THE EMPIRE OF REVENGE

THE EMPIRE OF REVENGE CHAPTER ONE: THE BEGINNING OF HER NIGHTMARE Laughter filled the Blackwood family's dining room as Elena sat between her parents, enjoying dinner with them. "Richard, I'm telling you, that man was completely wrong," Margaret said, shaking her head. Richard chuckled as he took another spoonful of food. "Margaret, you can't just say someone is wrong because you don't agree with him." "Oh, really?" Margaret raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me that if I say the sky is green, you'll agree with me?" Elena burst into laughter. "Daddy, please don't even try. Mummy will argue with you until tomorrow morning." Richard turned toward his daughter. "And whose side are you on?" Elena pretended to think for a moment. "Mummy's, obviously." "Obviously?" Richard repeated, feigning shock. "In my own house?" Margaret laughed. "You see? At least someone in this family has sense." "Ah! Both of you have joined forces against me." The three of them burst into laughter. For several minutes, they continued eating, joking, and talking about different things. Richard asked Elena about her plans for the coming week, while Margaret reminded her about an errand she had promised to run. Elena answered their questions between mouthfuls of food, occasionally making jokes that sent her parents into another round of laughter. After a while, she picked up her phone from beside her plate and checked the time. "Mum?" Margaret looked at her. "Yes, dear?" "I'm going to the supermarket next door. I want to get something." "What do you want to buy?" her mother asked. "Just something I need. I'll be back soon." "All right, dear. Don't take too long." Elena smiled. "I won't." She turned toward her father. "Daddy, do you need anything?" Richard shook his head. "No, sweetheart. I'm fine." "Okay." Elena stood up, picked up her phone, and walked away from the dining table. "I'll be back!" "All right, dear," Margaret replied. Elena left the dining room, walked through the sitting room, and went out through the front door. --- About five minutes later, Richard was still sitting at the dining table with his wife when they heard the sound of the gate opening. He looked up. "Ah, Elena is back already?" Margaret smiled as she continued eating. "She told us she wasn't going to be long." Richard nodded. "That's true." They continued their conversation. --- A black car stopped in front of the Blackwood residence. Three men stepped out. Without saying a word, they approached the gate and entered the compound. A few moments later, they went inside the house. Gunshots rang out. BANG! BANG! BANG! --- "Daddy, I'm back!" Elena's voice echoed through the house as she entered, carrying a small shopping bag. She closed the door behind her and walked into the sitting room. "Daddy?" There was no response. She looked toward the hallway. "Mummy, I'm back!" Silence. Elena frowned slightly. She placed her shopping bag on a nearby table and looked around. "Where are these people?" She smiled faintly, thinking her parents might have gone upstairs. "Daddy! Mummy!" Still, nobody answered. She walked farther into the sitting room. "Ah-ah, are they sleeping already?" She glanced toward the staircase. She was about to head upstairs when something caught her attention. A dark red stain spread across the floor near the dining room. Elena stopped. She stared at it, confused. "What is this?" She took a cautious step closer. Then another. As she approached the dining room, she noticed that the stain continued across the floor. Her heart began to beat faster. She followed it with her eyes until she reached the entrance. And then she saw them. Her mother lay motionless on the floor. Her father was lying nearby. Blood surrounded them. Elena's shopping bag slipped from her hand. For a moment, she couldn't move. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Then she took a shaky step forward. "Mummy?" She rushed toward her mother and fell to her knees. "Mummy, please wake up!" She touched Margaret's shoulder and shook her gently. "Mum? Mummy, can you hear me?" There was no response. Elena turned toward her father. "Daddy?" She crawled to his side. "Daddy, please!" Her hands trembled as she touched his arm. "Dad, wake up! Please, wake up!" He didn't move. Elena looked from her father to her mother, her breathing becoming increasingly frantic. "No, no, no!" Tears began streaming down her face. "Please, don't do this to me!" She shook her mother's shoulder again. "Mummy, please open your eyes!" Nothing. She turned toward her father. "Daddy, please! I'm here!" Her voice broke. She pressed her hands against her mouth, trying to contain her sobs, but the pain was too much. "Somebody help me!" She looked around desperately. "PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP MY PARENTS!" She tried to understand what had happened, but her mind was in turmoil. She didn't know whether her parents were still alive. She didn't know who had done this. All she knew was that she needed help. She bent over her mother, crying uncontrollably. "Mummy, please hold on. Please, don't leave me!" Then she looked toward her father. "Daddy, please. I need you!" Her cries filled the house. --- Approximately ten minutes later, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the entrance. Several police officers entered the house. One of them approached Elena, who was still kneeling beside her parents. "Are you Elena Blackwood?" Elena immediately turned toward him. "Yes! Yes, I am!" She stood up unsteadily, her face covered in tears. "Please, you have to help me!" The officer looked at her. "What happened here?" "I don't know!" Elena cried. "I just came back from the supermarket, and I found my parents like this!" She pointed toward the dining room. "Please, can you help me take them to the hospital? I don't know if they're still alive!" Her voice trembled as she pleaded with him. "Please, do something! They're my parents!" The officer glanced toward the bodies before turning back to her. "Elena Blackwood, you're under arrest for the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood." Elena froze. For several seconds, she stared at him without saying a word. "What?" The officer repeated himself. "You're under arrest for the murder of your parents." Elena shook her head in disbelief. "No..." She took a step backward. "No, these are my parents!" Her voice rose into a desperate scream. "Please, help them! Why are you talking about arresting me?" The officer reached for her arm. Elena immediately pulled away. "Please, I didn't do anything!" "Calm down," the officer ordered. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to make him understand. "I went to the supermarket! I came back and found them like this! Please, you have to believe me!" Another officer approached and took hold of her other arm. "Please!" Elena cried. "I'm innocent! I don't know what happened!" But the officers placed handcuffs around her wrists. She stared at them, trembling. "Why are you doing this to me?" Nobody answered. As they led her away, Elena turned to look at her parents one more time. "Mummy..." Her voice broke. "Daddy..." She struggled against the officers. "PLEASE! I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING!" But they continued escorting her out of the house. --- The days that followed were filled with interrogations, court appearances, and questions Elena struggled to answer. She repeatedly explained that she had left the house to visit the supermarket and returned to find her parents lying on the floor. She maintained that she had nothing to do with their deaths. But the case proceeded against her. When the day of judgment finally arrived, Elena stood before the judge, her hands trembling. The courtroom was silent as the judge looked through the documents before him. Then he began to speak. "Elena Blackwood, you have been charged with the murder of Mr. Richard Blackwood and Mrs. Margaret Blackwood." Elena swallowed hard. The judge continued. "Having considered the proceedings and the evidence presented before this court, you are hereby sentenced to ten years' imprisonment." Elena stared at him. For a moment, she couldn't understand what she had just heard. "Ten years?" Her voice was barely audible. Then the reality of the sentence struck her. "No!" She shook her head violently. "No, please! I'm innocent!" Court officers approached her. "Please, listen to me!" she cried. "I didn't kill my parents! I swear I didn't!" Her voice echoed through the courtroom. "PLEASE, BELIEVE ME!" But the judgment had been delivered. The officers took hold of her arms and led her away. Elena looked back one last time, tears running down her face. "I DIDN'T DO IT!" The courtroom doors closed behind her. And just like that, Elena Blackwood was sentenced to ten years in prison for a crime she insisted she had never committed.