NEW ALLY

The loud bang of a gunshot echoed through the massive dome which made everyone inside petrified. Frozen on her feet, an orb of tears rolled on Sumire's cheek while being tightly hugged by Maddox whose blood rushed out of his open wounds and tainted the once pristine suit. His face slowly dropped to her neck and Sumire quickly hold and hug him back. Gasping, everyone inside started to get panic, and Maddox's parents came rushing to them.

Charlotte was caught and quickly handcuffed by Sam who took her gun. Sumire trembled in fear and shock as she cupped Maddox's face.

"Maddox!" The maiden called his name. His embrace is so tight made Sumire was struggling to breathe. All his weight pours on her as the young man is slowly losing consciousness. They fall on the floor. Sumire's white dress was drenched in his blood.

"Baby. Stay with us, please." Lady Laenyra cried out loud. The maiden carefully laid his head on her legs when Maddox's half-closed eyes search for the maiden's hand and placed it on his chest.

"Su..mi..re...I love-" He lowly uttered and flash a weak smile on his bride.

"Shh, please, don't talk. The ambulance is coming...stay still..." Her tears misted her vision and a great sob escaped her lips as she holds his hand tightly.

Don Achaeus Severus ordered his men to bring Maddox to the ambulance where the medical team was waiting for some reason. Maddox's grandfather, Don Jadreus was shaking with anger. His suspicion arose when he saw the medical team outside the Dome. He cast a skeptical look at Don Achaeus Severus, losing all the reasons to trust the old man. But he stayed as calm as possible praying for his grandson's life.

The medical team went inside and took the dying groom. Sumire and Lady Laenyra went to the ambulance to take Maddox to the hospital. The two ladies cry in grief as Maddox fights for his life.

Inside the ambulance...

"Mire, I... just want you... to know... you're the only woman whom I dearly loved. I...have always...love...you..." Maddox said and genuinely smiled but there is sadness in his low voice as the crimson blood slowly dripped down his lips from the oxygen mask. Shuttering, haltering breaths as he attempts to control the pain. He is in critical condition.

"Thank you...Maddox." Unable to reciprocate his feelings, Sumire replied as she keep holding his hand. A single glimmering tear shimmered out of her eyes. She fluttered her eyes as she broke into sobs again.

His vision blurs at the edges as his body goes numb, one finger at a time. His eyes closed for a moment, just a brief glimpse of time.

"Please, hurry!" Lady Laenyra shouted at the ambulance driver, bawling uncontrollably.

Maddox's friends who couldn't process what happened in their minds were left stunned in the place. Clair and Blanche exchanged glances silently praying that Mort had nothing to do with the assassination.

Yelena, who is the Mastermind of the killing, secretly smiles even though the plan goes awry, but she got another ally. The Mirks family. The suspicious look of Maddox's grandfather to Don Achaeus never escape from her eyes and right there she knew she had won again.

Charlotte who had gone insane was laughing like a psycho and crying at the same time. All the hateful glares from the guests darted at her and wished to crush her down.

"I didn't do it! Someone told me to do it. Sumire should have died and not the groom! I had no intention of shooting the man. It is his fault that he got shot. He was the one who got in the way so he is at fault! Why are you all treating me like a trash? Why do you think I'm a criminal? P-please believe me, it's not my fault. It was all Sumire's fault! She took everything that belonged to me. S-she stole Mort from me!" Stammered, Charlotte trying to defend herself who was obviously losing her composure and struggling from Sam's grip.

"Believe me, it's that bitch I wanted dead-" Charlotte was almost shoved to the floor when Yelena's hard resounding slap landed on her right cheek.

"You disgusting piece of a cunt. You clearly pulled the trigger and now you are saying you did not do it? You dare blame my best friend, Sumire. You are making me sick. Rot in jail." Yelena said firmly and coldly. There is no trace of emotion cruise on her face.

Although everyone was surprised by what she did, they all agreed with her. Head dropped from the slap, Charlotte fell silent. She wanted to reveal it was all Yelena's order but her fear of the wicked woman stopped her. She felt a snake slithering around her neck and gripping her. She felt terrified under Yelena's presence.

A few moments later, the police arrived at the place and put Charlotte in the car for interrogation. Don Jadreus and Mattheus, Maddox's father came with them but they were riding in their own car, while Don Achaeus Severus had already left the Flower Dome.

