My Soul card is a Reaper

Elena narrowed her eyes at Jin Di.

Instead of retreating under her glare, he calmly tugged his collar lower, exposing more skin as if presenting an offering. The faint purplish marks she had left on him days ago were still visible, scattered like territorial stamps.

"What are you doing?" she scolded, though the heat in her tone had noticeably cooled.

"Hm? I thought you wanted to bite me."

"I do not! Well… maybe a little."

Her gaze lingered longer than it should have. A dangerous warmth stirred in her chest, and her thoughts began to fog in a way entirely inappropriate for the current crisis.

She caught herself.

"Stop distracting me! That's not the point. Give me my phone."

Jin Di studied her expression, then gave a thoughtful hum. "So my chest isn't enough?"

Before she could process that statement, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and started lifting it.

Hard muscle, sculpted lines, warm skin.

Several maids gasped audibly.

Elena froze for half a second.

Then her possessiveness detonated.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she shrieked, lunging forward and yanking his shirt back down before it could clear his shoulders. She whirled toward the staff, eyes blazing. "Don't look!"

The poor employees snapped their eyes shut and spun around as if facing a firing squad.

Jin Di looked thoroughly pleased.

A low chuckle escaped him before he hooked an arm around Elena's waist and pulled her onto his lap in one smooth motion.

"You— are you insane?" she hissed, trying to squirm free.

He tightened his hold and buried his face against her neck. "Yeah. Crazy for you."

She tried to maintain her glare, but her lips betrayed her first, twitching upward. A giggle escaped.

"You're so annoying."

"But you love me."

She nodded without hesitation and hid her face in the crook of his neck.

The staff, still pretending blindness, silently questioned reality. The terrifying master who could freeze entire boardrooms was currently nuzzling like an oversized house cat.

Before the dog food overdose became fatal, salvation arrived.

Song Yuqing stepped into the mansion carrying a sleeping Little Fei.

The toddler's face was peaceful, soft, and unaware of the chaos outside. Song Yuqing, however, looked exhausted. Even with a mask covering half her face, the strain in her eyes was unmistakable.

Elena immediately slid off Jin Di's lap and hurried over.

The playful air evaporated.

They laid Little Fei gently on the couch and covered him with a blanket. His small chest rose and fell evenly.

Only after ensuring he was comfortable did the adults begin speaking.

"Yuqing," Elena said quietly, "I'm sorry. Because of me, Little Fei is being dragged into this. Even if his face is blurred, people are trying to dig him out. I was careless."

Song Yuqing shook her head.

"No. Don't say that. I can't blame you. You and Sir Jin Di have protected us more than anyone else ever has." She hesitated. "If anything, I feel guilty. People think he's your child with Jin Yang."

The temperature in the room dipped several degrees.

Jin Di's eyes sharpened, a storm gathering beneath their calm surface.

Elena waved it off. "Let them think whatever they want. I can handle myself. What matters is Little Fei."

She turned serious.

"You and Zhang Fei will stay here until this dies down. The condo isn't safe right now."

Song Yuqing nodded, though shame and old fear flickered briefly across her face. The memory of insults thrown at her during pregnancy still lingered like bruises beneath her skin.

Meanwhile, Jin Di stepped forward. "My schatz. Let's announce our engagement," he said firmly. "The moment people know you're my fiancée, most of this nonsense will die."

Elena considered it carefully.

For a moment, it seemed tempting. A single declaration from Jin Di could crush the slander instantly.

But she shook her head. "Not yet. It's not the right time."

He frowned, clearly dissatisfied, but did not push further. He wanted that announcement to be mutual, deliberate. Not reactionary.

"Fine," he muttered. "Now that they're safe, I can deal with the idiots behind this, right?"

The fury returned to his voice like a match catching dry wood.

Elena looked at him steadily. "Let me handle it."

He opened his mouth to object.

Then he met her eyes.

There was something in them— cold, focused, controlled.

He exhaled slowly. "Alright. But if you need me, say the word."

"I will."

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Then her gaze drifted to the sleeping child.

Little Fei looked impossibly innocent.

To the world, he was gossip fuel.

To her, he was blood, family, godson.

