The Villain Who Stole Hearts
Chapter 132: Caspian’s Despair, Blood Mandala’s Revenge

Chapter 132: Caspian’s Despair, Blood Mandala’s Revenge

A few days later, at a private villa—

Caspian stared blankly at his screen, stunned by a newly released announcement. On the digital map, areas marked in red revealed the city’s latest development plans.

"No! This can’t be happening! Why? Why?!"

Panic surged through him.

He had paid a hefty price to secure a massive sum from the Ashford family in Luxhaven City. Twelve billion. In liquid assets.

Even among his own generation, that wasn’t a small number. Especially since, when he’d borrowed the money, he’d given the family a 100% guarantee—he’d promised full returns, maybe even significant profit. His wife had even co-signed as a guarantor, and only then had they agreed to lend him that kind of money.

But now? The announced zoning map had nothing to do with his residential project. It was more than ten kilometers away.

A "school district property"? What a joke.

He was screwed.

Frantically, he grabbed his phone to call his "connection"—but it wasn’t the man himself who picked up, just a secretary. When he asked for the man’s whereabouts, she told him he’d been promoted two days ago. He wasn’t stationed there anymore.

Boom.

The dial tone buzzed coldly in his ears. Caspian sat frozen, mind completely blank.

Before he could gather his thoughts, a barrage of calls started coming in.

"Caspian, what the hell is this?! Didn’t you say your development was going to be part of the school zone? Now the Veyport City urban planning map doesn’t even touch the area you mentioned!"

"Caspian, you piece of shit! I want my three billion back by tomorrow or I’ll make sure you rot in hell!"

"Pay up, Caspian! Get your ass back to Luxhaven City and give me my money!"

...

In business, information was everything. And everyone who had jumped on board with Caspian’s project thanks to his connection with the Ashford family had already noticed the discrepancy the moment the map was made public.

What they saw was nothing like what Caspian had promised.

Rage wasn’t even the word. They wanted to feed him to the sharks.

They’d never liked him to begin with. Caspian wasn’t even part of the Ashford direct bloodline—just a peripheral member, barely tolerated. If it hadn’t been for his wife’s guarantee, none of them would’ve forked over that kind of cash.

Now that things were clearly going south, all pretenses were gone. They didn’t care about saving face—every single one of them wanted their money back immediately, terrified someone else might get repaid first.

But Caspian didn’t give anyone a date.

Not because he didn’t want to repay them—but because he couldn’t.

His company was already in trouble. He had bet everything on this project, thinking he could turn things around. Instead, he hadn’t made a cent—and now he owed twelve billion.

He’d been heading toward a dead end.

Now, he wasn’t just cornered—he was being hunted.

With no other choice, he dialed his wife’s number.

...

Night fell. The streets were silent under dim yellow streetlights.

Caspian lay on the ground, a bottle of liquor in hand, trying to drown his thoughts. But no matter how much he drank, the anxiety wouldn’t go away.

Empty bottles were scattered around him, but his mind wouldn’t shut up.

"Bastard...!"

"Veil Lancaster! You son of a bitch! You set me up!"

"I swear I won’t let you get away with this!"

He screamed into the night, wild-eyed and furious—like a mad dog.

By now, even in his drunken haze, he could no longer deny the truth.

This had been a setup. A trap.

All of it—Veil’s doing.

He’d never tried to mess with Veil. Never had any designs on hurting him. All he wanted was to sell off his real estate—at a fair price. That was it.

But that devil had orchestrated everything—to ruin him.

Why else would that so-called "connection" have so recklessly given him false information? Why would he suddenly get promoted and vanish?

Caspian was furious.

Why him?

Even his wife had abandoned him. Not only had she refused to help with the debt, she’d also stripped him of control over his company. Liquidation had already begun.

"Why?! Why is this happening?! What did I do, God?! Why are you punishing me?!"

Caspian screamed into the sky, tears running down his face.

"You really think you don’t deserve what’s happened to you?"

A shadow stepped out of the darkness.

This was a quiet place. Hardly anyone passed by.

Blood Mandala emerged in full black—clad in stealth gear, like a wraith in the night.

