Chapter 11
After a brief pause, Margaret’s voice roared again. “You little punk–what are you doing here?”
Raven looked older now, more mature. Even so, Margaret was dead certain this was the same troublemaker.
Five years back, she had turned the Jennings family against the Hendersons and torched every bridge they had.
The rest of the Hendersons scowled. They glared at Raven like she was something nasty stuck to their shoes.
“No wonder she rings a bell. She’s that little beast from five years ago!” someone said, voice dripping with ice.
“She stepped out of a military ride,” another piped up, caught off guard.
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“Heard she got out of prison today. Maybe she kept her nose clean, and the jail’s gone soft, so they gave her a lift,” someone speculated.
“She’s got some guts showing her face here again,” a family member spat.
Raven’s eyes drifted over the crowd, taking her time.
At last, they landed on Margaret’s stern glare. A chilly smirk crept onto her face.
“I’m back. And you’re not happy about it,” she said, cool as can be.
Margaret caught that smirk. It sent a shiver down her spine.
But before she could get a word out, Aunt Loretta stepped forward.
She shot Raven a look like she was garbage.
“Happy? Do you even get how much you messed up the Hendersons?” Loretta snapped.
She shouted, “If you hadn’t taken out Gerald Jennings, we’d be running Bastion by now!”
Miranda, right beside her, nodded fast.
“Raven, Grandma handed you a golden ticket with Gerald. That was a favor!” she said.
Then she sneered, “You could’ve played it smart as Gerald’s wife. You’d be living the high life–not some grimy ex–con.”
“If I were you, I’d have ended it in jail. Too embarrassed to face the family that raised me. No dignity–just slinking back like a stray begging for crumbs!” she mocked.
Miranda edged closer to Raven.
She yanked a hundred bucks from her pocket, tossed it on the ground, and looked down her nose.
“We’re not taking you back, you deadbeat. But you want money? I’ve got some!” she said.
Then she scoffed, “Here’s one hundred. Get on your knees, grab it–it’s all yours!”
The other Hendersons‘ stares turned stone–cold.
Someone barked, “You backstabbing leech. You’re this family’s curse. You don’t get a dime of this!”
“You wrecked the Hendersons and still won’t let up,” another grumbled.
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Chapter 11
The first one went on, “Kneel! Pick up the cash and get out!”
Miranda’s smirk got uglier with every word.
“You loser, down on your knees!” she cackled.
Then she swung her foot to nudge Raven’s knee.
But just as she moved-
“Crack!” A sharp slap echoed through the air.
“Ah!” Miranda yelped. The hit knocked her flat.
The place went silent as a graveyard.
The Hendersons gawked at Raven, jaws dropped.
Then Loretta, her mom, snapped back to reality.
“Miranda!” she shouted, voice tight with worry.
She bolted to her daughter’s side, checking her over fast.
The Hendersons came to their senses one by one when the sound hit their ears.
“She hit Miranda? How dare she?” a voice blurted out, stunned.
Another family member hollered, “You little punk! You trashed the Hendersons, and now you just trying to help you?”
smack
poor
Miranda, who was
Someone snapped, “Miranda was nice to you! And this is how you pay back!”
Margaret was shaking with anger.
“You monster! You ungrateful little beast!” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Fuming, she spun toward the temp bodyguards hired for the party.
“Get over here! Beat this two–faced trash to
But the guards didn’t twitch.
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pulp! If she dies, I’ll handle it!” she yelled.
She bellowed, “What, you can’t hear me? We didn’t pay you to stand around like morons–move!”
The guards still didn’t flinch.
“Are you deaf? I said-” Margaret started, losing her cool.
But before she could finish, something shifted.
The next second…
A young, calm voice sliced through. It reached every Henderson’s ears.
“No need to shout. These temp guards are military. They’re here to keep you safe, not play your hired muscle.”
As the voice trailed off, a tall figure stepped into sight.
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Chapter II
Margaret locked up when she saw Jonah Yardley climb out of the car.
“Mr… General. Yardley…” she stuttered, trembling.
