Chapter 455

The men outside wore dark sunglasses and carried guns openly at their sides. They didn’t look like the kind of people who had good intentions.

Jasmine didn’t open the door right away. She checked the camera feed instead, and what she saw only convinced her further that the door should stay shut.

But whoever was outside wasn’t giving up. The doorbell kept ringing, again and again, growing more urgent by the second. If they kept this up, she had no doubt they’d try to force their way in.

Panic started to creep in. She rushed back to the bedroom. “Ms. Hanks, there’s a group of men outside. They look… off. Like trouble.”

Gracie was sleeping soundly in her crib, completely unaware of the danger on the other side of the door.

Shermaine was already dressed. She’d changed into black leggings and a loose T-shirt, her real hair hidden under a wig, her eye color masked by contacts. Every trace of her former appearance had been scrubbed clean.

Without a flicker of worry, she said, “Stay with Gracie. I’ll deal with them.”

“They’ve got guns,” Jasmine warned, her voice tight. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

And with that, Shermaine slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Jasmine moved closer to the monitors. Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t like the idea of Shermaine facing them alone. The security feed showed everything.

The moment the men kicked the door open and stormed inside, their eyes locked onto Shermaine at once, scanning her from head to toe.

But she wore a face mask. They couldn’t see a thing.

They were mercenaries from the infamous Violet Unit out of Radford, hired guns who’d been chasing the sky-high bounty on a certain fugitive for months.

They didn’t know exactly what she looked like, just that she traveled with a man, and that she had red hair.

They’d found nothing until word leaked that a woman had given birth to a red-haired baby.

That clue had brought them here.

“Jace,” the leader said, “check if she’s in disguise.”

One of the men stepped forward. Just as he reached for her mask, Shermaine moved. Her hand shot out, twisted his arm behind his back, and popped his shoulder out of place in a blink. He reached for his gun, but it was gone.

She was already holding it, pressing the muzzle to his temple.

He froze.

Then came the shot.

He crumpled instantly, lifeless on the floor.

They’d come for the bounty, so Shermaine had no intention of holding back.

The others tensed. One of them spat, “So you are Shermaine. The one on the most-wanted list."

She didn’t confirm it. “Wanna be sure?” she said coolly. “Come find out.”

That was all the invitation they needed, and they lunged.

Shermaine hadn’t fought anyone in months, not since she’d gotten pregnant. But now, the baby was born, and her reflexes were sharp as ever.

In the room, Jasmine watched in stunned silence.

‘So cool!’ she screamed in her mind.

These weren’t amateurs. They were trained killers. But against Shermaine, they may as well have been paper targets. She moved through them like a storm, each strike precise, fast, brutal.

It didn’t take long. One by one, they hit the ground, either unconscious or broken.

They’d thought they could take her down before anyone else did. Cash in fast. But they’d severely underestimated their mark.

And this was only the beginning. Others would come, like bounty hunters, assassins, people far more dangerous than this bunch. Soon, even running might not be an option.

Shermaine stood among the bodies and didn’t waste a second. She returned to the bedroom. “Pack up. We’re leaving.”

Jasmine had already started while the fight was still going. By the time Shermaine walked in, most of their things were ready.

Their next stop was Sweetport, where the opening rounds of the International Gambling Tournament Top Hundred were about to begin.

Sure enough, barely moments after they left, a wave of mercenaries and hired guns descended on the place.

Truth be told, Shermaine could have wiped her identity clean the moment the baby was born. But she didn’t. In fact, it almost seemed intentional, like she’d left breadcrumbs for people to find her.

Now that the child was born, she wasn’t afraid of being hunted anymore.

For months, Shermaine had been a ghost, impossible to trace. Now, for the first time, her name resurfaced.

The search combed through every corner of Radford, but turned up nothing.

What they did confirm was she had left the hotel and vanished from Radford altogether.

The news traveled fast, reaching Eagle Assassins‘ headquarters within hours.

Zane was the first to get the report and brought it straight to Joshua. “Mr. Reaper, we may have a sighting. Your wife may have shown up in Radford.”

Joshua’s eyes darkened. “How sure are you?”

“The mercs who went after her were all killed. No one got a look at her face,” Zane explained. “But apparently… someone saw a baby. Red-haired. That’s what raised the alarm.”

Shermaine’s due date had been right around this time. Unless something had gone terribly wrong, the chances were overwhelming. A flicker of fire sparked in Joshua’s eyes. “Where is she now?”

“She’s gone. Left Radford. No one knows where.”

Even Zane was impressed. In this era of digital surveillance, she had somehow erased every trace of herself, with no cameras or slip-ups. Not even a squad of trained killers could pin her down.

Chapter 455

“Keep searching.” Joshua said, his voice low but firm. “The moment there’s an update, I want to hear it first.”

At last, there was news. Shermaine was alive, and their child had been born safely.