Song Yue hadn't expected to be ambushed like this, this wasn't the plan.
Gunfire exploded behind her as her guards fell one by one, desperately trying to shield her, but they were already being overpowered.
The alley reeked of blood and gunpowder, shadows flickering against the rain-slicked walls.
Her boots struck hard against the cobblestones, each step echoing like a drumbeat of survival. She pushed through the suffocating darkness, until a sudden crack split the air.
The bullet slammed into her chest.
Song Yue's body jolted violently, breath tearing from her lungs as fire exploded through her ribs. The world tilted, and her boots scraped hard against the wet cobblestones before she collapsed onto the ground, blood spreading fast, hot, and heavy beneath her.
Only one guard was left standing. His suit was torn, his arm bleeding, but he forced his way to her side, catching her trembling body.
"Boss!" His voice cracked as he tried to shield her, pressing down on her wound with shaking hands.
Crack!
Another shot split the night. The guard gasped, staggering as blood blossomed across his chest. His body buckled, falling against her.
"Noooo!" Song Yue's cry rang through the darkness, her hands slick with his blood and trembling...
His lips trembled, his voice faint. "I'm… sorry… I couldn't… protect you…"
"I'm sorry boss..."
"Don't you dare die on me! You have to hold on..." she rasped, gripping him tighter, but his head slumped forward, lifeless.
Her chest heaved with shallow, ragged breaths as she looked around. The alley was a massacre, her guards lay scattered like broken shields, their loyalty painted across the stones in crimson.
All were just bodies, and nothing...
Tonight… it was supposed to be her triumph. A night to close a deal worth trillions, to tighten her grip on the underworld. Instead, it had become her execution ground.
And then.....
A husky, mocking laugh echoed from the shadows.
"Hehehe…"
Her head turned weakly toward the sound. From the shadows, heavy boots echoed against the cobblestones. A tall figure emerged, his pistol gleaming under the pale moonlight.
"Dear sister…" His smirk dripped with venom as he tilted his head at her fallen form.
"Surprise… surprise."
"You...!?" Her voice cracked, eyes widening in horror. "How… how can it be you? You have been alive?"
It was impossible. This was her blood brother, the one who had died two years ago; they had buried him. How was this even possible that he was alive? His death had been pinned on her, and she had mourned him, lived with guilt and agony every single day. They had been so close, inseparable once. How could this be real?
"Hehehe…" His laugh slithered through the darkness, cruel and mocking. "Surprised? Thank you, dear sister, for paving the way for me. You really were such a… good sister."
Her chest heaved, blood spilling from her lips. "How could you? I never did anything wrong to you! I love you.... I wept for you every day!"
His smile twisted with disgust. "Loved me? Don't make me laugh."
"I loved you…" Her voice trembled, desperate. "Please, ge… take me to the hospital. I don't want to die here…"
He leaned closer, pistol gleaming under the pale moonlight. His words were ice.
"Take you to the hospital? Not possible. Father said you have to vanish. As long as you're alive, he feels threatened. So, dear sister… tonight, you disappear forever."
"And don't worry…" His voice was cold, almost amused. "Everyone is already prepared for your funeral. The underworld will mourn the great Mafia Queen, never knowing what a fool she really was."
He leaned closer, his smirk twisting into something crueler. "Oh, and there's something I haven't told you. That man you've been so devoted to, the one you've been dating? He's your blood brother too."
Song Yue's eyes widened, her body trembling as the words sliced deeper than any bullet.
"Yes…" he whispered, savoring her horror. "He was the mastermind behind all of this. Every step, every betrayal… all his designs. And you walked right into it."
Her lips parted, but no words came, only blood.
He straightened, cocking the pistol and aiming at her heart. "So… when you reach the afterlife, dear sister, do me a favor and say hello to everyone for me."
Bang!
The final shot echoed. Song Yue's body jolted, then stilled in place. Her blood pooled across the stones, flowing toward the gutter.
As her fingers twitched one last time, something slipped from her grasp, a silver locket, old and worn. It struck the cobblestones with a soft clink, the picture inside stained with her blood.
The moonlight caught it, casting a fleeting glow. Her eyes, frozen open, reflected that faint glimmer, defiant even in death.
The man glanced down at the locket, sneering, before turning away. He didn't notice how her blood stained it like a seal, as though marking the beginning of something far from over.
The Mafia Queen was dead.
But fate had other plans.