Rebirth of Billionaire's Wife-Chapter 401: I told you...he wouldn’t win

As per Jedrick's orders, Eveline was ushered into the base without resistance.

No one dared to question her. No one dared to stop her.

Her face remained a perfect mask — blank, unreadable — but her mind was razor sharp, absorbing every detail: the cameras tucked into the corners, the silent nods exchanged between the guards, and the subtle way her guide kept his hand near his weapon.

Alone. Surrounded. But not defeated.

Every step she took echoed in her ears, syncing with the heavy pounding of her heart. She had crossed a threshold now, one where survival depended not on strength alone, but on nerve, on the ability to see one second ahead of her enemy.

She had challenged Jedrick, dared to turn the game against him.

And she knew exactly what that would cost her.

They led her up a narrow staircase, metal groaning underfoot, to a heavy door that loomed like the mouth of some ancient beast.

Without a word, her escort opened it, revealing a large room bathed in muted light.

And there he was.

Jedrick. Seated like a king on his throne, a cigar balanced between two fingers, the smoke curling around him like a living thing. His dark eyes gleamed with a twisted kind of amusement the moment he saw her.

"You seem... determined," Jedrick drawled, his voice thick and deceptively casual, rumbling through the space like a slow-moving storm.

Eveline stood her ground, forcing herself not to flinch as the door clanged shut behind her. Her gaze swept the room — no sign of her parents, not yet. Just Jedrick, lounging like a predator savoring the arrival of its prey.

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he studied her, the silence stretching dangerously thin.

There was something about her — the way she held herself — that made his skin crawl.

That stubborn set to her jaw.

The quiet fire in her eyes.

A flicker of memory flashed through him — Jonathan, younger, proud, and defiant.

The resemblance stabbed at Jedrick's gut, fueling the hatred that had festered for too long.

A cruel, low laugh rumbled from his chest, breaking the moment.

"You're just like him," he sneered, his lip curling. "Jonathan's spirit. His arrogance. Passed down like a disease."

Eveline tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but carrying an edge sharper than any blade.

"I am," she said quietly. "But I doubt you know me as well as you think, Uncle."

Her words hit harder than any scream, laced with a quiet promise:

You have no idea what I'm capable of.

Jedrick's smirk faltered, just for a second.

But it was enough.

In that sliver of hesitation, Eveline knew:

She had stepped into the lion's den — but she wasn't the one who should be afraid.

Jedrick recovered quickly, masking the flash of unease behind a slow, deliberate smile. He crushed the half-burnt cigar into a nearby ashtray, the ember dying with a hiss that seemed almost symbolic.

"You're brave," he said, rising to his feet.

"Or maybe just foolish."

Eveline didn't move as he approached. His presence was oppressive, designed to intimidate — but she had faced monsters before. She had lived through nights darker than this.

Jedrick was just another shadow she had to walk through.

"You asked to see them," Jedrick continued, stopping a few feet away. His voice softened into a mockery of kindness. "A daughter deserves that much, doesn't she?"

Still, Eveline said nothing. Her silence was the sharpest weapon in the room.

But Jedrick's expression darkened, suddenly vicious.

"Too bad you're not the deserving one," he sneered. "After everything I've done to break you, you still cling to them. Pathetic."

That struck deeper than he intended. But Eveline's response was only a soft smile — calm, dangerous.

"I thought you were better, Jedrick," she said, each word deliberate, razor-edged. "After all your schemes and traps, you still lack something vital."

He stiffened.

"Skills," she finished, tilting her head. "You lack the real ones."

His lips curled back like a snarling dog. "You dare mock me when you came here begging to see your parents?"

"I never begged," Eveline said coolly. "You just assumed I would."

And just like that, he stilled.

Behind her calm exterior, something shifted in the room.

Then—

A blaring wail erupted as red lights pulsed overhead. The fire alarm.

Jedrick snapped his head toward the ceiling as the room lit up with chaos.

"What the—?" he barked.

