The Dragon's Mandate

With a hint of doubt, Priya Yarrow opened the door.

Standing outside was the young woman from earlier—Sierra Yarrow!

"Sis!"

Instinctively, Priya shielded her little girl behind her, frowning. "Why are you here?"

For Sierra, Priya felt no sisterly affection, only endless fear and resentment.

"Sis, I was wrong before. I really need your help today!" Sierra said, wiping away tears as she spoke.

Priya initially wanted to send Sierra away, but seeing her tears, she couldn't help but soften.

"Come in and talk," Priya said coldly.

Sierra nodded quickly and stepped into the living room. A subtle, chilling smile played on her lips.

"Sis, Mom is seriously ill. She wants to see you and your daughter. She said if I can't get your forgiveness and bring you back, she'll kick me out of the Yarrow family. What am I supposed to do?" Sierra cried out, her voice breaking.

Family? The Yarrow family?!

Did she even have a family anymore? For the past five years, she hadn't felt any warmth from them. In those years, her parents hadn't even asked about her once.

Perhaps, as people near the end, their words become kind, and as birds face death, their cries turn mournful.

"What illness does Mom have?" Priya Yarrow asked coldly.

"Liver cancer!" Sierra Yarrow replied, wiping away her tears.

Priya's heart trembled. The years of her mother's care and love couldn't help but move her.

"Is it serious?" Priya's voice was choked with emotion.

Seeing Priya's reaction, Sierra quickly added, "She might only have three to five days left. Sis, for the sake of all that Mom did to raise us, please go see her!"

Saying this, Sierra even got up, intending to kneel before Priya.

Seeing this, Priya hurriedly supported Sierra, letting out a helpless sigh. "Alright, let me change Nunu's clothes, and I'll go back with you."

With that, Priya quickly found a new outfit for Nunu and dressed her.

Watching Priya's back, Sierra's lips curled into a cold smile.

It was all a fabricated lie.

Today, this mother and daughter would be tormented to death. Navid Byrd, oh Navid Byrd, you shouldn't have left me, shouldn't have humiliated me in public!

With that thought, Sierra discreetly sent a text message.

"Let's go!" Priya said, holding Nunu after changing her clothes, and hurried to the door.

"Thank you, Sis!"

Sierra said, then quickly opened the door and stepped out first.

Priya Yarrow initially thought about leaving a note for Navid Byrd, but with Sierra Yarrow urging her, she figured she could contact Navid once they reached the hospital. Without hesitation, she followed Sierra out the door.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the neighborhood, a black SUV speed towards them. Before Priya could react, two men in black suits jumped out and rushed toward her. They covered her mouth and nose, forcing her into the vehicle.

Sierra watched the scene unfold with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Who are you people?" Priya clutched her daughter tightly, fearfully eyeing the men in black inside the car.

"Who are we? We're the ones sending you to your end!" The man sitting next to them pulled out a shiny knife, grinning wickedly. "If you want to live a bit longer, behave. Otherwise, this knife goes in clean and comes out red, and that'll be the end of you!"

It was only then that Priya realized the gravity of the situation, but it was too late for regrets.

"I beg you, please don't hurt my child!" Priya pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Hmph! Your child? You should be more worried about yourself!" the man snarled.

The car soon arrived at the Zhang family's

old estate. The man in black jumped out, grabbed Priya by the hair, and yanked her out of the car.

Thud!

Priya hit the ground hard. Before she could get up, a polished leather shoe pressed down on her hand.

"Wretch, Navid Byrd's sins will cost you and your child some interest!" Toby Zhang sneered triumphantly, twisting his foot on Priya's hand with force.

"Ah!" Priya Yarrow couldn't help but scream, but the nightmare was just beginning.

"Can't handle this already? The real show is yet to come! Take them to the dungeon and give them a good beating!" Toby Zhang ordered his bodyguards.

A group of men in black surged forward, grabbing Priya by the hair and dragging her toward the dungeon.

"You're all bad people! Don't hurt my mom!" Little Nunu cried, hitting the men's arms with her tiny hands.

"Smack!" One of the men in black slapped Nunu hard, knocking her out instantly.

"Watch it, you idiot! If you kill the kid, I'll make sure you regret it!" Toby glared at the man.

"Yes, yes, I'll wake her up with water right away!" The man, frightened, ran toward the front yard.

"Get back here! You don't need water. Use the Rebirth Water, you fool!" Toby shouted.

The man grinned wickedly and poured the water over Nunu's face.

"You monsters!" Priya, using all her strength, broke free from the man holding her and rushed toward Nunu.

But before she could reach her, Toby kicked her to the ground.

"Drag this woman away! Beat her until she's barely breathing!" Toby yelled at his bodyguards, pointing at Priya.

R. I. P! A bodyguard dressed in black tore Priya Yarrow's clothes with a vicious expression, while another yanked her hair, dragging her into the dungeon.

"No! Don't hurt my child, please! Whatever anger you have, take it out on me, but don't harm my child!" Priya's cries and pleas were powerless against the brutality of these thugs.

A three-foot-long leather whip cracked down on Priya's delicate body, instantly tearing her skin and drawing blood.

At first, she let out a few heart-wrenching cries, but gradually, Priya's body seemed to grow numb.

Each lash of the whip no longer brought pain.

She knew it was because she was losing too much blood and might not have long to live. Looking at her daughter, who was also covered in bruises, Priya's tears flowed like rain.

"Navid Byrd, where are you? Didn't you promise to protect us? Where are you? Come save your daughter!" Priya screamed with all her might, but the only response was the cruel laughter of the beasts around her...

Meanwhile, Navid Byrd was growing increasingly anxious as Priya Yarrow and Nunu had not returned home, and he couldn't reach them on the phone.

"Lira! Find out where they are within an hour!" Navid's voice was filled with deadly intent.

Lira shuddered at the tone and quickly responded, "It's my fault for not keeping an eye on the lady and the little princess. Please punish me!"

"What I need is their whereabouts!" Navid's voice boomed like thunder, scolding Lira.

It was the first time he had ever been so furious with his subordinates. Priya was alone in Tongnan with no one to turn to. Where could she have gone to?

Something must have gone wrong. Every minute and second was a race against time for Priya and her daughter. If Navid was even a second late, their family might be lost forever!

"Sir, we've found them. A black sedan was seen at 9:25 this morning, taking them to..."

"Get to the point!" Navid roared.

"The Zhang family!" Lira stated concisely.

"The Zhang family?!" Navid's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he sneered, "Gather everyone!

Tonight, we will bring down the Zhang family!"

With that, Navid stormed out the door, unwilling to waste even a second.

Lira quickly informed Iker to rally the troops. Their destination: the Zhang family estate!

Night had fallen, and a top-tier sports car sped towards the Zhang family estate, leaving a long skid mark in front of the main gate.

"Stop right there, who are you...?" The Zhang family guard's words were cut short as a beautiful woman kicked him, sending him flying and leaving him dead on the spot.

A man and a woman stormed into the Zhang family estate, leaving a trail of fallen guards who dared to stand in their way.

"Master, we have a big problem! A man and a woman have broken in and are killing everyone in their path. They're heading straight for us!" a breathless guard in black reported urgently.