Chapter four: Rise Of The Veiled Queen

***Megan’s POV***

—Six Years Later

The screams echoed in the warehouse, and blood splashed on my veiled cheeks. The man tied to the chair, hands bound and face battered, coughed out blood as he looked up at me.

"Please... please forgive me," he whimpered, tears mixing with sweat on his dirt-smeared face. "I didn’t mean to betray you, please, Lady M... I beg you."

I stood tall, silent, a dark veil covering my face. Only my eyes peeked through the slit. I wasn't the same woman I was years ago who would flinch at mere act like this. His life hung by a thread, and I held the scissors.

I took a slow and deliberate step forward.

"You don’t get to say my name," I said calmly.

He sobbed harder, his breath wheezing. “It was a mistake! I was desperate... they offered me money... my daughter needed…"

With a flick of my wrist, the knife slid across his throat.

His eyes widened in shock as blood gushed out, painting his shirt crimson. He gurgled, trying to scream, but it was too late. His body jerked once, then went still.

"Then you should’ve begged them for mercy," I said under my breath.

I stared at the lifeless body a moment longer, until the last trace of life left his eyes. Then I turned to the silent men behind me, my men.

None of them moved.

Not until I spoke.

"Clean this up," I said coldly. "Make sure the others get the message. Betrayal is never rewarded."

"Yes, Boss," one of them muttered, already moving to drag the chair and body away.

I walked out without another word. That kill hadn’t made me feel anything. No thrill. No regret.

But once I was inside my private quarters, I pulled off the veil and collapsed onto the leather couch, head tilted back, eyes to the ceiling.

My hands trembled slightly. Not from guilt. But from memory, no matter the men I had slain I wasn't satisfied that they weren't Joe.

Six years ago, I had nothing.

I still remembered leaving Joe’s mansion that night, barefoot, bleeding, destroyed. My dignity had been crushed under his shoe like I was nothing but a discarded toy. I wandered the streets like a ghost, my heart aching, my body weak, my eyes wild with pain.

Then the van pulled up.

It was black, quiet, and sudden. Before I could even turn around, something hit the back of my head. Sharp, cold pain. And then darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up, I was in a bright white room. Empty walls and no windows. My body was wrapped in bandages. My skin itched and burned. And across the room, a man sat in a chair, arms crossed.

Kai Slayer.

I hadn’t known his name then. I just saw his eyes, calculating and quiet. He was young, not much older than me. He had a scar running from his jaw to the base of his neck. He looked like someone who’d lived a thousand lifetimes through violence alone.

"So you're Joe's wife," he said abruptly.

My throat was dry. I could barely sit up. For a moment I thought joe had sent him. "Not anymore."

He gave a dry chuckle. "Good. I don’t like that bastard either."

I squinted at him. "Why did you save me?"

He stood, walking slowly toward me. "Because I figured the bastard finally threw you out.

“He didn't. I left.”

He chuckled. “We have a common enemy, honey. And I see potential. Work for me. Become someone he can’t trample on. Someone the world will kneel for."

I didn’t answer then. But deep down, I was thrilled.

I took the deal.

I trained under mercenaries, bled in the sand, fought in underground rings. I studied under assassins, learned how to poison, how to shoot, how to disappear. I learned to command. I learned to lead. I handled drug trades, weapon shipments, and high-stakes deals across countries. I became a name whispered in fear, the Veiled Queen.

But nothing could’ve prepared me for the day I missed my period.

I tried to ignore it. I blamed the nausea on stress. I told myself it was nothing.

But Kai noticed.

He cornered me one evening, tossing a test kit into my hand. "Take it."

I stared at it, shaking.

I did.

Positive.

I was pregnant.

“It’s Joe’s,” I whispered. My voice barely audible.

He didn’t say anything for a long time. He just stared at me.

Then he stepped closer and looked me dead in the eye.

“Then you train harder,” he said. “You become someone they’ll fear even before they know your name. And when the time comes, you go back and take everything.”

And I did.

Now, I was in my suite. My face was still veiled. My name still feared across all cities, Lady M. Noone knew who I was beneath the veil

The door opened behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Kai.

“They’re half asleep,” he said as he walked in, my two little boys trailing behind him in matching hoodies. Their eyes were sleepy, and they each clutched a toy gun.

"Mummy," Cole said first, his voice soft and warm.

Ethan didn’t wait. He ran to me, arms wide open. "We’re hungry."

I turned, removing the veil. My boys. My heartbeat. Ethan and Cole. Six years old and already smarter than most grown men.

"You just ate," I said, crouching to hug them.

"We want noodles," Cole mumbled.

"With egg!" Ethan added.

Kai chuckled, setting down a grocery bag. "There’s cup noodles in the bag. Go warm it with the maid."

They dashed out in unison.

Kai turned to me.

"Flight's in two days. Everything’s ready."

I nodded slowly. "And the facade?"

"Perfectly constructed," he said. "You’re now the CEO of Raven Vogue. Your fashion business is legal, clean, and profitable. Apartment's in uptown Manhattan. Staff well trained. And… there's no ties to me or the syndicate whatsoever."

I closed my eyes for a second, breathing out.

Returning to the States.

Returning to his space. Joe had done so well for himself and taken after his father, sadly his father succumbed and gave him the empire even without my presence, alongside the conniving Miranda, he ruled the whole of the states, and with the veiled queen going there, it would trigger alot.

I sighed. "And school for the boys?"

"Enrolled," he replied. "Elite academy. Nobody will question their identity. Their records are airtight."

I moved to pour myself a glass of whiskey. My hands shook just a little as I gripped the bottle.

"You scared?" Kai asked.

I looked at him. "No. Just anxious."

I swirled the glass gently, watching the amber liquid roll against the sides.

"I’m not the same woman who left his house crying. But still… he ruined me. Now I get to show him what he created."

Kai sat on bed, folding his arms.

“You’re stronger than him now. He wouldn’t even recognize you.”

I smirked and sipped my whiskey. “Oh, he will. The day I bring him to his knees, he’ll know exactly who I am.”

He stared at me for a while before standing. “We start moving tomorrow. Your first public appearance will be at the grand reopening of the New York Raven Vogue headquarters. The press will be there.”

I turned back to the window.

“Let the world meet the Boss Lady.”

And just like that, the curtain to my vengeance lifted, slowly, silently, like a dagger waiting to strike.