CHAPTER 2: The Secret That Terrified the Underground Ring
The silence lasted only a heartbeat.
Then chaos exploded.
"No way!"
"He moved!"
"She actually hurt him!"
The Beast charged again, swinging with enough force to crack concrete.
Emma slipped beneath the punch, spinning behind him before delivering three lightning-fast strikes that sent the massive fighter crashing to one knee.
Nobody had ever done that.
Not once.
Marcus immediately stopped smiling.
He pulled out his phone and called someone.
"I need everything on Emma Carter... now."
Seconds later, his face turned pale.
"What did you say?"
He looked back at the woman in the ring as though he'd seen a ghost.
Five years ago, Emma hadn't simply been a kickboxing champion.
She had been secretly recruited into an elite military close-combat program reserved for the country's most dangerous operatives.
Official records claimed she had died during a classified overseas mission.
But the truth had been buried.
She walked away after her father and mentor were murdered by the very syndicate now running these underground fights.
Marcus had unknowingly invited his worst nightmare into his own arena.
The final round began.
The Beast roared and rushed forward.
Emma stood perfectly still.
One step.
One movement.
One devastating counterattack.
The giant collapsed unconscious before he even realized what had happened.
The audience exploded.
But Emma wasn't celebrating.
She grabbed Marcus by the collar.
"Where's my brother?"
Marcus smirked through bloody lips.
"You still don't understand..."
He pressed a hidden button beneath the announcer's table.
Every exit slammed shut.
Dozens of armed guards surrounded the ring.
Marcus laughed louder than ever.
"This fight was never about the money."
"It was about bringing YOU back."
Emma frowned.
"Who wants me?"
Marcus slowly turned toward the VIP balcony.
A lone figure stepped out of the shadows.
The old man removed his gloves...
and smiled.
"Welcome home, Captain."
Emma's face froze.
The man she had buried with military honors...
May you like
Her father...
was standing there alive.
