Chapter 1 Betrayal

The traitor fired at me, but Christopher shielded me with his own body. He grabbed the traitor and leaped off the pier, killing both of them together.

When his body was fished out of the sea, I felt my legs go weak. Sure enough, my knees crashed into the gravel beneath my feet as I swore I would make the mastermind pay.

Three years later, I hung the heads of the 10 remaining members of the enemy faction outside the gate as a warning. Everyone grew to fear and respect me. They called me the cold-blooded killer and demoness of Porton.

On the anniversary of Christopher's death, I bought a bottle of herbicide for myself. I came to the pier where he died. Just when I was going to drain the bottle, a wedding cruise ship came over. I saw my underlings boarding the ship, so I quietly followed them out of curiosity.

To my shock, the groom standing on the deck was my long-dead fiancé and my best friend, the one I was always worried about.

Everyone was egging them on, and then they shared a deep kiss. I froze. Gus, the guy who'd worked for me for 12 years, saw me and his face twisted in shock.

"Calm down, boss. Zoe's pregnant!"

Henry, my father's butler, the one who had been there since I was a child, shielded Zoe.

He said, "I called them back, Queenie. They had to fake their deaths because of how obsessive and controlling you are. You already have full control of the pier. Please, for my sake, give them your blessing."

My underlings were huddled around them, and I said nothing. Then, I fired at the ship's engine and trapped the vessel at sea. "Treachery always ends with death. Either the waters take you, or I do. Who's going first?"

…

I aimed my gun at Christopher and Zoe. Then, dozens of guns pointed at the back of my head. "You can't force love, boss."

I swept my gaze over their faces, my eyes stinging. The grotesque scar between my thumb and index finger happened because my barrel exploded when I was saving Tigre from our enemies.

The red mark extending from my shoulder to my arm came from saving Gus from the gambling den. I was trapped inside for three days and nearly had myself killed from the fighting.

Yet, they had all chosen to oppose me. Adrian, Scarlett, and all those familiar faces who I'd saved, who I'd supported. They had all sworn their loyalty to me. I wiped my tears away and stared them down.

"Why? I never hurt you."

They'd watched how I tormented myself to expand our turf for five whole years. They watched how I hurt myself every night because I missed Christopher. They saw how I turned into a shell of a human.

Yet, none of them took pity and told me Christopher was alive.

"Enough." Christopher sighed and pulled the throng apart as he approached me. "It's my wedding today. I don't want to start a fight."

His gaze was cold, and he looked at me as if I was a stranger.

"You're not going to explain?" I hurried forward and stared at the woman behind him. "Is this your answer after lying to me for five years?"

Christopher turned back and held a gun against my forehead. Our eyes met, and I laughed. "That's it, huh?"

Then, he turned the gun on his shoulder and shot himself. Smoke billowed from the gun, and he sneered at me. "That's repayment. We're square."

Blood trickled through the cracks between his fingers. Christopher was pale from the agony. A screaming Zoe pounced at him. "You didn't have to do that!"

She grabbed the gun and held it against her shoulder. "I failed her! I'll pay for it!"

Christopher kicked the gun away and pulled her into his embrace. "It's not your fault!"

He turned to me, his eyes filled with hatred. "We were only engaged, not married! You were pathologically obsessive, and I couldn't find any excuse to break up with you! I had to fake my death just to ditch you!"

I clenched my fists.

I thought Christopher and I fell in love at first sight. I thought our relationship was about two powerful figures coming into union. On the night of our engagement, he said he would stay with me forever.

I took his vow seriously, so much so that I was going to kill myself on his death anniversary.

Now, I finally discovered that it was nothing but a lie. Zoe shrank in his embrace, the edges of her eyes red. "I'm really sorry, Queenie, but I do love Christopher."

She was as soft and frail as the day I saved her from the human traffickers. "How could you do this to me, Zoe?"

Christopher pulled her behind him. "I should thank you." Then, he started laughing softly, as if he was reminiscing. "If you hadn't had Zoe keep an eye on me, I'd never have fallen in love with her. She's gentle, gracious, and a thousand times better than a demon like you."

I was shivering, but Christopher wanted to twist the knife further. "You stood frozen at my funeral for three whole days, while Zoe and I were in the house right across from you. The sight of you crying soothed my bitterness and resentment."

My tears fell.

"Leave. You're in the way of my proposal." He held Zoe and went upstairs. The people behind him wasted no time blocking the stairs.