Bloody Vows And The Untouchable Queen

I am the daughter of the most feared crime lord in the city. Today, at my wedding, I was supposed to finally step out of the shadows and claim my birthright.

Instead, my brother told me there was a hit out on me. He said I couldnt be exposed. My fianc, playing the part of the concerned lover, stripped me of my custom Vera Wang gown and draped it over my personal assistant, Ivy. My head of security, the man sworn to take a bullet for me, took the Calloway family signet ring from my finger.

I trusted them. God, I trusted them with my life.

But when the wedding march began, I watched from the wings. I saw Ivy, wearing my dress, with one arm looped through my fiancs, while her other hand lingered intimately against the waist of my brother, then my bodyguard.

When I stormed out to demand answers, Ivy just smileda toxic, victorious little smirkand ordered them to break my limbs.

They threw me into a basement cage. I died screaming in the jaws of starving dogs.

My last thought was a vow: You can have the fianc. But you are not worthy of the crown.

I snapped back to reality just as Ivy let out a shriek. My fist had already connected with her jaw.

My fianc, Preston, stared at me, eyes wide with shock and rage. He backhanded me across the face.

"Serena! Who gave you the right to touch Ivy?"

My brother, Harrison, looked at Ivy with tears in his eyes, his face twisted in performative anguish. He lunged at me. "You dare strike the future head of the Dominion at her own wedding? By the Code, you will pay for this!"

Roman, my head of security, didn't hesitate. He moved to grapple me, using the techniques Id paid for him to learn. But he was sloppy. I sidestepped, kicking him square in the chest. He flew backward, crashing into a table, coughing up blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Serena... you... you actually hurt me?"

I dusted off my cocktail dressthe plain thing theyd forced me intoand dragged a gold Chiavari chair to the center of the stage. I sat down, crossing my legs, looking down at them like the insects they were.

"So, you all remember my name is Serena?" I asked, my voice amplified by the silence of the room. "Then have you forgotten that I, Serena Calloway, am the only daughter of Victoria Calloway? The sole heir to the Dominion?"

I leaned forward. "And the actual bride at this wedding."

The crowd erupted. Whispers turned into shouts.

"Whats going on? If shes the bride, who is that on the floor?"

The guests looked at Ivy, who was still spitting blood. I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

In my past life, I pitied Ivy. She played the orphan card so well. My brother Harrison convinced me to take her in, to give her a job as my assistant. It didnt take long for her to charm the three men closest to me with her doe-eyed innocence.

When my mother was hospitalized after an assassination attempt, I was ready to take the reins. But these three... they played on my fears. They told me the Dominion had too many enemies. They said Id end up like Mom. They convinced me to let Ivyrenamed 'Ivy Calloway' for the dayact as a decoy bride to draw out the assassins.

I agreed. And on my wedding night, I found them all in bed together. When I confronted them, they threw me into the fighting pits, letting me serve as a punching bag for Ivy until they fed me to the dogs.

The phantom pain of tearing flesh flared in my mind. I didn't hesitate. I walked over and stomped hard on Ivys ribs. Crack.

"Im asking you," I hissed. "Who are you? And who am I?"

Ivy screamed, a high-pitched, wailing sound, reaching out desperately for Preston. "Baby, get this psycho out of here! Harrison, save me!"

Preston flinched at my auraI was radiating pure murderbut Ivys cry steeled his resolve. He stepped between us, arms spread wide. "Serena, having the Calloway blood means nothing! I can prove Ivy is the true successor!"

Harrison was on his knees, cradling Ivy, glaring at me with a hatred that chilled my blood. "Stop this madness! We did this for your own good! Kneel and apologize to Ivy, and maybe I wont enforce the full weight of the Code against you!"

Roman, my bodyguard, wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled a collapsible baton from his jacket. "Forget going back. Kneel now. Youre just a servant acting out. Ill discipline you myself right here."

I looked at the three men I had loved, protected, and elevated. My hands clenched until the knuckles turned white.

"Since youve all decided to pledge allegiance to the help," I said, my voice deadly calm, "don't blame me for what happens next."

I grabbed Ivy by the back of her stolen dress, lifted her up, and hurled her off the stage into the crowd.

