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BAD HEROINES 12. The Monster
When the world was a swirling mess of questions and surprises, Rochelle was jogging on a treadmill, her gaze fixed on the same viral video playing over and over. Each time it replayed, her smile grew wider, her eyes gleaming with a hint of madness. Her body, sculpted and gleaming with sweat, finally came to a halt as she stopped the machine and burst out laughing. The room echoed with her laughter—empty except for herself. Lucky, too, or else anyone watching might think she was insane. Which, in a way, she was. "Oh, what a way to start the day!" she giggled, wiping away tears of laughter. With a sharp snap of her fingers, she grinned. “Now, where should I start? No, no—I'm dying to see her face.” Humming with excitement, Rochelle bolted for the shower. The music blared loud enough to rattle the walls, and her voice, off-key but confident, filled the bathroom as she sang at the top of her lungs. Her mood had shifted so drastically, anyone would have thought she’d won the lottery. Mo
BAD HEROINES 13. The Clients
Lijun was rushed into the operating room, her survival already a miracle. Everyone assumed she was near death. Outside, Rochelle paced the hallway, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. How had things spiraled so quickly? Everything had shifted in the blink of an eye. She’d received a call earlier—shouting, chaos—and then Lijun had fallen from the floor above. Rochelle slumped into a chair, burying her face in her hands. She felt like she was on the verge of losing control, but beneath the panic, an odd thrill buzzed inside her. The mystery was unraveling. Her gaze turned toward the operating room. "You have to live," she whispered, her voice more of a command than a plea. Lijun’s survival was the key to solving this mess. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Rochelle looked up to see a young girl standing in front of her—bobbed hair, bangs, and eyes that burned with intensity. "Was it you?" the girl asked, her voice steady, but her gaze lethal. "Did you do this to my sister?" Roche
BAD HEROINES 14. His Alliance
Lian was trying to throw together something for dinner when a sharp knock broke the quiet. His muscles tensed immediately. Jake had finally found him. He clenched the handle of the knife he’d been using to chop vegetables, cursing silently. If he had the money, he would have moved long ago. He edged cautiously to the door. Peering through the peephole, he breathed a sigh of relief. Rogan stood there, looking far too casual with a grin plastered across his face and a box of pizza raised in one hand. Lian unlocked the door, his body still buzzing with leftover tension. Rogan pushed past Lian into the small apartment like he owned the place. Moments later, they sat squashed together on the cramped couch, eating straight from the box. “So, let me get this straight,” Rogan said through a mouthful of pizza. “Scupper, gave you a hotel address, and then—BOOM?” Lian leaned back, rubbing a hand over his face. "I’ve told you the same story three times, Rogan. You gonna take this seriously
BAD HEROINES 15. First Instinct
A young girl, no more than five years old, stood in the middle of a barren field, her small hands gripping a metal plate raised high above her head. Her innocent eyes gazed forward, void of fear, as though she was completely unaware of the danger that lay ahead. In front of her stood three middle-aged men, their faces twisted in amusement. Each of them held a gun, but one of them stepped forward, lifting his weapon to aim directly at her. "Bet you can't even hit the plate," one of the men jeered, his laughter cruel and hollow. The girl remained eerily still, her face devoid of any reaction. Her expression was blank, almost as if she wasn't there. There was something unsettling about her composure, something unnatural in the way her craziness, making it all the more disturbing. Without hesitation, the man with the gun fired. The loud bang of the shot echoed across the field, and in that instant, Lijun jolted awake, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Her eyes flew open, wide
BAD HEROINES 16. Twisted Relationship
The hospital hallways were quiet, too quiet for Rochelle's liking. The early morning light spilled through the narrow windows as she arrived at the secret facility, humming a tune that was slightly off-key, her steps almost bouncing in a twisted joy. Three months. Three long months since Lin Lijun had fallen into a coma. In that time, they had moved her from hospital to hospital, each more secure than the last, to keep her safe from those who wanted her dead. But Rochelle wasn’t here to protect Lijun out of kindness. No, Lijun needed to wake up—she had to pay for her crimes. “A criminal shouldn’t die before they pay,” Rochelle muttered under her breath, her eyes wide with anticipation as she pushed open the door to Lijun’s room. The bed was empty. Her heart skipped a beat, a thin thread of panic and excitement twisting together. She scanned the room until her gaze landed on a figure slumped on the floor, long hair obscuring half her face, leaning weakly against the bed. Rochelle
BAD HEROINES 17. The Bait
Lijun sat in her wheelchair, staring out the narrow window. It had become a habit since she woke from the coma last week, though there was nothing worth watching—just the same dull corridor, the officers passing by and envying their freedom. In here, she was nothing but caged, her mind constantly sifting through fragments of memories she couldn’t piece together. The door creaked open. Lijun heard the familiar footsteps, but she didn’t bother turning. Her eyes remained fixed on the glass. “How long do I have to stay here?” she asked, voice soft, but edged with frustration. “You’ll have surgery in a few days,” came the cold, detached reply. Rochelle. Lijun’s lips twitched into a bitter smile. “I hate knives.” Rochelle let out a short, mocking laugh. “Funny, considering you were Scupper. You used to love your blades.” Lijun didn't react right away. Her eyes drifted down to her hand, nails scratching at her skin. Each scrape dug deeper, the sting more satisfying than the hollow bore
BAD HEROINES 18. The Order
She had one order that brought her from Thailand to Vegas: eliminate Lin Lijun. However, just as she was about to complete her mission, someone beat her to it—an explosion ripped through Lijun’s hotel room, leaving the target alive but gravely injured. She hadn’t even had a chance to act before Lijun got into an accident. Her mission was quickly altered. Instead of killing Lijun, her orders now were to bring her back to Thailand. The reasons behind this change, or the connection between Lijun and her boss, were irrelevant to her. All that mattered was accomplishing the task set before her. It hadn't been difficult to infiltrate the hospital as a nurse. With her background in medical training, blending in was second nature. Now, she was ready to act. Today would be the day she’d take Lijun out of this facility. In her small office, she prepared the items she would need: a tray of innocuous pills, a syringe, and her concealed weapon, tucked carefully into the thigh holster beneath her
BAD HEROINES 19. Don't Die
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been unconscious, but when she came to, she found herself slumped across the back seat of a moving car. She blinked, disoriented, as she took in her surroundings. Through the car windows, the sky stretched out in darkness. She could make out the buildings, all of it rushing by too fast for her to place where she was. Slowly, she turned her attention to the driver—a woman with a sharp, determined face framed by dark, curly hair, focused intently on the road. It was coming back to her now. The pills, the hazy feeling of slipping into unconsciousness… and a memory surfaced. No, this wasn’t a nurse. A surge of unease twisted in her stomach. Why was this woman taking her away? And where? Once, she’d thought about escaping a thousand times over, yet her plans had always felt absurd. She had convinced herself there was no way out; to escape meant a life on the run, forever hunted. She shook her head as if to chase away the thought—it didn’t matter