Early the next morning, alongside Kuya Nikolai, Layla visited the house. They sat side by side on the couch opposite me. Arms crossed, with Ichi on my lap and Dreamer beside me, I firmly stated, "My answer is still the same. No."
"Winter."
"Ate, please."
With a blank expression, I gazed at Layla. "Don't call me 'ate,'" I said through clenched teeth before turning to Kuya Nikolai.
"Really? A ten-year gap, and your half-sister is now pregnant. If Ate Aria were alive, she would surely disapprove," I pointed out, referencing Tristan's mother who passed away when Tristan was born.
"Aria is gone, Winter," he said firmly.
"That's why you impregnated her," I directed at Layla without bothering to look at her.
"I love her–"
"That's nonsense, Kuya Nikolai. She's your half-sister!" I raised my voice in anger.
"Winter!" he suddenly stood up and shouted.
Suddenly, Ichi hissed at him, so I quickly held him. "It's okay…" I comforted Ichi's head and Kuya Nikolai sat back down.
"We have the same Dad, why can't you show sympathy to her?" His expression darkened as he spoke those words.
"Does she have the same mom as you, me, and Kuya Alistair? The answer is no. Do you know what Dad gave me when he brought her and had her stay in the house? Trauma, Kuya. At first, I thought I was just overreacting, so I tried to have a relationship with Matthew, but do you know that he also gave me trauma? Dad cheated and got someone pregnant, and Matthew cheated on me too. I love men, I'm not even afraid to let Aleksei and Lucian stay in my home, but I'm terrified to be in a relationship because of the trauma I carry. So, I don't care if you love her, my answer is always no." There was finality in my last words.
"Please, Winter. Mom can't know the truth. I don't want our family to fall apart. I'm begging you to do this for me."
I shook my head. "Mom deserves to know, Kuya. I hope you realized back then that our family couldn't be ruined before you got her pregnant. Dad ruined it already and you made the situation worse–"
"And you're not going to help me," he stopped me, then slumped his shoulders.
"You did it, didn't you? Face the consequences. You know me, one word, and I mean it." I stood up with Ichi in my arms. "I want you two out. Don't come back and beg." In the end, they had no choice but to leave my house. I needed to visit Mom tomorrow. She deserved to know the truth.
I'm about to head to the kitchen when someone knocked. I hadn't even eaten yet. Reluctantly, I opened the door. Lucian stood before me. He looked like a a shit.
“Don't take me to the hospital. They are after me." I raised an eyebrow at his appearance before scanning his body. I accidentally let go of Ichi, causing Lucian to faint and fall to the floor with a loud thud, which surely hurt.
"Lucian," I crouched down and gently tapped his cheek. "I'm not in the mood to carry you. Stay here, I'll get the first aid kit." I quickly fetched the first aid kit from my room and returned to the living room. I placed it on the table, grabbed a blanket, laid it on the carpet, pulled him to the center of the blanket, and locked the door.
I removed his upper garment, revealing numerous fresh deep cuts from a sharp blade. "Tsk." I took off his pants, leaving him in his boxers. "God, I hate doing this," I muttered in frustration before heading to the kitchen to fetch a large bowl of water and cloth. I returned to the living room, wiped away the dried blood from his body, and took a deep breath before administering anesthesia by injecting it directly into his body since I didn't have the equipment for general anesthesia delivery.
"Oh, God. Guide me," I whispered before grabbing a needle and stitching thread. Suturing wasn't my expertise, but I knew how to do it. I spent almost an hour stitching his wounds, ensuring they healed properly and avoided infections. I covered his body with another thin blanket and headed to the kitchen, feeling famished.
I fed Ichi and Dreamer before spending an hour cooking breakfast. I still had a mission to complete later. Did the Grandmaster really want me to eliminate all of them? That seemed like an excessive task, especially since I'm a woman. Last night was brutal, but I followed the grandmaster's order as an executioner, knowing the risks involved.
As night fell, Lucian remained unconscious. I hadn't finished outlining the mahwa and was in the mood to carry out my mission.
"Iris," I sat in the car that I sped off. She had provided information about the individual I was tasked to eliminate. Despite having a child, an order was an order that I had to obey.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked. I knew Iris had her own daughter but worked secretly for the Nightshade Guild long before I joined.
"It's part of the job, Iris."
"What will you do about the child?"
"I don't know. Maybe drop him at an orphanage."
"Why not consider adopting him afterward?"
"No. I have no intention of adopting someone else's child only for them to later seek revenge on me while I sleep," I stated, foreseeing a potential threat in the future.
"Aleksandra," I noticed the concern in her voice.
"Don't worry, I won't harm the child. I'm solely focused on eliminating his mother." I removed the earpiece and tossed it on the backseat.
A few minutes later, I reached the target's location. Parking the car far from the house, I stealthily entered the darkened premises. Swiftly moving inside, I avoided making any noise, using the second-floor window where her sleeping son awaited me in the room. "I'm sorry, kiddo," I murmured with a bitter smile before heading out.
Suddenly, my sense alerted me, prompting me to dodge the incoming blade aimed at me before confronting her - the infamous reaper, another formidable executioner.
Her icy gaze locked onto me, her hand gripping the hilt of her lethal blade. "Aleksandra Clayford," her voice was as chilling as winter, sending shivers down my spine. Beautiful yet cold.
"It's nice to hear that you know me, Amara Santoro," I responded, my demeanor fierce and ready to confront my adversary.
"You've taken the lives of Zyair and Soren, but you won't have me. And I anticipated your arrival," Amara declared, her stance unwavering.
The tension in the air crackled between us. She understood that I had been sent to eliminate her, as relayed by Iris. Amara had departed from the Crimson Organization upon learning of my actions against Zyair and Soren.
In that split second, the silence shattered with the sound of steel clashing against steel. Amara unsheathed her blade, each movement deliberate and controlled, aimed at me. I matched her every strike with precision, fueled by my unwavering sense of duty.
Our battle continued, a deadly waltz of blades and shadows, each fighting not only for survival but for the ones we cherished. Guided by her maternal instinct, Amara fought with the strength of a mother because she has a son to protect. My strikes reflected my resolute commitment to fulfilling my fucking duty. I love being an executioner but at the same time I loathe the Guild and the Grandmaster. 
With a final, decisive strike, I disarmed Amara and swiftly delivered a lethal blow to her neck. Her head rolled to the floor, followed by her lifeless body.
"Mom?" a voice caught my attention. It was her son.
He observed the scene calmly before fixing his gaze on me. "I'm going to kill you," he declared with a stern expression.
I smiled subtly and approached him, katana in hand, stained with blood. "You must find the strength to face me, kiddo. I'll be waiting for you when the time is right," I injected a sedative into his neck before contacting Four.
"I have a request for you. Place Mrs. Santoro's son in an orphanage."
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