---- Chapter 11 Hardin POV: | stared at the file in my hands, my heart hammering against my ribs. Arthur stood silently by the door, his posture rigid, as if bracing for an explosion. | flipped open the cover. Page after page of reports, timelines, security logs. My own actions, documented in cold, black-and -white text. Subject: Athena Reyes. Action: Forced blood extraction. Location: Private residence. Subject: Athena Reyes. Action: Public humiliation. Location: Morrison Dynamics Innovators Conference. Subject: Athena Reyes. Action: Plagiarism of intellectual property ('Phoenix Engine'). Perpetrator: Carina Sparks. Sanctioned by: Hardin Morrison. The words blurred. My hands began to shake, a violent, uncontrollable tremor. | slammed the file shut, a strangled noise of denial caught in my throat. This wasn't me. It couldn't be. "This is a lie," | rasped, my voice hoarse. "Carina... she must have fabricated this." | looked up at Arthur, my eyes pleading. ---- "The surveillance footage. Show me the footage from the house." Arthur hesitated for a fraction of a second, then handed me a tablet. He pressed play. The screen flickered to life. It was the living room of my mansion. | saw her-Athena-slumped in a chair, looking pale and fragile. | saw myself, standing over her, my face a mask of cold indifference. | watched as a doctor drew her blood while my guards held her down. | saw the terror in her eyes. The betrayal. The utter despair. A sound, half-sob, half-roar, ripped from my throat. The pain in my chest was a physical entity, a jagged piece of metal twisting in my heart. My fingers trembled violently. My breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. | looked down at my own hands, seeing them for the first time as instruments of cruelty. "No," | whispered, shaking my head. "No, no, no..." | slammed my fist into the wall next to the bed, the sharp crack of bone barely registering over the screaming in my head. Pain, white-hot and immediate, shot up my arm, but it was a welcome distraction from the agony consuming me. | hit the wall again. And again. My knuckles split, leaving bloody imprints on the pristine white paint. ---- Then | turned the fury on myself, slamming my fist into my own thigh, the one that had been injured in the first crash. | welcomed the pain. | deserved it. "Athena," | choked out, her name a prayer and a curse on my lips. Arthur rushed forward. "Sir, stop!" | shoved him away, my eyes wild. The surveillance video continued to play. | saw Carina enter. | saw her lean over Athena, who was unconscious on the sofa. | saw her give an order to my security detail. Then the footage cut out. A new kind of rage, cold and lethal, sliced through my grief. | looked at Arthur, my expression terrifying even to myself. "Find her," | commanded, my voice a low growl. "Use every resource we have. | don't care what it costs." | paused, my mind racing. "And bring Carina back to me." Arthur nodded, his face pale, and quickly left the room. The silence that descended was heavy, suffocating. | stared at my bloody, mangled hand, at the dark screen of the tablet, at the shattered pieces of my life. Carina was brought to me a few hours later. She had changed her clothes, but her hair was still damp and stringy. She must have thought | had summoned her to apologize. The moment she entered the room, her face lit up with a triumphant, forgiving smile. ---- "Hardin, | knew you'd come to your senses," she began, rushing towards my bed. | let her get close. | let her take my hand. | even let my fingers brush against her cheek. Then | wrapped them around her throat. Her eyes widened in shock and terror. | squeezed, my thumb pressing into the soft hollow of her throat. The rage was a living thing inside me, a dragon breathing fire. "What did you do to her?" | hissed, the words a venomous whisper. "In the cellar. After the cameras were turned off. Tell me." She gurgled, her face turning a blotchy purple. Her hands clawed at my wrist, her perfectly manicured nails scraping against my skin. "I... | just... locked her up," she choked out. "To teach her a lesson." "You looked at the camera right before you gave the order," | said, my voice chillingly calm. "You knew there was no surveillance in the cellar. What did you do, Carina?" "| didn't do anything!" she gasped, her eyes wild with panic. "Let me go!" My grip tightened. Her breath hitched. The terror in her eyes was a pale imitation of the terror | had seen in Athena's. "Tell me," | repeated, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper, ---- "or | will snap your neck right here." Her struggles weakened. Her face was turning a horrifying shade of blue. Just as her eyes began to roll back in her head, the door flew open. A group of my friends, my business partners, rushed in, their faces masks of shock. "Hardin, what the hell are you doing?" one of them yelled, pulling me away from her. | released her. She collapsed to the floor, gasping and sobbing, clutching her bruised neck. The sight of her filled me with a profound, soul-deep disgust. She looked up at me, and in her eyes, | saw not remorse, but pure, unadulterated fear. She scrambled to her feet and fled the room like a cornered animal. | barely registered my friends' concerned questions. My mind was a million miles away. | saw Athena's face when she pulled me from the car wreck, her expression determined and fierce. She had saved my life. And | had destroyed hers. A single, terrifying thought consumed me. She belonged with me. She was mine. | would find her, and | would bring her back. No matter what it took. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. However, upon her triumphant return, her brother betrays her, setting off a chain of events that will test her resolve and reveal hidden truths. This captivating novel delves into themes of secrets, reincarnation, revenge, murder, and drama. Adela's journey from deception to betrayal is filled with intrigue and suspense as she navigates through a world where power dynamics and family loyalties collide. What sets this story apart is its strong female lead who defies expectations and challenges societal norms in a quest for justice and redemption. Experience the riveting tale of Adela Taylor online at CrushReel and witness the transformation of a princess into a formidable female general.