"Apologies for the scene," I announced to the stunned room. "The wedding is canceled. Consider this my coronation."

The guests were paralyzed.

"I heard the Dominion had internal strife, but isn't Serena the only heir? Thats undisputed, right?"

"Yeah, but the invitation said Ivy Calloway. Everyone knows Victorias daughter is the heir. Who the hell is Serena to crash this?"

"She just assaulted the boss. Shes dead meat."

My ex-fianc and his cohorts heard the murmurs and seemed to regain their confidence.

"Serena! What is wrong with you? Get down here!" Preston shouted. "I am Ivys husband, Preston. I can testify that Ivy is the star of this wedding and the heir to the Dominion!"

"I am Harrison Calloway, the eldest son," my brother bellowed. "I watched Ivy grow up. I know who my sister is!"

"Im Roman, head of security," Roman added, standing shoulder to shoulder with them. "Ivy is the heir. I dont even know who this Serena woman is."

They stood in a wall of testosterone and suits, protecting Ivy, glaring at me.

The crowd laughed.

"This Serena girl has lost her mind. The Calloway men are handsome, sure, but you can't just claim them."

"Exactly. The family keeps a low profile, but we know the lineup: Harrison is the son, Preston is the groom, Roman is the muscle. If they say shes a nobody, shes a nobody."

"On your knees, Serena! Apologize!"

I lifted my chin, looking past the wall of traitors to the entrance, where a man was rushing in.

"Arthur," I called out. "Youve been my mothers right hand for twenty years. Surely you recognize her daughter?"

The room turned to look.

"Thats Arthur Doyle. Victorias... companion. Why is he here?"

"With this chaos? Victoria is on her deathbed; someone had to come restore order."

Arthur didnt say a word. He stormed down the aisle, his hard-soled shoes clacking on the marble. He helped Ivy up first, dusting her off with tender care, before turning his cold eyes to me.

"You insolent brat. Who gave a servant the courage to strike Ivy?"

He gestured to the security team. "Tie her up. Im taking her back to the estate. The Boss will deal with her personally."

My heart hammered against my ribs.

In my last life, I knew the three men were seduced by Ivy. But I didn't know Arthurmy mothers most trusted confidantwas in on it too.

At his command, the guards rushed me.

I stood my ground. I didn't need weapons. I used the Calloway Combat Stylea brutal, efficient martial art passed down only through the bloodline. I dismantled the first wave of guards in seconds.

As the men groaned on the floor, the crowd shifted.

"That fighting style... thats Calloway CQC. Only the direct line is taught that."

"If shes just a servant, how does she know the moves?"

I stared at the men, waiting for the truth to sink in.

But then, Ivy, battered and bruising, pulled herself up onto the stage. She took a breath and performed a sequence of the Calloway form. It was sloppy, breathless, but recognizable.

While the crowd went silent, Ivy wiped blood from her lip and shouted, "Serena! I pitied your background. I let you hold my water bottle while I trained. And this is how you repay me? By stealing my moves?"

I looked at my brother, Harrison, with pure venom. Aside from Mom, only he and I knew that form. He had taught the family secret to an outsider. It was a violation of everything we stood for.

"How dare you," I whispered, grabbing Harrison by the lapels.

Harrison didn't flinch. He looked at Ivy.

Ivy reached into her bodice and pulled out an object, holding it high. A heavy, ancient jade seal.

"The Dominion Seal was passed to me by Mother herself," Ivy declared. "Serena, your little play is over."

The sight of the seal silenced the room.

"Victoria really must be gone... she gave up the Seal."

"Serena, they have the witness and the evidence. Youre just the help. Get out!"

I ground my teeth so hard I tasted iron. In my past life, I hadn't fought back. I hadn't realized they had already hollowed out the empire behind my back while Mom lay dying.

Rage, hot and blinding, flooded my veins. I lunged for the seal.

Roman moved. The pretense was gone. He signaled his personal elite guard, and they swarmed me.

I was good. But I was flesh and bone, and there were too many of them. A baton struck the back of my skull.

My vision blurred. The world tilted.

Roman sneered, planting a kick in my chest that sent me flying off the stage. I hit the floor hard.

