Reclaiming Her Heart

Helen watched as Tessa choked down the concoction, then signaled her bodyguards to release her.

Tessa felt excruciating pain-her throat burned, her entire body ached. She coughed up blood.

Helen remembered Tessa's heart condition and wondered if she'd even survive to leave this place. As she exited the room, Tessa's screams echoed behind her.

"Selena! I'll kill you! If I get out of here, I swear I'll kill you!" Tessa shrieked hysterically, spitting more blood.

Just as Helen stepped outside, one of her men rushed over. "Helen, Lawrence is back— with fifty armed men this time."

Helen raised an eyebrow and followed him to the main hall.

Lawrence stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by gamblers and traders who hadn't bothered to leave. Such confrontations were commonplace in the underground fighting arena. This time, however, the troublemaker was from the Smith family- Vistalia's most prominent dynasty with close ties to the royal family.

The fighting arena existed in a notorious lawless zone, a haven for con artists and criminals with dozens of murders to their names. Everyone had witnessed gunfights before, so rather than fleeing, the crowd stayed to watch the drama unfold.

Standing nearly six feet tall, Lawrence towered over most people, even in Vistalia where heights were generally above average. Wearing black gloves, he held an assembled gun and addressed Helen directly.

"I want to see Tessa," Lawrence said.

He'd already made one visit after landing, but Helen had dismissed his demands entirely.

Helen approached in her purple slip dress, moving with deliberate grace. "Mr. Smith, do you understand the consequences of drawing a weapon in my arena?"

Lawrence aimed his gun directly at her. "I said, I want to see my sister."

Helen remained unfazed, covering a light laugh with her hand. "Your sister? Who?" She contemplated announcing to everyone that Tessa wasn't actually his sister, just some woman someone had taken in. But Jason had already secured her cooperation, and she prided herself on honoring agreements.

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"Oh, you mean Tessa. Yes, she's here. But are you certain you want to take her back?" Lawrence's eyes narrowed as he cocked his gun-his intentions crystal clear.

Helen maintained her smile and gestured to her bodyguard. "Fine. Bring Ms. Tessa Smith to Mr. Lawrence Smith."

She turned back to Lawrence. "But Mr. Smith, let me be clear: once I return her, if you continue to station your men here, our next target will be Cora."

An audacious threat.

Everyone in the hall knew Helen meant business. The underground arena served a special purpose a sanctuary for countless dangerous individuals and a marketplace for valuable goods. If it disappeared, this lawless zone would descend into even greater chaos. To preserve it, retired assassins were willing to bloody their hands again. In this place, the arena's owner feared no one.

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Lawrence nodded, accepting the deal.

Ten minutes later, Tessa was brought out.

Her clothes appeared intact, and she showed no obvious signs of torture, though she was unconscious. Lawrence sighed with relief, pulled her into his arms, and departed.

His men gradually withdrew as well. Helen smiled at the remaining crowd. "Show's over, everyone. Nothing more to see."

The hall returned to normal, as if the confrontation had never happened.

Back in her private box, Helen messaged Raymond that Lawrence had taken Tessa away. She knew Raymond wouldn't blame her his objective had been accomplished: Tessa had suffered tremendously.

Helen's lips curled into a smile. She had secretly added an extra ingredient to the concoction Tessa had consumed. Beyond rendering her blind and mute, it would cause needle-like pain throughout her body every three hours. With Tessa's heart condition, it was just a matter of time before she succumbed.

When Raymond targeted someone, Helen always gave one hundred percent.