Chapter 1: The Blood-Stained Birthday
Laughter filled the grand Flores mansion.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled above the ballroom while elegant guests danced and celebrated. Expensive dresses swayed across the polished floor, and the scent of flowers and champagne lingered in the air.
At the center of the celebration stood a little girl wearing a white dress decorated with silver roses.
Mhagi Flores.
Today was her eighth birthday.
"Make a wish, princesa."
Her mother, Aura Flores, smiled warmly while placing a hand on her shoulder.
Beside them stood her father, Don Rico Flores, one of the most feared mafia leaders in Spain. Despite his ruthless reputation, his eyes softened whenever he looked at his daughter.
Mhagi closed her eyes.
"I wish we stay together forever."
Everyone laughed gently as she blew the candles.
Applause erupted around the room.
The little girl giggled and immediately hugged her parents.
"I love you, Mama. Papa."
"And we love you more," Aura whispered before kissing her forehead.
Nearby stood another child around her age.
Fathima Gomez.
Unlike the other children, Fathima remained alert. Don Nicollo had entrusted her with a responsibility despite her young age.
Protect Mhagi 'always' that is her order. The party continued. Music played. Guests continue talking and some are even dancing.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Until a loud gunshot shattered the celebration.
BANG!
The music stopped.
For a second, silence filled the room.
Then chaos erupted.
More gunshots followed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
People screamed guests ran toward the exits. Pushing one another trying to save their lives. Some fell to the floor, others desperately searched for cover.
Mhagi froze.
Her body trembled.
"What is happening?" she cried.
Fathima immediately grabbed her hand.
"Come with me!"
Another gunshot echoed.
A glass vase exploded nearby. Without hesitation, Fathima dragged Mhagi toward the hallway.
They ran as fast as their small legs could carry them. Behind them, the mansion had become a battlefield. The sound of bullets echoed through the walls.
Mhagi could hear men shouting.
Furniture breaking. People screaming. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I want Mama!"
Fathima shook her head.
"No! We have to hide first!"
They entered a nearby room.
Fathima opened a large wooden cabinet and pushed Mhagi inside. The two girls squeezed into the cramped space. Darkness surrounded them. Outside, gunshots continued.
Mhagi covered her ears. Her entire body shook. She wanted her parents. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
Fathima wrapped her arms around her.
Everything would be okay.
At least that was what she wanted Mhagi to believe.
Minutes felt like hours.
The gunfire continued. Then gradually faded. Until complete silence remained.
The girls stayed inside. Too afraid to move. Too afraid to breathe.
Suddenly, voices echoed from outside.
"Young Miss!"
"Miss Mhagi!"
"It is safe now!"
Fathima cautiously opened the cabinet door. Several Flores soldiers stood outside. Their expressions were grim.
Mhagi immediately jumped out.
"Where are Mama and Papa?"
No one answered.
The silence terrified her.
"Take me to them!"
The soldiers exchanged glances. One of them lowered his head.
Mhagi's heart dropped.
Without waiting for permission, she ran. Down the hallway. Past broken decorations. Past shattered glass. Past blood-stained floors.
The once beautiful mansion looked like a war zone. Bodies lay everywhere. Some belonged to enemies. Others belonged to people she knew.
People who had smiled at her only minutes ago.
Finally, she reached the ballroom a the scene froze her.
Her parents were there.
Lying motionless on the floor.A pool of blood surrounded them.
Aura Flores had been shot through the heart and Don Rico Flores had bullet wounds in both his chest and head.
Their eyes were closed. Their bodies cold, stilled, silence and will be forever gone.
"No..."
Mhagi's voice cracked.
"No, no, no..."
She ran toward them. Mhagi fell to her knees and broke.
"Mama!"
Her small hands grabbed Aura's dress.
"Wake up!"
Nothing happened then she turned to her father.
"Papa! Please!"
No response. Only silence.
The cruelest silence she had ever known.
Her cries echoed throughout the ruined ballroom. The pain felt unbearable.
As if someone had ripped her heart from her chest.
Then a familiar figure appeared.
Don Nicollo Flores.
The head of the Flores Empire. The most feared man in Spain. Yet tears glistened in his eyes. For the first time, Mhagi saw her grandfather looking old.
Broken.
Defeated.
Slowly, he approached then knelt beside her. His hands gently rested on her shoulders.
"Mhagi."
She looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
"They left me."
The old man closed his eyes briefly. Then pulled her into his arms.
"No, princesa."
His voice trembled.
"They were taken from us."
Mhagi cried against his chest.
The old Don looked toward the bodies of his son and daughter-in-law. His expression hardened. The grief disappeared. Replaced by fury.
The kind of fury that started wars.
"I swear to you."
His voice was cold and carry the sound of danger.
"They will pay."
Mhagi slowly looked up.
"Who?"
Don Nicollo's jaw tightened.
"The people responsible for this."
His gaze darkened.
"And one day..."
He gently wiped her tears away.
"You will deliver justice with your own hands."
Far away from the Flores mansion, inside a hidden warehouse, a young man lowered his phone.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Piere Porter.
The eldest grandson of Don Carlos Porter. The mastermind behind the attack.
"The mission is complete, Grandfather."
Across the line came a pleased chuckle.
"And Don Rico?"
"Dead."
"Aura Flores?"
"Dead."
Piere smirked.
"Both targets eliminated successfully."
He ended the call and glanced toward the burning city lights outside. Tonight, the Flores family had lost everything.
What he didn't know...
Was that he had left one survivor alive.
A little girl who would one day become his family's greatest nightmare. And when that day came—
Spain itself would tremble.