章節 12: Who Sent You?

After punching the dickhead, Eira wasn't satisfied. One punch wasn't enough—she wanted to beat him until he was in the hospital.

A pity doing that would ruin her cover.

Breathing in and out, Eira forced herself to calm down, gradually reducing the scowl on her face to something more neutral. She was nearing the classroom, and the last thing she wanted was to walk in with such an expression. The curious and pitiful looks she was already getting were enough; she didn't need questioning ones added to the mix.

Calm down, Eira. Remember, the finest revenge is one you savor, Eira reminded herself, forcing her clenched fists to relax. She took another deep breath, shaking off the last vestiges of her anger.

As she approached the classroom door, she rolled her shoulders, loosening the tension that had built up. The hallways were quiet, but she could feel the gazes on her, whispers trailing behind her steps.

Her hand rested on the door handle for a moment, and she forced one last calming breath. She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. She had a plan—one that didn't involve letting her enemies know just how dangerous she could be.

Pushing the door open, she stepped into the classroom, her face a carefully constructed mask of calm. The whispers quieted, and she could feel the weight of curious stares landing on her. But Eira ignored them, moving swiftly to her seat without meeting anyone's eyes. She grabbed her bag and brought out her phone.

At least her phone was one of the latest Apple models. It was given to Ephyra by her father on her seventeenth birthday, last year.

She unlocked it and checked the bank app.

Let's see if the money in it will be enough to order a ride from here to Ephyra's home.

From Ephyra's memories, she never got any money from the Allens. It was only during festive periods her stepmother gave her money. And that money had long been spent on either food or clothes. Her nanny would always sneakily give her food and buy clothes for her. Ephyra started declining when Elma got reprimanded, and her salary was cut off for that month.

Sigh, she'd have to look for a way to make money while making sure that she got first place this semester.

Eira smiled wryly. The life of an ostracized teenager was hard. Just like her previous life.

Account balance: $500.00

What?

Who sent her money?

At that moment, a text message from her nanny came in.

{How are you doing in school? Hope everything is going well. I just sent you some money; I forgot to give you the cab fare for when you're coming back! Silly me. Remember that the hospital bill was cleared by Sir Liam, and there was some money left over. I added a bit more to it, just in case you need anything. Take care, my dear, and let me know if you need more. Love, Elma.}

Eira stared at the screen for a moment, a mix of emotions bubbling inside her. Gratitude, frustration, and a strange warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. Elma, despite the harsh treatment from the Allens, always tried to look out for Ephyra.

"Thank you, Elma," she muttered under her breath, her fingers typing a quick response, assuring her nanny that everything was fine at school. Eira's lips tugged into a small, genuine smile as she hit send, but it quickly faded as her mind returned to her plan.

Money was always useful, but $500 wouldn't last long. If she was going to survive—and thrive—she needed more. She had a list of things to take care of, and revenge required resources.

She leaned back in her chair, her mind racing through possible ways to secure more cash. She couldn't rely on Elma, and she certainly wasn't going to beg the Allens. That would be beneath her.

Then an idea struck.

In her past life as an assassin, some of her colleagues and friends liked to take side jobs. And, in order not to get caught by their superiors in the organization, there was a website where different requests—ranging from assassination, hacking services, and information trading to answering academic questions—could be found. The anonymity of the site was its biggest selling point, attracting all kinds of people, from skilled professionals to ordinary folks looking for something discreetly handled.

The more dangerous the task, the higher the payout.

Eira's fingers hovered over her phone screen as the memory flooded back. She had never used that website herself in her past life, preferring to keep her work direct and clean, but this wasn't her old life. She didn't have her resources, her network, or her name. But she still had her skills and her memory.

Not to forget, she had the AI.

Eira smiled as she tapped into her phone's browser, searching through layers of encryption, proxies, and firewalls to ensure her identity was protected. This wasn't her first time on the dark web. Though she hadn't used it much, she'd created an account out of curiosity and knew how to cover her tracks. After a few moments, the familiar yet eerie homepage loaded, its black background and minimalistic design greeting her.

Welcome to The Black Exchange.

It was still as she remembered.

She navigated through the categories, her fingers dancing over the screen. Requests for assassinations, discreet surveillance, and high-level hacking services lined the pages. But that wasn't what she needed right now. She wasn't ready to get her hands dirty just yet—not when she was still playing the long game.

[Master, you can take the requests for high-level hacking services, and I will help you with it.]

[I also want to, okay? But not yet. Let's start small. I'm sure the high-level users on this website know each other, and suddenly seeing a newbie offering expert services would raise suspicions. Besides, I want to gauge the waters first.]

She scrolled further until she found the smaller, less dangerous jobs—information gathering, academic assistance, and minor hacking gigs. Perfect. It wasn't the fastest way to earn cash, but it was steady, and more importantly, it wouldn't draw unwanted attention.

"Let's start here," she muttered to herself, clicking on a few requests.

- Request: Access to encrypted financial records.

Payout: $1,500.

- Request: Find details on a missing person.

Payout: $1,000.

- Request: Research academic papers for a PhD student.

Payout: $500.

