Chapter 245: Final Revelation
Diana POV
Colin reacted with lightning speed, pushing Bradley and me aside before tackling Marisa. A deafening explosion filled the abandoned factory, the blast wave knocking us to the ground.
When I lifted my head, dust and smoke filled the air. Bradley was immediately at my side, his hands gently checking me for injuries, fingers brushing over my face and abdomen. We were both okay, just minor scrapes. But as the smoke cleared, the sight before us was horrifying.
Marisa's body was unrecognizable, blood and fragments scattered across the floor. Colin managed to stand, covered in blood but apparently not seriously injured. He had saved us. This former assassin had become our savior.
"She's dead," Colin stated flatly.
For several long moments, none of us spoke.
Slowly, we gathered around Marisa's remains, our faces ashen. The woman who had tormented me for so long was gone in an instant, leaving only questions in her wake.
"If what she said is true," Bradley said, frowning. "Why would anyone help Marisa target us? For what purpose?"
"Money? Revenge?" Colin suggested, wiping blood from his forehead. "Who else could harbor such hatred toward you both?"
Nobody said anything for a minute. The factory was dead quiet. Then suddenly, we heard this creepy laugh coming from the door.
"That would be me," a woman's voice called out.
We all looked over. Someone was walking in with a gun pointed right at us. When I could finally see her face, Bradley and I both gasped.
"Anne?" I couldn't believe my eyes.
The woman before us was nothing like the elegantly dressed, graceful Norwegian princess I had known. She wore a black bodysuit, her hair messily pulled back, eyes blazing with manic intensity. Her entire demeanor had transformed from royal dignity to dangerous predator.
"You know her?" Colin asked, confused.
Bradley's expression turned glacial. "Yes, but she shouldn't be here."
Bradley positioned himself in front of me, his voice controlled yet furious. "The last time I met with your brother, he told me you'd been confined for deliberately setting fire to the palace. How did you escape?"
Anne's laughter echoed through the empty space. My mind flashed back to the fire in Norway, the one I'd been told was an accident. So it wasn't! Bradley knew all along...
"It doesn't matter," Anne said lightly, her gun still trained on us. "Since some of you are about to die, I might as well explain everything."
Anne started telling her story, the hollow factory making her voice echo everywhere.
As she talked, I learned how her life had been after getting locked up in that castle. Day after day of isolation and shame, all she thought about was escaping, getting revenge on me, and somehow ending up with Bradley.
She explained how she used her former princess status to seduce the guards. To win them over, she even resorted to getting down on her knees for a few blow jobs and hand jobs, securing their favor with each degrading act.
When the guards warmed up to her, she started asking for things. She'd tell them that even though she was locked away, she still wanted to look pretty "like a princess". Not just for herself, but to enhance their experiences together. Those poor, clueless guards brought her clothes and jewelry. Whatever she asked for.
Then came the clever part. She had one guard dig up a hidden box from beneath her floor. She claimed it was just full of jewelry, but it actually contained all sorts of items she'd collected over the years. Most importantly, it had several cards that gave her the money she needed.
Anne looked almost proud describing how a major storm had damaged part of the castle wall, creating her escape route. The guards only checked on her once a month, which gave her the perfect window to slip away.
"Getting your address was a piece of cake," she told me with pure hatred in her eyes. But she needed a plan that wouldn't point back to her.
That's when she spotted Marisa stalking us. Seeing an opportunity, Anne started tracking Marisa instead. Using a voice changer, she contacted Marisa, bankrolled her, and let her do all the dirty work.
Anne glared at Marisa's body, disgust flashing in her eyes. "I followed her here, thinking you were finally dead, only to discover this assassin had betrayed her." She raised the gun, her gaze turning even colder. "Now I'll finish this myself."
"I've nothing left to lose," Anne continued, her voice edged with desperation. "I've been gone a full month now. The guards have certainly discovered my absence by now, and once my mother and brother know, a disgraced princess like me will face an even worse fate." She looked directly at Bradley, her voice suddenly softening. "But if I could win your heart, if you’d speak for me, I might still have a chance to escape that doom."
Her eyes locked onto Bradley, searching for any sign of weakness, a glimmer of the affection she so desperately craved.
Bradley's posture shifted subtly, his shoulders relaxing just enough to seem less threatening. He caught my eye for a brief moment, a silent message passing between us. I understood instantly. My heart raced, but I kept my face neutral, trusting him.
"I forgive you, Anne," he said, his voice unexpectedly gentle, almost soothing. "Let's go back together and make everything normal again."
He took a cautious step forward, palms open in a gesture of peace. A flicker of hope and hesitation crossed Anne's face, her grip on the gun wavering for a split second. In that fleeting moment of doubt, Bradley lunged forward, closing the distance in an instant, wrestling for control of the weapon.
The gun went off, shots ringing out in rapid succession, bullets ricocheting off the factory walls until the clip was empty. Bradley overpowered Anne, forcing her to the ground with a grunt, pinning her beneath his weight.
Just then, a sharp metallic snap pierced the air above me. My head snapped up, and I saw a massive piece of abandoned steel framework, dislodged by the gunfire, breaking free from its rusted moorings. It plummeted straight toward me, a deadly shadow in the dim light.
I had no time to react.