THE ASSASSIN BRIDE OF VALE COPORATION

1. BACK HOME

"Boss, the Bennett driver is here." The voice buzzed through my earpiece as my fingers curled around the trigger.

I moved, picking up the suitcase on the table and slinging it over my shoulder. "Bye, Fella," I whispered as a gunshot echoed through the building.

The body lay limp on the couch, blood turning its white fabric pink. I turned and walked out.

"I heard you, I'll be there soon," I called, jumping out the window onto the next roof, then sliding down the stairs in a rush.

"You have six minutes, boss," the voice chimed again. I nodded, pressing down on the bike pedal.

I have six minutes till am the perfect lost daughter. Six minutes till am closer to the one thing that will help me save Mina

I walked into the hospital, steps heavy, the smell of antiseptic hitting me first.

"Aria…" a doctor called from the side, and I turned slowly, my hand catching his white coat.

"She has limited time," he said. I looked away, toward the numbers bolted onto the door several feet away.

"I know."

"And…" he whispered, his voice dropping low. I turned back to him, my eyes locking with his. Doubt was written all over his face. He was right to doubt — especially when the one I 'd be dealing with was Adrian Vale.

"What?" I asked my voice rising a bit, is gifted on one foot,

His eyes narrowed. "You're really going through with this?" the words escaped him as if trying to persuade me just a little

I glanced toward the ward. "I don't have another choice."

"It's Adrian Vale."

My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.

"I know." But she isn't dying either. Not on my watch. I turned away from him and walked toward the ward. The door creaked open slowly, and I stepped in.

She lay there on the bed, pipes and wires connected to different parts of her body. "Mina…" I called softly, watching her from a distance, as if taking a step closer might snap the thin thread of life still keeping her here.

I fell to the ground, knees first. "Please forgive me, Mina. I will save you." I paused, tears stinging my eyes. Tears were weakness, but she was worth shedding every drop for. "I promise," I added.

My feet moved on their own, standing me up and carrying me toward her, my heart clenching tightly. "Wait for me, bestie," I whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

A tear dropped onto her undeniably cold skin, and I pulled back quickly, sniffing hard and lifting my head to keep any more from falling.

My gaze lingered on her one last time before I turned to go, jaw hardened by a promise I meant to keep.

"Boss, he's almost at the entrance of the orphanage," another voice chimed through the earpiece. I nodded, moving down the hospital hallway and back onto my bike.

I drove into the alley by the orphanage and vaulted the fence. "Oh, s**t," I cursed, pulling off my jacket and tossing it aside. I kicked off my boots before jogging around to the front.

A horn sounded, and a black car rolled in, wheels screeching to a stop several feet away. Another car followed, then another.

"Show off," I mumbled, my expression softening as my fingers fidgeted nervously — just enough to look like the nervous, lost little daughter they'd come to collect.

Several guards rushed out, heads bowed, clearing a path down the middle. I bit my lip and kept my eyes on the stones underfoot.

"This way, young Miss Bennett," said a tall guard standing beside the car, opening the door. I moved quickly, lowering myself into the leather seat, and the door shut behind me.

The driver's door flew open, and the driver climbed in, starting the engine and pulling away immediately, his expression stoic and perfectly in place.

"Hi, Mr—" I called out, fingers fidgeting on my lap. Silence. He said nothing. "Hey!"

"Speak," he said curtly, and I nodded, my shoulders curling in.

"Are my parents nice people? Do I have to—" I broke off, catching his eyes fixed on me in the rearview mirror.

"No," he answered sharply, turning his focus back to the road.

No to what, exactly? I thought but didn't dare ask — that would mean breaking cover, and I couldn't afford that now. Not with Mina—

The words died in my throat. I straightened and looked out the window.

The countryside blurred past in honking cars and screeching tires. I relaxed against the leather seat and closed my eyes.

Screeeech — the tires cut through the quiet, jolting my body forward. My forehead hit the front seat before I caught myself and sat back.

This tired old scene, again? I scoffed inwardly, rubbing my forehead and letting my face pinch in feigned pain. "What's wrong, driver?" I asked softly, my voice innocent and naive.

"Stay here," he ordered, drawing his gun as he stepped out. Of course I will. I don't want dirty hands right now.

I folded my arms and settled back against the seat, glancing around — a truck ahead, two cars behind. Amateur parking. Tsk.

Two guards climbed out of the second car, rifles clashing, immediately followed by groans and the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground.

My palms itched. Every second wasted here was a second stolen from Mina's time on earth. I could've ended this in half the time — such baby guards. The Bennetts' standards were embarrassingly low.

The car jerked sideways as a body slammed against it. I flinched, feeling the driver's eyes pierce through the glass toward me.

Blood smeared across the window before the body was shoved away. The door opened, and the driver climbed back in.

"You're not hurt," he noted, not a question. I nodded softly, biting my lip.

You fight like a woman, I scoffed inwardly, looking away.

The rest of the drive passed smooth and silent, as it should. The Bennett mansion came into view as the car rolled through the gates.

I climbed out, fingers clasped in front of me. Maids drifted past; a few stood still, watching. The whispers started.

"Am I richer than the young miss?" one giggled as she walked by. My head dropped nearly to my chest as I curled further into myself.

"She can't even afford proper footwear," another murmured, eyes scanning me with quiet contempt.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, shrinking back, my toes now doing the fidgeting.

"Welcome, young miss," the maids in front chorused, gesturing toward the entrance. I nodded and followed.

Pathetic decor. Not even worth my nails, I thought, stepping into a living room that reeked of cheap luxury.

The maids led me to a room the size of a closet — just a bed, a chair, a dressing table, and a wardrobe.

Several of them filed in carrying clothes and shoes. Within minutes I was dressed and sitting on the bed, eyes down.

"Master and Mistress await your presence in the meeting room, young miss," one said, and they filed back out.

I stood the moment they were gone, waiting only long enough to be sure. I walked out, head down, shoulders curled inward.

My feet carried me through the hallways, wearing a mask of confusion for anyone who cared to watch. Then I stopped in front of a wooden door that smelled of wood polish and old books.

I hesitated a second before pulling it open and stepping in. My leg cleared the threshold and the door swung shut behind me. I straightened my shoulders.

No cameras. Bennett never liked cameras watching his secrets. I moved with practiced ease, searching shelf after shelf.

Then my gaze caught the blue file in the last drawer of his desk. I bent down and pulled it open.

"Nghhh—" I gasped, freezing as cold steel touched my neck.

"Curious little thief, aren't you?" the driver's voice said from behind me.

"Sir—" My voice shook as I trembled, hands raised. "I'm sorry, I didn't do anything, I swear." Tears streamed easily down my cheeks.

"What did you take?"

"Nothing. I was heading to the meeting and got lost, so I came in here instead. I saw the books and just wanted one to read later." I lied smoothly, my voice breaking in all the right places.

"L—" His lips parted, but he swallowed the word back, and the knife vanished into his sleeve as footsteps sounded at the door.

"What's happening in here?" Her voice arrived before she did. My mother. She stood in the doorway, stoic and composed, exactly as the media described her.

"Young miss wandered in and wanted a book," the driver lied smoothly, and I nodded, blinking rapidly.

Mrs. Liriel lingered in the doorway, eyes moving between us for a second longer before she beckoned me forward.

"Come here, girl. We have something to talk about."