“B*tch! I can't believe you pushed Zoey down the stairs! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
A gang of youths were gathered by the outdoor swimming pool, surrounding a delicate-looking girl, pale from shock. “I swear I didn’t do it… I swear it wasn’t me!” she pleaded with panic.
“Lucille! You can’t treat Zoey like dirt, even if you’re the darling of the Jules family. We're not letting you off the hook for this! Zoey is lucky to have friends like us—we've got her back!”
"Lucille's not exactly a swimmer. How about we give her a swimming lesson?" a woman said evilly, with narrowed eyes.
The gang suddenly closed in on Lucille, their attractive faces twisting with malice. They shoved her forcefully towards the edge of the pool, sending her tumbling into the water.
Splash!
Lucille thrashed in the water, struggling for breath like a wounded bird.
Circling around the pool, her assailants eyed her like a pack of wolves. "Are you still trying to escape?" taunted one of them. "Hold her down!"
Showing no mercy, they forced the struggling Lucille back into the water. She fought with whatever strength left in her frail body, but her efforts were in vain.
Her body grew weaker and weaker, until eventually she sank beneath the surface…
“Has she stopped moving? Did we just kill her?” someone blurted out in disbelief.
"Quick, get her out of there!" yelled another.
Lucille, on the brink of drowning, was pulled up to the edge of the pool. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. She then grabbed the neck of the person who had rescued her.
She looked just as weak and helpless as before. But now, there was a chilling glint of bloodlust in her eyes. "Let me go!" the guy in Lucille's grasp pleaded in terror.
The leader of the gang rushed over. Her face pale with rage, she yelled out, “Lucille! You’ll get what’s coming for you!”
Lucille quickly turned before the girl could finish her sentence. She then swiftly delivered a flawless kick to her face, sending her crashing to the ground.
Everyone was left speechless.
“What's going on?”
“Is she out of her mind?”
The leader, whose name was Jenny Zanes, was seething with rage. “Well, what are you all standing around for? Beat her up!” she shouted.
As the crowd closed in, Lucille overpowered them one by one. She effortlessly tossed each of her opponents into the pool.
Once the fight was over, Lucille looked around in a daze. Starting to regain her senses, she stumbled two steps forward. She then collapsed onto the ground, with her eyes rolling back in her head.
......
In the shadows, clad in a stylish black suit, a lone and determined young woman was sprinting at full speed.
She was caught by surprise when a mysterious, haunting voice suddenly echoed from the sky, "Lucille, run for your life! Do whatever it takes to stay alive!"
Lucille stopped in her tracks and turned around abruptly. There was a raging fire all around her. Flames danced and spread towards her, threatening to swallow her up.
But Lucille was rooted to the spot. Staring ahead blankly, she uttered a single word, “Mother…”
The mysterious sorrowful voice echoed again, like the mournful call of a cuckoo. Every word was seemingly filled with tears.
“Lucille, throughout the Jules family history, your ancestors were known for their immense triumphs, loyalty and unyielding spirit. That includes your father, who had always acted with a clear conscience. But he was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. It’s your turn now to carry on the fight. Avenge us!”
“Lucille, you’re the last of the Jules bloodline in Dilsburg. Survive this world and stay alive! Bring justice to them—the unjustly executed souls of the Jules family!”
“Escape now! Hurry!”
The woman’s voice now sounded hoarse and desperate. It slowly grew shrill and piercing before falling completely silent.
With tears in her eyes, Lucille watched as the last echo of her mother was swallowed up by the flames. “Mother!” she let out a final scream.
In a hospital room…
Lucille’s eyes opened with a start. She found herself lying on a hospital bed.
A blinding white light completely enveloped her.
What happened?
Did she die?
All she could remember was the top-secret mission the night before. The plan had been leaked and things had spiraled out of control. Before she knew it, she ended up surrounded by enemies. In the ensuing bloodbath, she narrowly escaped with her life.
As she tried to regroup with her allies at an alleyway, she was shot from behind with a dart filled with nerve toxin. From what she remembered, she died where she fell.
Until her death, she had no idea who had betrayed them.
But why was she lying in a hospital bed?
Could it be that she actually survived?
She suddenly recalled a memory that was not hers – an incident at a swimming pool where she brutally beat up a gang of rich girls… Indeed, she had been reborn!
With a loud bang, the hospital door was rudely pushed open, interrupting Lucille’s thoughts.
Two nurses hurried in, paying no attention to Lucille lying down in bed.
“Did you catch the news? Just last night, Lucille, the sole survivor of the Jules family in Dilsburg, was executed for treason!”
“For real? The Jules family girl? The legendary and accomplished warrior, just like her father? Why in the world would she betray her country?”