The door behind him burst open and a guard stumbled in, panic smeared across his face.

"Boss! Something's wrong in the west wing! The system's been breached — security's offline—"

Eveline stepped forward — slowly, purposefully. And then, with absolute calm, she walked past Jedrick and lowered herself into his chair.

Jedrick blinked in disbelief, spinning to face her. "What the hell are you—"

His words died when he saw the monitors above the desk flicker and change.

His live feed.

The courtyard.

The hall.

The perimeter.

Bodies.

His men.

Lying motionless. Silent. Defeated.

Kaden and his team, nowhere to be seen.

Jedrick's breath hitched. Just moments ago, he was sure of his victory. He had outmaneuvered them — cornered Eveline like prey. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

But now…

"What did you do?" he whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

Eveline leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs. She looked every inch the conqueror he had once thought he'd be.

"You built a kingdom on fear, Jedrick," she said quietly. "But you forgot that fear fades. Loyalty doesn't."

Jedrick lunged forward, fury overtaking logic, but a blast from behind sent him reeling.

"You think you're smart?" Jedrick growled, his voice laced with venom, his eyes blazing like wildfire, ready to scorch her where she stood.

Eveline met his fury with unshaken calm, her posture unyielding. "I'd say I am," she said smoothly. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have begged me to walk into your den."

She stood, her movements graceful but deliberate, and walked toward the surveillance console with measured poise. Her fingers danced across the screen, switching the feed. "Let's have a look, shall we?"

Jedrick's breath caught.

His jaw tightened as he watched the footage flicker—room after room filled with his guards lying unconscious. Not dead. Not bleeding. Just... down. Like dominoes.

A sharp thud broke the silence, and he whirled around just in time to see another of his men collapse near the door, his body crumpling to the floor.

"What the—" Jedrick stammered, stunned.

"Surrender, Jedrick."

Kaden's voice echoed through the chamber, calm but commanding. He stepped into the room, flanked by Gabriel, both weapons raised, unwavering.

Jedrick's eyes widened in disbelief. "How...?"

"They're not dead," Eveline said, turning from the screen, her expression unreadable. "They're asleep. Courtesy of your very own chimneys."

Jedrick's head snapped upward, following her gesture to the small ventilation grilles tucked high in the walls. Realization dawned—too late.

His defenses hadn't been breached from the outside. They'd been turned against him.

He had been outplayed.

Rage flared hot in his chest, boiling over into action.

"You little—" Jedrick hissed. In a flash, he pulled a pistol from inside his coat, his hand trembling with fury.

Gabriel and Kaden raised their guns instantly, but before either could fire—

Bang!

The gunshot echoed like thunder in a storm.

Eveline staggered.

Time seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened in surprise as blood bloomed at her side, staining her shirt a deep, vicious red.

"Eveline!" Gabriel shouted, surging forward.

She dropped to her knees, one hand pressed against the wound, the other bracing herself against the ground. Her breath hitched, but her eyes never left Jedrick.

He stood frozen, stunned by what he had done. His fury had blinded him—too blinded to see that he'd already lost.

"You still lose," Eveline whispered hoarsely, blood trickling between her fingers. "Even if you kill me… you lose everything."

Gabriel tackled Jedrick to the ground before he could fire another shot. The older man screamed in frustration, writhing like a caged animal, but Kaden was already there, slamming a knee into his back and wrenching the gun from his grasp.

"It's over, Jedrick!" Kaden growled. "You're done."

Jedrick didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on Eveline, who now slumped to the floor as Gabriel rushed to her side, his hands already applying pressure to her wound.

"You're going to be okay," Gabriel murmured urgently. "Stay with me."

Eveline gave him a faint, pained smile.

"I told you… he wouldn't win."

Her voice was weak but steady, her victory carved into every syllable.

And as the sirens of the incoming tactical team echoed in the distance, filling the compound with the sound of justice closing in, Jedrick finally realized:

He hadn't just lost the war.

He had been dismantled—by the very bloodline he tried to destroy.