knowledgeable pupils.
From an unseen angle, the corner of her mouth curled into a mocking smile.
She had been brought back by her father, Hugo Reed, and before she could even steady herself, Elizabeth received the news and demanded they come to Moon Gate Estate to see her.
Yet, upon entering, Elizabeth made her stance clear, opposing Tina's return.
Hmm.
"Mom! Tina is my daughter, your granddaughter."
Hugo's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly. He gritted his teeth, forcibly holding back.
After ten years, he had finally found his daughter, full of joy, only to face his mother's refusal to accept Tina, even denying her any face in front of the whole family.
"She's unworthy! I will never recognize her!" Elizabeth slammed a palm on the table, "My only granddaughter is Amber."
Elizabeth's gaze turned toward Tina, her aged and clouded eyes seeming to carve into her like knives.
Tina's eyes lifted slightly, meeting Elizabeth's stare for a moment before looking away, indifferent to Elizabeth's scrutiny.
Hugo abruptly looked up, "Since I've found Tina, I will not let her leave my side again. We're already separated from the family business, so you need not concern yourself with my affairs!"
"How dare you!" Elizabeth stood up abruptly, shouting in anger, "If you bring her back, I will strip you of your position and take back your shares!"
Hugo laughed mockingly, "Position? Shares? Mother, I am merely a minor supervisor in the company now, earning a mere four thousand dollars a month. I've long wanted to leave the company; it was you who wouldn't let me. As for the shares... haven't you taken them all back already?"
"You!" Elizabeth gritted her teeth in fury, "Are you on purpose? So you are opposing me?"
She could never have imagined her son, always so weak and ineffectual, would stand up to her again and again for Tina.
She knew it. Tina and her deceased mother were nothing but trouble, coming to drive a wedge between her and her son.
As Hugo was about to speak, Amber, who had been silent for a while, suddenly said, "Grandmother, please agree to let Tina come back home."
"Hmph!" Elizabeth's expression softened slightly towards Amber Reed, but she still snorted coldly, "Dream on!"
"But... Tina is Mr. Farrell's fiancée!" Amber blinked, a smile playing on her lips.