Baring teeth, a colossal rage surged in Chaise's chest with Mort. He is now determined to completely cut the ties that bond between his daughter and that man while caging Lunaire in his embrace who was frantically shaking with fear.

"What's happening?" Lunaire asked who was stoned from her place after the gunshot. She wanted to go after Sumire when Chaise stopped her as the crowd began to panic. Blanche and Clair approached their place.

"We'll go to the police precinct and drop by the hospital. We'll just let you know the news, Uncle." Blanche said in a calm tone. Lunaire reached him with her shaking hand and Blanche hold her.

"You go home first, Auntie Luna and Uncle Chaise. Rest assured, we'll take care of everything." Clair seconded and flash a smile. She sees her aunt Lunaire traumatized and leaning weakly on her uncle's chest. She is not in good shape to settle the matter.

"Thank you." Chaise agreed to them. The cousins nodded altogether and left. Victoria, who was stationed in the distance, witnessed everything. She is silently crying while holding the keypad phone as a controller of the bomb buried inside the police car where Charlotte is taken.

"What did I get myself into?" Victoria whispered under her breath as her hands tremble uncontrollably. Her conscience is eating her away. Several people have died who should have stayed alive if she had only done the right thing but her fear of Yelena overwhelms her and allow herself to be controlled.

She had trouble sleeping as her conscience is tormenting her all night. She doesn't know where to get help. She didn't what to do anymore. As she had struggling how to get out of Yelena's leash, she follows her orders. Not only was her mouth sewn shut, but she also deliberately blinded herself. She turns herself deaf like a puppet.

When she saw the police car driving away from the Flower Dome, she pressed her phone and the car exploded sending it to midair in a massive blast almost hitting Blanche and Clair's car tailing the police car if a black vehicle hadn't blocked them. Shaking uncontrollably, Victoria let go of the phone and left the place in a hurry. Blanche and Clair screamed in horror inside the car. If the black car hadn't stopped their way, the explosion might have killed them both.

The two of them quickly get out of the car and so did Don Jadreus and his son Mattheus who were both appalled by the explosion.

"Whoever has this plan obviously doesn't want the criminal to talk. She is merely a useless piece of shit." Don Jadreus said in a cold tone while eyeing the car's debris scattered on the road and engulfed in the massive fire.

"Bingo." Yelena suddenly appeared on Don Jadreus's left side with a meaningful smile curved on her lips. The two men were surprised at her presence.

"You are Sumire's best friend." Don Jadreus said and Yelena's smile turned into a smirk.

"Says who?" She meaningful said and hand him the black card. Don Jadreus unconsciously accepted it with a frown.

"See you soon," Yelena added and she left them speechless. The black vehicle that blocked the Massoullèves car and save them from the explosion remain still on their way, Sam knocked on the window's car but no one came out or answered him.

"Whoever is inside the car, please get out," Sam said and the window from the driver's seat opened. Leroy appeared to them who was holding his head in dizzy.

"Professor! Hi!" Leroy greeted Blanche with a big smile. Blanche's eyebrows knitted into a frown.

"Why are you here? Where is he?" Blanche asked Leroy and scan the inside of his tinted car. Leroy, Lyric, and Narco are both Blanche's students at the elite academy he attends. He hadn't talked to them in a few months but how did this brat end up here? Suddenly, the back seat opened and Yakov was spat out, who, like Leroy, was struck with extreme dizziness due to the impact of the explosion.

"We meet again, sweetheart. I deserve a date." Yakov said to Blanche, now teasingly smiling from ear to ear.

"Why is he here?" Blanche asked remembering the unpleasant encounter with Yakov at the academy. He cocked his head to the side a bit.

"Don't be so cold. I save your life." Yakov replied and one hand leaned on the car and sexily disarranged his hair. Blanche raised an eyebrow at him. Clair, who has no clue who Blanche is talking to, mediated them.

"Thank you." Clair gratefully thanked them. Leroy and Yakov just nodded to them.

"Then we have to go. We have something to do. Be safe, Professor." Leroy bids and before closing the window's car and driving away from the place, Yakov gave his personal card to Blanche.

"Call me," Yakov said in a serious tone and Blanche frowned at him. They even passed by the burning car regardless of the massive flames devouring the dead bodies inside. A few minutes later, the fire trucks arrived.

"I don't think we're safe anymore," Blanche said, they all boarded into Sam's car. They hit the road to the hospital where Maddox was taken.

