Her Story: Rise Of Tiffany

Tiffany’s face twisted with frustration. She had been careless.

Right now, she was just thankful her eyesight was coming back. The blur had cleared, and she could make out a bit of light.

Looking around, she spotted the outline of the box. So, she rolled across the ground, making her way to it.

But as soon as she reached for it, the assassins were right there, closing in like wild dogs. The gunfire that had already been intense got even worse, forcing her to pull back and hide behind another rock.

“Tiffany!” Kenneth yelled, his heart in his throat. He couldn’t believe she was risking her life for a damn herb.

But he knew if he asked, Tiffany wouldn’t hesitate to say it was worth it. She would never think twice about it.

Kenneth couldn’t shake the bitter feeling eating at him. His chest felt tight, like there was something stuck in his throat, making him feel like he might cry.

It was like a wave of regret washing over him. Nothing hurt more than having something and feeling it slip right through his fingers.

He had seen Tiffany risk everything for him, but now, another man was the one making her take that same risk.

Kenneth fought back the jealousy bubbling up inside him, eyes red as he ordered, “Take them down!”

Then, his men went straight for the assassins. The air was thick with dust, and the tension was suffocating.

Tiffany looked at the box, barely three steps away. So close, she could almost feel it in her grasp.

But the assassins were relentless, hounding her like they had a personal vendetta. No matter what, they weren’t giving her a second to breathe.

Tiffany clenched her teeth. A few times, she thought about rushing out, but the bullets were flying all over the place, making it impossible to even peek out.

One of the assassins caught on, though, and saw she was going for the box. He fired a few shots at it.

The box got hit twice, the impact making a hole in it and sawdust flying everywhere.

‘Shit. The Eternal Herb is flammable!‘ Tiffany thought, spotting the small fire burning near the box in her blurry vision. Without thinking, she dove forward to put out the fire, then grabbed the box and tried to pull back behind the stone.

Before she could get far, two more shots rang out. Tiffany tried to roll out of the way, but one of them grazed her cheek, leaving a nasty cut..

Luckily, the Eternal Herb was still safe. Tiffany let out a sigh of relief, her focus entirely on the herb–she didn’t even notice the injury on her face.

Tiffany Kelley heaved a sigh of relief. Her entire attention was focused on this medicinal herb, and she did not care about her injured face at all.

The gunshots finally stopped. A figure loomed over her. Tiffany lifted her head, but with her vision still blurry, she could only make out a slim figure.

The figure was furious, practically shouting, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is this stupid herb really worth it?” That bullet had been way too close. If it had been just a little off, it wouldn’t just be her cheek that got scratched–her life would’ve been snatched away.

Even though she had dodged death, he thought that as a woman she should care about the wound on her face–especially since it could leave a scar.

Kenneth, furious, grabbed the box from her hands like he was about to throw it away.

“Give it back!” Tiffany panicked. She jumped up to snatch it, but as soon as she stood, she groaned and collapsed.

Kenneth quickly caught her, his voice full of concern, “What happened? Are you hurt?”

He looked down and saw a small metal shard stuck in her bloodied pants. It looked like it was from a grenade fragment that had gotten her when it exploded.

All his anger faded, leaving only a deep sense of helplessness. Kenneth sighed and handed the box back to Tiffany. “Come on. Let’s get that wound checked.”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

The assassins who had been on their heels were now gone for good. They had had it coming.

And since the Harper family’s helicopter had been destroyed, Kenneth ordered someone to check the assassins‘ chopper. It was still fully functional, so everyone climbed aboard. This time, the flight to Lovell City was smooth and uninterrupted.

Over an hour later, they touched down at the back of Luna Villa, Tiffany jumped out of the helicopter and turned to face a few lingering shadows.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“You’re welcome.” Kenneth forced

Back in Lovell City, it was like everything had

a

smile.

reset He knew they might nevesen

cross paths again.

“Just take care.” Swallowing the bitterness in his chest, he gave a slight nod and turned back to board the helicopter.

But a voice called out..“Hey, Jumbo! ver got around to asking–what’s your real name?”

Of course, he couldn’t reveal that. Kenneth hesitated, a small, sad smile on his face. “We only met once. My name is not important.”

If the silly nickname left even a small mark in her memory, that was more than enough. For him, it didn’t really matter if she remembered him or not.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Turning, Kenneth forced one last smile. “See you. Maybe we’ll run into each other again someday.”

Just then, her voice.cut through the breeze with a teasing tone. “Jumbo, huh? Kenneth, that’s pretty… cute.”

He spun around, taken aback.

Dawn was just breaking, painting the sky with pink and purple hues. And there she stood, worn and bloodied, yet glowing, her eyes bright as stars. And for a moment, that warm, genuine smile lit up her face, soft and clear.

somehow

Kenneth froze for a moment. “Wait… how did you figure it out?”

Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “Just a lucky guess.”

Ever since meeting this kind stranger who went by “Jumbo” in the valley, she’d had her suspicions.

It seemed too convenient. Blind, on the run, and suddenly encountering someone who cleared her path and made sure she got back to Lovell City. There was no way it was just chance.

Plus, there was something oddly familiar about him, a feeling she couldn’t ignore. She was sure it was Kenneth.

Kenneth scratched his head, caught between feeling awkward and oddly relieved.

He hadn’t expected Tiffany to look at him like this–without the usual tension, maybe even with a touch of humor, like they were old friends meeting again after a long time.

Kenneth chuckled. “Well, you’d better keep this between us. If word gets out, people won’t shut up about it.”

Tiffany smirked but, after a beat, her smile softened. Looking at him, she spoke quietly. “Thank you, Kenneth. Really.”

so thick she’d barely been able to see beyond The memories–the hurt, bitterness, the weight of old grudges had been them. Now, standing here, those burdens seemed lighter, like an old dream that didn’t quite belong to her anymore.

Many things had shifted in her life since she woke up from that dream.

She had been the one stuck in the past, holding herself captive to the mistakes and pain of her old life. But now, she was ready to make peace with it.