MY DAUGHTER, THE ASSASIN

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE FIRST HUNT

Sophia stood in the center of the room, staring at Cassian.

"It's time they became mine."

Cassian didn't smile.

Instead, he studied her with the kind of attention that made her feel as though he could see beneath every layer she had built around herself.

"You don't know what you're saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying."

"You've spent years surviving them. That's different from hunting them."

Sophia slipped her jacket over her shoulders.

"I was trained for both."

"That's precisely what worries me."

She turned toward him.

"You think I'm going to lose control."

"I think you haven't decided what you want yet."

Sophia's expression hardened.

"I want my mother safe."

"And after that?"

She didn't answer.

Cassian stepped closer.

"That's what you need to figure out."

Before Sophia could respond, the lights above them flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then every monitor in the room went black.

Cassian immediately reached for his weapon.

Sophia was already moving.

"How did they get inside?"

"They didn't."

Cassian looked at the security panel.

Sophia followed his gaze.

A red indicator appeared.

SYSTEM BREACH.

Victor rushed into the room.

"What's happening?"

Cassian pointed toward the monitors.

"We've been compromised."

Eleanor appeared behind him.

"By whom?"

Nobody answered.

Then one of the screens turned on.

A woman appeared.

Sophia stopped breathing.

Helena Hayes.

Her grandmother.

She sat in a dark room, dressed in an elegant black suit.

Her silver hair was pulled neatly behind her head.

She looked nothing like the monster Sophia remembered.

She looked like someone's grandmother.

Calm.

Refined.

Almost gentle.

"Hello, Sophia."

Sophia stepped closer to the screen.

"Where are you?"

Helena smiled.

"Still asking the wrong questions."

"Show yourself."

"Why?"

"So I can finish this."

Helena's smile disappeared.

"You've become exactly what I expected."

Sophia's eyes narrowed.

"You made me this way."

"No."

Helena leaned toward the camera.

"Your parents did."

Eleanor stepped forward.

"Don't listen to her."

Helena looked directly at Eleanor.

"You always were good at pretending."

Eleanor's face tightened.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know everything."

Victor moved closer to the screen.

"Helena."

She looked at him.

"Victor."

"You should have stayed away from my family."

Helena laughed softly.

"Your family?"

Her eyes returned to Sophia.

"You mean my bloodline."

Sophia's expression changed.

"What does that mean?"

Helena ignored the question.

"Do you know why they chose you?"

Sophia stared at her.

"Because of my memory."

"That's what they told you."

"Then tell me the truth."

Helena smiled.

"The truth is much more interesting."

Cassian stepped forward.

"Enough games."

Helena looked at him.

"Cassian Black."

Her expression changed.

"I remember your father."

Cassian's jaw tightened.

"You knew him?"

"Very well."

"What did you do to him?"

Helena's face became unreadable.

"Nothing."

Cassian laughed without humor.

"My family is dead because of your organization."

"Not my organization."

"The Black Room."

"I created the foundation."

Cassian's eyes hardened.

"And then you lost control."

Helena's gaze shifted toward Sophia.

"Power was never meant to be controlled."

Sophia stepped closer.

"Why did you take me?"

Helena was silent for a moment.

Then she said:

"Because your mother asked me to."

Eleanor's face went white.

Sophia slowly turned.

"What?"

Eleanor shook her head.

"No."

Helena smiled.

"Tell her, Eleanor."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

Sophia looked at her mother.

"Mum?"

Eleanor couldn't speak.

Helena continued.

"Your mother came to me before you were born."

Sophia stared at Eleanor.

"Why?"

Helena's voice became softer.

"Because she was afraid of your father."

Sophia turned toward Victor.

"What did Dad do?"

Victor remained silent.

Helena smiled.

"That's the question you should have asked years ago."

The screen suddenly went black.

Sophia stood frozen.

"Bring it back."

Cassian was already working at the console.

"She's gone."

"Find her."

"I'm trying."

Sophia turned toward Eleanor.

"What did she mean?"

Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.

