Chapter 341: Marcus Warns Elena

The phone rang abruptly, its shrill tone cutting through the silence. Elena Ward stared at the flashing name on the screen—Shawn Johnson—her fingers trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Nolan Hale is dead."

Those four words froze Elena where she stood. Slowly, she lowered the phone and gazed at her palms. These hands, once meant only for healing, were now stained with blood.

"I don't regret it," she whispered.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a pale glow on her face. Nolan Hale deserved to die—the thought coiled in her mind like a serpent. Memories of humiliation from her past life surged forward: the man's greedy eyes, his filthy touch...

Elena clenched her fists, nails digging into her flesh. Medical school would begin in three months. She should have been preparing for a new life, full of hope. Instead, she felt hollow.

Her phone vibrated again. A text from Adrian Stone: "Meet me at our usual spot at 8 tonight."

Reading it, the tension in her shoulders eased slightly. Adrian had been her anchor these past months, a safe harbor in the storm.

But how long would this peace last?

Elena frowned. Sylvia Stone and her niece had been unusually quiet lately. Knowing Sylvia, this wasn't surrender—it was the calm before a greater storm.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell interrupted her thoughts. Peering through the peephole, she saw a familiar face—Adrian's older brother, Marcus Stone, standing outside with two bottles of wine.

"Elena, open up!" His cheerful voice carried through the door. "I brought these back from France. Tonight, we drink until we drop!"

She sighed in amusement. Ever since their last meeting, Marcus had taken to dropping by unannounced, claiming he was "vetting his little brother's choice."

The moment the door opened, Marcus barged in. "Listen, Adrian's been acting shady lately. He's definitely planning some kind of surprise—" He stopped mid-sentence, studying her face. "What's wrong? You look terrible."

Elena shook her head. "Just tired."

Marcus narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Did Sylvia cause trouble again?"

Her pulse jumped. It seemed both Stone brothers were wary of their stepmother.

"No, she's been... quiet."

"Quiet?" Marcus scoffed. "A hibernating viper is the most dangerous kind." He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. With Adrian and me around, she won't get far."

Elena forced a smile, but unease prickled at her. The stillness before a storm was always the most suffocating.

Outside, dark clouds gathered on the horizon.