“Beats me. She’s all over the news now. Now that she’s gone, so is the Jules family bloodline in Dilburg.”
Lucille’s eyes widened in shock. Her hand was tightly clenched under the covers.
Renowned for their courage and loyalty, who would’ve guessed that the Jules family would end up like this? Lucille bit her lip hard. Two drops of tears escaped her eyes but she forced them back in.
There would be no tears, not until this was over!
Filled with an unshakeable fury, she swore to herself that she would get revenge on those who destroyed her family.
Grateful for this second chance, she made a promise to her ancestors that she would uncover the truth and avenge them for what their enemies had done.
The nurses animatedly carried on with their gossip. Then, one of them caught sight of Lucille staring fixedly at the ceiling with an unnaturally crimson gaze.
Why was this patient’s eyes so bloodshot? The nurse thought.
She stared at Lucille in shock and confusion. The intensity of her glare was so unsettling that it sent shivers down her spine.
“How… how…” The long-haired nurse was so horrified, her voice trembled. She couldn’t take her eyes off Lucille.
The short-haired nurse whirled around in annoyance, only to see Lucille staring indifferently at the ceiling.
“Well, she’s mute, anyway,” she sneered.
The long-haired nurse checked on Lucille again. Seeing that Lucille’s face was calm, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It must’ve just been her imagination.
“By the way, this young lady from the Jules family is also called Lucille,” she said.
The short-haired nurse snorted. "Hmph! Compared to the Goddess of War? She's just a worthless good-for-nothing who bullies poor kids like Miss Johnson. She's not even worthy to carry the Goddess of War's shoes!"
Lucille’s eyes flickered icily.
A moment later, the door to the ward opened again.
A delicate-looking girl was wheeled into the ward.
When she saw Lucille, her brows furrowed in concern. "Lucille, you're finally okay! Are you in pain?”
Lucille turned agonizingly to look at the stranger. In an instant, an overwhelming surge of hatred welled up in her chest.
It was a hate that made her heart race, leaving her breathless.
Suddenly, a wave of memories—memories that weren’t hers—started flooding her mind.
She realized that she had been reborn as this girl with the same name: Lucille Jules, the youngest daughter of the branch of the Jules family that resided in Shein City.
Cherished by her family since birth, her life had been turned upside down when she was only ten. It was when she first met Zoey Johnson.
Zoey was the daughter of a close associate of Howard Jules. When Lucille was only ten years old, Zoey had been adopted by the Jules family.
It was rumored that Zoey’s father had given his life to save Howard. This left Howard feeling immensely indebted to his daughter, Zoey. From that moment on, Howard had promised to protect and care for Zoey like his own daughter.
Unfortunately for Lucille, the day Zoey arrived was the day Lucille’s life took a dark, painful turn.
An incredibly deceptive child, Zoey often hid her true intentions behind an innocent smile. She was cunning and manipulative, and always found a way to steal whatever precious thing that belonged to Lucille.
Whether it was Lucille's favorite doll or her beloved group of friends, somehow, Zoey always managed to steal them from her.
In time, Zoey even managed to rob Lucille of her own father’s affection. She also gained the unwavering trust and love of all three of Lucille's older brothers.
To the Jules family, Lucille—their own flesh and blood—gradually became an eyesore and a thorn in their side.
Every time Lucille attempted to expose Zoey's schemes, the entire family clan would scold her for being ungrateful. They’d even accuse her of bullying poor Zoey.
Meanwhile, Zoey happily enjoyed everything that once belonged to Lucille.
She went so far as to accuse Lucille of theft at school, leading Howard to punish her so severely that she was beaten almost to death.
Left completely heartbroken after that incident, she stopped rebelling. She became quieter and more submissive.
Her grades also took a plunge, and her peers began calling her unkind names like “mute” and “idiot”.
At first, Lucille believed this was how the rest of her life would play out.
But her life took a different turn during her 19th birthday party, when she unwittingly caught her fiance locking lips with Zoey on the stairs.
Consumed by grief and anger, Lucille confronted them. She was then accused of "accidentally" pushing Zoey down the stairs.
Amidst the concern for Zoey's injuries, nobody noticed that Zoey’s friends had assaulted the poor Lucille. Because of their actions, she eventually drowned in the swimming pool.
Remembering it all, Lucille felt an intense wave of resentment welling up inside, almost suffocating her.
Taking a deep breath, she whispered to herself, “Let it go. I will avenge you.”
With that promise, the resentment within her body slowly faded away.
Zoey gazed at Lucille's pale face, her expression growing grim. She couldn't shake the feeling that Lucille appeared different from before.
It was her eyes—there was a colder and more piercing look in them.
