After her guardian assured her they would come back later or the next day, Skylar picked up her almost beaten-up phone and dialed Medina.
"Med, bring my work here and the updates from last night," Skylar coldly said before requesting, "Also, get me two new phones."
'Yes, Boss. We're on the way, and Irina is with us too.'
"Of course, she is." She whispered before dropping the call since she had to eat.
'But why two phones?'
"Vincencio broke his." She answered, glancing up at him.
'Noted. I'll buy two identical phones, and I'll make Joey do a little adjustment there.'
"Appreciated," she replied before hanging up the call.
After the call, Skylar took a quick shower, ate her breakfast, and cleaned up when a knock echoed, revealing the same doctor from the previous night. It was the same lady doctor who operated on Vincencio and the same person who held herself confidently and checked her patients with delicate hands before meeting Skylar.
"He's doing great. His wounds were healing remarkably fast. In a couple of days, he'll wake up. Keep talking to him. It'll encourage him to recover faster." With an assuring smile, the doctor said genuinely, relieving Skylar.
"Thanks, doctor…" Filled with gratefulness, she thanked the doctor. However, she didn't know the doctor's name yet, and the doctor noticed it.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the head general surgeon, Dr. Aletia Eztli Monsour, the same person you called last night." Dr. Aletia Eztli Monsour, a surgeon, introduced herself properly.
"You're a Monsour?" She wondered, trying to connect her surname with her husband's family name.
"Married to one, his brother, Joaquin Monsour, haven't you met him before?" Dr. Aletia wondered.
"Yeah, I met him once, at our wedding." She responded with a slight giggle.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't come because I'm preoccupied with patients and surgeries." She sincerely apologized to Skylar.
"None taken..." Skylar shook her head, very pleased with the help she had done for her husband. "...but I'm glad to meet you and be able to save him."
"I'm a doctor. It's my job, and speaking of it, I still have patients to check on. I'll be back later." She excused herself after noticing the time, making Skylar nod.
"Thank you again, and nice meeting you." She thanked her again.
"Likewise." She smiled and left the room.
"Now, that explains the familiarity under her gaze, but…" Skylar mumbled when she went to Vincencio's side and caressed his face gently. "…there's something more I could not label yet. Who is she?"
***
The coldness swirling around her chest never seems to fade. Her emotions were deep and burning like the rage of the summer sun, but her aura was like a winter storm that could not be stopped. Without being detected, Skylar used every connection she had through business transactions and her dangerous nightlife. She made sure to find a precise target to collect the debt they did to her husband.
"Dammit! You almost gave me a heart attack." A wealthy man with knowledge of Rose Slayer's identity surprisingly reacted. "What brings you here, Rose Slayer?"
"Sorry for that, but I want to clarify something, which I hope you'll give me an honest answer to before I put a blade in your throat." Skylar apologized, but there was a warning, making the man chuckle.
"You won't because I didn't kill you." The man chuckled before sitting on his chair and asked. "What is it?"
"True, but here, do you know who owns this plate number?" she asked coldly, showing the plate number her team gave.
"This is familiar, wait a second. I think it came here two nights ago delivering a package from Singarti," the man said while checking his records before showing the file. "I think they work locally but are a small shipping business."
"Send a copy of this to Beta, and if this number drops here again, make sure to update me," she instructed firmly, confusing the man.
"Why suddenly interested in them?" he asked carefully.
"Collecting debt, Hue." She replied coldly, making the man chuckle.
"Ohho, they mess with the person." He reacted amusingly while nodding. "Count on it."
Rose Slayer left and quickly went home to get something from the house. But instead of going through the front door, she sneaked into her workshop, and from a hidden door beneath her bed, she entered the room filled with heavily loaded firearms that belonged to her old self and a collection of various metal masks.
"One day, I'll show you to him." She mumbled sadly but quickly turned grim and grabbed the only metal mask with a red claw mark painted on it. Then she left like a passing wind.
***
Back at the hospital, Irina took care of Vincencio. As for Medina and Joey, they dealt with Skylar's storm.
"Boss, based on the records from Hue, it belonged to the same target we have on the list," Medina said and showed the file to Skylar before asking, "Boss, are you sure about this?"
"Pretty much." Grimly, Skylar answered coldly before tossing the file at the table, revealing the same prey she must take on her night hunt. "They attempt to kill what's mine; they'll pay for it with their life."
"Med, don't. She made her choice, and there's no stopping her when she's grim." Joey stopped Medina from saying another word since he knew—they knew—that it wouldn't matter once Skylar made a decision. "They mess with the wrong person.
"Joey, is it ready?" Skylar asked coldly as she changed into something dark. Her attire was entirely black apart from her crimson coat and the metal mask with a red claw mark on the right eye.
"Already waiting for you," Joey responded with firmness, making Skylar nod.
"Good. Come with me, I need a ride." She said coldly, walking to her sleeping husband before kissing his temple and softly saying. "I'll be right back to collect debts."
"Mom, use both," Irina said sternly, making Skylar nod.
"I know. Stay with Medina and watch over your father for me." She kissed her temple before leaving them.
***
Before Rose Slayer came out to play, without a mask, Skylar and Joey went to the SR Night Pub for distressing and other information. Skylar seriously needed a breather and liquor in her system just for the night.
"Stay here, I'll speak with the boss, and don't get drunk; we still have time to hunt," Joey whispered since the blasting music of the pub deafened anyone's ears.
"I know. Just go. We need it." Skylar whispered as she tapped the bar and ordered her drinks. "The usual."
