"Justice wears no mask when love is betrayed—only fire, only ruin."_Unknown
Things were finally looking bright for Archie and Linda Johnson. With Maeve married to a billionaire heir and Katie, their second daughter, engaged to the heir of a successful business, their home brimmed with joy and celebration.
Archie had long forgotten his hidden secrets.
Linda had gone with the girls for their dress fittings, preparing for Katie's engagement party. Invitations had been prepared. Maeve and Levi were listed as VIP guests.
Back at home, Archie sat shirtless in his bedroom, belly sagging over his trousers, nursing a bottle of cheap whiskey. A little drink to celebrate, he thought.
"Drunk then, drunk now. What's next—burning your house to crisps?"
The voice echoed through the dimly lit room like a blade sliding from its sheath. Archie squinted at the shadows.
"Who's there?" he slurred, swinging his arm and sloshing liquor to the floor.
"October 1st, 2008. You caused the death of your brother and his wife. Tampering with their car brakes. Paid off the investigators and adopted their seven year old daughter."
A shadow moved—then Levi stepped from the veranda into the light, eyes cold, a twisted smile on his lips.
"Hello, in-law."
Archie lunged, a glint of steel flashing as he grabbed a retractable blade from the wine table.
Levi didn't flinch.
In one smooth motion, he sidestepped, caught Archie's wrist mid-air, and twisted. The blade clattered to the floor.
"You done?" Levi said, voice flat.
Then he shoved Archie hard. The man crashed into the dining table, shattering glass and sending silverware skidding. Blood mixed with spilled whiskey on the floor.
Levi walked over and sat calmly on the bed, the picture of quiet authority.
"Let's play a little game," he said, voice light but deadly. "Simon says—Levi's edition."
"For whatever reason you had, you killed your brother, adopted his daughter, robbed her of everything that was rightfully hers—Unluckily for you, that girl is now my wife, and you will now bear the consequences."
Archie's breath came in ragged gasps, blood dripping from his arms.
"You're insane," he wheezed. "You, the richest man in this city, come for my... crumbs? What happens to me? To my wife and daughters?"
Levi's expression hardened.
"You didn't care what would become of Maeve when you took everything from her."
Then, slowly, Levi stepped forward and placed his foot on Archie's zipper. Pressed down.
Archie screamed like a banshee.
"My men have your family. Twenty-four hours. Transfer every asset back to Maeve's name, that includes this house, the business, down to the clothes you wear. And do it all quietly—Or you'll lose more than just wealth."
And just like that, Levi turned and disappeared into the night.
***
Archie never imagined a day like this would come.
He had destroyed everything—every file, every photo, every trace of the past. How then, how, did Levi Gazdanov, of all people, uncover the truth?
His thoughts spiraled.
My brother was selfish.
If only he'd helped me when I needed it...
I didn't mean to kill them. I only wanted to scare them.
He had atoned, hadn't he? He adopted their daughter. Gave her a roof, a name. Wasn't that enough?
Still shaking, Archie grabbed a duffel bag and stuffed what little he could into it—cash, passport, a burner phone. His hands trembled as he zipped it shut. He glanced back at the house, swallowing hard.
They'll be fine. Maeve won't let Levi hurt Linda or his daughters—not if she finds out he knows the truth.
But if he stayed… prison would be the least of his worries.
He ordered a ride on his phone. When the Uber arrived, he climbed in without a second thought, telling himself he was doing the right thing. He had worked too hard to have everything taken. He would start over. Somewhere far. He'd disappear.
---
Levi sat in front of a split screen, eyes cold and calculating.
On one feed, Archie slumped in the backseat of the black car.
On the other, one his men—posing as a driver—stepped out of the vehicle at a small, nearly deserted filling station.
"Be right back," the man said casually, glancing at Archie through the mirror.
Archie grunted in reply, staring out the window.
As the fake driver disappeared into the restroom, Levi leaned forward and clicked a small black button on a remote.
A faint hiss escaped from vents near the floor of the car.
Archie blinked. Then blinked again.
His limbs became heavy. His breathing slowed. The world began to blur.
Within minutes, his head slumped against the seat.
Unconscious.
---
A splash of ice-cold water slammed Archie into consciousness.
He jolted awake, gasping, coughing. His wrists and ankles were tied tight, raw against the ropes. Blinking against the sting of the water, he looked up.
There they were—Linda, Katie, and Kelly—each bound to a chair, faces pale and streaked with tears. Katie's mascara had run down her cheeks, her lips trembling.
"Dad, what's going on?" Katie whimpered, her voice shrill. "My engagement is in two days—this can't be happening!"
Just then, a tall figure emerged from the shadows, black-clad and cold-eyed.
Levi.
In his hand, a whip, coiled like a venomous snake.
The family froze, horror dawning.
"L-Levi?" Kelly whispered, her voice cracking. "What is this? Why are you—"
"Gag them," Levi said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Their voices gives me a headache."
The guards behind them obeyed without hesitation. Muffled protests followed, but they were silenced one by one.
Levi strolled forward and sat opposite Archie.
"How greedy... and truly wicked you are," he said softly, coiling and uncoiling the whip with casual menace. "I gave you a choice, Archie. I asked for nothing more than what you stole. Quietly. Discreetly. But instead, you tried to run. Coward."
Archie writhed in the chair, his gag stifling a plea.
"And worst of all?" Levi's tone darkened. "You raised her in hell. Made her believe she was nothing. While she bent over backwards for your approval, you looked at her like trash. Your brother's daughter—the one you murdered—you treated her like a shadow in her own home."
He stood, towering over Archie.
"She's my wife now. She still sees herself as dead weight, broken… worthless. And that's on you."
The whip cracked.
Archie's body jerked violently. The sound of leather meeting flesh echoed like thunder in the room.
A strangled noise escaped him through the gag—raw and animalistic.
A shrill, muffled sound came from Linda.
Levi didn't flinch.
Another lash. Then another. Each stroke not out of rage—but precision. Like a sentence being carried out.
Linda and her daughters wept behind their gags, eyes wide in shock and horror.
"This is for every night she cried alone." CRACK.
"For every cruel word, every slammed door, every time she was made to feel less." CRACK.
"For the name you tried to erase, the fortune you robbed, the lies you spun." CRACK.
The sound was relentless, a dreadful rhythm of justice.
Levi's breathing remained calm—like he was conducting a ritual, not an outburst.
When he finally stopped, Archie was slumped, whimpering, blood staining the ropes that held him.
Levi dropped the whip to the floor with a soft thud.
"You have until midnight," he said, voice quiet but final. "Everything—everything—transferred back to Maeve. Or next time... You'd be begging for the whip."
He walked away, his footsteps fading into the darkness.