"I need to tell you something."

Sophia waited.

"I was afraid of your father."

Victor looked at her.

"Eleanor."

"No."

She shook her head.

"I'm done lying."

Sophia's voice was barely audible.

"Why were you afraid of him?"

Eleanor took a breath.

"Because I discovered what he was doing."

"What?"

"He wasn't simply working with the organization."

She looked at Victor.

"He was investigating them."

Sophia frowned.

"That's what he told us."

"He was investigating them because he was looking for something."

"What?"

Eleanor's face crumpled.

"You."

Sophia froze.

"What?"

Victor stepped forward.

"Eleanor, don't."

"You wanted to use her."

"I wanted to protect her."

"You wanted to turn her into the perfect weapon."

Victor's expression hardened.

"I wanted to keep Helena from taking her."

"By training her yourself?"

Sophia looked at her father.

"Did you train me?"

Victor didn't answer.

That was enough.

Sophia's eyes filled with disbelief.

"You did."

"I taught you how to defend yourself."

"You taught me how to kill."

"I taught you how to survive."

"You taught me before they took me."

Victor looked down.

"I had no choice."

Sophia laughed bitterly.

"That's everyone's excuse."

She walked away.

Cassian watched her.

Then he looked at Victor.

"How much of her memory did you erase?"

Victor's face changed.

Sophia stopped.

"What did he just say?"

Cassian realized too late that he had revealed something.

Sophia turned around.

"What did he mean?"

Victor closed his eyes.

Cassian answered.

"The memories weren't only suppressed by the Black Room."

Sophia stared at him.

"Who else erased them?"

Victor finally whispered:

"I did."

Sophia felt the room tilt.

"You?"

"When you were young."

"Why?"

"Because you remembered something you weren't supposed to."

"What?"

Victor looked at Eleanor.

Then at Sophia.

"You saw someone kill your grandfather."

Silence.

Sophia shook her head.

"I don't remember my grandfather."

"Exactly."

"Who killed him?"

Victor's face became grim.

"We don't know."

"You erased my memory because I saw a murder?"

"Because the person who killed him came looking for you."

Sophia's breathing became shallow.

"Who?"

Victor didn't answer.

A sound came from Cassian's console.

A notification.

Then another.

Cassian looked at the screen.

His face changed.

"What?"

Sophia walked toward him.

"What happened?"

Cassian turned the monitor toward her.

A live feed appeared.

A security camera.

Outside the building.

A black car had stopped at the entrance.

Sophia narrowed her eyes.

"Who is that?"

Cassian zoomed in.

The driver's door opened.

A man stepped out.

Marcus.

Sophia's former trainer.

But he wasn't alone.

Another person stepped out of the vehicle.

A woman.

Sophia stared.

She recognized her.

Eleanor gasped.

Victor whispered her name.

"Helena."

Sophia looked at Cassian.

"She's here."

Cassian nodded.

"Yes."

Sophia reached for her weapon.

Cassian caught her wrist.

"Wait."

She looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because that's not the attack."

Sophia frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Cassian pointed at the screen.

Behind Helena and Marcus, another vehicle had stopped.

Then another.

Five vehicles.

Armed men began stepping out.

Cassian's expression hardened.

"That's the distraction."

"For what?"

He looked at Sophia.

"The real target isn't us."

Sophia's heart sank.

"Then who?"

Cassian turned toward Eleanor.

"Your mother."

Sophia immediately looked at Eleanor.

Eleanor stood frozen.

Then every phone in the room began ringing at the same time.

Cassian answered his.

A voice whispered:

"She's coming."

Cassian's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

The voice replied:

"The woman who started everything."

The call ended.

Sophia looked at Victor.

"Who is that?"

Victor stared at Eleanor.

And Eleanor whispered:

"Me."

Sophia's eyes widened.

"What?"

Eleanor took a trembling breath.

"I started the Black Room."

The room went silent.

Sophia couldn't move.

Cassian stared at Eleanor.

Victor closed his eyes.

And outside, the first explosion shook the building.