Diamond Claws

---

Amid a battlefield flooded with corpses, the number of which exceeded five hundred, Eve stood firm under the heavy rain. Her clothes were completely soaked, mixed with the blood that covered the ground around her. She lifted her head to the sky, trying to calm herself after a bloody night. Anger surged in her veins since she saw him again. His sudden appearance almost destroyed everything she had tried to build in terms of stability.

The cautious steps of her assistant broke the silence. He stood at a safe distance, astonished by the brutality she had shown that night, even though she had not emptied all her anger.

“Miss, we’ve received information that your aunt arrived in the city two days ago, and she was on Marshal’s plane.”

Eve clenched her fingers, making a sharp sound from her diamond claws as she took slow, heavy steps forward. She got into the car, trying to escape the thoughts chasing her relentlessly, battling internally with her feelings about his sudden return.

She picked up her phone and made a call. She looked at the driver, Idos, and ordered firmly, “Stop the car and get out. I don’t want to see you here until I call you.”

Idos got out without objection as she waited for a response from the other end.

“Eve? I can’t believe you’re calling me now, in the middle of the night! What a pleasant surprise. I think I can die now.”

A familiar voice answered with sarcasm, making her sigh deeply as she tried to keep her nerves in check. “I wish I could be rid of you, but I have something I need you for.”

He laughed loudly as if he had expected her call, then added, “Let me guess... it’s about Jungkook’s return, right? Coming back from the dead after six years?”

Eve felt her anger rise. How could she have been so blind? How had she trusted these people? Without replying, she hung up on him. She tapped on the car window with her finger to signal Idos to get back in.

He got back in the car, the smell of cigarettes still lingering on him, something he couldn’t give up. She raised her hand and gestured for him to hand her the pack of cigarettes, which he reluctantly did.

“Miss, cigarettes aren’t good for you. Why don’t you quit?”

She lit the cigarette and took a long drag, trying to calm herself as she thought about what she would do after everything that had happened.

“Head to the apartment near the cliff. I need some time alone.”

When they reached the apartment, she gave him her final instructions in a calm but serious voice, “Stay by her side. Don’t let her be alone, no matter what. Don’t let her go to the company or post anything online. Be her shadow until I make my decision.”

Idos tried to object, “But, Miss, she won’t stop asking about you.”

She gave him a look that silenced him immediately. She got out of the car, slammed the door behind her, and entered the apartment, searching for some peace she desperately needed.

---

Jungkook

On a hill overlooking the gang’s hideout that Eve had wiped out, Jungkook stood leaning against his car. The atmosphere was calm, except for the classical music that filled the place. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag.

“Eve is angry...” he muttered to himself with a slight smile.

He flicked the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, then ran his hand over his chin. The pain from the punch she had given him still lingered. That punch had made him realize she was no longer the girl he once knew.

He took out his phone and sent a message to his brother, Tae: “Wait for a call from Eve. Don’t talk about anything.”

He got into his car, smiling, recalling the moment he first saw Eve after five years. She was completely different now. Despite everything she had been through, she still held the strength that had captured his heart from the very beginning.

While driving, he recalled the details of their last meeting.

When she entered the room, her scent filled the air, distinctive as always. Her red hair immediately caught his attention, and he mentally gave her the nickname “My Red.”

But what he hadn’t expected was her reaction. She didn’t speak, didn’t cry, and didn’t bombard him with questions. She stepped towards him confidently, and just when he thought she was going to embrace him, she surprised him with a powerful punch that knocked him to the ground.

He sat in his car, smiling, recalling that moment, whispering to himself, “Eve... the rare masterpiece, no one compares to your strength.”

He had been waiting for six years for her to come, and now here she was standing before him. She came closer, and he thought she would embrace him, but instead, the punch came.

---

Flashback

In front of that black palace, drowned in the darkness of night, Eve and Idos stood side by side. To the untrained eye, it would appear that no one was there, but they were hidden in the darkness thanks to their attire.

Eve looked at the palace with blank, heavy eyes, lost in a bad feeling she couldn’t explain. Memories from a heavy past came back to haunt her; politicians, the army, that night she didn’t want to remember.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she tightened her claws into her fingers, then spoke in a calm, firm voice, “I’ll go in alone with you. The rest, stay silent from your positions.”

