"Are you sure this is going to work? Don't take me for a fool, I know how good Lillie Bai's reputation is. Many won't believe these slanders so easily." Duan Qiqi threw the folder harshly on the table with a resounding slap.

Her long, red fingernails tapped noisily on the table, a mannerism to ornate her impatience.

​​

"Incorrect, Miss Duan."

Duan Qiqi glared at tablet across her that displayed a figure behind the screen, shrouded in darkness. Their voice was obscured by a robotic sound that has a combination of a male and female voice, both high pitched and deep to conceal their gender.

It's creepy, to say the least.

However, Duan Qiqi knew them for nearly two years how, and she recently found out that her backer is a man.

"What do you mean?"

"They're not slanders, Miss Duan." The mysterious man—who wished to be addressed as Agni—clarified. "Everything in this folder is true. Lillie Bai is a ruthless woman, a real she-devil. She would do everything in her power to have what she wants."

"Ho...how could she do such a thing. F*ck, even I wouldn't go that far." Duan Qiqi's body along with her voice quivered as she recollected what she just read and saw. "If Lillie Bai is capable of such atrocity, wouldn't she do the same thing to me if she found out?"

"There's nothing to fear, Miss Duan, I'll protect you. I'll make sure she won't lay a finger on you." Agni's haunting voice pass through her ears like a foreboding wind. "Once we have that woman on our side, it'll be the end game for her. The truth couldn't be hidden for long, after all."

"If she was really behind this incident, then there's really nothing she could do to deny it, as far I can see." Duan Qiqi opened the folder again, then cringed at the pictures attached on the pages.

"It's foolproof because Lillie Bai was truly the perpetrator behind Yu Mei's disappearance, and the torture she had gone through in the hands of one of the notorious leaders in the Underworld."

"White Bird."

"Lillie Bai has affiliations with the mafia?! No less, with White Bird?!" Duan Qiqi slammed her hands on the table, her expression twisted into a frightened look. "If it was just some insignificant group, I wouldn't be so worried. But this is White Bird we're talking about!"

Duan Qiqi doesn't know anything else about her mysterious backer except for the fact that he's very influential. He claim that he's quite the big shot in the Underworld.

But she's not certain if he can match White Bird's power.

She believes he's extremely capable. How else did he manage to slip her inside White Phoenix Empire without being detected by Lillie Bai?

He was the reason why she rised through the ranks in White Phoenix Empire so quickly without gaining any suspicions.

If only she didn't crossed paths with Lillie Bai that day at the entrance driveway, she wouldn't have had probed her nose around, then Duan Qiqi wouldn't have lose her job.

She had anticipated for her to be caught and fired eventually—Lillie Bai was just so annoyingly sharp—but not that quick.

"You only need to listen and trust my intructions. If you had done so in the first place, you wouldn't have been exposed so soon, you would've still be swimming with the Empire's money." Agni clicked his tongue and wagged his index finger as if he was scolding an impertinent child.

Duan Qiqi crossed her arms and scoffed indignantly, miffed that she couldn't deny what he said.

"You brought this upon yourself by being overly confident, Miss Duan. Now look at where it brought you." He speads his arms. "Crawling back to me, begging for my help."

"Shut up..." She growled before her voice raised. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Dark, sinister chuckles reverberated through the tablet's speaker, the robotic, synthetic voice making it sound more eerie.

"But at what price, Miss Duan? What else could you possible offer me in exchange for my service?"

Duan Qiqi lowered her head and bit her lips, her hair falling over eyes, casting a shadow on them.

"Name your price."

Smirk.

"Very well said, Miss Duan."

Very well said.

***

Storming angrily out of the fancy restaurant after that whole ordeal with Agni, Duan Qiqi rudely snatched the key of her car from the valet and hopped in. She closed the door harshly, not caring if the people outside stared at her weirdly.

She've just lost everything and now she's being used as a puppet. Returning to Agni was the most foolish thing she ever did, she regret every second of it.

And because of that one f*cking moment that drove her into blind rage, her life no longer belongs to her. She had made a deal with the devil.

Twice.

She was lucky to escape an unfortunate ending the first time, but she doubts it'll happen again.

But if this is really the last time she lives a lavish life, might as well savor every bits of it.

Everything is for revenge, she no longer cares about anything.

She've betted everything she owns, everything she has. All for the sake of bringing down the Bai family.

Especially Lillie Bai who humiliated her in front of everyone. First she lost her job, her boyfriend; her parents were ashamed of her, her so-called friends pretended she's a stranger, her house was taken by the Empire because she used the company's money to buy it.

She resorted to selling her designer bags, shoes, and clothes just so she could keep her car and buy a decent apartment.

Car engines roared to life, Duan Qiqi stepped on the pedal and speeds towards the busy streets. Angry cars honked and people opened their windows to yell at her reckless driving.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Get back to your side of the road, you crazy b*tch!"

Duan Qiqi intentionally turned on her radio and blared it to the highest volume so she couldn't hear the annoying sounds outside.

She was about veer towards the opposide side of the road to overtake the car in front of her when a black car suddenly drove pass her, causing her to abruptly swerve the wheel to avoid the near collision.

"Motherf*cker! Can't you see I'm f*cking driving here?!" She shrieked and glared at her rear-view mirror, but the black car was already far away.

Inside the black car, Ethan was internally seething in rage. "Ai, did you catch that red car's plate number?"

"Caught it, daddy!" Ai said with a huff, also angry. That red car was an inch away from colliding with their car.

Mommy's sitting at the passenger seat, and that could've hurt both her and her baby, human sibling.

"We'll deal with whoever that is later. For now, send that to the police and make an anonymous report about a traffic violation for immediate action. Ai, make use of the surveillance cameras around."

"On it, mommy!"

"Thank you, Ai, you're such a good child." Lillie thanked her artificial intelligence daughter.

"Anything for you and baby, mommy!"