A Vengeance Worth a Life

Five years ago, I drove a knife straight into Finn Quinn's gut with my own hands. All because he killed my adoptive parents—the couple who took me in when I was lost, who fed me warm meals. As the iron prison gates slammed shut, I stared at the direction where Finn Quinn was taken away, my mind fixed on one thought: This is far from over. Five years later, in the third month after my release, a girl in a white dress knocked on my door. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, the scent of shampoo still clinging to the ends, and she gripped a neatly folded piece of paper in her hand. "So, you're the one who used to live in the same courtyard as Finn Quinn?" She shoved the paper in front of me, her voice crisp but dripping with venom. I unfolded the paper — a paternity test report. The names 'Finn Quinn' and 'Ruby Quinn' stood out like glaring inkblots. "So what?" I threw the report back into her hands, my knuckles turning white from the grip. Ruby Quinn bent down, leaning close to my ear, her hot breath scorching my face. "Finn Quinn only acknowledges me as his daughter now. You're just a discarded pawn he picked up on a whim." I said nothing, raising my hand to grip her neck. Ruby's eyes instantly went wide, her hands clawing wildly at my arms, her nails biting into my flesh. "You dare... kill me? Finn Quinn will never let you go!" Her voice faltered as her face turned a deep purple. I watched her body go limp, then pulled out my mobile phone and took a photo of her face. In the photo, her eyes were still open, filled with defiance. I opened Finn Quinn's W Chat, sent the photo, and added just one sentence: "Your precious daughter—I'm 'keeping' her for you." When the sent confirmation popped up, the corner of my mouth twitched into a smirk. Finn Quinn, the debt from five years ago—it's time to start paying up.