MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Chapter 53: Blood sisters

Reggie and Rose sat contemplatively, a heavy silence enveloping them in the luxurious interior of the car.

Rose's mind raced through intricate simulations, trying to decipher how someone could orchestrate a fire within the fortified walls of her own company. The very thought shook her, challenging the notion of invincibility she had meticulously built.

Yet, she couldn't dwell endlessly on the impossibility of an event that had already unfolded. The incident stood as undeniable proof that nothing was entirely secure. The paranoia often attributed to her now seemed justified, a foresight that might have prevented this very occurrence if shared by others.

As the car maneuvered through traffic, Rose couldn't ignore a stirring within her – a desire for revenge. The deliberate act against her company fueled a darker emotion, one that simmered beneath her composed exterior.

"Reggie," she called out to her driver, her voice carrying a determined edge.

"Yes, my lord," Reggie responded, his tone unusually submissive.

"Get Randall and Gunther on standby. I have a special assignment for you three. Then call me Jake," she instructed, her gaze focused forward.

Reggie nodded in understanding, yet he couldn't resist stealing one last glance at Rose's pale face through the rearview mirror. The intensity of her emotions and the anticipation of what lay ahead lingered in the air.

'What could she be planning that would require all three of us, including Jake? The boys haven't been in action since the casino incident, they sure would love this call-up,' Reggie thought, a sadistic excitement building within him as well. The prospect of retribution was a tempting and familiar path for those accustomed to the bloodbath that came with survival.

**************

As the sleek black town car continued to glide through neon-streaked streets, carrying Rose towards Shelley Tech's still smoldering remains. Jaw clenched painfully, she glowered out tinted windows seeing only the raging inferno consuming her life's work.

Blake had barely survived by sacrificial heroics and inhuman secrets. Now a cold fury crystallized inside her imagining the monsters responsible roaming free still. It was time to marshal loyal forces and hunt down those attacking her empire so viciously.

Already outside the Shelly technologies building behind caution tapes, a man materialized, stepping out of the shadows. He wore a black mask that covered his face, leaving only his piercing eyes visible. Slim and tall, with grey-dyed hair adding an air of mystery, he stood as a spectral figure against the backdrop of chaos and destruction.

As the car came to a halt, the man bowed gracefully to Rose, a gesture of silent acknowledgment. Rose, fueled by a cold fury, stepped out from the vehicle, determined to confront the monsters responsible for the devastation. Reggie, at the wheel, drove off, leaving Rose and the enigmatic figure to face the remnants of the fire and the secrets it held.

"Jake, just in time," Rose acknowledged his presence as she stood just outside the entrance, observing the wreckage high up. Distance wasn't an issue for her as she has a very good vision.

Rose instructed Jake Sterling to assemble their full private security regiment at headquarters within an hour.

Jake oversaw Shelley Tech's formidable protection units, an invisible army silently shielding Rose's assets for years. Tonight they would confront an unseen nemesis unlike any other though, one targeting loved ones closest to her heart. She needed answers fast.

Entering the eerily quiet lobby, soot-streaked tiles and scorched walls evidencing last night's destruction, Rose's steely gaze locked on Jake striding forward purposefully. His scarred face remained impassive but she recognized barely leashed anticipation crackling beneath the surface. Her best hunter yearned for worthwhile prey at last.

"Leave no inch unturned," Rose commanded as his armed teams fanned out efficiently. "Any clue tracing to our arsonist's identity is paramount. Recover all salvageable surveillance footage too."

The moment these orders were given, Jake paused. With a swift, practiced motion, he removed his mask, revealing a gaping scar at the side of his face. One ear was missing, looking like it had been burnt off his pale skin, perhaps a testament to battles fought and survived.

"Yes, my lord," Jake responded with unwavering loyalty before going off to execute the orders given to him. The scarred warrior moved with purpose, his anticipation palpable as he embraced the challenge laid before him.

They would flush out this diabolical saboteur one way or another. Someone had betrayed Shelley Tech so intimately to strike at its very heart; they likely left damning traces in haste or arrogance. Rose refused to cower while her brightest stars suffered further.

