Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 331

A glint of icy malice flashed in Mandy’s eyes.

Without missing a beat, she spun on her heel and strode into the internet café next to the bar.

Inside, the air was dim and heavy, with flickering computer screens casting ghostly light across the rows of battered desks. Mandy scanned the room quickly, picked an empty computer, and sat down. Her fingers flew over the keyboard in a blur, lines of code streaming across the screen like a river in flood. The cold blue glow sharpened her features, lending her an even more severe aura.

Within minutes, she stopped typing. Across a radius of several city blocks, every surveillance camera went dark. Their signals scrambled, frozen on a single frame—time itself seemed to stutter and hold its breath.

The code she’d just executed would erase itself in an hour. By then, the cameras would blink back to life as if nothing had happened. It was more than enough time for what she needed to do next.

Rising smoothly from her seat, Mandy left the café behind.

Meanwhile, Jarrod and Karin had already piled into their car and, with a roar of the engine, vanished into the night.

Only one woman remained outside the bar, her face flushed with excitement and triumph.

Her laughter—wild and manic—split the silence of the night. “Hahaha!”

Mandy narrowed her eyes, fixing the woman with a cold, appraising stare. The woman was practically giddy, drowning in the thrill of easy money.

“Who would’ve thought?” she crowed, gloating to herself. “All I had to do was rough up some useless woman in prison, and look at this payday. This is way faster than any legit job I’ve ever had. Back when I was trying to run a business, I couldn’t even make ten grand a month. Now, with this hundred thousand, I’d have to scrimp and save for at least ten years to see that kind of cash. Five years in prison, and just like that, I get paid.”

A twisted grin spread across her face as she rambled on, “Shame that loser got out before me. Otherwise, I’d have found another excuse to get locked up, teach her a lesson or two, and probably score an even bigger payout. Still, a hundred grand is plenty. When I burn through it, I’ll just go back and squeeze the Coles for more.”

“You seem awfully pleased with yourself,” Mandy’s voice cut through the night, low and unnervingly controlled.