"Sam, do you have any idea what's going on?" Clair asked out of frustration and Sam shook his head one after another in disagreement. Clair has a strong hunch this is connected to Sumire's issue about her killing the TV host.

"We should ask Sumire about it," Blanche suggested and took out the phone from his pocket and dialed his cousin's number. Sumire's loud sobs broke out on the other line, which made Blanche stop.

"H-he's...dead." Sumire whimpered and choked on her tears. Blanche's whole body went cold as well as Clair who was also listening to the phone.

"What?" Blanche asked again, feeling he was deafened by what his cousin said. Her words broke out and made stuttering sounds. They could feel her pain and grief from the phone. Sumire felt so devastated. Clair and Blanche bit their lower lip trying their best to hold back their tears as they both felt sorry for their younger cousin.

"Maddox is dead..." Sumire muttered between her sobs. Feeling numb, she does not know what to do. She wants to blame Maddox for forcing her to marry him, her grandfather, and her dad who decided on the marriage. And now the young man is dead there is no one else to blame but herself.

"Sumire." Maddox's mother, Laenyra gently called the maiden and pulled her to hug who was crying non-stop.

"I'm... so ... sorry..." Sumire hold onto her arms and her voice cracked as she hugged Lady Laenyra tightly. The tears she was trying so hard to hold back finally flowed down her face again as she sobbed with the maiden.

"Don't be." Lady Laenyra responded and gently caressed Sumire's back. Teardrops keep swelling in the corners of her eyes. The heavy feeling swirling like a storm right in her chest made her hard to breathe. She didn't want to blame anyone else for what happened to her son but Mort.

The only thing that came to her mind, the reason for her son's demise is that man. He was the only person she knew capable of doing that. Even though she wanted to ask Sumire about Mort's existence, she didn't want to add the maiden's grief. She felt Sumire was genuinely hurt by what was happening and probably also blamed herself.

"I'll make them pay."

Lady Laenyra's eyes filled with rage and revenge. The bright sky has now gloomed and the heavy rain poured, mourning at her son's death. Devastated by the news, Maddox's close friends were lamenting over the loss of their best friend.

While the guests are grieving the groom's death, Victoria passed out on the side of the road. She was soaked in the rain and covered in mud. She lost consciousness after running away, crying, and hardly catching her breath. No one was chasing her but she was running from something. And fortunately, Leroy and Yakov found her.

"Ah, we have to pick up this trash," Leroy said, eyes devoid of emotion as he ordered Yakov to scoop up the woman to put her in the car but Yakov declined. He was shivering in disgust while looking at Victoria who was on the road covered in mud and rain.

"You should be the one to pick her up since you are the one who thought of it," Yakov said diverting his gaze in the other direction.

"Oh, come on. I did the driving and you did nothing, so get her up." Leroy said while eyes twitching at the woman's disgusting sight. Yakov narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why do I have to go with you?" Yakov asked. He was supposed to be in a meeting today but suddenly his father Lucian called telling him to lend Mort some help. He didn't want to follow his order when his dad called him by his full name. He had no choice but to leave the meeting.

"Then let's wait for her to wake up so she can enter the car by herself."

And that's exactly what Leroy and Yakov did. They just let Victoria outside who was already bathing in the mud and the flood inundated the road. The two of them were just listening to music inside the car. They hated her. And they don't care even if she dies. The only command to them is to find her. Their Boss doesn't specify if she must be found alive. And that means they should find her whether dead or alive.

An hour passed the flood rose and got deeper. Victoria cough from the dirty water only to find herself sweep by the raging torrent of the water. When Leroy and Yakov heard Victoria's series of coughs, Yakov opened the car.

"Get in." Yakov coldly ordered. Victoria, who was already shivering from the cold and out of her ordinary self, get inside. The two of them didn't even bother to give her a jacket. Suddenly, Leroy's phone rang.

"Don't kill her." Mort, on the other line, commanded and the call ended. Leroy take off his jacket and then gave it to Victoria who quickly thanked him.

"Don't die on us." Unconcerned at all, Leroy said and started the car engine. They left the place as Yelena's men stationed and spied in the distance who wanted to take Victoria did nothing when Leroy's car left. Yakov and Leroy took Victoria to CION Brothel.

"Boss, are we going to follow them?" One of Yelena's men asked the woman on the other line. Yelena coldly grinned.

"Don't. They will kill her eventually."