CHAPTER 84
Bai Xia slid into the car, her breathing still uneven, her pulse still thundering from everything she had just done. The metallic scent of blood clung to her like a second skin even though none of it touched her clothes. Her hands trembled only once—just once—before she forced them still and shut the car door with a soft but final click.
Inside the quiet vehicle, two small figures moved at the same time.
"Xia-jie!"
Bai Xin launched at her like a frightened kitten, arms wrapping around her neck. Bai Yang clung to her from the opposite side, his fingers trembling as they knotted in her uniform.
"We thought… we thought something happened to you. We thought—"
"I'm fine," she whispered, pulling them both close until their shaking bodies pressed tightly into her. "I'm here. I'm okay."
Her tone softened, a stark contrast to the cold brutality she had unleashed minutes ago. She stroked their hair the way she remembered their mother doing—slow, steady, comforting. "Don't worry anymore, alright? I'll take care of everything. This incident… it ends with me."
Their chests rose and fell in uneven breaths, but when they looked up, her expression—calm, steady, unbreakable—was like a lighthouse after a storm.
"Okay, jie-jie…"
"Okay."
She kissed the tops of their heads, something she rarely did. Today, it felt necessary.
Minutes passed in silence, the three of them breathing in the same small pocket of safety—one she had carved out with violence.
Five minutes later, Stella returned.
The car door opened without a sound. Her shoes were different. Her gloves gone. Not a drop of anything clung to her.
"It's done," she said simply and slid into the driver's seat.
Bai Xia didn't ask what "done" meant. She knew. Stella never left loose ends. And Bai Xia didn't need to hear the details to understand the finality of those two words.
The car began to move.
As the city lights passed by in streaks of gold and white, the weight in her siblings' shoulders slowly loosened. Their hands stayed on her sleeves, refusing to let go, but the terror in their eyes had begun to fade.
The moment Stella approached the Bai residence, the tall iron gates pulled open, and the warm lights spilled over the driveway like a blanket.
Before the car even stopped, two figures rushed out of the house.
"Xia'er!" her father's voice cracked across the yard.
Bai Yan reached the car first. He yanked the door open and froze—then nearly sagged with relief the moment he saw them all intact.
"You're alright…" he whispered. "You're all alright…"
His hands trembled as he touched Bai Xia's shoulder, as if needing to confirm she was really there.
Bai Sung arrived seconds later and pulled all three children into a crushing hug.
"We already sent out people to look for you," he said, voice thick with all the fear he had been choking back. "Everywhere. Every road, every abandoned building, every check point—nothing. We found nothing. I was… afraid."
"It's okay, dad." Bai Xia patted his back softly, gently. "I brought them home."
Her mother appeared in the doorway like she had been holding herself there by sheer will. The moment she saw her children, her legs weakened and Bai Sung rushed to steady her.
"You're safe," she whispered. "All of you… you're safe…"
The house came alive with relief—voices overlapping, hands reaching out to touch faces, tears being wiped away. Bai Xin clung to their mother, Bai Yang hid his face in Bai Sung's side, and Bai Yan hovered protectively beside Bai Xia.
Yet no one noticed the faint coldness still tucked behind Bai Xia's gentle smile.
No one noticed her posture—relaxed but coiled, like a blade sheathing itself after a kill.
No one noticed her shoes, pristine but carrying an invisible phantom of iron and violence.
Only she knew what she had done.
Only she knew what she would still do.
But they were safe. And that was enough—for now.
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LATER THAT NIGHT
The Bai residence settled into deep, peaceful silence.
The hallway lights dimmed. The living room lamp flickered softly. One by one, the sounds of voices, footsteps, and sighs faded.
In her room, Bai Xia sat by the window, hair down, staring into the night sky as though it was whispering back to her.
A soft knock.
"Come in."
The door opened just enough for Stella to step through, her expression carved from steel, a thick folder in her hand along with several sealed evidence bags.
She set them on the desk without a word.
"It's all handled," she said finally. "The bodies have been disposed of. Thoroughly. No traces, no remains, and the scene has been sanitized. Not even dogs will find anything."
Bai Xia didn't blink. "Good."
Stella continued, her voice lowering into something cold.
"As for the leader… he lasted longer than the others. But he broke. Completely. I extracted everything—relevant, irrelevant, useful, useless. Every name, every route, every drug trail, every debt, every hideout. He even confessed crimes he didn't commit—he was desperate to say anything to make it stop."
Bai Xia remained unmoved, her gaze steady. "Good."
Stella placed the large folder on the desk.
"Most importantly… the boss of Chili Fashion. I pulled his entire background apart. Clean on the outside, rotten to the bone behind the scenes."
There was a pause—rare for Stella.
"There is one more thing."
Bai Xia's eyes shifted toward her.
Stella reached into her coat and placed a smaller envelope beside the main file.
"I found something about Bai Ai. They had recently been in contact, I don't think the plan with Bai Gin was the end of it."
She looked up, expression darkening.
"All linked to… Shang Shan."
Silence fell like a blade.
Slow, cutting, absolute.
Bai Xia's lips curved.
Not gently.
Not warmly.
But with a coldness that hollowed the room.
A smile that had nothing human in it.
"Perfect."