Chapter 3

The man who'd barged in was Zachary Ford, the second son of the current Ford family head. A textbook rich brat.

And the so-called Capital Prince Anna had been dying to latch onto? Zachary was just his lackey.

"Who the hell are you calling a mutt?"

The smile on Zachary's face froze as he stared at me in disbelief.

In this circle, no one had ever dared talk to him like that.

"Whoever answered me."

I toyed with the tablet in my hand. It belonged to Sebastian's late mother. After one glance, I carefully wiped it clean and set it back on the altar.

Something like that shouldn't be used to beat a dog. It'd disrespect the dead.

"Fuck. You're asking for it!"

Humiliated and furious, Zachary waved at the bodyguards behind him. "Grab this bitch! Tonight I'll teach Uncle Sebastian's bride some manners myself!"

Four burly men cracked their knuckles and closed in.

Inside the coffin, Sebastian's fingers twitched.

With my back to him, I made a subtle gesture telling him to stay calm.

This little mess didn't need that sickly man lifting a finger.

Smack.

The lights flickered once.

No one saw me move.

All they heard was a scream. The bodyguard in front had already dropped to his knees clutching one leg, his kneecap bent backward at a sick angle.

"Ahhh!"

The scream echoed through the empty hall, sharp and miserable.

The other three bodyguards froze.

I stood where I was, a plain silver needle now resting between my fingers.

"The human body has 365 pressure points. Only 36 can cripple you."

My tone stayed flat, like I was lecturing med students. "That one was the Crane Crown point. So, who's up next? Anyone want to try the Mute Gate point?"

A hard strike there could leave someone mute. A deep needle could kill.

The three bodyguards exchanged looks, but none of them dared move forward.

Zachary roared in frustration, "Useless idiots! What the hell do I pay you for? Get her!"

"You're loud as hell."

I flashed forward and appeared in front of Zachary like a ghost.

"You..."

He had barely opened his mouth before I slapped him.

Smack.

Crisp. Loud.

The hit spun Zachary in place. Half his face swelled instantly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"That slap was for Sebastian. Learn some damn respect."

Smack.

Then I backhanded him.

"And that one was for me. Your mouth reeks."

Zachary was completely stunned. He clutched his face, his eyes full of venom and fear. "You dare hit me? Do you even know who I am? That trash Sinclair family really thinks it can offend the Fords? Believe it or not, I can bankrupt them tomorrow!"

At the mention of the Sinclair family, I smiled.

"Please do. I'd love that."

I stepped closer, my eyes icy. "But before that, you should learn how to act like a human being."

I grabbed his wrist and pressed lightly with my fingertips.

"Ahhh! It hurts, it hurts! Let go!"

Zachary squealed like a pig being butchered.

"Go back and tell whoever sent you," I said, glancing over my shoulder at the man in the coffin who looked like a demon carved from the night, "nobody touches Sebastian Ford's people without paying for it."

"Get lost."

I released him, and Zachary staggered backward, nearly falling into the weeds.

"Fine... Fine! Just you wait! Tomorrow at the wedding, let's see how you clean up this mess!"

After throwing out one last threat, Zachary fled in disgrace with his battered men.

The hall fell silent again.

"Nice moves."

Sebastian's voice came from behind me. Compared to before, it carried more strength now.

I turned and saw him trying to rise from the coffin.

His legs were still weak, but that defeated air around him was gone.

"They're good enough for butchering pigs."

I walked over and supported his arm.

At that distance, I caught the faint scent of cedar on him, mixed with blood. Weirdly enough, it smelled good.

"Tomorrow's wedding?" He raised a brow.

"The Sinclairs will definitely make it big for appearances. They want to see me humiliated, and they want to see the Ford family embarrassed too."

I helped him sit down in a chair nearby.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"If it's a wedding, then there should be a bride price and a dowry."

I pulled a mini laptop from my bag and my fingers flew across the keyboard.

Complex code flashed across the screen, the blue light reflecting in my eyes.

"What are you doing?" A trace of surprise flickered in Sebastian's eyes.

A girl from the countryside had no business having hacker skills at that level.

"Preparing a nice little gift for the Sinclair family."

Three minutes later, I hit Enter.

"Done."

I turned the laptop toward Sebastian.

On the screen were Sinclair Holdings' internal accounts and several dirty contracts no one was supposed to see.

Tax fraud, bribery, and proof that Anna Sinclair's so-called piano genius awards had all been faked.

"Once this gets released, the Sinclair family will become public enemy number one by tomorrow."

I said it lightly.

Sebastian studied the screen, his gaze turning deeper.

"That's too easy on them."

His long fingers tapped lightly against the armrest. "If we're going to play, let's make it big."

He looked up at me, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"Want to see the Sinclair family lift you to the sky, then smash you back down?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Tomorrow, I'm not just showing up. I'm showing up in style."

Sebastian pulled out a custom communicator and pressed a red button.

"Night Owl, notify every global branch."

"Tomorrow at nine in the morning, I want the wedding of the century at the Grand Imperial Hotel."

"And unfreeze my Global Elite Black Card."

"My bride isn't wearing bargain-bin trash."

I looked at the man in front of me.

One second ago he had been a half-dead man in a coffin. The next, the business king who once ruled everything had returned.

Suddenly, this deal looked way more interesting than I'd expected.

"By the way," Sebastian said after ending the call, looking at me, "besides your medical treatment, what bride wealth do you want?"

I thought for a second, then pointed at the plain-looking string of beads on his wrist.

"That."

Sebastian paused.

Those beads were the symbol of ultimate power in the underground world, the Shadow Command.

In the wrong hands, they could command a hundred thousand mercenaries across the globe.

He looked at me deeply for one beat, then took them off and slipped them onto my wrist without another word.

"If you can carry the weight, they're yours."

The beads were a little too big and looked almost funny on my slim wrist.

But I knew exactly how heavy they really were.

"Don't worry."

I shook my wrist, and the beads clicked together with a crisp sound.

"Even if the sky falls, I'll shove it right back up for you."