"You-"

Yvonne's face went completely white as she glared viciously at her.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to pass the good news on to my mother."

Luella forced a smile, her tone plunging to sub-zero temperatures. "Enjoy your karma, Yvonne."

"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

Unable to accept the grim reality of what lay ahead, Yvonne lost whatever shred of sanity she had left and lunged at Luella.

*Thud-*

Luella delivered a swift, brutal kick directly to Yvonne's leg. The woman crumpled to the floor instantly, in too much agony to even scream.

Luella casually glanced at the stunned guards nearby. "Self-defense. We're clear, right?"

The guard blinked. "Crystal."

"Take her away," Luella ordered coolly. "Before she completely loses her mind and bites someone."

After delivering that final psychological blow, Luella moved on to the next interrogation room to "visit" Esme.

Esme sat with her head hung low, refusing to cooperate with the investigators.

"They have enough evidence. Whether you talk or not, the ending is exactly the same."

Hearing that voice, Esme looked up, her pale face snapping toward Luella.

Her mouth opened, but she was so consumed by rage she couldn't make a sound. Her eyes burned with pure hatred.

"I only came to tell you one thing." Luella smirked, her tone agonizingly slow and deliberate. "Jimmie Tate is my man."

"You..."

Esme had seen the news broadcast revealing Luella was a woman, and the shock was still fresh. "You bitch! You absolute bitch!"

She was the Executive Chief's daughter; there was no way she was going to prison!

"When I get out of here, I'll destroy you!"

"Oh, I'm terrified."

Luella raised an eyebrow elegantly and turned to the guard. "Please get a doctor to check on her. Her delusions are getting out of hand."

"Let me go!"

Triggered beyond reason, Esme began sweeping everything off the table in a frenzy. "I won't stay in here! Let me go!"

*Smack-*

The guard delivered a sharp slap across her face, and the room fell blissfully silent.

Tsk.

With all her loose ends tied up, Luella walked out of the Bureau of Investigation, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The previously overcast sky had cleared up beautifully. Brilliant, warm sunlight wrapped around her.

Luella raised a hand to shield her eyes, tilting her head back slightly. For the first time in her life, she thought the blue sky looked genuinely beautiful.

The storm had finally passed.

Before leaving Stellara Country, Luella made one last trip back to the house to pack her mother's belongings.

Now that Lachlan and his family were behind bars, the household staff had long since fled, terrified of being implicated.

Staring at the empty, echoing house, Luella felt a strange tightness in her chest—an emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint.

Just as the melancholy began to settle, a familiar, aged voice called out from behind. "Miss!"

"Megan?"

Luella turned around to meet the housekeeper's tear-filled eyes. She practically ran over, pulling the older woman into a tight embrace. "Why haven't you left yet?"

Terrified that something

unpredictable might happen during the election, Luella had booked a flight for Megan, intending for her to escape to Eclara City early for her own safety.

"How could I ever leave you alone in the wolf's den?" Megan patted Luella's back gently, her voice raspy but full of maternal warmth. "I saw the news online you did wonderfully, my sweet girl. Your mother would be so incredibly proud."

"Yeah."

Luella hugged her tighter, her eyes growing damp as she mumbled into her

shoulder, "Let's get out of this hellhole together."

"Where are we going?" Megan asked softly.

"Eclara City!" Luella wiped her eyes, pulling back with a bright smile. "My godparents, Juniper, and my fiancé are all waiting for me there."

"Is he good to you?"

Megan studied Luella's face, probing cautiously. "That famous actor... Jimmie?"

With her mother's tragic history lingering like a ghost, Megan was terrified Luella would walk down the same doomed path.

venet

"He's wonderful." Luella nodded, a genuinely happy smile lighting up her features. "He's incredibly handsome, has an amazing boc and he's... well, a real, living, breathing man. Basically, he's amazing."