Driven by a cold, vengeful madness, Lu Zhenting became a phantom, his every action fueled by the ashes of what was and what could have been. The loss of Lin Xia had fractured something deep within him, twisting his sharp intellect into a weapon of calculated destruction. The first to feel his wrath was the Lin family; the people who had tormented his jasmine scented angel. He would repay a thousand fold what Xia suffered under their roof.
Within seventy-two hours, the Lin empire crumbled. Their assets seized, their reputations shattered, they were reduced to nothing more than whispers in the city’s gilded halls. Jianuo and Madam Lin found themselves stripped bare, their power and influence evaporating like mist in the morning sun. Servants once eager to please now averted their gazes, and the opulent mansion that had once been their castle felt like a cage of their own making. Zhenting made sure to personally oversee the removal of their possessions.
Belle's fate was no less cruel. Stripped of the Lu name and banished to a remote estate miles from the city's glittering skyline, she was sentenced to a life of isolated disgrace. The title of 'Lu' had been a golden ticket she'd forged, and it was ripped away. Every trace of luxury vanished and the high society, who she'd tried so hard to impress, would not dare to remember or talk to her ever again. Forevermore, she was a persona non grata.
His actions were not limited to the Lins. Zhenting fired his entire security detail, a sweeping purge that left no room for excuses. Their failure to protect Xia, their dereliction of duty, was unforgivable. He needed more loyal dogs, and the first failure became a lesson for the new hire.