The Revenge of the masked queen

Chapter 1: Return of the Masked Queen

The sound of her heels echoed through the grand hall as she stepped off the private jet. The night air was cool, but Nyx didn't feel the chill. Not with the weight of everything she had built in her hands.

Her eyes were hidden behind the gold mask, the one she'd worn for five long years. To the world, she was just another delicate beauty, a mysterious young woman returning to the city. But beneath that mask-beneath the quiet, seemingly innocent appearance-was the true Nyx. The ruler of an empire. The queen of the underworld. And the woman no one dared to cross.

She wasn't the same frightened girl who had been sold to that man all those years ago. She wasn't the same girl who had clawed her way from the bottom of the criminal world. No, she was Nyx, now 18 and armed with the power of both legitimate business and the dark side of society.

She had no time to waste. It had taken five years to get to where she was, but now she was back. She would take what was hers.

Her driver didn't dare look at her as he opened the door of the car. He simply nodded respectfully, not questioning the cold aura she radiated. She was someone who didn't need to explain herself-she never had.

"Take me to the An family," she commanded softly.

The driver's grip tightened on the steering wheel, but he said nothing. He had heard the rumors. The stories of the woman who had disappeared, only to return with power that could rival the most feared men in the world. The An family had no idea what they were about to face.

As the car drove through the streets of the city, Nyx's mind wandered back to the mansion. The place where her fake family had once doted on her, unaware of who she truly was. The An family thought they had won-thought they had hidden their secrets well. But they had no idea.

The mansion came into view, its grandeur towering over the other buildings. It was everything Nyx had never wanted. Luxury, wealth, power-but nothing real. She had learned that the hard way.

The car slowed to a stop in front of the mansion. Nyx stepped out without hesitation. Her dark hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, a perfect contrast to the gold mask that hid her identity. She was beautiful, but it was the coldness in her eyes that would make anyone wary.

The doors opened as she walked toward them. The servants inside froze, unsure of what to do. None of them dared question her. They had heard the rumors. They had seen the signs of what was to come. Nyx was back.

Inside the mansion, the An family sat waiting. They had no idea who stood outside their door.

Nyx smiled beneath her mask. A slow, knowing smile.

She was here to reclaim what was hers.

Nothing-no one-would stand in her way.

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Nyx walked through the grand halls of the An mansion like she owned it. She had lived here once, before everything had gone to hell. But that was in the past. Now, this place felt like a hollow shell-a place that belonged to someone else.

The servants parted like the Red Sea as she passed, their heads lowered in submission. The weight of her presence was undeniable. The world may have thought her dead, but now, she was alive, and nothing could stand in her way.

She was led to the drawing room where the An family waited. Her heart didn't skip a beat. She wasn't nervous. Not even in the slightest. She had faced far worse than these people.

The door swung open, revealing the familiar faces of the An family. Her adoptive mother, the elegant but cold-faced woman who had raised her, was sitting on the plush sofa. The woman's sharp eyes narrowed as Nyx entered, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze-perhaps even fear.

Next to her sat Liya, Nyx's adopted younger sister. The same sweet, innocent smile plastered on her face. Her perfect little sister. Or so the world thought.

"Nyx..." her mother spoke, her voice clipped but calm. "It's been five years. We weren't sure you'd come back."

A small smile tugged at Nyx's lips beneath her mask. Five years. In that time, she had ascended to the throne of power that no one could even imagine. The underworld, business empires-everything had bent to her will.

"I've been busy," Nyx said, her voice smooth, cold, and calculated. "But now, I'm back."

Liya stood from her seat, her face beaming with the same false charm. "Big sis, I'm so glad you've come home! It's been so lonely without you." The words were sweet, but Nyx knew better than anyone how much the girl hated her.

Her sister had always been the perfect little white lotus, playing the part of the obedient daughter, but Nyx knew the truth. She had seen it all-the jealousy, the rage, the need for control. Liya had always been jealous of Nyx's place in the family. But that was about to change.

"How have you been, Nyx?" Liya continued, her eyes scanning her sister carefully, as though she were a puzzle she was trying to solve.

Nyx tilted her head slightly, the mask shifting just enough to reveal the glint in her eyes. "I've been fine, Liya. I've learned a lot in these five years. More than you can imagine." Her words were deliberate. She wanted them to feel the weight of them.

Liya's smile faltered for just a second, but it was enough for Nyx to notice. Her sister wasn't as perfect as she thought.

Her adopted mother didn't say anything for a long while, just watching her with calculating eyes. "We assumed you'd come back to settle things... with the business," she said, finally breaking the silence.

Nyx's eyes flickered briefly to Liya before returning to her mother. "Business, yes... but I'm here for something much more important."

Her mother's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Revenge," Nyx whispered.

The word hung in the air, thick with promise.

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The room fell into silence after Nyx's words, the weight of her declaration settling like an oppressive storm. Her mother's face paled, the lines of her carefully maintained composure beginning to crack. Liya's smile was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by a wary glance, the first crack in her perfect façade.

Nyx could sense the underlying tension in the room, the way her adoptive mother shifted uneasily in her seat. She had always been the one to control everything, to shape the world around her with her cold, calculating mind. But Nyx had learned, during her years in the shadows, how to control much more than just the underworld. She now ruled with an iron fist, not just in illicit dealings, but in the legitimate empire she had built.

Her mother's voice broke the silence. "You don't think you can just come back and take control, do you, Nyx? This family... this company, it doesn't work like that."

Nyx's eyes narrowed, the golden mask gleaming in the dim light as her lips curled into a cruel smile. "I'm not here for a power struggle, Mother. I'm here to take what's rightfull y mine."

She looked at Liya, who had retreated a few steps back, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. "And I'm here to reclaim what you all stole from me." Her words were biting, sharp, a reminder of the five years she had spent in exile, clawing her way to the top.

Her adoptive mother's eyes darted to Liya for a fleeting moment, as if searching for some kind of reassurance, but she found none. Nyx knew the truth. Liya had never been the obedient daughter her mother thought she was. She had always coveted the things Nyx possessed, whether it was her beauty, her place in the family, or the recognition that came with being Nyx. Now, with Nyx's return, everything was about to change.

"Your father is waiting for you," her mother said, her voice tight with an emotion Nyx couldn't quite place-fear, perhaps, or maybe something even worse: regret. "He wants to speak with you about your future here."

Nyx smirked, unfazed. "I'm not interested in your plans, Mother. I've already made my own future. But I will speak with him, for old time's sake."

The tension in the room thickened as Nyx turned toward the door. Liya's voice, trembling slightly, cut through the stillness.

"Nyx... You're not the same person you used to be, are you?"

Nyx paused, her back still to her sister. She could feel the cold air of the room prickling at her skin, a sense of foreboding clinging to the space. Slowly, she turned to face Liya, the golden mask hiding all but the sharp gleam in her eyes.

"That's right, Liya. I'm not the same." Her words were slow, deliberate, and the finality in her tone sent a chill through the room.

"I'm not the naïve girl you once knew. I'm the woman who will tear this empire down if it's the last thing I do." She gave a short laugh, low and mocking. "And nothing-nothing-will stand in my way."

Liya's face blanched, her grip tightening on the hem of her dress. "But... but, we're family, Nyx. You can't-"

"I've been betrayed by family before," Nyx interrupted coldly. "I know exactly what that feels like."