The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Toxin Specialist Doctor Aria

Aiden’s tousled golden hair fell over his forehead, partially hiding his eyes.

At six-foot-two, he was the very picture of a mixed-race guy-his sharp features and strong bone structure made him stand out easily.

No matter where he went, he was guaranteed to catch everyone’s attention.

Natasha had been struggling desperately, but the moment she heard Aiden’s teasing remark, she froze mid- movement.

It finally dawned on her that Aiden was messing with her, and she froze there awkwardly.

“What’s wrong, kid? Cat got your tongue?” Aiden said softly.

He kept tossing out “kid” over and over, clearly loving every second of it.

For most of his life, Aiden had been a shadow-cold, silent, all business when it came to taking lives and finishing his missions.

But all those years under Damien’s command, he’d never run into anything that actually lit a spark inside him- until now.

Who would’ve thought? Messing with a kid was turning out to be the most fun he’d had in ages.

Natasha bit her lip and lifted her foot, her body tense and ready.

In a heartbeat, she lashed out with a vicious kick, aiming right for Aiden’s groin.

If that blow connected, it would’ve crushed his crown jewels-no question about it.

But naturally,

As Damien’s right-hand man, Aiden was no ordinary pushover. His skills were no joke.

He was quicker than Natasha-let go of her in a flash, took two quick steps back, and put some distance between them.

Natasha didn’t waste a second. She bolted forward, running as fast as she could away from the villa.

As Natasha ran off, she yelled back angrily, “You grown-ups are all just bullies! You’re nothing like my favorite Nova! I never want to see any of you ever again!”

Watching the girl’s figure fade into the distance, Aiden-as usual, wearing his icy mask-kept breaking character again and again today.

But he didn’t even seem to notice.

Instead, he just let a soft smile slip and quietly muttered under his breath,

“Truth is, kid, I really can’t wait to see you again.”

Inside the villa, Damien didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt for taking over Natasha’s home-he acted like he belonged there.

And his gaze never wavered from Nova, eyes filled with a burning, undeniable sincerity that never strayed from her for even a second.

Ultimately, he held himself back and didn’t make a move.

His lips moved ever so slightly, as if he wanted to speak.

He held onto every word Nova had said, never forgetting a single one.

“The doctor you need will be in Ravenport tonight,” Damien murmured.

He meant that doctor, Aria-the one who could actually help Fiona Blake recover from her car accident and walk again.

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Chapter 118 Toxin Specialist Doctor Aria

Nova never mentioned it again, but Damien kept it in the back of his mind, always.

Not once did he let himself forget.

“If you ever need her, just give her a call,” Damien said, passing Nova the contact info.

It was clear enough.

This time, he’d come here just to give her these messages.

Nova took the contact info from Damien and responded softly, “Mm.”

For once, she didn’t tease Damien at all.

For the longest time, Nova had always believed Damien only saw her as someone to use-a convenient chess piece in his plans.

To him, marriage was nothing but a binding contract-a deal to lock them together for the sake of power.

But after all those encounters, she couldn’t help but feel her certainty slip. Each time they crossed paths, she found her heart wavering a little more.

‘Does he really just want something from me, or is there something deeper at play?’ Nova couldn’t help but wonder, a faint sense of confusion clouding her thoughts.

“You should really stop letting that little menace get close to you,” Damien’s cool, magnetic voice drifted down from above, slicing right through her thoughts.

He was obviously talking about Natasha.

Nova blinked, momentarily stunned, her mind blank for a beat.

‘Why is Damien acting all possessive all of a sudden?’ she wondered, her heart skipping.

‘Does he actually want to marry me for real…not just as some tactical move?’

‘Wait, am I just overthinking this? Is my mind playing tricks on me?’ Nova fretted, suddenly unsure.

The next day, Nova and Natasha got invited out by Casey and spent some time wandering the shopping district of Fergus together.

Honestly, nothing exciting happened-just like any other day, three girls were window-shopping and goofing around, chatting about random stuff.

But what none of the passers-by realized was who Nova actually was.

If anyone in that mall had known the truth-that the infamous queen of the international underground mercenary scene was casually strolling around like a regular shopper-they would’ve straight-up lost their

minds.

On Friday evening, Nova hopped in a car and headed back to Ravenport.

Fergus, the capital of Morales and home base of the Blake family, was close enough to Ravenport that the trip didn’t take long.

