Vanessa stood before the imposing steel door, her breath ragged, her heart pounding with a mix of rage and panic surging in her chest. 'Stay calm, Vanessa. You can always solve problems when you keep a cool head,' she told herself, trying to quell the emotions threatening to blind her. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, picturing Raven's face,someone who now depended on her. Her trembling hands wiped the sweat from her brow, and she focused her mind. Panic wouldn't open this door. She had to think clearly.
Beside her, Diana struck the steel door with the hilt of a knife she'd found in the corner of the room. The blows were futile; the door didn't even budge. Frustrated, Vanessa grumbled, "Why don't we just go out through the window?!"
Diana glanced at her, one eyebrow slightly raised, her face as impassive as ever. "That's dangerous, Mistress. I won't help if you insist on doing that," she said in a flat tone, without a hint of fear.
Vanessa stared at her, irritation mixed with grudging admiration. "Just because you're under the mistress's orders, you dare talk back to me, huh!" she said, forcing a sardonic smile, though a hint of jest crept into her voice.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Diana replied calmly, a faint mockery glinting in her eyes.
Vanessa was at a loss for words. For a moment, she wanted to retort, but what was the point? Diana wasn't the enemy. The enemy was this steel door and the person behind it. She turned her attention to the door, studying every detail. 'This isn't an ordinary door,' she thought. Thick steel, reinforced hinges, no gaps for ordinary tools. Only an explosion could break it down. But where could she find explosives in a place like this?
Vanessa stepped back, eyeing the door suspiciously. "How could she have a door like this?" she muttered, her voice laced with hatred. Her mind drifted to Sylviana, the old woman who was always full of schemes. 'She planned this from the start, didn't she?' Vanessa imagined Sylviana's cunning smile, hiding malicious intent. This door wasn't a coincidence. It was a trap, part of a grand game Sylviana had orchestrated long before Vanessa found herself ensnared here.
Suddenly, Diana tensed. Her usually expressionless face showed a flicker of uncertainty. She stepped closer to the door, pressing her ear against the cold steel surface. Vanessa opened her mouth to ask, but Diana raised a hand, silencing her with a sharp look. "Something's wrong," Diana whispered, her voice barely audible. Vanessa frowned, straining to hear, but all she caught was silence. What was Diana hearing?
Before Vanessa could ask further, Diana moved swiftly. With surprising strength, she yanked Vanessa away from the door, pushing her to the corner of the room. "Watch out!" Diana shouted. Vanessa stumbled, confused, but before she could protest, BOOM! The steel door exploded with a deafening roar, shards of metal and smoke billowing into the air. A wave of heat swept through the room, and Vanessa felt her heart nearly stop. If Diana hadn't pulled her away, she would've been thrown back, perhaps gravely injured or dead.
Vanessa stared at Diana, her breath coming in gasps. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice filled with gratitude. But beneath that gratitude, a question gnawed at her. 'How did Diana know? And who blew up the door?' Diana met her gaze and said, "We don't have time. Raven's back has been whipped fifty times. I don't know how long it's been since you left."
Vanessa nodded, pushing her suspicions aside. Raven was the priority now.
Vanessa bolted out of the smoke-filled room, leaving Diana to return to her post guarding Roni. "Keep him safe!" Vanessa yelled without looking back. Diana nodded, accustomed to chaotic situations like this. Vanessa knew Diana was reliable,though sometimes too enigmatic to fully trust.
The corridors of Sylviana's mansion were a labyrinth, but Vanessa moved with agility, her instincts honed from years of facing danger. Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps and the click of a gun's safety. Three armed servants emerged from a corner, their rifles already aimed. Vanessa didn't hesitate. She leapt to the side, rolling across the floor, dodging a barrage of bullets that riddled the walls. With swift precision, she disarmed one of the servants, knocking him out with a blow, then discarded the gun's magazine when its bullets ran dry. 'Efficient,' she thought, resuming her run.
Seven armed servants had fallen by Vanessa's hand, some unconscious, some no longer moving. She had no time to dwell on their fates. Tucked into her clothing was a pistol with a single bullet, kept for emergencies. 'One bullet, one chance,' she thought. She pressed on, searching for the room where Raven was held, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
After navigating corridor after corridor, Vanessa finally found the room she was looking for. Inside, Raven lay sprawled on the floor, his body covered in wounds. His face was battered, bruised from merciless punches. Red welts from whips scarred his back, and knife cuts marred his arms and legs. Vanessa held her breath, her rage erupting like lava. 'This is bad,' she muttered, forcing herself to stay calm despite her racing heart. She knelt beside Raven, checking his pulse weak, but still there. Strangely, Sylviana was nowhere in the room. Vanessa sensed a trap, but seeing Raven's increasingly pale face, she couldn't think of anything but saving him. 'Sylviana didn't do this herself,' she thought. 'But she's the mastermind behind it all. Only she's twisted enough to orchestrate something this cruel.'
Vanessa hoisted Raven's limp body, carrying him out of the room, down the mansion's stairs, and finally out into the front yard of Sylviana's house. There, under the pale moonlight, Sylviana stood, her cunning smile gleaming. "Why are you here?" Vanessa asked, her voice dripping with hatred, her body tensing as she bore Raven's weight.
Sylviana didn't answer immediately. Instead, she spoke with theatrical flair, "Do you know why I married the head of the family, an old man, when I was only seventeen?"
Vanessa frowned. "Huh? Why should I care—"
"Because I wanted to make everyone in this world a player in the drama I direct," Sylviana cut in, her voice dripping with madness.
Vanessa rolled her eyes, bewildered. "What?!"
Sylviana let out a small laugh. "For example… I manipulated my own child to drive you wild in the forest! Hahaha!"
Vanessa clenched her fists. "Your child, huh? You did this to him, and you dare call yourself a mother?" she snapped.
Sylviana shook her head, as if mocking her. "Tch, tch… after what you did to Roni, do you have the right to say that? Young people these days are so disrespectful."
Vanessa's blood boiled. "I gave birth to Roni against my will, you lunatic!" she shot back.
Sylviana merely smiled, raising her hand as if signaling something. "Oh, enough. Let's not dwell on the past. We should focus on the future now."
Vanessa muttered to herself, 'You're the one who brought up the past. So old, yet playing the victim like that?'
Suddenly, red laser dots appeared from the windows of the mansion behind Sylviana, aimed directly at Vanessa. Snipers, hidden inside Sylviana's house. Vanessa held her breath, her mind racing. 'If I run, Raven gets shot. If I throw Raven aside first, I'll be the one who dies. If I carry Raven and run, I don't have enough strength, and we'll both get shot.' She glared at Sylviana, who stood smiling triumphantly. 'Seriously, why was I ever kind to this old hag?' Vanessa thought, regretting her past naivety. With the pistol holding a single bullet tucked into her clothing, she knew she had to make a decision—and fast.