1st May

Leo Qin spent some time thinking about the whole issue.

But in the end, he brushed it off. He was a decisive man. How could he let a woman's witty words influence his thoughts? He loved his family.

Scratch that. He actually didn't like his family. But they were his family no matter what. He didn't know why that woman hated the Qin family so much but he was not joining in her fun.

Hence, weeks went by.

In the blink of an eye, it was the first day of May.

In CT Corporation, Shera Black absent mindedly reclined in her chair, an exquisite necklace dangling from her slim fair fingers.

It was the very necklace she had stolen from The Qin Empire many weeks ago, The Heart of the Goddess. The Qins had let go of the matter once Patriarch Qin learnt that Shera Black was the one who stole it. Later, she had launched it in her own company.

She was not planning to sell it no matter what price anyone offered. She had only launched it to irk the Qins.

How could she sell such a valuable treasure?

She thought about everything that had happened lately. The project was on track and by the looks of things, they would complete it months earlier than they had thought.

She and Leo Qin cooperated quite telepathically and nothing had gone wrong so far.

But too bad... he had chosen the wrong side. She was initially not planning to lay a hand on him but in the end...

Whatever. He was a Qin no matter how nice he looked. The Qins did not deserve her pity. Even a pet in their family deserved to be tortured ruthlessly.

Just as she thought of this, the door to her office opened and someone waltzed in. Purple was trying her best to block his entry but he easily pushed her out of his way.

She saw the scene and smiled devilishly. "Look what the stray cat dragged in."

Purple looked at Shera apologetically. "I'm sorry president, I tried to stop him."

Shera waved her away.

Leo Qin looked at the little girl rushing out and smirked in amusement. "No wonder I found this girl familiar. She is Purple from La Rose Noire, isn't she?"

Shera's eyes narrowed. "If you dare to have any designs on her, I will break your third leg."

Leo Qin's expression was a mixture of laughter and annoyance. "How is that possible? I only have designs for you."

Shera sneered. "Why are you here anyway?"

Leo invited himself to the seat opposite her --because this woman had no sense of basic courtesy-- before asking, "are you really going to destroy the Qin family?"

"Yeah. You want to join me?"

Leo Qin frowned. He had a bad premonition. This woman had promised to appear on 5th May.

It didn't mean much and, she had been causing trouble for the past few months anyway, but he still felt something huge was coming.

He couldn't forget how she had promised to steal the Heart of the Goddess months ago and actually done it.

He had a feeling this warming was going to bear something more sophisticated. 5th may was coincidentally a very important day in the Qin family...

He sighed. "I don't know what animosity you have against the Qin Empire, but could you let it go? Revenge wouldn't benefit you."

"Revenge?" Shera snickered. "There is no revenge."

"Then what's the meaning of all this?"

Shera didn't look in the mood to entertain this kind of conversation. "I have said it before. I only want to mess with the Qin family. That's all you have to know. If that's all you have to say, please leave."

Leo Qin stood up and left. But once outside, a frown formed on his face.

A second before he left... why was it that he thought he saw a sorrowful and pained expression in Shera Black's eyes?

He scolded himself once this thought surfaced.

That was Shera Black. She was known to have a cold heart and had no emotions.

How could she feel sorrow?

But even though that was how he convinced himself, he still had the urge to go back and comfort her. He didn't, and this was something he would regret later.

In the office, Shera stared at the door for a while then let out a sigh.

Her mind drifted in different directions. It had been quite some time since the little lioness appeared. It was really keeping its distance as it promised.

But just in case it ruined anything, she couldn't take chances. But how to make it appear?

"Tazja?" she tried and held her breath in anticipation.

[Congratulations! You can now summon me using your brain. All you have to do is think about me and I'll be there.

Master, do you have any orders?]

Shera smiled in relief. That had actually worked. She didn't pay much attention to the first part of what Tazja said but it did sound helpful. "I want you to do me a favor."

[Anything for you, my beautiful but villainous master]

Shera proceeded to give it instructions.

...

Third May.

A black hummer parked near the city cemetery.

Shera Black got out of the car. Purple had already got out of the car, holding a bouquet of lilies.

Shera took them and proceeded on her own, leaving Purple behind.

She stopped before a tombstone labelled "Amanda Caron."

She let out a long sigh, her eyes slowly filling with an expression never seen on her face before.

She placed the flowers on the tombstone gently and clasped her hands together in respect.

"Mo..." Her voice was hoarse. "Mother..."

Before she could say anything else, she chocked. It was as though this word was too strong for her to say.

She held a hand over her mouth and bit hard on it.

This was why she didn't like coming to this place. This was the only place that brought out the side she couldn't stand: her weak and vulnerable side.

The place that poked open all her wounds and made her feel some of those emotions she shouldn't be feeling.

Her eyes shifted downwards, to the picture of a beautiful woman in the prime of her youth. She was so lively, so radiant and so beautiful.

Yet this woman was no longer here with her.

She had passed away many years ago, and in the most painful kind of way.

And who was she to thank for all this?

When she had calmed herself down, she sighed and spoke. "Mother, I have come to see you.

I..." she choked with a sob.

Her nose itched as a drop of liquid found its way out of her eyes. Before she knew it, she already had a trail of them.

She couldn't stop her tears from falling.

No matter how many times she said she was strong, no matter how many times she had said she couldn't cry, she would still cry every time she saw that picture.

"I have not forgotten who I am." she sniffled.

"I will make them pay, mother, every single one of them. I will not let them off."

Shera Black slumped to her knees, letting out a muffled wail.

Her head was filled with memories.

Most of them were blurred because she didn't want to remember them.

All she could hear were screams of agony as the fire grew bigger.

"Mother... mother!" she chocked.

I'm the distance, Purple felt her eyes tearing up too as she saw Shera Black kneeling on the ground as her shoulders shook.

Watching such a woman as Shera Black breaking down was more agonizing than going through the worst kind of torture.

She didn't know much.

All she knew was that Shera Black would lock herself in her room on every 3rd of May and would not let anyone bother her. This was the first time Purple had seen her come here.

The person she was grieving over must have been of utmost importance to her, and they must have died a torturous death.

A while later, Shera Black stood up.

She wiped her tears away carefully and smiled.

"Mother, I will make them pay."

___

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