CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 191

For a split second, Maria’s mind raced wildly, then, like a hammer to her skull, realization slammed into her.

The job... the job she gave to the Black Bear...It wasn’t hard to connect the dots now.

Maybe it wasn’t just the girl, Valentina, they were interested in.

Maybe the Black Bear had bitten off more than he could chew without knowing it.

But if she tell the whole truth... they’ll know it was about Valentina.

If I twist it just enough... maybe she can survive this.

At that moment Maria inhaled shakily, lowering her eyes briefly before raising them again, carefully arranging her face into a mixture of regret and innocence.

"Well," she started slowly, her voice deliberately softer, almost trembling,

"I am just as surprised as you are. Truly."

She placed a hand on her chest, adding a slight shake to her words.

"I had no intention of causing any trouble. I wasn’t looking to hurt anyone beyond what was necessary."

At that moment She swallowed, crafting each word carefully.

"I simply gave the Black Bear boss a job concerning... my husband’s daughter."

One of the men shifted slightly at the mention.

"She has been... a thorn in my flesh for some time now," Maria continued, her voice growing steadier as she leaned into the lie.

"Always challenging me, disrespecting me... making my life miserable in this house."

The three men listened, their faces unreadable.

"So, yes," Maria confessed, lowering her head slightly,

"I gave him the task to take care of her, to... deal with her."

She licked her lips nervously, her heart hammering.

"I provided everything he needed. The information, the timing, and he promised me, that it would be done by the next day."

Maria paused, letting her words sink in.

"But when the next day came... I heard the news."

She raised her eyes to meet theirs fully, the fear in them now genuine.

"Instead of my problem being solved... it was the Black Bear boss himself who ended up dead."

Maria folded her hands tightly on her lap, trying to maintain the appearance of composure, even though her heart was racing out of control inside her chest.

"I don’t quite understand what happened," she said, her voice tight but steady, weaving the final pieces of her lie.

"But..." she paused for effect, lowering her voice as if she were sharing something dangerous, "I am very, very suspicious of one person."

Immediately the three men leaned forward slightly, their sharp gazes cutting into her like knives.

"Her name is Valentina," Maria finally said, letting the name hang heavy in the air.

"The girl has always been a problem," she continued, her tone dripping with frustration. "And now... I strongly believe that her so-called husband, that thug she married, was involved too. He must have been the one who did it — and made it seem like it was some animal attack."

Maria clutched the armrest tighter as she spoke, pushing the story further, making herself sound like a victim — a bystander caught in something much bigger than herself.

For a moment, the room fell silent again, but this time the air shifted, It became colder.

More dangerous, the three members of the Circle exchanged looks, their faces darkening as the realization sunk in.

The woman before them Maria might be a liar or a coward.

But one thing was clear: she had no reason to lie about something like this, especially not with the fear so clearly trembling in her voice, their subordinate hadn’t died by accident, someone had dared to raise a hand against one of their own.

And worse it was some ordinary woman and her husband.

An outsider, an insect, It was a direct slap to the Circle’s pride.

An unforgivable insult.

The scarred man stood up sharply, his chair screeching back against the floor.

He pointed his gloved hand toward Maria, his voice thundering through the room.

"We are not going to let this go."

The others rose too, their faces cold and full of promise.

"Both the lady.. and her so-called husband..."he growled, "will learn what it means to defy us."

His words cut through the air like steel.

"They are going to beg for help.

They are going to cry for mercy."

A sinister smile curled on his lips.

"But no one will come to save them."

The three men moved in perfect sync, standing tall and merciless as they made their decision without hesitation.

Since Valentina was the target that led to their most loyal apprentice death, it was only fitting she would be the first to suffer, and they would make sure her cries echoed through every corner of this city before they were done.

As the three Circle members rose from their seats, the air around them seemed to shift heavy, suffocating, and filled with the silent promise of violence.

Their sharp, merciless expressions alone were enough to send any normal person trembling in fear.

But not Maria, Instead, a slow, cold smile began to spread across her lips.

Deep inside, she was practically beaming, this... this is the breakthrough I’ve been waiting for, she thought triumphantly.

If anyone can truly destroy Valentina and that arrogant husband of hers... it’s these men.

Maria had lived long enough to recognize real killers when she saw them.

The way they moved.

The way they barely spoke, yet their very presence screamed danger, they weren’t here to negotiate, they weren’t here to scare.

They were here to eliminate.

Quick, Brutal, Final, and knowing that brought Maria a perverse sense of joy.

Valentina won’t even know what hit her, she mused darkly, her smile deepening.

By the time she realizes anything, it will already be too late.

She could almost picture it Valentina’s cries for help, her desperate pleas, her helplessness.

It made Maria’s heart swell with satisfaction, the three men turned, ready to leave, already making plans among themselves with just glances and slight nods.

But before they could take another step, Maria moved quickly.

"Wait," she said, her voice calm and respectful, but with a hint of excitement she couldn’t quite hide.

The three men paused, turning back to her, their faces cold and expectant.

At that moment Maria reached for her handbag resting on the nearby table.

"I want to give you something," she said.