Next Morning, 9:00 a.m. ;

En route to the Hybrid Zone, as Asfakh Ali and Shawn Florence liked to call it, Rong Xinghe stuffed her mouth with yet another one of her darling's home-baked brownies, while David drove the car.

"But how could you fall for a businessman?!", David groaned, "I always thought of you as a person who'd fall for someone in Army."

"He was in the Army.", the girl rebutted.

"For what, half a year?", the man shrugged, "Why him? Doesn't he seem... a tad bit boring to you, provided the kind of intense and wild lifestyle you live, as a soldier?"

Rong Xinghe could only roll her eyes at the man, agitated. David Florence had always been a chatter-box in the gang. The Gossip Gal, one could say. This guy had to know about everything in her life. Specifically, her love life.

"He is not boring."

"Huh... how's that like? An interesting businessman?", the man gasped, amused.

"Well... I don't know the Business King everyone fears. I know the man. And he is crazy. A sweet sexy astoundingly alluring man."

"I am alluring.", David Florence grinned, "Date me."

"You are arrogant and hopeless and hateful and if we are discussing height-"

"No, we aren't.", the man quickly interrupted.

"Okay.", the girl laughed.

_______________________

Xi Corporations, 10:00 a.m. ;

As the man walked through the main entrance of his office headquarters, he realized that all his employees had crowded outside his office.

"What's going on?", the man's voice resounded through the halls, silencing the noisy murmurs at once. Seconds later, Xi Fang appeared from his behind and smiled. The man waved his right-hand mid-air, gesturing the group of people to dismiss, and as it turned out, the source of this rabble was a slaughtered Inland Taipan, spread across the Prague carpet tiles ruthlessly. It was no more bleeding, for even the last drop of its blood had been soaked by the fabric beneath it. Of course, the situation around was pretty chaotic. None present over there was used to such threatening messages. Definitely, not to their President Xi.

Xi Fang passed the man a piece of paper, as he buttoned up his suit, "A 'friendly' warning, I suppose, brother.", he reported, "Should we tell Sister-in-law?"

Glancing down at the note, Xi Yuan inhaled a sharp breath, "No. I will take care of this one."

"But it says--"

"I can read, Fang.", the man glared at his younger brother, "I just don't want Xinghe to get involved in this yet. Not until it is an extreme necessity."

______________________

Hybrid Zone, 10:30 a.m. ;

"So what do we have until now? Anything about last night?", the girl walked into the awfully shabby room as she sipped her coffee nonchalantly.

"Actually, we have a strong lead, Xinghe.", Shawn Florence smiled, handing the girl a brown-colored file.

"It seems like there is a whole group of sleeper cells living in the south side of City N. We ordered the National Intelligence Agency to investigate our suspected natives, after yesterday's incident.", Elijah Williams smiled, "It's like Reticular Activation System, you know."

"I agree. We've been so actively searching for the solution of the problem that we never realized it'd always been lying right in front of us.", Shawn Florence laughed, "We looked up the government citizen's identification database and there it was, all the prominent undercover psychos, gathered up for the mega destruction jamboree!"

"Have you guys verified it?", the girl questioned, her tone oddly calm.

"An hour ago. Yes.", Elijah nodded, "I personally did. Crammed up with gunpowder and guns."

"What do you plan to do, Xinghe?", David Florence raised his brows, "A word from you and we'll arrange their funerals."

"I have another plan.", the girl's eyes turned a few shades darker as she said.

"No no no no no!", David shook his head with disbelief, "Don't tell me you are going to go on a manhunt yourself."

"These bastards shot my brother. No one gets to kill them more than I do.", the girl laughed softly. As Elijah and David joined her laugh, Shawn simply stared at her, silently. He knew this wasn't Rong Xinghe talking. Of all the ten hybrids, he was the only one who could always tell the difference, between that of a beast and a soldier. And this... this was the Ripper speaking, masked under the facade of a vengeful sister. The man waited for Elijah and David to leave for the inspection of their personal firearms before he finally grabbed a seat beside the girl, "What was that?", he asked, a sweet smile plastered across his lips.

"What?", the girl raised her brows, confused.

"Let's be honest here. You are starting to feel the darkness again, aren't you?", he asked, tossing the tennis ball in his hand against the wall, "The sanguinary monster is returning, isn't it?"

After a minute of silence, the girl finally admitted, "Maybe... I don't know. Recently, I've been-"

"Losing control over your rage?", the man smiled, "Yeah... I've been noticing. The question is, why?"

"I don't know.", the girl clenched her fists, "Maybe it's because of my family being hurt or maybe... it's you guys. Being with all the Hybrids again, after all these years. Maybe you guys bring it out in me. I don't know what to do, Shawn."

"Yes, you do.", the man laughed, "You always knew this Xinghe. You couldn't have buried the Ripper for too long. You've got to learn to live with it.

"You should talk to Yuan about this, you know? He deserves to know about this more than anyone and you know it."

"What if he doesn't understand?"

"If he is the right one for you, he should. Else, it will still be worth the shot, right?", Shawn Florence chuckled.

"Hmm.", the girl smiled. Only if it were as easy. Had it been a year ago, she wouldn't have cared about Xi Yuan at all. But now, he was her world. The one person that mattered to her the most. The only person she felt she could not live a day without. How was she supposed to reveal her darkest side to him so easily? But regardless of how scared or worried, she was, Shawn was right. She could not hide it from him any longer.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE(Important)

First of all, A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my lovely readers!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Secondly, I am so sorry guys. I know y'all must've been tired of my 'Sorry-s' by now. I understand it. I truly do. Honestly? I am so thankful to have people like you all, in my life. I always have your back. You're all just the best.

Past few months, I underwent serious health issues, COVID symptoms being one of them. I couldn't focus on the screen for too long, neither was I in any position to come up with better story plots for 'The 3 B's'. I tried. I did. But I just had no energy left in my body. I had to take a break from my college because of that too. The worst months of my life. :-( I am so sorry that I disappointed you all.

And still, you guys stuck by. It warms up my heart so much. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. Really. I am perfectly fine now. And there will be a lot of updates, mass releases, bonus chapters, henceforth. You have my word on that.

LOVE_YOU_ALL!!!