Five Years Earlier

  Mike Liu’s apartment reeked of wealth, a sickening blend of expensive cologne, leather, and now—blood. The luxury penthouse had always screamed excess, from its marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlookingi the glittering skyline to the obnoxiously large abstract paintings. But now it seemed tainted, vulgar, the scene of Mike’s downfall and their collective guilt.

  Mike Liu sat bound tightly to a heavy wooden chair, his lanky frame bent awkwardly, limbs tangled in futile resistance. His bleached blonde hair, now streaked crimson, hung limply over his battered face. Tattoos ran like shadowed rivers down his arms, vibrant colors dulled beneath drying blood. He coughed weakly, spitting more blood onto the polished floor.

  Marcus Leung stood apart from the violence, rigid near the drawn blinds, his broad shoulders tense, his fists clenched tightly. His eyes were fixed deliberately away from Mike, toward the slatted darkness of the window blinds. Each dull thud of fist meeting flesh made Marcus flinch inwardly, jaw tightening in silent torment. He hated every second of it.

  Ray Wen, with his square jaw and long black hair tied neatly back, smiled darkly, eyes gleaming with sadistic joy as he delivered yet another brutal blow. He paused briefly to wipe the blood from his knuckles on Mike’s shirt, enjoying every painful moan his victim emitted.

  Serena Lau watched Ray with disgust curling her lip. As Ray laughed cruelly, her fists tightened involuntarily. Fury surged through her veins, muscles tense with barely restrained violence. One sharp, silent glance from Vince Ma stopped her before she could step forward. Vince shook his head subtly, his face grim and unyielding, reminding her silently of the consequences.

  With great difficulty, Serena tore her eyes away from the brutality.

  On the plush white couch, Erica Mo and Angie Tseng sat in stony silence, pale faces frozen in expressions of dread. Steven Yip and Jace Ng stood stiffly near Ray, their gazes grave, uncomfortable but resigned. None of them wanted to be here—none except perhaps Ray, who reveled in it.

  Black Lotus had chosen them deliberately, the newest rising stars, the ones who knew Mike personally. It was a twisted message of loyalty and fear, ensuring the younger generation understood: Betrayal carried consequences far worse than death.

  “Your turn,” Ray finally barked, breathless but gleeful as he stepped back, wiping sweat from his forehead.

  Jace Ng hesitated, stepping forward shakily. His face drained of color when he met Mike’s swollen, barely recognizable features. “I’m sorry, man,” Jace whispered hoarsely, raising trembling fists and forcing himself to strike again, each blow tearing at his conscience.

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  Mike said nothing, his head lolling forward weakly.

  A sharp, muffled sob drew Serena’s gaze downward. Bound and gagged on the floor lay Becca Lee, Mike’s girlfriend, eyes wide with terror, tears streaking her face, black hair tangled from desperate struggling. She wasn't supposed to be here. The universe had cruelly placed her at Mike's apartment to surprise him after her classes.

  Ray turned his gaze to Becca, eyes chillingly empty as he sneered. “Nothing personal, babe. We got strict orders. Both you gonna die here for stealing from the bosses. And we gotta make it colorful.”

  Lust darkened Ray’s eyes as he stepped forward menacingly. “Make sure people remember what happens when they cross Black Lotus.”

  Mike’s head shot up, desperation lending strength to his voice. “Don’t you fucking touch her!”

  Ray ignored him, advancing slowly toward the cowering girl. Jace halted mid-blow, staring helplessly as the horror unfolded.

  Ray Wen was infamous, a young but ruthless enforcer, one who relished every act of violence he committed. The group feared him deeply. Except one.

  As Ray reached for Becca, a hand shot out and gripped his wrist, a razor-sharp blade pressed firmly against his throat. A bead of blood immediately appeared, stark against Ray’s pale skin.

  “Nobody ever said we can’t kill you too,” Serena murmured coldly, voice dripping venom.

  Ray froze, eyes narrowing in anger and humiliation. Serena Lau was lethal, and everyone knew it. Trained mercilessly by her drunk, military father, Serena was as deadly as she was beautiful. Ray glanced sideways toward Vince Ma, leaning casually against the wall, eyes icy, unreadable. Vince was quiet, but beneath the surface, everyone knew he was more dangerous than anyone else in the room. A confrontation with Serena might be survivable; adding Vince would certainly not.

  Ray reluctantly stepped back, sneering with humiliation. He viciously shoved Jace aside and continued his brutal assault on Mike, releasing his rage and embarrassment upon the barely conscious man.

  Serena refused to look again at Becca, whose muffled cries of fear echoed painfully in her ears. Becca wasn’t part of this world. She was innocent, a civilian, someone who could have had a future—someone who reminded Serena painfully of Vivian.

  The punishment dragged on mercilessly. Hours passed, each participant forced by orders to play their gruesome role. Finally, Ray doused Mike’s broken, barely breathing body in gasoline. Becca screamed frantically behind her gag, eyes wide with horror, thrashing helplessly against her bonds.

  Serena felt her heart seize with sorrow. She glanced desperately toward Vince, who nodded once, grim and resigned. Serena withdrew a silenced pistol from her belt, her movements swift, practiced, methodical.

  Her eyes locked with Becca’s, regret heavy in her gaze. Black Lotus’s instructions had been explicit: Everyone has someone to lose. Do the job or lose the person you loved most. For Serena, there was never a choice between Becca and Vivian.

  “I’m sorry,” Serena whispered, voice shaking slightly, filled with sorrow and grief.

  Then she pulled the trigger.

  None of them could have known that this single act would lead to their ruin.

  They couldn’t have imagined that when the police finally arrived at that gruesome scene—blood and soot and charred remains—a young detective would burst through the doorway, violently shoving past colleagues who desperately tried to restrain him.

  Because Becca Lee wasn’t actually Becca Lee. She was Rebecca Cho, adopted as a young child by loving parents, so young she’d forgotten her past entirely.

  But her older brother never forgot. He had searched for her relentlessly, year after painful year, refusing to give up hope.

  Until at last, he found her.

  Lifeless and bloodied, lying in an apartment next to the burnt remains of her boyfriend.

  It was always clear that she was a loving, sisterly figure, but I was itching to tell you guys her other side too.