CHAPTER 160: Insurrection-29

CHAPTER 160: Insurrection-29

Enid and Helena rose again, staggering, both covered in cuts, dust, and blood. No elegance remained in their movements, only pure resistance.

Enid charged first, with a muffled cry, and delivered a brutal headbutt to Helena. The impact echoed. Helena took a step back, but Enid was also dazed, her vision blurry, the world spinning.

Helena took advantage of the hesitation. She pushed her with all her strength.

Enid crashed through an internal glass wall, falling on the other side amidst fragments and dust. Helena entered after her, limping, breathing with difficulty, but ferocious.

Both fell over a ledge, hitting the polished floor.

They had reached the Enid Corp lobby.

Helena didn't hesitate. She climbed on top of Enid and began to strike her relentlessly, clenched fists, one after another, direct to the face, abdomen, chest. Enid tried to cover herself, but she almost had no strength left. Blood flowed down from her brow, her split lip, her breathing ragged.

Helena pressed a hand against Enid's face, pushing her into the floor.
"In the end… everything you built… ends here."

But at that instant, Enid opened her mouth and bit down hard. Her teeth sank into flesh, ripping two fingers from Helena's hand in one jerk. Helena screamed, stumbling back, reeling.

Enid, barely conscious, saw a piece of wood among the remains of a broken table. She took it with both hands, trembling, and with her last breath, drove it into Helena's chest.

The impact was true. Helena went rigid. She looked down, then at Enid.
"You… don't… deserve… Phoenix…"

But the words were choked off. Her body lost strength, collapsed backwards, lifeless.

Enid tried to sit up, but the world turned black, and she fell unconscious right next to the corpse.

Hours later, Enid opened her eyes in the white hospital room. The light was dim, and the distant sound of monitors marked a steady rhythm. She tried to sit up, but a stabbing pain shot through her body. Even so, she was alive.

The doctor entered the room, reviewing a chart as he approached her.
"Well," he said with a mix of surprise and respect. "You are a unique case. You survived, and quite well, considering what happened. Your wounds are healing at an impressive rate."

Enid took a deep breath, aware of the bandage on her abdomen, the weariness weighing on her bones, but her mind focused on a single question.
"And... my pregnancy?"

The doctor stopped, looked up, and smiled.
"The twins are in perfect condition. They survived. There is no damage."

Enid closed her eyes, letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Her body trembled, not from weakness, but from relief. She had fought, she had bled, and she had won… and she wasn't alone.

Not this time.

At that moment, the doctor looked towards the door.
"It seems you have a visitor. I'll let you rest," he said with a slight gesture, leaving the room.

The door opened slowly, and Phoenix entered holding a bouquet of red and white carnations. He paused for a moment seeing her awake, an expression of relief and weariness crossing his face.
"Well," he murmured. "You still have that bad habit of surviving everything."

Enid looked at him with a tired half-smile, exhausted, but alive.
"And you still have that bad habit of being late."

Phoenix placed the flowers on the table next to the bed. She observed them carefully, touching the petals gently.
"Carnations…" she whispered. "They're my favorites."
"I know," he replied, lowering his gaze for a moment. "Or at least... I remembered in time."

He fell silent for a few seconds, taking a deep breath.
"Enid... I'm sorry. I should have been here. I should have prevented all this. But at the very least… it's over now. We're at peace again."

She raised her hand, weak but firm, and touched his.
"You weren't on time. But you're here. That's enough."

Phoenix dragged a chair to the edge of the bed and sat down, not letting go of her hand. She glanced at him, still with signs of fatigue on her face, but calmer than she had been in a long time.
"I never thought it would end like this," Enid murmured. "Helena Strauss… if anyone had told me two years ago, I would have laughed."
"I guess there are no surprises left in this world," Phoenix replied with a tired, ironic tone. "Or the ones left, hurt."

She let out a soft exhalation, almost a weak laugh.
"Thank you…" she said, more seriously. "For being here. At the worst moment. When everything was collapsing."

Phoenix slightly inclined his head.
"I don't plan on leaving. Not this time."

Enid looked towards the window, pensive, as if she could finally allow herself to imagine the future.
"Now that we have the evidence, Helena's name will be stained forever. They won't be able to use her reputation. Viktor and Darem will fall with her. They'll be linked. Investigated. Put on trial."

Phoenix nodded.
"And this time, they won't be able to buy their way out. They won't be able to hide."

She looked at him again, with a mix of relief and weariness.
"We did it. What an irony… we had to hit rock bottom to clean everything up."

Phoenix leaned back against the chair, letting his shoulders drop.
"Well… now comes the hard part."

Enid arched an eyebrow.
"Harder than almost dying?"
"Living," he replied, looking at her with a sincere expression. "But with you, it doesn't sound so bad."