CHAPTER 23

"What have you done to me?" Diana asked as soon as she awoke.

"Is that what you should be asking your savior?" Aurelia asked back, turning around to face the woman she had no qualms with.

"Please, please, please let me go. I did everything you asked of me. Whatever you want, I'll do it; just let my family go," Diana begged as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Can't you see that I've already let you go? You've come to, and I've dropped all charges against you.

"You were a good girl," Aurelia said as she sat in a cushioned chair next to the bed.

Diana could hear her sincerity as she said, "Thank you very much and I am sorry for everything."

"It's a good thing you can see where you're going wrong, because I let you off the hook very easily. You and Victor put me through hell, but if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be holding so much power like today, and as a result, I won't make things difficult for you again," she said as she popped her sweets into her mouth.

"So, it was all about Victor from the start?"

"Are you sure you don't know the answer to that? I believe I have already answered you," Aurelia said, brushing aside the question and on second thoughts she answered her, "You, as an accomplice, had to suffer as well. I managed to kill two birds with one stone. I made Victor lose everything he had worked so hard for over the years, and you just had to learn not to look down on people. I hope you learned your lesson not to judge a book by its cover."

"I certainly did."

"Now that I've woken you up, my job here is done. If you want anything from me, please do not hesitate to contact me, but keep in mind that everything has a price. But I'll be waiting for you, and remember not to say anything stupid when the detectives arrive. You wouldn't want to die without knowing why, would you?"

Aurelia smiled as she stood up and made her threat.

Diana could hear her fear in her voice as she said, "I know what to say and what not to say."

"That's great. We'll see each other again soon," Aurelia said as she pressed the button to summon the nurses.

It didn't take long for the nurse to arrive; she was waiting for her at the door.

"She is awake," Aurelia said as she exited the hospital.

Julius smiled as he noticed the smile on his boss's face as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. Since a few months ago, his boss had become strange. He came to the conclusion that she was no longer a human. The amount of power she possessed was excessive.

He had seen her do extraordinary and evil things that she had not been able to do before she discovered the people responsible for her misery.

As they drove to their next destination, the car was deafeningly quiet. When the car came to a halt, Julius assisted his boss and escorted her inside the private club where she was meeting with the children.

When she walked into the room, the kids all jumped to their feet. She was aware of the fear she had instilled in them about a week before. They had to keep an eye on it and see what they were getting themselves into, after all, they were the ones who wanted to work for her. She was not going to hire people who were weak.

Weak people are easily devoured, and she had no intention of wasting her money on raising scared cats and sheep. She required wolves disguised as sheep. The more powerful they were, the better for her.

"Please take a seat. We should all relax because this is a celebratory lunch," she said as she took her seat at the table.

It didn't take long for the food to arrive; she could tell they were still nervous, so she took the opportunity to look at each of them individually. Her gaze was drawn to their leader, Quinton, who did not disappoint her as usual. He was as calm as he had been that night. He never flinched, as if he had accepted his fate, which was exactly what she needed in all of them.

She wanted them to be afraid of her, but she also wanted them to be comfortable and able to live at least half a normal life.

Aurelia couldn't stop herself from complimenting the kids as they began to eat, "Quinton, I heard you made a lot of money on your last mission. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much; it wasn't much. In the future, I will make sure that I outperform myself and make you proud," he said as he looked at her, and her heart fluttered for a second before she brushed it aside and smiled.

"I am glad to hear that," she said, looking at Casey, the oldest girl in the group, and saying, "I expect the same level of hard work from you. Your younger sister is looking at you, and I know you'll do well. I have a task for you, Julius will give you the specifics, and I hope you will not disappoint me."

"I will make you proud," she assured her, but they would all have to wait and see how she behaved.

They ate for an hour before they were done. She decided to do some good deeds because she was full and in a good mood.

"I wanted to meet you for another reason. You will be leaving for my island during the one week break you will all have," she said with a smile, seeing the joy on their faces, "I am not done yet. You all need intensive training, and that location will be ideal. You will be visiting the island on a regular basis, so get used to it. I don't want to hear that even the youngest were harmed by bullies. So, pack your bags. I'll give you enough money to buy all of the necessary outfits."

"I'll send someone to you in two days, so do your business and focus on your studies first, and those who have missions, complete them as well. You do not need to be concerned if you have not yet received your first missions. I have something for you, but you'll have to wait a little longer. In the meantime, work on your skills; we don't want to get caught and spend the rest of our lives in prison, do we?"

"Not at all, Ma'am."

"I love you, remember that, and no matter how cold I am, I will never let anything happen to you," she said as she stood up.

"We know how much you care for us," the youngest Veronica said with a smile, and Aurelia couldn't help but smile back.

"You remind me of my step son, you're both cute," she said as she exited the restaurant. She didn't want to show her emotions in front of the children. That was a resounding NO.

She was silent for about ten minutes as she popped her sweets into her mouth. She didn't feel well; it felt as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest, and she needed to relax. She was aware that the demonic seed within her had already matured.

She was born with demonic blood and had already accepted it. She was aware of her constant desire to cause bloodshed, so she needed to calm down, and there was a place where she could do so without being restrained.

"Let's go to that wholesale, it's about time I did some good," she said as she continued to eat her sweets.

The driver veered off course, and they ended up at a wholesaler, where she went on a shopping spree. She purchased a large number of food boxes, figuring that since she had money, she might as well spend it. The more money you spend; the more money you get back.

The concept was so straightforward. She had the company's truck transport the food to the destination she had chosen about an hour ago after she had gotten what she wanted.

"What made you choose this orphanage?" Julius asked as they made their way to the location.

"I miss being in the company of children. It would be great if I could have one of my own. I'm now like a hen without eggs," Aurelia bemoaned her misfortune.

"You are not required to say that. You are the most compassionate and loving person I've ever met. Have you forgotten you have ten children?"

"They are not mine; the majority of them have their own living families. They won't be able to look at me the way they do their own family. I'm just a ruthless woman who took them in to use them and force them to watch people die. With the way I am, would anyone call me a mother?"

"'Despite that, you and I both know you are not that type of person. Don't be concerned; Mark loves you and will not abandon you even if you are unable to bear children," Julius reassured her, and she smiled.

"If he ever tries it, I'm going to kill him myself. Everything happened because of him, and I will never forgive him if he ever betrays me!" She cringed at the thought of Mark cheating on her; she didn't know what she would do if she ever suspected it.