Chapter 38 A best gift ever

Chapter 38 A best gift ever
Faustina,

One hour ago,

I was quite confused when David suddenly asked me to meet him in our hideout. It wasn't like him to surprise me. Well, he better have had a good surprise for me.

As we headed to the hideout, the air felt different. The guards all bowed, saluting while opening the door.

"Welcome, Master."

I nodded grimly as I walked in. Lily stayed behind me, alert, fingers curled around her own dagger. She trusted no one but me and David; her eyes flicked over every shadow, every face.

As we entered the main building, David noticed us and walked toward me. A playful smirk spread across his face and one corner of his mouth lifted like a secret.

"You are here! Have you had any discomfort to come here?" He held out a wet towel, his eyes bright with something unreadable.

"No. But I didn't appreciate you asking me to come here since Cassius might have placed one or two shadow guards!" My voice was flat, but my knuckles tensed around the strap of my bag.

"Don't worry about it. We have enough excuses to show." He grinned wider, tapping the towel against his palm as if nervous energy needed an outlet.

"You seem to be so happy today, David. What did you find? I hope it won't be something disappointing!" Lily's sharp, serious words cut through the warm air. She leaned forward slightly, jaw set, nostrils flaring with suspicion.

David laughed, a quick, careless sound that didn't reach his eyes. "Relax, Lily. I won't make my master waste time on something petty thing." He looked at me then, voice softening. "My Lady. Come with me. The gift is way too interesting!"

"Fine." I followed him to the basement, trying to keep my footsteps steady. The moment we stepped inside a room, the floor separated with a faint mechanical groan, exposing an underground passage. A cold draft slipped around my ankles and a prickle crawled up my spine.

"Please tell me if you feel uncomfortable. The darkness might make you feel bad!" David warned, but there was a proud lift to his chin.

"Then why did you design it this way knowing that My Lady will have discomfort?" Lily snapped, shoulders rising. She planted her feet as if bracing for an attack, but I raised a hand to stop her; for some reason I felt oddly excited instead of afraid.

As we stepped on the stairs, the floor closed behind us. Darkness swallowed the sounds for a beat; Lily's hand hovered near my elbow like a safety tether. The stairs then lit up in a slow cascade, revealing an entire hidden world beneath the house. My breath caught at the sight.

"Welcome, My Lady." David's chest puffed with pride as we walked down. The entire basement was full of devices: computers, laptops, tangled wires—evidence of late nights and brilliant obsession. It smelled faintly of ozone and coffee.

"This way." He pressed a red button; the metallic whir of a steel door rolling up made me frown. The noise vibrated in my teeth.

David ushered us inside while Lily kept her blade raised, eyes darting. Her trust in David was fraying; she bit her lower lip, small muscles working as she watched his hands.

But as soon as we walked in, the air shifted. The lights snapped on and a small cell-like room appeared before us. The scent of disinfectant hit my nose. For a second I didn't understand—then I noticed the thick chains.

"Oh my Goddess!" Lily gasped, frozen behind me. Her fingers whitened on the hilt of her dagger.

My eyes narrowed as I saw her: Jennifer, bound by heavy chains, slumped and unconscious on the cold floor. The metal caught the light and sent thin reflections across her pale skin. A faint trickle of drool at the corner of her mouth said she had been out for a while.

"What is it?" Lily asked again, voice trembling now. Her calm had cracked, revealing raw fear.

David pressed another switch, his hands suddenly steady and clinical. "Alpha King ordered to kill her and pass it as a suicide. It seems like she knows lots of things about them. So I brought her here. Instead of killing her, we can just get information." He explained with a prideful grin that made his eyes hard.

I stepped closer in measured strides, the heels of my boots echoing on the concrete. My chest tightened as memories—the faces of Dad and Mom, the burned edges of that past—sloshed through me. I didn't know that my wish would be fulfilled so soon.

"David!" I called, my tone low and cold. A slow smile crept across my face, but it was thin and dangerous; my heart hammered, a steady drum of sweet anticipation.

"My Lady?" David's grin faltered; his expression flickered between triumph and something like fear.