"Just two bottles," Joey told the bartender, making Skylar glare at him.
"I get it. Just go," she said, pushing Joey away from her side and starting to drink.
Skylar drinks alone and avoids flirty people trying to have some pep talk with her. She stopped them before her bothersome memories kicked in again. Luckily, she could block them. However, a particular sight caused her distress as she tried to cope with Vincencio's sudden status.
"You've got to be kidding me," Skylar mumbled in annoyance before taking a straight sip from her bottle. "Seriously, in my face."
Across the bar, Skylar noticed a familiar nuisance from her past, Monica Johnson Sterling. She was drinking and flirting with someone who was not Gregory. She watched them like a hawk. They laughed, spoke, and touched, and to add more depth, Skylar picked up her phone and recorded every gesture until they kissed.
"Greg, what you got yourself into…" Skylar whispered, witnessing the reason why their relationship failed was now happening to him. "…your karma is hitting you greatly, and the same person broke us apart."
Skylar pitied Gregory's marriage but had no remorse for making Monica's life miserable. However, instead of slapping her face with fueled anger, Skylar grimly decided to make it more epic.
"I'll snap your sanity soon," Skylar grimly whispered and finished her second battle when Joey came back with the added information they needed.
"Done?" Joey wondered although he had seen two empty bottles in front of Skylar.
"Pretty much," she answered with a nod before adding her annoyance, "Let's go. I can't stay here and recall the pain from yesterday because of her."
"Oh, sure." Joey glanced across the bar, understanding the reason before agreeing, "Let's go."
TRICODE SUBJECT
Confirmed Target: Gustav Choi
Code: Little Boss
Age: 30
Occupation: Small-time businessman in a shipping agency
Remarks: Hiding smuggling shipments for small-time mafias within the city to keep his business moving.
Conclusions: Due to his connection with mafias, he became competitive and desired to have more clients—bigger fish—but he couldn't. He got a rival, the Sub-Collectors Cargos.
"Sub-collectors Cargos…that's Vincencio's small shipping business…" Skylar mumbled, making her hands tremble.
"Oh boy…it's bad," Joey reacted when he heard his boss.
"Joey, I'll go all out tonight." With gritted teeth, she said coldly before adding her grimace. "This prey had it twice; I'll give him twice of his prepared deathbed."
"Your chariot awaits you on the third block parking space," Joey reminded me before Skylar got out of the car and began playing her game.
***
Skylar had just put on the metal mask, reawakening her alter ego, Rose Slayer, who was more dangerous. She was not in her typical playful killer instincts but rather lethal with a dark, winter typhoon, ready to storm everything in its path. She grimaced as she waltzed into the night as if it were her perfect dance. However, as no one noticed her presence, Rose Slayer set her eyes on a target, blending magically into the busy crowd of Neon Street.
"Disgusting creature…" Rose Slayer spat with venom as she carefully watched her target.
Mr. Gustav Choi has been enjoying his night by drinking, smoking, and flirting with two bitches hanging around his arms as they stumble out of a drinking pub. In the shadow, she carefully trailed them until the man reached his car, kissing the ladies goodbye. It was cueing her to make it fast and knock out his bodyguard before he entered the car, drunk.
"Take me home. I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow," Mr. Choi drunkenly ordered without realizing it was not his bodyguard anymore but his deathbed.
The drive was quiet but eerie. Rose Slayer took her prey into a secluded area she prepared for the man. With a sudden brake, the drunken man hit his face hard on the car's window, groaning. He was about to complain, but the driver was gone, and he was pulled harshly out by someone who had a strong grip.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Mr. Choi screamed as he was thrown to the muddy ground of a desolate place.
"Collecting debt." Rose Slayer answered coldly while dusting herself.
"What? I don't have any debts." He reasoned, trying to look way out, but everything was dark and empty. They were alone.
"Says the one who whispers conspiracy among the officials, making sure the general never returns to her service by torturing her before she dies." She rebutted with venom, catching the man off guard.
"I…" he tried to defend himself, but he was cut off.
"Don't reason any more. I've got evidence, and you even double your debts by sabotaging another business." She sarcastically shared the information she knew from his past deeds until the recent one, catching the man's attention more. "You're good at manipulating words and contracts, but not on my watch, little boss."
"How did you know that?!" He spat, trying to be brave, but those words were all true. He stumbled backward since Rose Slayer was coming closer. "D-don't come near me. I'm innocent."
"Innocent? Nothing is innocent in you." She tauntingly whispered, stepping closer like a ticking clock that was about to hit its highest peak, midnight. "But let's test your innocence by letting you run in darkness. If you manage to survive, you're free to have another day, but if you can't, your life will meet twice of your prepared deathbed."
"WHY YOU! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" He screamed, but she sinisterly laughed.
"The clock is ticking, you fool. Run, little boss, but remember you can't hide from death." She grimly taunted, making the man run like a chicken, aimless as to where to go. "Now, my darkness became my playground."
Mr. Choi ran frantically from the darkness and was horrified when he stumbled onto a rusty animal trap that pierced his leg. He struggled to break free when he felt a cold presence behind him. He pleaded for mercy, yet met a tranquilizer that sedated him.
"And the prey became blind." Rose Slayer chuckled, dragging the prey to a certain car and tossing the man in the backseat like nothing.
"That was quick," Omega commented, but eerie still lingers from the backseat and then on the driver's seat.
"I'm bloody hungry." With a hoarse voice, Rose Slayer whispered sinisterly, glancing at her prey before driving off.