Chapter 2: Emily dies

The river was cold, burning her lungs as Emily coughed, choking on water. She tried to sink again, but strong arms pulled her up.

“Stop fighting, damn it!” a deep voice growled.

Emily blinked through tears and water. A stranger held her tight, his jacket rough under her fingers. He smelled of leather, smoke, and gasoline. His grip was hard, not gentle.

“Let me go,” she whispered, voice shaking. “Please… let me go.”

“Not tonight,” the man snapped. “You’re not dying here.”

Her head spun, her hair dripping. “I don’t… I don’t even know you—”

“You don’t need to know me,” he said flatly. “Name’s Jaxon. Now shut up and breathe.”

Emily coughed again, trembling in his arms. “Why… why save me?”

“Because he told me to.”

Her wet lashes lifted. “H-he?”

Footsteps echoed, calm, steady. Another man appeared from the shadows, taller, sharper. His suit looked too clean for the night. His eyes—cold, steel blue—froze her where she sat in Jaxon’s arms.

Jaxon straightened. “Boss. She’s alive.”

The suited man didn’t blink. He studied her face like she was something on display.

Emily shivered under his stare. “W-who are you?”

“Victor Blackwood,” he said, voice calm, controlled.

The name meant nothing to her, yet everything about him screamed danger.

Victor stepped closer, his gaze catching on the blood at her temple where she had hit the bridge rail. “You’re bleeding. Your face will scar if we don’t treat it.”

Emily touched her cheek, wincing. “I… I don’t care. Just let me go. Please.”

Victor crouched, his eyes level with hers. “No.”

Her lips parted. “No? You don’t even know me!”

Victor’s head tilted slightly. “Then tell me.”

She froze, clutching herself tighter. “W-what?”

“Your name,” Victor said evenly. “If I’m to decide your life, I want to hear it from you.”

Her voice shook. “Why does it matter?”

“Because names hold power,” he replied. “And I need to know the one you’re trying so hard to bury tonight.”

Emily swallowed, her throat dry. Her lips trembled before sound escaped. “E… Emily.”

Victor’s gaze sharpened. “Emily what?”

She hesitated, staring at the ground. “Emily Hart.”

He repeated it, slow and deliberate. “Emily Hart.” Then he leaned in closer. “And why, Emily Hart, did you want to throw that name away?”

Her throat tightened. She looked away, ashamed. “You don’t understand.”

“I do.” His tone sharpened. “You’re nothing now. Weak. Bleeding. Easy to throw away. But I can change that. I can fix that face, fix that fear in your eyes. I can make sure no one dares laugh at you again.”

Emily shook her head quickly. “Why? Why would you do that for me?”

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Because I see potential. You may think you’re worthless, but you’re not. You’re a weapon. And I make weapons.”

Jaxon shifted uneasily, muttering, “Boss, she’s just a —”

“Quiet,” Victor cut him off, gaze never leaving Emily.

Emily hugged herself, her voice small. “I… I don’t trust you. I don’t even know you. You talk like—like some… criminal.”

Victor’s lips twitched into something that wasn’t a smile. “Good. You’re not stupid. Yes, I’m dangerous. Yes, I take what I want. And right now, I want you alive. Not as Emily Hart, broken and crying. But as something else.”

Her breath hitched. “Something else?”

“You can die as Emily Hart,” Victor said slowly, “or you can live as someone new. A girl with a new face, a new name. Someone no one dares touch.”

Her eyes filled with tears again. “I… I don’t know… I’m scared.”

“You should be.” His voice was steel. “This choice isn’t easy. Once you say yes, Emily Hart is gone forever.”

Emily turned her head away. “I don’t want to be gone…”

Victor leaned closer, his voice softer now. “You already are. They killed Emily Hart when they mocked you. When they threw your heart away. That girl drowned before you ever hit the water. What’s left is your anger. Your pain. That’s what I can use.”

She whimpered, her hands shaking. “You talk as if you know me but what if… if I say no?”

Victor’s gaze hardened. “Then Jaxon puts you back on that bridge. You can finish what you started.”

Emily’s breath caught. She looked at Jaxon. He didn’t move. He only stared back, his face unreadable.

Her voice broke. “I… I don’t want to die.”

Victor’s brow arched, his tone sharp. “Strange. Weren’t you about to jump off a bridge?”

Emily’s throat closed. Her eyes filled. “Not weren’t… I did. And your man jumped in after me.”

Victor’s gaze flicked to Jaxon, then back to her. “So you wanted death, but instead you got me.”

Emily shook her head, shivering. “I thought I did… I thought I wanted the water to take me. But now—”

“But now you’re afraid,” Victor cut in. His voice was calm, merciless. “Afraid because you realized death doesn’t wait with open arms. It drags. It chokes. It burns your lungs. And it’s not so pretty anymore, is it?”

Her lips trembled. “No… it’s not…”

“Good,” Victor said, eyes glinting. “Fear of death makes you cling to life. And that fear, Emily Hart, is what I’ll use to rebuild you. So now choose. Live as Scarlett Blackwood. Not forgotten. A storm. My storm.”

Emily froze, heart pounding. “Scarlett…?”

“Yes. Scarlett.” Victor rose, his shadow towering over her. “I’ll pay for every scar to vanish, every bruise to fade. But remember, if I give you this, you’ll belong to me.”

Her lips trembled. “Belong…?”

“Every breath. Every step. You’ll owe me.” His words cut like a blade. “Say it now. Or I’ll walk away.”

Emily’s lashes fluttered, water dripping from her chin. She swallowed hard, her chest tight. “If… if I’m Scarlett now… does that mean you’ll forget Emily Hart?”

Victor’s gaze stayed locked on her. “Emily Hart never existed. Not anymore. Scarlett will never cry on a bridge again.”

Her lips quivered. “And you’ll… protect me?”

“No,” Victor said coldly. “I’ll shape you. Protecting is for the weak. You’ll protect yourself.”

Jaxon shifted again, muttering low, “Boss, you’re scaring her.”

“She should be scared,” Victor snapped. “Fear is what makes you sharper.”

Emily let out a shaky breath. “But… I don’t know how to be Scarlett.”

Victor leaned in close, his voice a whisper against her ear. “You’ll learn. Under me, you’ll learn everything. How to walk. How to speak. How to make the world bow instead of laugh. But only if you say yes.”

Her fingers curled against her wet dress. “And if I can’t…?”

“Then you die.”