619: [Bonus chapter] Hera Cruel is alive

[Bonus chapter] Hera Cruel is alive

"I lost contact with them a long time ago, but I know Felice. The foolish woman who fell in love with her target and brought a monster into this world."1

Grandma Zhu took a deliberate pause as he pressed her lips into a tight line once more. It had been a while since she thought of her old friend. 

"I used to be her client when she was still working all alone. She's the best assassin in her generation — one of a kind. She was a dangerous woman. Although she's younger than me, she scares me," she continued under her breath, feeling this weight in her heart at the thought of that friend. "I know even if we're in the same age, I will never beat her. Be it wits or strength — she's that amazing."

"It does sound like she is." Primo nodded in agreement. "If I meet her, I might want to marry her."

Grandma Zhu ignored his nonsense as she huffed quietly. "She's not someone you would want to touch. If you think you're dangerous, then you're wrong. Marrying her will be the biggest mistake you'd ever make."

"Oh?" his lips formed into an o-shape, rocking his head in understanding. "Well, if you keep saying that, then I believe you. But then again, who is this?"

"Hah!" She looked back at him in dismay. "Felice is the woman who killed my husband and made it look like a natural death. The woman who eventually became the matriarch of the Cruel Familia."

"Well, that's a plot twist. So you killed your husband, huh?"

"That bastard is a good-for-nothing!" Grandma Zhu hissed, clicking her tongue as she still hadn't found any remorse for her husband's death. Well, no one could blame her. Her husband was a wicked man. He was just like Leon — probably worse. 

If Grandma Zhu didn't do anything, she was certain she would be the one who would be rotting six feet underneath the ground. All her husband did was exploit her, taking all the credit for her work, and that was fine with her. However, her husband would just gamble their money away. On top of that, he would also beat up Grandma Zhu for the smallest things. 

"I used to just cry it all out," she whispered, recalling the bitter past she had endured. "Until I crossed paths with her."

"Well, pray tell. I'm intrigued."

"I was looking for someone to kill my husband, only to realize I approached the wrong people. She's the one who helped me out of that impending doom."

"She sounds like a hero to me!"

"I asked for her help, but she refused initially. But she offered friendship." Thinking about it, Grandma Zhu couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "She's just around the same age as my sons, still in her late teens. It's strange for her to offer friendship, but somehow, we became good friends."

"I see." Primo nodded once again. "So? Because you two became besties, she killed your husband?"

"No." Grandma Zhu lowered her eyes. 

"Then, how?"

"One night, he beat me up again just because I started dressing up. I fought back… and accidentally pushed him away. He hit his head against the corner of the drawer."

"How in the world did she kill him if you killed him?"

"She made sure he wouldn't get up again to hurt me and put a hole inside his head."

"That's more confusing, Old Madam Zhu. Didn't you mention she made it look like a natural death? I don't think putting a hole in his head will make it look natural, no matter what."

Grandma Zhu looked back at him and let out a short, airy laugh. "That's why she's amazing. I didn't serve time, did I? And everyone you asked would say my husband died naturally."

"Well…" Primo shrugged. "I guess if she's that amazing as you mentioned, then that's probably possible. So, if this Felice is the matriarch of the Cruel Family, then I presumed she's Hera Cruel's mother?"

"Yes."

"Tell me more about her. I'm not interested in Felice Cruel, but more in her daughter. Felice is dead, right?"

Grandma Zhu pressed her lips and her throat trembled as she gulped. "I don't know anything much about Hera Cruel. But from what I heard, she is much more amazing than her mother."

"That's common knowledge already, Old Madam Zhu." Primo rolled his eyes. "Do you think I don't know that? I've been in the underground long enough for me to know about the Reapers and that demoness. I stayed away from her, you know? After all, from what I heard, she's actually a very ugly lady."

"Then, if you already know about the general knowledge, then there's nothing I can tell you."

"Huh? But you are besties with her mother!"

"My friendship with Felice is not like other friendships. When she married Vicenzo, she barely kept in touch with me. She keeps writing letters about wanting her child to die while it was in her womb, only to brag about her daughter when she gave birth to her," she remarked grumpily. "When Felice died, my contact with her also stopped. It's not like she's someone who can freely use her phone without any worry of not being tracked."

"Make sense." Primo nodded but then frowned. "Well, that's a bummer. I thought I'd get more information about Hera Cruel."

Grandma Zhu's face crumpled a little as she looked back at him. "Now that I think about it, why are you so interested in that young woman? You stayed away from her because you thought she was ugly. What's the sudden interest, young man?"

"Well, apparently, she's not really ugly." Primo frowned deeply. "In fact, she's very beautiful — gorgeous! Definitely my type. Her skills and power are merely a bonus!"

"What are you saying? Isn't she dead?" Grandma Zhu blurted out, making his brows furrow.

"Didn't you say you don't know about her, Old Madam Zhu?" Primo lowered his head, looking at her straight in the eye. "How did you know that she's dead? Don't lie." He shook his head as a warning.

"I wasn't lying," she breathed out her confession. "But because I'm friends with her mother, I want to know about her well-being. So, I would hire people to know about her well-being. From what I heard, she's dead."

Primo assessed the Old Madam's face and smiled when he was sure she was telling him the truth. The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk as he said;

"She's not, Old Madam. Hera Cruel is alive, and I just saw her somewhere."

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