Hours blurred together as reports trickled back steadily. Shattered glass and charred debris revealed methodical entry points. The security system last recorded a figure skulking through basement corridors...right before cameras suspiciously malfunctioned.

But slowly, piece by fractured piece, a chilling picture emerged. This monster moved with ruthless premeditation and uncanny knowledge of Shelley Tech's layout to maximize damage. Almost like they possessed an insider's familial understanding of what mattered most to Rose...

"My lord?" Jake approached, uncharacteristic hesitation clouding his grizzled features. "There's something you need to see personally."

"We had to damage the control panels underground to get these out," Jake apologized.

He then extended a plastic evidence bag, shapely fragments glinting inside. When Rose reached out with suddenly unsteady fingers, the truth crashed over her like ice water.

Delicate silver butterflies. The same custom earrings specifically designed for a Shelley.

But these weren't just earrings.

Rose twisted it, and a small key popped out of the wings.

She had one of these but never brought it out, as it was only for emergency or forceful entry and override.

Only one other person held another one of these. The realization hit her like a lightning bolt, electrifying her senses.

They were one-time use and designed to stay wedged inside the override key lock system, which was located in the underground control section beneath the Shelley Tech building.

.

Jake respectfully ignored Rose's sharp inhale, busying himself with fresh orders to scour Elena's apartment immediately. But Rose barely registered the efficient activity swirling around her now. Some warped part of her had expected, even anticipated, outside forces assailing her power from the shadows. Never did she imagine the call was coming from inside the family.

Stumbling to a semi-intact chair overlooking once pristine gardens, Rose thumbed through mental snapshots of their shared history. All the veiled resentment and seething bitterness corroding their every interaction...how had she missed malice escalating to methodical violence in Elena's gaze?

So many clues over the years suddenly appeared in sharp relief. Her increasingly hostile articles attacking Shelley's reputation. Snide remarks undermining her character at public events.

And Blake - of course Elena knew exactly how much his love anchored Rose amidst swirling media storms lately. Targeting him so lethally, first with slanderous exposes then an assassination attempt, proved she craved Rose's complete personal and professional destruction.

But why leave such evidence behind? Surely, Elena was smarter than that.

She should have known that Rose would pry into the matter without giving up.

'To think she left it there without destroying evidence purposefully so that I'd trace it to her eventually should her plan have succeede? The audacity!'

This was pure evil at its finest.

Elena was simply taunting Rose with the "I did it. So what?!" move.

Realizing the true corrosive nature of her sister, Rose now knew the battle line was drawn.

Rose realized dully that Jake still hovered nearby, face pinched with concern over whatever bleak realizations painted her expression. Loyal soldier that he was, Jake had seen her navigate countless crises with cool detached reason. But never one striking so devastatingly close to home.

"Call off the search," Rose said woodenly, tasting ashes on her tongue. "There's no further trails to uncover tonight."

"But my lord, if we move fast maybe - "

Rose cut off his confused protest with a swift slashing gesture. "Elena will have vanished into the wind by now." Evading consequences was her specialty after all, she recalled bitterly. Setting fires then watching the chaos unfold from smug distance.

Not this time though. She would confront her treacherous sibling in person, peel back twisted layers to understand how she justified nearly murdering innocents. Grievances between sisters should spark fiery arguments, not literal funeral pyres for one's found family.

"Get some rest," Rose commanded Jake curtly. He reluctantly signaled his team to temporarily suspend their futile manhunt. "I'll deal with our prime suspect myself moving forward."

A charged silence met Rose's ominous declaration. Jake in particular looked deeply unhappy abandoning his sworn duty to neutralize threats against Rose. But he also recognized when her diamond-hard tone brooked no argument. This score to settle was Shelley business alone now.

Alone in the cavernous lobby once protective details dispersed, surrounded by shattered memories, Rose closed exhausted eyes to strategize next steps. Interrogating Elena herself would require paying her a visit. One way or another, she needed to unearth what dark seeds sprouted these murderous thorny vines between them.

Even if it meant lancing her own heart in the process to cut out an invasive rot once and for all...