Chapter 11
1337words
I waited for twenty minutes, but no one showed up.
I waited for another ten minutes, still nothing.
I smiled. This was a test. The caller wanted to see if I would be afraid, if I would follow his instructions. Now he knew—I wasn't afraid.
As I stood up to leave, an envelope appeared on the bench. I was certain it hadn't been there before.
I opened the envelope, inside was just one photograph: me from eighteen years ago, lying in a hospital bed, my face covered with scars. On the back of the photo was a single line:
"I know who you are. And I know what you're trying to do. Be careful, Sophia."
I stared at the photo, my fingers trembling slightly—not from fear, but from anger. Someone was playing games, and I didn't like being passive.
---
Three days later, I sent Serafina a text message.
"We need to talk. My apartment, eight o'clock tonight. Don't keep me waiting too long."
She replied quickly: "What makes you think I'll come?"
"Because you want to know what happens next." I replied, "And besides, you have no choice."
At seven fifty-eight in the evening, I heard the doorbell.
Through the peephole, I saw Serafina standing in the hallway. She was wearing a beige Chanel coat, clutching her handbag tightly to her chest. That face, once so incredibly proud, was now filled with tension and unease.
How interesting. The former queen now looks like a frightened bird.
"Mrs. Sterling," I opened the door, "Right on time, very good."
"Mr. Vance," her voice trembled slightly, though she was still trying to maintain her elegance, "What exactly do you want?"
"Come in and you'll find out."
I stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter the living room. Serafina hesitated for a second, then stepped inside.
When she turned and saw the living room, she froze in place.
The handbag slipped from her hand, making a dull thud. Her mouth slightly opened, eyes widened to their fullest.
"What's wrong?" I asked casually, "Are you frightened?"
On three walls of the living room, photos, documents, charts, and red connecting lines were densely pasted. From floor to ceiling, not an inch was left blank. This was a work of art I had meticulously constructed over eighteen years.
"Welcome to my studio." I walked to the wall, gently stroking one of the photos, "This documents the most important mission in my life."
Serafina stiffly turned her head, her gaze wandering across the wall. I saw her face gradually turning pale.
"This one is from your sixteenth birthday party." I pointed to one of the photos, "Look, you're wearing that Valentino dress worth fifty thousand dollars, how beautiful. And this one..."
I moved to another position, "This is your first date with Jax. And this one is when you first met your current husband Damian. I didn't miss any important moment."
"You... you are..." Serafina's voice was almost squeezed out from her throat.
"Crazy?" I turned to look at her, "Yes. But it's methodical madness."
I walked to another wall, where more documents and charts were posted.
"These are financial analyses of all of you. The equity structure of the Sterling Family, the fund flow of Braxton Group, the trust fund management of Jax..." I traced along the red lines with my finger, "And your social network diagrams, every friend, every enemy, every weakness that can be exploited."
Serafina stepped back, her back hitting the door.
"Eighteen years." I continued, "From the day you all destroyed me, I've been preparing for this moment. Every day, every night, I've been learning, observing, planning."
I walked to the center of the wall, where a huge photograph hung—it was my high school graduation photo, but my face had been defaced with red pen, with "slum trash" written beside it.
"Remember this photo?" I gently touched the red graffiti on the photo, "You drew this with your own hands. You posted it on the school bulletin board for everyone to see."
"Ella......" Serafina's voice was as small as a mosquito's buzz.
"Don't say my name." I turned around, eighteen years of hatred burning in my eyes, "You have no right."
I walked toward her, each step making her tremble more.
"You know what's most interesting? You thought I was dead. You thought that poor, bullied little girl was gone forever." I stopped in front of her, "But I didn't die. I just transformed."
"What do you want?" Serafina's voice was trembling, "Money? I can give you money......"
"Money?" I laughed, "Do you really think money is what I want?"
I turned and walked back to the wall, pointing to one section. There were photos of all her friends, each marked with red.
"Look at these. Victoria's drug addiction problem, I've collected enough evidence. Christina's extramarital affair, she thought it was secret, but I know everything. And Jennifer's tax evasion......"
"Stop." Serafina begged, "Please stop......"
"Why stop? The game has just begun." I returned to face her, "Would you like to know what special gift I've prepared for you?"
I walked to the other side of the wall, where there was a dedicated area with all the information about Serafina. Photos, documents, audio recordings, surveillance screenshots......
"Your marriage is already falling apart, isn't it? Damian discovered Evelynn's truth, and you......" I picked up a recording device, "You don't know that he already knows."
I pressed play. The recording played a fragment of the conversation between Damian and me that night.
"For five years I've treated her as the apple of my eye...... What do you think she'll feel when she learns that you've discovered the truth, yet still want to continue this marriage?"
Serafina's face turned as pale as death.
"You recorded it......"
"Of course." I turned off the recording device, "I recorded all important conversations. Including those between you and Jax in that hotel room......"
"No!" Serafina suddenly screamed, "You're insane! You're a pathological lunatic!"
"Madman?" I looked at her calmly, "Perhaps. But I am a madman who comes prepared."
She turned to escape, but my voice made her stop.
"Serafina."
She stiffly turned her head back.
"The rules of the game are simple." I walked to the wall, my finger sliding across those photographs, "Every day, I will choose a target. Perhaps one of your friends, perhaps someone in your family, perhaps yourself. Then, I will give them a little surprise."
"You can't do this......"
"Of course I can." I turned around, the gleam in my eyes making her shiver, "Just like eighteen years ago when you all could destroy me. Except now, it's my turn to make the rules."
Serafina leaned against the door, her entire body trembling. The queen who had once been so arrogant that she saw no one, was now trapped.
"You've given me the best gift." I walked slowly toward her, "You taught me what cruelty is, what ruthlessness is, what it means to achieve goals by any means necessary. Now, I'm going to give it all back to you."
"Please......" Her voice was so faint it was barely audible.
"Beg me?" I stopped in front of her, "Just like I begged you eighteen years ago?"
I reached out and gently caressed her cheek. She flinched but didn't dare pull away.
"Remember this feeling, Serafina. This is the taste of despair." I said softly, "And this is just the beginning."
I walked to the door and opened it for her.
"You can go now. Go back and enjoy what's left of your good times. Because soon, all of this will be gone."
Serafina stumbled toward the door, nearly falling in the hallway. She looked back at me, her eyes filled with fear and despair.
"When will this game end?" she asked in a trembling voice.
I leaned against the doorframe, my lips curling into a cold smile.
"When all of you pay the price."
