Chapter 46
When Maurice and his men were about to praise the new name to show their admiration, they realized that Narissa had left without a trace.
Narissa left so quietly, not even leaving a word. It seemed she was used to coming and going unseen.
“Ms. Everton, you didn’t leave a number!” Maurice rushed out in a hurry. But she was nowhere to be found. He immediately sent men to look for her, but not a trace of her could be seen.
“Mr. Robles.” Nelson scratched his head, confused. “What is the deal with this Ms. Everton? Appears and disappears like a ghost, utterly unfathomable.”
“How the hell should I know? But I got a feeling. She might just make us the top dogs in Sinney’s underworld,” Maurice said.
The others scoffed, dismissing it as a joke. None could know that Maurice’s snap decision would indeed reshape Sinney’s criminal landscape, eventually propelling the Overlord Alliance onto the world stage.
But that, as they say, was foreshadowing of what was to come.
*****
To prepare for the imminent sparring competition with Lunaris Academy, Regality Academy decided to conduct an unconventional, high–stakes training exercise.
Regality had spent a fortune chartering a private, uninhabited island far out at sea. Every student was required to attend.
Narissa received this notice when she returned to the academy after the Everton family’s reunion party. She and Cressida were immediately informed classes were suspended and ordered to go home and pack.
Cressida, radiating her usual disdain for Narissa, left first. By the time Narissa arrived home, Cressida was already packed, enjoying Amanda and Hector’s pre–departure attention.
“Narissa, darling. You’re back.” Amanda rushed to her, cupping Narissa’s face, her eyes already misty. “Cressida told us about the training. My poor girl, sent off to suffer again. I can’t bear the thought of you going.”
Cressida’s face darkened. The undivided attention Amanda and Hector had showered on her moments ago vanished the instant Narissa walked in. She felt instantly invisible. ‘Why? Why does she always steal everything?‘ she seethed internally.
“Dad, Mom,” Cressida interjected, her voice laced with false sweetness, “I really don’t think you need to worry about Narissa. She managed alone for years, didn’t she? She’s probably tougher than I am. Right, Narissa?”
Narissa knew Cressida had a grudge against her, but she thought it was better to avoid trouble and didn’t refute her.
However, Amanda disagreed. “Cressida, what a thing to say. Precisely because Narissa suffered alone for so long and has only just begun to enjoy comfort.
“I hate the thought of her facing hardship again. Promise me you’ll look out for her on the island, okay?”
Cressida remained stubbornly silent. “Cressida! Did you hear your mother?” Hector’s voice held a sharp edge.
Cowed by Hector’s tone, Cressida muttered, “Yeah, Dad.”
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Amanda smoothed Narissa’s hair affectionately. “Sweetheart, those islands, they’re dangerous. You haven’t had Cressida’s years of rigorous combat training. Who knows what could happen?”
The thought made Amanda even more anxious. “Maybe you shouldn’t go? We can talk to your teachers. You just started; you haven’t learned proper fighting techniques yet. They’ll understand.”
Hearing this, Cressida protested quickly, “Dad, Mom. Narissa is now part of the academy. Refusing to go would be admitting defeat and spitting on the school’s honor. How will she ever fit in with everyone if she does that?”
“Oh…” Amanda was in a dilemma.
“It’s alright, Mom, Dad,” Narissa said calmly, offering them a reassuring smile. “I can take care of myself.”
Cressida’s motives for pushing her to go were transparent and irrelevant. No one born yet could successfully scheme against
Narissa.
“Well, if you’re sure, darling,” Amanda conceded reluctantly. “But we’ll pack extra supplies for you. Just in case.”
Then she turned to Hector. “Don’t just stand there. Go get body armor, emergency kits, anything defensive. They cannot get hurt on that island.”
. “Right away, dear.” Hector, instantly transformed into an obedient husband by Amanda’s command, called someone to
prepare the items.
Watching Amanda and Hector fuss over Narissa like precious jewels, Cressida’s resentment boiled over. ‘Come on. She’s trash. She doesn’t deserve this,‘ she thought.
Thinking of this, Cressida said, “Honestly, there’s no point giving her that high–end gear. She wouldn’t know how to use it anyway.”
“If Narissa doesn’t know, then you teach her!” Hector snapped.
“Me? Teach her?” Cressida was astonished. “Well, she’d need to be willing to learn,” Cressida added pointedly.
Narissa cut in smoothly, “No teaching needed. I’ll figure it out.”
Cressida rolled her eyes secretly. ‘Such a faker. Who does she think she is?‘ she thought.
She sneered, “You really have no clue how dangerous it is, do you? Only an idiot bites off more than they can chew. And don’t expect me to babysit you constantly over there.”
“Th–that sounds even worse!” Amanda’s heart raced again. Seeing Amanda on the verge of tears, Hector also tried to persuade Narissa not to take the risk.
Just then, Dario’s voice, sharp with disdain, cut through the room. “What’s there to discuss? Call the academy. Tell them she’s not going. Spares us embarrassment.”
Dario looked Narissa up and down with utter contempt. “Look at her. Utterly useless. Sending her, practically delivering her to her death!”
Amanda burst into tears. “Hector, please. Don’t let her go. Call them right now. Tell them to cancel it, okay?”
“Don’t cry. I’ll call right away. I won’t let Narissa take part in the training,” Hector soothed, pulling out his phone.
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Cressida’s plan to see Narissa humiliated was unraveling. “This won’t do. I need to push her,‘ she thought. She opened her mouth, intending to goad Narissa into going. “Narissa, you won’t-”
Before Cressida could finish her sentence, Narissa frowned slightly and spoke up, surprising everyone present.
“Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ve experienced similar conditions before. Field survival?” Her voice was calm, almost dismissive. “That’s just basic training.”
Before returning to the Everton family, Narissa had gone through all kinds of hardships. Once, she was sent on a special mission to catch a fugitive in the uninhabited area of a rainforest.
A critical error with her backup left her stranded without supplies for ten days and ten nights.
She couldn’t risk large–scale hunting or building fires to cook–any commotion would tip off the fugitive. So she survived by eating insects and ants.
And still, she pulled off the capture flawlessly. To her, surviving in the wild was nothing more than second nature.