"Good job." I smirked, letting the words drop like a blade. My eyes blazed under the light, pupils contracting as a dark grin pulled at my lips. My fingers twitched, craving action. The heat in my chest built until it felt like molten gold.

Dad, Mom... the revenge had begun. For you, for us... The ending was coming soon. As I had promised, I would take revenge. Blood for blood, life for life. They would watch how I made them bleed. I would burn them like they had burned us. In that fire, I would add something cruel—something that would make them regret being born.

"Thank you, My Lady!" David's voice came, small and eager. His fingers flexed unconsciously, the earlier tremor gone now that approval had landed.

"How could I not?" I said, my voice calm as a knife. I stepped closer to Jennifer and let my gaze linger on the bound woman—the key to everything. A cold thrill ran through me, and the muscles along my jaw tightened. My eyes glittered. "I was wishing to get such a beautiful gift." The smile at the end was almost affectionate, which made Lily flinch.

David froze; his smile drained as though someone had switched off the lights in his face. Lily's breath hitched, shoulders slumping a fraction as if the weight of the moment pressed on her chest.

But I ignored them and stared at Jennifer, at the faint rise and fall of her chest. Information sat in that still body like a heavy, poisonous fruit waiting to be plucked.

"David!" My voice dropped dangerously, the syllables deliberate and cold. The world narrowed; sound dulled to a hum as my pulse thrummed in my ears.

"My Lady?" David looked shaken now, his playful mask gone. His lips parted, and for a second I saw the boy who still feared consequences.

"Good. You are allowed to do whatever you want. If needed, drill her head, brain, soul, mind—whatever it is. You must get information for me. At any point." Each word was measured; each carried the weight of command. A tiny involuntary smile lifted one corner of my mouth when his jaw clenched in agreement.

David's eyes widened in shock at the permission, then a wicked grin appeared, like someone given permission to unleash a caged animal. "Your words are my command, My Lady!"

I turned, clenching my jaw until the taste of blood ghosted at the back of my throat. "Let's go, Lily. Spread the news that Jennifer escaped from the dungeon and jumped in the ocean." I kept my voice steady; my hands were ice-cold despite the heat inside me.

"Yes, My Lady." Lily's reply was immediate, but thin. She swallowed hard; a tremor ran through her fingers as she imagined the lie she had to sell.

"And, David. I am proud of you. Let's have something to eat tonight." I offered a small, brittle smile as if to erase the cruelty with a mundane pleasure.

David nodded, head dipping in a submissive, almost relieved motion. He started to walk toward the control panel, eyes bright with purpose.

We walked out of the building soon after. Lily moved toward the car to open the door, every motion taut, ready to spring. I stopped her with a soft lift of my hand.

"Let's walk. The air is good. Let's walk through the beach and find a perfect seafood stall!" I grinned, letting the warmth of the night wash over me.

"Are you sure?" Lily looked concerned, brows knitting. Her gaze flicked to David as if asking for backup.

David stood just behind us like a shield, shoulders squared. He cleared his throat, giving a short, nervous chuckle that did not quite match his steady stance. "Okay, My Lady. Let's walk."

We moved out of the private area, which lay close to a valley. The small villages looked beautiful in the dim light; smoke rose lazily from chimneys, stars shimmered above, and the salty breeze teased at my hair. The calmness around felt almost obscene compared to the chains and the cold just below our feet.

Lily and David stayed alert though I wanted them to enjoy the night as I did. I couldn't help but hum, a soft, pleased sound that vibrated in my throat. A sense of happiness washed over me like warm water.

"My Lady is happy. Thanks for using your brain, David!" Lily teased him, the corners of her mouth twitching despite herself.

David scoffed, the sound half irritation, half amusement. "I am doing everything to make her happy. Unlike you who spent nights with random men!"

"Yaa. Are you jealous or what? You didn't come home either!" She bumped his shoulder, a nervous laugh hidden in the motion.

"You—" He opened his mouth, then cut himself off as a voice sliced through the night.

"What are you doing here at this hour? Miss Thorne!"

We all froze. Cassius Brightblade stood there, figure rigid, eyes narrowed. He held his left hand up; blood trickled down between his fingers, dark and stark in the lamplight. The sight of him, wounded and accusing, made the air tighten around us like a drawn wire.