Ivy, sensing victory, strutted over and raised her heel, aiming to stomp on my face.

I caught her foot. I punched upward, driving my fist into the arch of her foot. Ivy, having no real balance or skill, toppled over screaming.

Arthur, my mothers lover, lost his composure. "You little animal! Still fighting? Break her hands!"

Roman pulled a switchblade. He had two men pin my right arm to the floor.

"Serena," Roman said, his voice void of the warmth it used to hold. "Today, Im not just breaking your hands. Im severing your tendons. Youre going to the pits, a cripple, to be walked on by Ivy for the rest of your miserable life."

Pain exploded in my arm. I saw guests turning away, unable to watch.

I spat blood into Roman's face. "Kill me if you have the guts! Because when my mother gets here, youre all dead men!"

Harrison looked panicked for a split second, glancing at Arthur.

Arthur leaned down, whispering in my ear with a voice like dry leaves. "Let me tell you the truth, little girl. Your mother isn't waking up."

"Stop dreaming of a savior. The Dominion, the money, even your fianc... they all belong to Ivy now."

He smiled, a cruel twisting of lips. My stomach dropped.

Thats why no one came for me last time. They had already murdered my mother.

Seeing the horror on my face, the men laughed.

I used their distraction. I bucked my hips, throwing off the guard, and lunged at Arthur. My teeth clamped onto his ear. I ripped my head back, tearing a chunk of flesh free.

Arthur shrieked. Ivy screamed in sympathy.

Harrison grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it over my head. "Are you crazy?! How dare you hurt him!"

My head swam, buzzing with concussive force. But through the haze, a question formed.

Harrison had always hated Arthur. He called him a gigolo, a usurper standing in our dead father's place. Why was he protecting him now? Why was he so desperate?

Preston was rushing around, dabbing at Arthurs bleeding head with a napkin. Roman had the knife at my throat.

"Im sorry, Serena," Roman said. "I didn't want to kill you. But you keep hurting the people I care about."

I was broken, bleeding, outnumbered.

Up in the VIP balcony, someone covered their eyes, waiting for the execution.

"ENOUGH!"

The voice cracked through the air like a whip.

"How did Serena's wedding turn into a slaughterhouse? Stand down!"

My vision cleared enough to see the figure at the door. Tears pricked my eyes.

It was Aunt Jo. Josephine Calloway. My mothers sister, my martial arts master, the woman who raised me alongside Mom.

"Aunt Jo..."

She marched toward me. When she saw my mangled arm, her face twisted in fury. "You animals! Who did this to her?"

Everyone looked at Roman. Roman swallowed hard, stepping forward to take Aunt Jos hand. "Aunt Jo, its a misunderstanding. Please, calm down, we can explain"

Jo backhanded him so hard he flew into a waiters tray.

"You did this?" she roared. "You grew up with her! She treated you like family! How could you?"

The men went pale.

Preston stepped forward, trembling. "Aunt Jo, please. Serena... she had a psychotic break. She attacked Arthur. We had to restrain her."

At the name Arthur, Jo froze. She turned slowly to look at the man clutching the side of his bleeding head.

Arthur glared at her, his eyes full of accusation. "Don't you see I'm bleeding? What are you waiting for? That little bitch tried to kill me!"

I blinked, confused. Aunt Jo was a spinster, married to the martial arts. She had no men in her life. Why did Arthur speak to her with such familiarity? Such entitlement?

"Aunt Jo!" I screamed. "Its a lie! Its a coup! Theyre trying to put Ivy on the throne! You have to help me!"

Jos face went dark. She didn't look at me. She looked at Arthur, pain and guilt warring in her eyes.

"Fine," she whispered. "I owe you this."

She turned to me. The warmth was gone.

"Serena, you are out of control. Daring to ruin Ivys wedding? Trying to confuse the Calloway bloodline? Your crimes are unforgivable."

She waved her hand. "Take her away."

The tension in the room broke. The conspirators sighed in relief.

I sat there, frozen, unable to process the betrayal.

I could understand the others. They were weak, greedy men. But Aunt Jo? My own flesh and blood? The woman who taught me to throw a punch?