Chapter 1 Abused By Her Adopted Mother

"Ma'am, all hostile units positioned along the eastern front have been fully eliminated."

Across the battlefield, the smoke from spent gunpowder still lingered, while the fading rumble of the final blast drifted upward and signaled the close of another brutal conflict.

Standing on top of the armored vehicle, Ryann Sullivan surveyed the aftermath, and her black combat uniform was covered in layers of dust mixed with dried blood from the fighting.

Raising her arm, she brushed the blood from her cheek, and her eyes moved slowly across the ground that had only just returned to an uneasy silence.

"Begin clearing the area and record every casualty," she said, and her voice sounded strained yet unyielding. "We will pull out in one hour."

After she climbed down from the vehicle, her second-in-command stepped forward and placed a freshly decrypted file into her hands.

She accepted the file without concern at first, but her movement stopped the moment she read what was inside.

"Has this information been verified?" she asked, and her tone wavered in a way she could not fully conceal.

"The genetic comparison shows a ninety-nine point ninety-seven percent match. Your twin sister has been located in Elessall."

Ryann crushed the document in her fist, and the paper bent under the pressure of her grip.

Long before this moment, fifteen years had passed since Gabriela Sullivan vanished during a violent upheaval, and Ryann had spent those years scouring half the world for her missing twin.

Once an orphan with nothing to her name, she had risen to command a mercenary organization feared across nations, and the hope of finding her only family had always pushed her forward.

At last, that long pursuit had reached its end.

"Get the helicopter ready," she said, and she ripped the epaulet from her shoulder before throwing it toward her second-in-command. "I will handle this personally."

"Ma'am, this is extremely risky. Elessall? That country is beyond our control, and-"

Before he could finish, Ryann cut him off without hesitation. "This directive stands."

Exactly an hour later, she flew the helicopter herself beyond the border, leaving her formidable forces behind as she slipped into Elessall's airspace unnoticed.

Intelligence reports claimed that Gabriela had been taken in by a wealthy household and was supposed to be living in a privileged district.

Instead, the coordinates led her straight into the poorest and most decayed section of Gansborough.

Without waiting for the rotors to slow fully, Ryann leapt from the cockpit and hit the ground running.

A deep crease formed between her brows when she took in the area around her.

All around her, crooked shacks threatened to collapse, heaps of rotting trash lined the paths, and a foul smell clung heavily to the air.

Nothing about this place matched the life of an adopted daughter of a rich family was supposed to have.

Had the intelligence failed her? Or was there something else at play?

Without warning, a woman's scream tore through the silence from somewhere deep within the woods.

Within an abandoned and crumbling factory, a frail woman lay slumped against the wall, and her body looked no different from a walking skeleton. Heavy chains weighing more than two hundred pounds locked her feet in place and kept her from moving.

Her torn clothes barely covered her body, one leg had rotted beyond saving, and dried blood stained her skin.

Even in that condition, two large men continued to strike her with wooden sticks.

"You're already half dead, yet you still refuse to speak. That stubborn attitude of yours is really something! Gabriela, your adopted mother made it clear. If you don't tell us where your adopted father's inheritance is hidden, you won't survive today. Think carefully. Do you really want to keep living like this? I'm sick of dragging this out."

All at once, a dark figure surged toward them from the shadows.

Neither man managed to respond before sharp strikes shattered their arms and legs, and they collapsed while screaming in agony.

The moment Ryann caught sight of a face that mirrored her own, panic seized her, and she rushed forward. "Gabby!"

"Ryann?"

Emotion surged through Ryann, and tears gathered as she slowly checked every wound on Gabriela's body.

Her left leg lay twisted from a severe fracture, several fingernails were missing entirely, her shoulder had decayed until bone showed through, and her skin bore marks from rats and cockroaches.

With every injury she noticed, Ryann felt the air tighten in her chest.

She had always believed that Gabriela would be safe and comfortable after being taken in by a wealthy family.

Never had she imagined that her sister had been trapped in a life this cruel.

"There's nothing to fear anymore, Gabby. I'll get you to a hospital," Ryann muttered while lifting Gabriela gently, until a weak pull caught her sleeve.

Facing the end, Gabriela gathered what little strength she had and curved her lips into a faint smile.

Blood suddenly spilled from her mouth and stained Ryann's hand as she spoke. "I... I missed you so much... Ryann..."

With tears burning in her eyes, Ryann wiped the blood from Gabriela's lips, and her hands shook despite her effort to stay steady. "You don't need to be scared, Gabby. I'm bringing you home..."

"They..." Gabriela tightened her hold on Ryann's hand, and the light in her eyes began to dull. "What they are looking for is at our secret base... Please... Don't let them..."

Before the sentence could be completed, her weak arm slid down from Ryann's shoulder.

The instant Ryann realized that Gabriela's life had faded away, her gaze shifted toward the two men lying broken on the ground.

Throughout the night, the air filled with cries and screams, and Ryann inflicted torment on them until the first light of dawn appeared.

Once Gabriela was laid to rest, Ryann made her way to the Sullivan family villa, and her presence carried a chilling intent to kill.

Without warning, the villa's door burst open under a violent kick.

Inside, Maren Sullivan and her mother, Monica Sullivan, had been preparing to go shopping, but both collapsed to the floor in terror when they heard the loud noise from the entrance, thinking it was a home invasion or something.

Fear still lingered in Monica's body, but recognition crossed her face the moment she saw who was there and it forced her expression to harden at once.

Pushing herself upright, she stared at Ryann with pure malice and shouted, "Gabriela? So you crawled your way out after all, you useless thing!"

Rising beside her, Maren sneered and spoke with open contempt. "Trash like you belongs in the gutter, not here. You even managed to ruin my mood for shopping."

While they flaunted their wealth and spoke of leisure so casually, the memory of Gabriela being abused to death slammed into Ryann's thoughts without mercy.

A faint, cold smile touched Ryann's lips, and her eyes filled with lethal resolve as she moved toward them.