They could insult her all they wanted. She did not care.

But calling him "a child born from immorality"?

Unforgivable.

Her expression shifted subtly, the softness draining away. What remained was sharp and glacial.

Anyone who dared try to harm her godson would learn that scandals were one thing.

But touching family?

That was war.

*

With her thoughts sharpened into a single objective, Elena walked straight to her new computer room.

Jin Di did not follow.

He knew better.

When it came to hacking, she moved in a world where even he had no footing. Instead, he summoned his subordinates and ordered quiet surveillance on both the tabloid publisher and the paparazzo. He had promised to leave everything to her, yes. But observing the prey while she prepared the trap was not interference. It was insurance.

Meanwhile, Elena entered her sanctuary.

The door sealed behind her with a heavy metallic hum.

Her computer room in the penthouse had already been impressive, but this one was on an entirely different level. Jin Di had built it like a vault. Layers of reinforced bulletproof stainless steel formed its shell. Entry required fingerprint verification, retina scan, voice authentication, and a password sequence. It was a command center disguised as a hobby room. In emergencies, it could function as a panic bunker.

She had been genuinely touched when he first showed it to her.

He spared no expense.

Over weeks, she filled the room with machines that hummed with quiet, dangerous intelligence. The fastest processors. Custom-built servers. Advanced cooling systems. Specialized encrypted networks. Her setup could rival high-level research facilities and national agencies.

Now it was time to use it properly.

She sat down, fingers gliding across her keyboard.

The tabloid publisher fell first.

At first, she only intended to gather leverage against the individuals responsible for the smear. But as she dug deeper, she uncovered something far more putrid. Financial irregularities. Bribes. Fabricated stories sold for profit. Illegal data acquisition. Extortion disguised as "negotiations."

A cesspool.

She copied everything.

Then she located the original photo files.

Unedited versions.

Little Fei's face is clearly visible.

Her eyes darkened.

Delete.

She erased every digital trace of the child. Every raw image. Every backup. Every cloud copy. She wiped clean anything involving herself, Jin Yang, and even Jin Di.

While scanning internal files, she noticed numerous suppressed rumors about her fiancé. Alleged lovers. Fabricated affairs. Anonymous accusations. None had been published.

Fear.

People feared Jin Di.

Apparently, not enough to spare his brother.

The amount of fabricated scandals about Jin Yang was staggering. It seemed the public conveniently forgot that the two men shared blood.

Her next target was the paparazzo.

What she found made her expression go cold.

The man lived like a shadow. Trespassing on private properties. Bribing hotel staff. Planting illegal surveillance devices. Hiding in closets, dumpsters, even drainage systems. He stalked for a living.

A predator disguised as a photographer.

Yet his finances told a different story. Meager income. Irregular payments. He hovered near poverty unless he managed to catch something explosive.

If this had been another situation, perhaps she might have felt a flicker of sympathy.

But he had dragged a child into this.

Sympathy evaporated.

She compiled everything about him. There was no grand criminal empire, just invasive behavior and moral rot. Still, his actions had destroyed reputations and futures.

After eliminating all digital copies, one concern lingered.

Physical copies.

Prints.

Hard drives.

She could not reach those through code.

For now, she shifted focus.

Using her customized software, she organized the mountain of incriminating evidence she had gathered. Her machines processed the data at blinding speed.

When she was done, she sent a full, unedited dossier directly to the Chief of Police.

Then she released a public version online.

Names were blacked out, but the details were damning enough that anyone involved would recognize themselves. The internet erupted within minutes.

This time, she remained anonymous.

No Krakkan.

She had no desire to link that name to Elena Long. One notorious hacker had already become a wanted figure after defending her online in the past. Another connection would invite unnecessary scrutiny.

By the time she leaned back in her chair, it was well past midnight.

One final task remained.

She checked the time.

"I wonder if he's awake."

After a moment's hesitation, she dialed.

"Hello?" came the smooth, familiar voice.

"Big brother. It's me."

"I know." A smile lingered in his tone. "You're up late. Still dealing with those tabloid pests? Don't tell me you haven't crushed them yet."

"I handled most of it. But I need your help."