Caspian squinted at the mysterious figure, his brow tightening.

"Who the hell are you? Get the fuck out of here! Don’t bother me!"

He let out a grunt. If he still had money or status, his personal security would’ve made sure someone like her never got within ten feet of him.

"Who am I? Funny... it’s been so many years, I almost forgot myself," Blood Mandala said softly, her gaze distant. "But no matter how much the world forgets... you don’t get to."

She took a step closer, voice cold.

"You murdered your wife and abandoned your daughter. And now you dare to scream at God? This ending is far too merciful for you. That’s why I’m here."

Caspian’s foggy mind snapped to clarity.

He hurled an empty bottle at her and turned to run.

But how could he outrun Blood Mandala?

A black dagger flashed through the night and struck his leg, driving deep into his calf muscle.

He crashed to the ground, crying out in pain. He tried to crawl, but agony shot through him with every movement. There was no getting up.

He turned his head and backed away in a panic, voice trembling.

"Who the hell are you?! What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Blood Mandala said nothing.

She removed her mask.

Her face—stunning now—was unmistakably familiar.

Maybe as a child, she hadn’t looked like much.

But now, with age, her features were almost a mirror of her mother’s.

Caspian’s eyes went wide.

He didn’t even have time to speak before a dagger pierced straight through his chest.

No hesitation. No mercy.

As he lay in a pool of his own blood, one hand clutched his wound, the other pointing at her, eyes wide in disbelief.

Even as death closed in, a deeper fear overtook him.

Blood Mandala turned away from the corpse and walked over to where Veil had been watching from the shadows.

Her voice was cold.

"I’m starting to regret it. He died too quickly. He should’ve felt the pain of dying."

Veil gave a soft chuckle. "Did you see his eyes? Right until the end, he was terrified. I bet it never even crossed his mind that he’d die by his daughter’s hand."

Blood Mandala shook her head. "He probably thought I was my mother’s ghost. Back to take revenge."

So many years had passed. She looked so much like her mother now.

Caspian had probably never imagined his daughter was still alive.

With her mother dead, and her father now gone by her own hand, a bitter ache settled in Blood Mandala’s chest.

A kind of hollow grief that defied description.

She looked at Veil, skipping over any words of thanks—they weren’t necessary between them. Instead, her tone shifted, focused, thoughtful.

"Caspian still had a name in the business world. And he’s been seen with you a lot lately. His sudden death might stir up trouble for you. Should I... take care of the body?"

She hated him. But now that the deed was done, her concern shifted to Veil.

"Especially Sierra," she added. "She might be a problem."

Veil raised an eyebrow. "Sierra? What does this have to do with her?"

Blood Mandala hesitated only briefly before speaking plainly.

"I’ve been following Caspian. He met with Joseph a few times. I overheard Sierra say some things... bad things about you. She even said she wanted to get back at you."

Veil smirked.

"A coincidence?"

There were too many coincidences.

Sierra was proud, yes—but would she really vent like that in front of other people?

Unless Blood Mandala had been tailing her, and not just recently.

Still, Veil didn’t press. He knew Blood Mandala, even if she pretended to be cold, was still emotionally torn—this was her father, after all.

He wouldn’t joke about that.

"The rest... leave it to your sister," he said quietly. "You’ve done what you came to do. Let the past finish surfacing on its own."

"As for Sierra... let her keep acting high and mighty. The more arrogant she is now, the more it’ll break her later."

Blood Mandala clenched her jaw. "But Luxhaven City—"

Veil scoffed. "Luxhaven City? Just another rich family. They’ve wanted to kick Caspian out for years. The only reason he ever had power was because of that woman behind him. If this mess is her doing too... then she won’t get away with it either."

Blood Mandala gave a small nod. She looked at him then, her gaze softening.

"I’m tired. I want to go home."

"It’s getting late anyway," Veil replied, brushing her backside playfully. "Go on. I’ve gotta leave too—those people will be here any moment now."

But just as he turned to go, she reached out and caught his arm, her voice quiet, filled with unspoken emotion.

"Come home with me."