Eira's eyes settled on the third and first ones. The latter was simple, straightforward, and something that wouldn't require her to dig too deep into anything dangerous, while the former was a little bit complex but tempting. But, with the AI's help, she could finish it quickly and get the money she needed.

She opened the first request, read the details, and accepted the job.

[Master, do you need my help?]

[Yes, but not yet.]

Sliding lower into her seat, Eira glanced around the classroom, confirming that no one had their eyes on her. Most of the students had already turned back to their work, no longer interested in her arrival. It gave her the cover she needed. Her fingers flew across the screen as she initiated the job.

[Master, I'm ready whenever you are.]

[Almost there,] she thought back, her lips tugging into a smile.

As the AI began running through the encryption protocols, Eira leaned back, her mind wandering. The money was a start, but it wasn't the endgame. No, this was about much more than just surviving. She had debts to settle, grudges to even out, and a name to make for herself in this new world.

As the AI cracked the encryption, Eira's phone buzzed softly. The task was complete.

"Well, that was fast," she whispered. The payout was already transferred to her account, and a soft ping confirmed the updated balance.

$2,000.

Better, but still not enough.

"All right," she muttered, closing out of the dark web and returning her phone to her bag.

"Hey!" she heard a chirpy voice beside her, and she turned her head to see the Dellinger siblings standing in front of her desk.

Malia was smiling at her, while Orla had a blank expression on her face.

"We went to the recovery room but couldn't find you. Luckily, we came back to the class and didn't look for you around like headless chickens. Hehe!"

"Thanks to me," Orla muttered behind her sister.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks to you."

Eira looked between the sisters and couldn't help but wonder what they wanted from her.

Sure, they'd been extremely helpful, but she didn't think they would seek her out.

"Uhm, hi. What can I do for you?"

"Well," Malia took a seat on the empty chair beside her, "we saw what happened in the locker room and also read the post. I feel so bad for you. What your stepsister and fiancé did to you wasn't fair, so if you need a shoulder to cry on, a friend to talk to, or anything else, we're here, okay?"

Eira hesitated before nodding with a smile. "Thank you. That's so kind of you."

"Don't mention it. Oh, by the way, my name is Malia, and my grumpy sister here is Orla. I hope we can be friends, Ephyra."

"R-really?"

"Yes, really!"

Eira smiled widely, "Friends then."

Malia's bright smile widened. "Great! Let's exchange numbers!"

The three of them exchanged numbers with Malia beaming, Orla staying expressionless, and Ephyra smiling.

Immediately after they finished exchanging numbers, the teacher came in.

Malia frowned and turned to Ephyra, "See you after school then?"

Eira smiled as she nodded, "Sure."

With that, the Dellinger siblings left her desk, and the smile on her lips disappeared.

…

As soon as it was time to go home, Eira didn't wait a second more, she grabbed her bag, left the class through the back door, and hurried out of the school. Luckily, the Dellingers didn't see her nor did anyone else.

Eira walked for a while from the school gates before seeing a cab.

"Forest Hills Gardens?" she asked the cab driver as she opened the door and slipped into the backseat. The driver nodded, glancing at her through the rearview mirror before pulling away from the curb.

Eira leaned back in her seat, her mind spinning as the city passed by in a blur outside the window. She needed to keep a low profile, and avoiding the Dellingers after school was just the first step. Malia seemed genuinely kind, but Eira couldn't afford to get too close to anyone.

As the cab weaved through the streets, she checked her phone again, eyeing the updated balance in her account. $2,000 was a good start, but her list of expenses kept growing. Transportation, meals, and clothes were just the beginning. She would need somewhere to live once she turned eighteen in a month and a half.

[Master, a car has been following us from your school, and they seem to be carrying weapons.]

[What? Are you sure?]

[Yes master.]

Fuck!

[What are you going to do?]

[We can't out race them, can we?]

[No, the car they are using is faster and stronger than the one you're riding in.]

Eira closed her eyes and sighed.

[Then we face them, how many are they?]

[Four.]

[And how strong is my body now?]

[75% Master, stronger than an average adult male, but not at full capacity yet.]

Eira gritted her teeth. She wasn't at full strength, but she had no choice. If they were armed and following her this closely, they weren't here to just scare her. She needed to act before they got the upper hand.

[Alright. Here's the plan. Tell the driver to stop somewhere secluded. I'll handle the rest.]

Without hesitation, the AI sent a subtle command to the cab's GPS, rerouting it to a quieter part of town, away from the usual city traffic. The driver, unaware of the situation, followed the instructions.

As they approached an isolated alley, the cab slowed down. She glanced back briefly, spotting the black SUV tailing them.

[Master, they're preparing to close in.]

[Good. Let them.]

The cab stopped, and Eira quickly slid out, her movements graceful and controlled. She didn't want to involve the driver, so she waved him off, sending him on his way with a fabricated excuse about needing some privacy.

As the cab disappeared into the distance, the black SUV screeched to a halt a few meters behind her. Four men, covered in tattoos, dressed in dark clothes, and armed, stepped out. They looked at her with cold, calculated expressions, not realizing the trap they had just walked into.

Eira tilted her head, a wicked smile on her lips as she watched the four men.

"I can't believe I'm saying this again but may I know who sent you?"