Lady Virelia Nightbane

Seeing Eric Shaw being knocked to the ground, the security guards that had followed him stood frozen in shock.

"Huh?" one muttered, blinking rapidly. Their leader had just been taken down. What now? Should they fight back?

Ava Carter was stunned too. After a few moments, she found her voice. "Leo, what are you doing? Come back here!"

Ah! Leo, why did you suddenly attack?!

Though it was undeniably satisfying to see Eric brought down, this felt just like it had in her past life—brash and reckless.

This young lady is really good at pretending, Leo thought with a faint smile. Still knows how to play the double act, huh?

Turning to Ava with a guilty expression, Leo said loudly, "Miss, I couldn't help myself. This man was both ignorant and arrogant. A fool who couldn't even answer your basic questions."

He gestured toward Eric on the floor. "To think someone like him holds the second-in-command position? That only shows the person in charge is no better—both complete idiots."

"Such incompetents have been feeding off the Ava family's business for years. Just the thought of it made my blood boil. I lost control and struck out. I hope you can forgive me, Miss."

Ryan and the other followers behind Leo wore amused expressions, glancing at Ava with admiration.

Ah, so that's it.

The young lady couldn't directly order action. So Leo had stepped forward to take the blame.

Even Eric was dumbfounded. First, he looked at Leo, and then at Ava. What a cunning move.

She couldn't act without backlash, but if a loyal follower did it? There'd be no problem. Miss Ava Carter wasn't the naive heiress people thought she was!

Ava blinked, confused by everyone's expressions.

She quickly realized they believed she had commanded Leo, and he had bravely taken the heat for her.

But she hadn't! Not at all!

Before she could speak, Eric clutched his face and screamed, "He hit me! Ava Carter's follower hit me!"

Hmph. So what if your follower acted first? As long as he's associated with you, this whole mess will fall squarely on your shoulders.

Eric's security team erupted in outrage.

"Miss Ava, what is the meaning of this?! Why attack our colleague?!"

"We dropped everything to come at your request—and now we're being assaulted?!"

"You treat us like thugs! Do you think being the Ava family's heiress gives you the right to behave like this?!"

Ava exhaled slowly.

Should I back down? That might de-escalate things now, but taking control of the company in the future would be ten times harder.

But if I go as hard as I did in my last life, the result might be just as tragic.

Am I really fated to repeat the same path?

Suddenly, a shadow flickered among the crowd like a ghost.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Several sharp slaps cracked through the air. Bodies fell one by one to the ground, groaning.

Everyone turned in stunned silence. There stood Leo, arms folded, a sneer on his lips.

He had used his [Stooge Ghost Body] technique to strike down every last standing guard.

Everyone gawked.

Leo's voice echoed coldly. "This is the Ava Group, the property of the Ava family. My lady is its rightful heir."

"And you nobodies think you can bark orders here?"

"Forget slapping—if I tossed you all into the sea to feed the fish, not a soul would dare blame my lady!"

"You worthless cowards actually thought you could show off in front of my young lady?"

He glanced back.

"Ryan, Zhulan—take this trash and come with us. We're meeting your so-called person in charge!"

"Let's see who else dares to play games in front of my young lady!"

Zhulan pointed at herself, confused. Since when did you get to order me?

Ryan, however, immediately stepped forward with a grin. "Yes, Brother Leo!"

The rest of the group followed suit, moving in formation, hauling up Eric Shaw and the others.

Zhulan, still stunned, had no choice but to comply.

Ava stood rooted in place.

What... just happened?

Leo returned to her side and bowed slightly. "Miss, the trash has been taken care of. We await your command to take full control of the company."

Hey, hey, hey! Ava screamed internally. Stop making it look like I'm here to overthrow the company!

You're going to drive me crazy!!

She sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's go. Let's meet this person in charge."

Fine. These men weren't fated to be Sons of Destiny.

So be it. But the person in charge… must not be allowed to slip away.

---

Top Floor of the Ava Group Building

Greg Mason reclined in a luxurious office chair, puffing lazily on a cigar.

If his instincts were right, Ava Carter must have lost control and lashed out.

And if she had, she'd played right into Sophia's hands.

Pfft. That spoiled heiress who was exiled from the Ava family? She could never compete with Sophia.

If things went according to plan, the board would hand over the company to Sophia in no time. And Greg Mason would earn a hefty reward.

He snuffed out his cigar with a smirk.

Time to check on the chaos.

Just as he stood and stretched—

BOOM!!

The office doors burst open with a deafening crash.

Leo marched in with a commanding presence, eyes scanning the room. "Who here is Greg Mason?!"

Greg froze.

Before he could react, Eric Shaw and the others were dragged in—faces swollen, spirits broken.

One of them looked like a pig's head, but Greg still recognized him instantly.

"Eric?! What the hell happened to you?!"

Then he spotted Ava Carter.

Her presence hit like a storm. Cold, calm, terrifyingly composed.

Greg instantly broke into a sweat.

He hadn't gotten this far in life through power, but by reading the room.

Right now, the room screamed: Don't mess with her.

So he plastered on a smile and stepped forward. "Miss Ava, what... what's going on here? Did my men—"

SMACK!!

Before he could finish, Leo stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face, shutting him up instantly.

Greg staggered.

What the hell? This guy doesn't follow the script! I hadn't even pinned the blame on my subordinates yet!

Leo glared at him. "Save your act. You're the puppet master, right? So why play innocent?"

Seeing Ava's cold silence, Leo took it further.

He grabbed Greg by the collar, yanked him forward, and gestured toward Eric.

"This idiot claimed you weren't here. But you clearly are."

"So you owe us 200 slaps."

Greg's face turned pale. "W-who said that was the rule?"

Leo raised an eyebrow, hand already lifting. "I did."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A stream of crisp slaps echoed through the room.

The crowd winced with each one.

Even Ava didn't flinch.

Inside though, she had already given up emotionally.

My heart has gone numb, she thought. Nothing matters anymore.

Leo... you better know how to run this company. Otherwise, we're both doomed.

I don't want to go through another BAD END...

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