Cleopatra’s eyes abruptly opened as she jerked awake from a nightmare. Instinctively, she reached out to the only picture frame on top of her empty desk.

Her heart pounded hard. Rare were things that could quicken her still-unfamiliar heartbeats. Perhaps, her brother in this life was the only number on the list.

She brushed off the beads of sweat on her forehead and shook her head. How did she doze off while sitting on her reclining chair inside her office?

Unable to shake off the nightmare’s unsettling effect, she picked up the telephone. That was when she discovered dreams were omens.

She stood up, quickly changed into her black body suit, zipped it up, and then called out, “Pedro!”

A tall man quickly appeared in her sight, standing in attention.

“Get ready with the guys. We’re going on a mission.”

In another part of the city, inside a VIP room of a hospital, a man sat by the sick bed, staring solemnly at the patient.

“Boss Seven, we found a match.”

The boss’ shoulders, stiffened by harsh anxiety, dropped out of relief. He stood up, put his hands inside his pockets, and turned around to face the man who had entered the hospital room.

The man in suit mannerly bowed to the boss before resuming with the news he brought. “But, boss, he’s nothing but a child.”

An eerie silence followed, submerging the entire room in a perilous atmosphere. The president’s icy eyeballs punctured the man’s quivering ones. He couldn’t care less that he’d be slaughtering a mere boy. “Bring the kid this instant. He should be honored he got to save the love of my life.”

He averted his gaze towards the pale woman on the hospital bed. Her chapped lips trembled, and then she spoke quietly. “I’m a-alright.”

“Boss, the Madame is not in grave danger. We got plenty of time to find—”

The man cried out in pain, curling into a ball on the floor, suppressing the agony when the president kicked him hard on his shin. The man breathed in and out loudly while caressing his injured leg as if it would soothe the pain.

The pitiful underling didn’t scratch even an inch of the president’s sympathy. Instead, he became angrier. How dare a low life impose opinion upon him?

“Does she look alright to you, you fucking retard?”

“Seven…”

He snapped out of his fury when he heard his name. He looked down at his hand when someone held it. He turned around and tended to his sick fiance.

“I will be okay,” she rasply entreated. “Don’t hurt people for me.”

He caressed her face. “Olivia, baby, I’m not hurting anyone, okay?”

After blurting out that empty promise, he kissed her forehead and faced his right-hand man again, who was now standing up with visible agony written on his face.

“You have an hour,” he simply declared. The man nodded and headed outside, limping.

Meanwhile, the bigwigs of the Sibilian Defense Department, considered to have the highest authority in the Kingdom of Sibil, gathered inside the conference room. These respected and fragrantly-named men waited for a man much respected and fragrantly-named than themselves.

The Department was headed by Chief Baruno. Under him were the airforce, army, navy, and marines officers. When the Chief came to the room, everyone hurried to their feet to salute. Chief Baruno, with his usual nonchalance, sat on his designated seat before everyone else took theirs.

The door violently opened, and a soldier in a uniform bolted inside the conference room. He stood in attention and saluted to all the general officers in the room before he burst the news. “Chief! We have a problem! Lieutenant General Newton can’t come today.”

The old man sitting on the best seat in the room subconsciously sat up and inquired, “Did something happen?”

Respectfully, the soldier responded, “The Lieutenant General’s brother was arrested by Salazar Diego, VII for blood transfusion.”

The Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy questioned, “Diego? The CEO of El Fili?”

“Yes, Sir!”

When everyone heard this, their faces changed with different reactions, most of them appalled. “Explain,” the Chief curtly demanded.

“Yes, Sir!” the soldier replied. “The CEO’s fiance got into a car accident, and she needs a blood transfusion.”

“How did they find Newton’s brother?”

The soldier, again, replied, “Forgive me, Chief. I also don’t understand exactly what is going on.”

The Chief leaned on the back of the chair, tapping his fingers on the table rhythmically. He remembered meeting the boy not long ago. Only six years old. He understood and dreaded his soldier's reckless behavior.

The general officers in the room began rumbling their distaste for the ill-tempered Lieutenant General.

“I knew that girl was gonna get us in trouble sooner or later!”

“Exactly! Her temper is always the problem!”

“I told you letting a girl become a general was a bad idea!”

The badges on the Chief’s chest made a crisp collision sound when he stood up. Everyone, on cue, kept their mouths shut.

Cleopatra Newton was a girl. Somehow, that created a lot of unnecessary issues and unreasonable demands to constantly prove herself worthy. Even though, in fact, she had already proven her worth when she became the youngest female in the entire history of the kingdom to become a general officer.

She was infamous for her ruthlessness. She wasn’t called the ‘devil incarnate’ for nothing.

“Where is she now?” the Chief asked.

“She’s on her way to save her brother, Chief!”

Chief Baruno clenched his fist. “Cleo…” he murmured. With urgency looming over his face, he commanded, “Quick. We must stop Newton!”