Secrets Of Underworld | LingOrm GxG

XIV

Ling Ling had always prided herself on her loyalty to her closest allies. She had built her empire on trust, on the belief that her inner circle would always have her back. But the closer she looked at the coded messages, the clearer it became that someone had been playing her from the start. Someone she had never expected to betray her.

Her thoughts kept circling back to one person-Lei. A close friend, a confidant who had fought beside her in some of the bloodiest battles. They had grown up together, survived the streets together. Lei had been like a brother to her, his loyalty seemingly unshakable. But now, as Ling Ling pieced together the clues, she realized that Lei had been hiding something. The coded messages, the subtle sabotage-it all pointed back to him.

She had wanted to be wrong. She had desperately hoped that there was some other explanation. But there wasn't. Lei had betrayed her, and now everything she had fought for was at risk.

"I'm going to confront him," Ling Ling said suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled over the room. "I need to hear it from his own mouth."

Orm reached out to grab her hand, concern etched on her face. "Ling, are you sure? What if it's a trap? He could be dangerous."

Ling Ling shook her head, her jaw set in determination. "I have to do this. If Lei is behind this, I need to end it before he can do more damage. I won't let him destroy everything we've built."

---

The confrontation happened that same evening, in a secluded alleyway where they had met countless times before to discuss strategies and plans for their operations. But this time, there was no warmth between them. The air was heavy with tension, and Lei's usually easygoing demeanor had turned cold and guarded.

Ling Ling stood tall, her arms crossed as she stared Lei down. "I know what you've been doing," she said, her voice cold and steady. "I know you've been working against me, sabotaging us from the inside."

Lei didn't deny it. His eyes darkened, and for the first time, Ling Ling saw something in him that sent a chill down her spine-resentment. Bitterness.

"Working against you?" Lei repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Do you really think that's what this is about? You think I've been sabotaging you for no reason?"

Ling Ling's eyes narrowed. "Then tell me why. Why would you betray me after everything we've been through?"

Lei laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that echoed through the empty alley. "You still don't get it, do you, Ling? You've always been so focused on your vision, on your empire, that you never noticed what was happening right in front of you."

Ling Ling's chest tightened with anger, but she kept her voice level. "What are you talking about?"

"You," Lei spat, his voice rising with emotion. "You've been so blinded by your ambition that you never saw how the rest of us were struggling. How *I* was struggling. You built your empire, yes-but at what cost? You think you're a hero, but all you've done is make enemies. And now, those enemies are closing in, and you're too blind to see it."

Ling Ling's fists clenched at her sides, her heart pounding in her chest. "I trusted you, Lei. I thought we were on the same side."

"We were," Lei said darkly. "But then you started acting like you were untouchable, like your power was absolute. You stopped listening to anyone but yourself. And now you're paying the price for it."

"You've been working with our enemies, haven't you?" Ling Ling's voice was tight with fury. "You've been feeding them information, undermining everything we've done."

Lei didn't respond immediately, his silence confirming Ling Ling's worst fears.

"You're right," Lei finally said, his voice low and venomous. "I've been working with them. Because someone had to bring you down before you dragged us all into the grave."