Idos gave her a tense look. He said hesitantly, “But Miss Eve... there are too many, and I...”

She cut him off with a cold stare, silencing him immediately. His expression changed to one of frustration, almost like a child’s, as he kicked the ground, muttering angrily, “Last time, I had cramps from running after you!”

Eve moved with confidence, not paying him any attention. Her first step towards the bridge leading to the palace felt like a theatrical moment. She paused, inspecting the distance, and then, with astonishing grace, jumped and landed on the other side without effort.

Idos followed with a similar move but ended up lying on the ground, suffering from a slight ankle pain. When he stood up and looked at her, he found her glaring at him with clear sarcasm. He muttered in boredom, “What? Do you think I’m a monkey? I don’t know how you do that without a problem.”

Without any comment, Eve continued on her way, her claws preparing for the battle.

---

Inside the palace, the guards were scattered in the hallways, but they fell one by one silently at the hands of Eve and Idos. A swift movement.

---

As Idos followed Eve in silence, one of the guards crossed his path. Eve was about to deliver a fatal blow when the guard suddenly stopped. He froze, then looked at her in shock and shouted in panic, “Eve! It’s Eve! The mafia ruler of Asia!”

Instead of running to face her, he ran to hide... behind Idos.

Idos froze for a moment, then slowly turned to see the guard looking at him in fear. His face showed shock and confusion before he spoke to the guard sarcastically, “Wait a second... you’re hiding behind me? Are you joking?”

Unable to take the situation, Idos turned to Eve, who was standing a few steps away, staring at them with an empty look. The guard raised his hands in fear and said, “Miss! I didn’t mean to... I was just...”

But Eve completely ignored the scene. She walked forward with steady steps, and as she passed by Idos, she patted his shoulder and said coldly, “Looks like you have a new admirer.”

Idos got angry and kicked the ground again, yelling, “This isn’t fair! Even the guards don’t take me seriously!”

As for the guard, he collapsed on the ground, muttering, “I hate my life.”

---

Eve left the matter to Idos and headed towards her goal at the end of the hall, closing the door behind her once she entered the Marshal’s room.

The room was dark, filled with cigarette smoke and the stench of decay. The Marshal’s body was settled into a luxurious chair, his back turned towards her.

She said calmly as she touched the wall to turn on the lights, “You were expecting me, weren’t you?”

But what she saw when the lights came on made her breath stop.

One second... two seconds... three seconds.

It was him. His body, his eyes, his features... his hair.

How could he be here?

---

The Marshal sat, watching her, as though trying to read her features. He had waited for this moment for six long years. She moved toward him slowly, thinking she would embrace him. But what happened was unexpected...

A powerful punch knocked him backward.

Wait... Did Eve punch Marshal Jungkook?

Yes. She did.

End flashback

---

Jungkook, who had expected everything, from the embrace to the reprimand, never expected this.

He silently asked himself, “What happened during my absence?”

He increased the speed of the engine as he headed toward the family home. His mind was full of questions, all leading to one person... Tae.

He entered the house quietly and headed for his brother’s room. He found Tae sitting with his head tilted back, soft music filling the air. Jungkook sat in front of him and poured himself a drink.

He said calmly, “No lies, Tae. I want to know everything. Start with the family mansion... Why was the mansion burned down? And why is mom silent and refusing to talk to me?”

Tae turned to him, looked into his eyes with an expression full of pain, and spoke in a voice drowned in sadness, “Where were you, Jungkook? Where were you when we needed you?”

---

---

Jungkook, who had expected everything, from the embrace to the reprimand, never expected this.

He silently asked himself, “What happened during my absence?”

He increased the speed of the engine as he headed toward the family home. His mind was full of questions, all leading to one person... Tae.

He entered the house quietly and headed for his brother’s room. He found Tae sitting with his head tilted back, soft music filling the air. Jungkook sat in front of him and poured himself a drink.

He said calmly, “No lies, Tae. I want to know everything. Start with the family mansion... Why was the mansion burned down? And why is mom silent and refusing to talk to me?”

Tae turned to him, looked into his eyes with an expression full of pain, and spoke in a voice drowned in sadness, “Where were you, Jungkook? Where were you when we needed you?”