Ben returned to his table, his expression dark and unsettled.
"What is it?" his mother asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did she turn you down? I told you that tie was ugly."
"Mom…" he stammered, struggling to find the words. "It's… she's…"
"Oh, don't worry, son. She'll come around," she said with a wave of her hand.
"No, Mom. That's Kira," he blurted out.
Dorice froze. "Come on, Ben. Don't be ridiculous. That woman? She's far too stunning to be Kira."
"I'm telling you the truth. She told me herself."
Dorice's expression shifted from disbelief to pure shock. "What?!"
She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the marble floor. "How… how did she become so… never mind." Her voice turned icy. "Come. I'll teach that little witch a lesson."
And with that, she stormed off in my direction, heels striking the ground like thunder.
She stormed toward me, grabbing a glass of water, clearly ready to cause a scene. As she raised it to pour on me, one of my girls stepped in, intercepting her hand and letting the water spill harmlessly on herself instead.
"How dare you!" she screeched.
"Who are you to lay hands on our Queen?" my girl shot back.
"Calm down, sister," I said smoothly. "Let's hear what the woman wants."
"You witch!" she screamed. "How did you escape that hospital? Everyone, listen! She's a madwoman!"
I smirked, stepping forward. "Only a mad person recognizes another mad person. We must both be insane then."
"You came to take my grandson away!" she snarled. "How can a woman who *shot* a man raise a child?"
"I've been wondering the same," I replied coolly. "How did *you* raise one? No wonder he turned out so useless."
She lunged again, hand raised. But another one of my girls caught her wrist mid-air. "Try that again," she said coldly, "and it'll be the last time you have a hand to raise."
"Let her be, Mum," Ben finally said. "She's just ranked sixth. We've already surpassed her."
I laughed—sharp, deliberate. "Foolish boy. I built an empire from scratch in five years. Top ten in the entire country. Meanwhile, in fifteen years, you've never touched first place. You're not a man. Just a boy with balls."
I turned to leave, but he called out, "Watch your words, Kira. I'm still your husband."
That made me pause. I turned back, eyes blazing. "Husband? You're nothing to me. You just made this personal."
"The battle line has been drawn," he said darkly. "You think you're invincible. But remember—all men die."
I walked up to him, face to face. "Yes, all men die. But I'm not a man—I'm a woman. And I wear a crown. So the next time you want to threaten me..." I leaned in, voice like ice, "...make sure you're wearing a bulletproof."