Just a couple hours on the road and she’d be there.

Right outside the flower beds at Ravenport General Hospital.

Nova came face to face with Damien’s subordinate-Doctor Aria, straight from the Shadow Sanctum.

Her codename, Aria, might sound all gentle and weak, but in reality, her aura was pure queen-grown, confident, and commanding.

Tall at five-seven, with curves as sleek as a water snake, she rocked a light blue jacket paired with black leggings, flaunting her figure without a care.

Most folks wouldn’t dare to try that look-it’s the kind of combo that’d make regular people wish they’d stayed home.

But on Aria? She made those dark leggings look straight-up designer, every gesture and word bursting with

Chapter 118 Toxin Specialist Doctor Aria

top-tier brand model vibes and serious enchantress energy.

She stood there silently with her medical case, radiating an air of confidence that made her impossible to ignore.

Nova stepped up and greeted her in fluent Bilinian, her tone gentle.

“ሩያተጃችንኮቱንዡሱ. Aria”

“It’s been ages.”

Nova and Aria actually knew each other.

They’d first crossed paths in a country where Bilinian was the native tongue.

So the moment Aria caught that familiar voice, it hit her like a wave of nostalgia.

Just like back then, whenever Nova called out to her in Bilinian, those memories came rushing in.

She glanced up, and when she saw Nova’s face, she couldn’t help blurting out in surprise,

“It’s you!”

Nova had been mixing it up in the international underground for a whole decade-that’s not even an exaggeration.

There wasn’t a single country on earth she hadn’t set foot in, and her connections in the underground ran way deeper than anyone could ever guess.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Nova said, her lips quirking up in an easy grin.

“Heard you made it to the top over at the Shadow Sanctum. Seriously, congrats!”

The way Nova spoke had that carefree vibe, like she was trading stories with a long-lost buddy from way back. But to be real, they weren’t exactly tight.

It was just one fateful run-in in some country, both of them dodging killers.

Nova showed her a lifeline-told her to join the Shadow Sanctum, and that was how Aria finally shook off her hunters.

That’s really all there was to it.

“If it weren’t for you back then, I never would’ve even thought about joining the Shadow Sanctum,” Aria admitted.

“Otherwise, my enemies probably would’ve had me killed a long time ago…”

Aria gave her toned waist a smooth little shimmy, her lips curling into a confident smirk as she chuckled.

“Looks like I really do owe you, Nova.

“Name it-if it’s within my power, you can count on me. No hesitation.”

Green Ridge Village was one of the best-planned, most beautifully built, and cleanest villages in the whole Ravenport countryside.

Honestly, it didn’t even look like a village at all.

That’s why folks around here called it the “village in the city.”

At the entrance to the village, outside a regular family’s home, Fiona Blake-who rarely ever ventured out-wa there, joined by her husband Charles, and their kids, Maxwell and Hannah.

But it wasn’t just the Blake family.

A whole crowd had gathered-men, women, old folks, little kids-everyone was out and about, buzzing with

energy.

It was one of those scenes where the whole village turned up, making everything feel extra lively. This was Fiona’s family home-her mother’s side of the clan.

Chapter 118 Toxin Specialist Doctor Aria

Even if Fiona was usually a shut-in, she always made a point to come here every now and then.

Her relatives on this side were just everyday people, nothing glamorous about them.

None of her family here had the slightest connection to wealth or high society-the idea of “elite” couldn’t be further from their reality.

It was time for the monthly reunion, so they’d all been called back for the get-together.

But judging by the looks on Maxwell and Hannah’s faces, they were clearly not fans of these monthly family dinners.

“Mom, I’m gonna step outside and call Nova. See if she’s coming back to Ravenport tomorrow,” Maxwell said, already reaching for his phone.

“If she is, I’ll drive over and pick her up.'”

With that, he started heading out, phone in hand.

“Max, wait up! I’m coming with you!” Hannah called out, clearly just as eager to escape the family gathering. Hannah, just as eager to get out of there, hurried after him.

But neither of them was anywhere near as quick as this woman in her late forties-her face lined and her skin sun-darkened from years of hard living-who somehow moved even faster than the teens.

Out of nowhere, with a playful “Hey there!” and speaking in a teasing, almost childish tone, she suddenly cut them off before they could make their escape.

