Dangerously Yours

You Raised Me

Hearing that name, Vivian froze.Confusion quickly replaced the shock on her face.

“Venom? But wh-why? Why would he try to kill you?”

Marcus glanced at her, his breathing growing weaker with every passing second.

“I don’t have much time, Vivian. Just listen to…” He broke into a violent cough, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. “A-all I have to say.”

Vivian stared at him, terrified.

“Venom is not what he appears to be. He’s not the hero we think he is. I saw hi-him…”

Another cough tore through his chest. This time, blood stained his lips.

Vivian felt as though her entire world was crumbling around her. She wanted to ask questions, to demand an explanation, but Marcus slowly shook his head, silently urging her to let him finish.

He swallowed painfully before continuing.

“I saw him kill an innocent person. But then he saw me.” His voice trembled as he struggled to breathe. “He shot me to silence me, Vivian. He killed a family of three right in front of me.”

Vivian’s eyes widened in horror.

“A family?” she whispered.

“I couldn’t just stand there and watch.” Marcus paused to catch his breath. “I wanted to do something. I wanted to save them, but…”

His voice broke.

“They still lost their lives right in front of me. Then he saw me… and shot me.”

“Marcus…”

“Viv…” He struggled to draw another breath. “Don’t let my death go in vain.”

His chest rose and fell with increasing difficulty. His eyes, once so full of life, were slowly losing their strength.

Then, with what little breath remained, he whispered, “Av-avenge me.”

His body went still.

“NO!”

Vivian grabbed his shoulders, shaking him desperately. “Marcus, please wake up!”

Her voice cracked as tears streamed down her face. She could barely breathe through her sobs. “Please! I promise I won’t be stubborn anymore. Just please don’t leave me!”

She pulled him against her chest, refusing to accept what had just happened. “You’re all I have left.”

Her fingers clutched the back of his shirt.

“You raised me. You taught me everything. You were like a father to me.”

A broken scream escaped her throat.

“WHY?”

But Marcus was already gone.

Marcus Kingsley—the man who had protected her, raised her, trained her, and loved her like his own daughter—was gone.

He had been a close friend of Vivian’s parents. After they died in a car accident, Marcus had taken custody of Vivian when she was only eleven years old.

For the next ten years, he had raised her, teaching her everything he knew and becoming the closest thing she had to a father.

And now, she had lost him too.

There was nothing Vivian could do to bring him back.

For what felt like hours, she remained on the forest floor, holding his body against her chest. Her tears soaked his bloodstained clothes as she mourned the man who had been her entire world.

Eventually, her sobs grew quieter.

The tears continued to fall, but something inside her had changed.

Slowly, Vivian lifted her head.

The sadness remained. So did the pain.

But beneath them, something far more dangerous was beginning to take shape.

Her obsidian dark eyes, once filled with grief, turned cold.

Hatred consumed her thoughts, leaving no room for anything else.

I’ll kill him.

She carefully lowered Marcus back to the ground before reaching for her phone.

There was only one person she needed now.

Vivian dialled a number and waited.

It rang several times before the other person finally answered.

“Hi, baby. I was just thinking about you.”

Then Claire heard a sob from the other end.

“Viv? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

The moment Vivian heard that familiar voice, the last of her composure crumbled.

“Cee…” She struggled to speak through her tears. “He’s dead.”

A shaky breath escaped her. “Marcus is dead.”

Claire went silent for a moment before letting out a nervous laugh. “Ohhh, babe, you almost got me there.” She tried to sound playful. “Okay, you win. Now stop joking.”

But Vivian didn’t laugh.

Instead, Claire heard another broken sob.

Her smile faded. “Viv?”

Silence.

“Viv, babe, please talk to me.”

When no answer came, panic crept into Claire’s voice.

“Share your location with me. I’m coming right now, okay? Just stay there.”

She ended the call and rushed out of her apartment.

In her haste, she nearly stumbled. Her hands trembled as she grabbed her keys and hurried to her car.

The entire drive, her mind raced.

Marcus couldn’t be dead.

Not Marcus.

Not the man who had always been there for them.

When Claire finally reached the forest, she followed the location Vivian had sent her.

Then she saw them.

Vivian sat on the ground, holding Marcus’s lifeless body against her chest. Her gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, her eyes cold and empty.

Claire slowed to a stop. For a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to move.

Then her eyes fell on Marcus’s face. The man who had once been so full of life lay completely still.

“No…”

The word escaped her in a whisper.

She took another step forward, hoping against hope that she was somehow mistaken.

But there was no mistaking the face she had known for years.

Marcus had practically raised her too.

He had found her living on the streets when she was fourteen and taken her in, giving her a home and raising her for the next six years.

He had been the one to smack her on the head whenever she refused to study. The one who trained her and Vivian until they could barely stand, then turned around and cooked for them as though exhausting them had been part of some carefully planned routine.

He had scolded them for being lazy, teased them when they argued, and made sure they never went to bed hungry.

He had been more than a guardian.

He had been family.

Claire’s eyes filled with tears.

For one desperate moment, she tried to convince herself that this had to be a dream.

Perhaps she would wake up and find Marcus standing in front of them, calling them over for training. Perhaps he would scold them for sleeping too late or complain that they were becoming too comfortable.

Perhaps everything would go back to the way it had been.

But it wouldn’t.

This was real.

Marcus was gone.

Claire’s knees gave way, and she dropped to the ground, finally allowing the pain to consume her.

She cried until her chest hurt, mourning the man who had given her a home when she had nowhere else to go.

When her sobs eventually subsided, she wiped her face and looked toward Vivian.

They had grown up together, trained together, argued over the most ridiculous things, and stood by each other through every hardship.

They weren’t related by blood, but somewhere along the way, they had become sisters. And now, they were grieving the same man.

Claire slowly rose to her feet and walked over to Vivian who still hadn’t let go of Marcus.

Vivian’s face was pale, her expression hollow. Yet beneath the grief, Claire could sense something else.

Something cold.

Something dangerous.

Hatred.

Claire wrapped her arms around her.

“It’s okay, Viv,” she whispered, even though she knew nothing was okay. “We’ll get through this.”

Vivian remained silent.

Claire pulled back slightly, searching her face. “Who did this?”

The change in Vivian was immediate.

Her eyes hardened, and whatever emotion had remained on her face seemed to disappear.

She slowly stood up. “Venom.”

Claire froze. For a moment, she could only stare at Vivian.

That name.

The name that sent whispers through the underworld. The name associated with power, fear, and an organisation few dared to challenge.

“Ve-Venom?” she stammered.

Her eyes widened. “Adrian Vale?”