Chapter 215

The man's face twisted with rage as he spat, "You'll all burn with me! Consequences mean nothing!"

Vivian stepped forward, her voice steady. "What about Margaret and Abigail? Have you thought what your actions will do to them?"

"Are you deaf? They're gone! I want you all to join them!" His scream echoed through the space.

A cold smile touched Vivian's lips. "Death isn't the end, you fool." She took another step closer.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. The man was strapped with explosives—approaching him was suicide.

Nathaniel's knuckles turned bone-white. Every instinct screamed to drag Vivian to safety, but one wrong move could trigger disaster. His jaw clenched, eyes dark with fury.

Yet Vivian moved like she had all the time in the world, speaking as if to an old friend. "Hell isn't just fire and brimstone. Souls carry their sins into the next life. The guilty suffer for eternity, never reborn."

Her words dripped with eerie certainty. "This girl comes from privilege—her fate is written in gold. But you? You're staining your family's souls with fresh sins. They'll never escape because of you. Is that what you want?"

Some dismissed her as superstitious, but the man faltered. His hands shook. "What choice do I have? They're gone because of greedy bastards who walked free! You expect me to do nothing?"

Vivian's gaze sharpened. "Be as ruthless as you want—but leave the innocent out of it. Fight the ones who wronged you. Killing bystanders won't bring justice."

A bitter laugh tore from him. "Justice? The system failed them! If they can't move on, then we'll stay together—forever!"

She saw the madness returning. Time for Plan B.

"Fine. But she's protected by fate. Take me instead." Vivian lifted her chin. "I've studied the afterlife for years. I can guide your family through the darkness."

The blade glinted as he yanked her against him. "Hands behind your back. Now."

Nathaniel's roar shattered the tension. "Vivian, don't you dare!"

She ignored him, swapping places with Isabella in one smooth motion. The knife pressed to her throat.

Cameras rolled, broadcasting her sacrifice live. Viewers held their breaths.

Nathaniel advanced, every muscle coiled. "Let. Her. Go." His voice was lethal. "Or I'll put a bullet between your eyes."

He'd signaled the snipers earlier—one word, and this ended. But Vivian's recklessness had thrown him. The image of that blade slicing her skin haunted him.

For the first time, Nathaniel understood: he couldn't lose her.

The man's grip tightened. "Shoot me, and she dies first!"

The knife drew a thin line of crimson.