“Where are you two headed, Max and Hannie?” she asked, her voice gentle and warm.

But Hannah, who knew all too well what kind of woman she was dealing with, couldn’t help but furrow her brow in deep annoyance.

Revulsion flickered in her eyes.

This woman was Fiona’s older sister, making her Nova, Hannah, and Maxwell’s so-called aunt.

Her name was Mabel Moore.

Fiona was a country girl at heart, totally different from her husband Charles who was the classic rich kid from a powerful clan, worlds apart from Fiona’s humble beginnings.

They didn’t even meet until after Charles got booted out of Blake family-thanks to Mabel’s husband, Forge Steele, who pretty much played matchmaker.

Because of this, Fiona and Charles always held a special place in their hearts for Mabel and her hubby, grateful for how they’d brought them together.

Even so…

Once Mabel and her husband found out Fiona and Charles had struck it rich and leveled up the Blake family t full-on elite status, they practically quit working and started popping by Blake Manor constantly to ask for

cash.

The starting price was always at least three hundred thousand-never anything small.

But Fiona and Charles never complained.

The real reason? Mabel’s husband, Forge, was hopelessly addicted to gambling. Not only did he blow money like crazy, but he ended up stacking up mountains of debt wherever he went.

“Borrowing” was just a nice way of putting it- not a single dime ever made its way back to Fiona or Charles. Still, Fiona and Charles kept fronting them the money, again and again.

All because Mabel and her husband were the ones who played Cupid for them way back when.

That was why Maxwell and Hannah were basically powerless against Mabel-no matter how much they disliked her, there was nothing they could do.

Compared to Maxwell, Hannah was definitely tough, but her one weakness was her mother.

Chapter 118 Toxin Specialist Doctor Aria

Every time Hannah acted distant toward Mabel, it left Fiona so upset she sometimes struggled to breathe. So Hannah always just grit her teeth and endured it.

If she could steer clear of Mabel, she did-there was no sense in causing trouble.

“Oh, what now? Max, Hannie, are you really gonna snub your aunt again?” Mabel shouted, making sure her voice rang out all across the yard-no way anyone was gonna miss that.

Alongside all the relatives, the place was packed with nosy neighbors, itching for a bit of juicy drama.

Mabel did it on purpose-she was basically throwing bait, ready for the village gossip crew to jump in, all staring at Maxwell and Hannah like not even bothering to recognize their own aunt!

“Look at that-acting all high and mighty just ’cause they’ve got a little money now,” village gossip crew muttered.

“No respect at all!”

“Didn’t learn a single good thing growing up, I swear!”

“ust ’cause they climbed up doesn’t mean they’re some kind of big shot! Royalty-hah!”

“Their mom’s still from around here, plain as any of us! Don’t forget, she started off just like the rest of us!”

When neither Max nor Hannie said a word, Mabel couldn’t do anything about it, so she turned her attention back to Fiona, already looking pretty pleased with herself as she started hatching her next little scheme.

“Fiona, isn’t your youngest finally home after being missing all those years?

“How come she hasn’t bothered coming back to the old village, huh?

“Oh, and guess what-I dug up another miracle doctor for you!

“You free right now? I can call him over to take a look at your leg-maybe this time you’ll actually get cured!

“Otherwise, you know how people love to talk behind your back. Like ‘So what if she married into some big- shot family? All that money, and she’s still rolling around in a wheelchair!” Mabel said.

She claimed she’d found some miracle doctor for Fiona, but that was all just talk.

Someone in her position couldn’t possibly get her hands on a real top-tier doctor.

The whole thing was just a scheme-by pretending to bring in a miracle healer for Fiona’s leg, she could wring more cash out of the Blake family and pocket a nice commission for herself.

“Eh… Guess this is just how my leg’s gonna be,” Fiona sighed, her words heavy with resignation. Mabel’s jab struck a sore spot, and that familiar wave of disappointment threatened to drag her down again.

Fiona was so good-hearted and trusting, she never realized her own big sister was running a hustle on her.

To this day, she still genuinely believed she owed Mabel everything.

Just as Mabel was insisting on bringing her so-called miracle doctor over for Fiona, a clear, confident female voice suddenly cut through the commotion.

Suddenly, a proud voice rang out from the entrance of the yard.

“Mom, the miracle doctor I invited is here! I guarantee within a month, you’ll be up and walking again-just like anyone else!”