Chapter 113 Changing Fate

The bookstore fell completely silent.

The thug whose wrist Mindy had twisted dropped to one knee, screaming as his arm hung at an unnatural angle. "MY HAND!"

His cries echoed through the tiny shop. The other four men stared at Mindy in disbelief. No one had seen her move.

The leader’s smile slowly disappeared. "You little bitch... you broke his hand."

Mindy calmly dusted off her sleeve. "He tried touching me. I broke his hand. Seems fair."

The leader’s face twisted. "Kill her!"

All four men rushed toward her at once. Arthur’s face turned pale. "Miss! No!"

Naomi covered her mouth in terror.

The first thug swung a wooden stick toward Mindy’s head. She stepped half a pace to the side. The stick cut through empty air. Before he could recover, Amelia came between them, her elbow drove straight into his ribs.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bone echoed. The thug lost all his breath. Before he could even scream, her palm struck the underside of his chin. His head snapped backward. His body collapsed unconscious.

One movement. Two strikes. Finished.

The second man lunged from behind. Amelia instinctively took a step forward. Mindy raised one finger without looking. "No. I’ve got this."

Amelia froze. She obediently stepped back.

The second thug wrapped his arms around Mindy from behind. He barely managed to touch her. Mindy shifted her hips. Grabbed his wrist. Bent forward. The man’s entire body flew over her shoulder.

BOOM!

He crashed onto the wooden floor so hard that several shelves shook. Before he could stand, Amelia’s heel landed directly on his shoulder.

CRACK!

His shoulder instantly dislocated. The man screamed in agony.

The third thug pulled out a folding knife. He sneered. "I’ll carve that pretty face—"

He never finished. Mindy calmly picked up one of the thick antique books lying nearby. She threw it. Not hard. Just accurately. The heavy book slammed directly into his wrist. His knife flew across the room.

Before he could react, she closed the distance. A kick landed squarely on his knee.

POP!

The joint bent the wrong way. The thug collapsed instantly. Another punch struck his temple. He went unconscious before hitting the floor.

The entire fight had lasted less than twenty seconds. Only the leader remained standing. His confident grin had completely disappeared.

"You... who the hell are you?"

Mindy slowly walked toward him. "I’m a customer."

The leader’s lips twitched. "You think you’re some hero?"

He suddenly grabbed Naomi by her hair and dragged her in front of him. The knife lying on the floor was now in his hand. Naomi cried out in pain. Arthur tried standing. One of the injured men kicked him back down. "Stay down!"

The leader pressed the knife against Naomi’s neck. "Come another step... and I’ll slit her throat."

The room froze. Arthur shouted desperately, "No! Please don’t hurt her!"

Naomi trembled violently. Tears streamed down her face.

Mindy stopped walking. Her face remained expressionless. "I’ll give you one chance. Let her go."

The leader laughed nervously. "You think I’m stupid? You come any closer and she dies."

Mindy sighed. "I tried being reasonable."

The leader tightened his grip. "Back off!"

Instead, Mindy reached behind her waist. A black pistol appeared in her hand. The leader’s pupils shrank. Amelia wasn’t surprised—she already knew Mindy carried a licensed firearm. The gang leader didn’t.

His hand began trembling. "You... you have a gun?"

Mindy aimed directly at his leg. "Last warning. Let her go."

The leader shouted, "You think I won’t kill—"

BANG!

The gunshot exploded through the bookstore. The bullet pierced his kneecap. The leader screamed and collapsed instantly. Naomi broke free and ran straight into Arthur’s arms. The siblings hugged each other tightly, both crying uncontrollably.

The remaining thugs panicked. "Boss! Run! RUN!"

They stumbled toward the exit, dragging their injured companions. Blood stained the wooden floor.

Mindy looked at them calmly. "You have exactly one minute. If I still see any of you after that... I’ll shoot the other knee."

Not one of them hesitated. Within seconds, the bookstore became completely silent again.

Arthur stared blankly. He had witnessed the entire fight. Five grown men. Against two women. It hadn’t even been close.

Naomi slowly looked toward Mindy. Her entire body was shaking.

Mindy walked toward Arthur and Naomi. "They’re gone. It’s okay now."

Naomi finally broke down. She rushed forward and hugged Mindy tightly. Her entire body trembled. "Miss... t-thank you... if you hadn’t come..." She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Mindy gently patted her back. "You don’t have to think about it anymore. You’re safe."

Arthur struggled to stand despite the blood running down his face. He bowed deeply. "My name is Arthur Quinn. This is my younger sister, Naomi Quinn."

Naomi lowered her head. "Those men... they’ve been coming here for weeks... they kept saying disgusting things... they wanted me..." Her voice cracked before she could continue.

Arthur’s voice shook. "This shop is the only thing our grandmother left us. We’ve been taking care of it together."

He clenched both fists until his knuckles turned white. "I tried protecting her... but..." His injured body told the rest of the story.

Amelia quickly brought them water while Mindy helped Naomi sit down. After making sure both siblings were stable, they immediately took them to the nearest private hospital.

Arthur had multiple bruises across his body. His ribs were badly bruised. A wooden plank had struck his back during the beating. Naomi had slap marks across her swollen face. Her wrists were covered with fingerprints where those men had grabbed her.

Fortunately... nothing worse had happened.

While the doctors treated them, Mindy quietly sat outside the emergency room. Her eyes slowly drifted toward the hospital corridor. Her thoughts went back to her previous life.

She remembered. Everything.

In her previous life, she had never come to Redbrick Colony. That night, those same five men had dragged Naomi away. Two days later, the police found her body inside a drainage canal outside the city. No one could even recognize her face.

Arthur had tried stopping them. They beat him until he fell unconscious. He remained in a coma for nearly two months.

The investigation later revealed those five men hadn’t come by accident. They had been hired. By Arthur’s own uncle.

After their grandmother died, the bookstore legally belonged to Arthur and Naomi. Their uncle wanted it. Arthur refused to sign the ownership papers. So his uncle decided to destroy both siblings instead.

Naomi died. Arthur lost everything.

When he finally woke from his coma, he hunted every single one of those five men. Then he killed his own uncle. The entire case shocked Greendale. A brilliant Computer Science student with a bright future spent the rest of his life in prison.

Mindy had learned the full story from Ana. The tragedy had dominated the news for weeks, and Redbrick Colony became even more infamous in its aftermath.

The memory resurfaced only the previous week while she was watching television with Layla. A news report about a sixteen-year-old girl who had been killed by a group of thugs suddenly brought the incident from Mindy’s previous life rushing back to her.

The moment the report ended, Mindy hurried to her room and searched for the bookstore, Page & Pen. She then looked through Naomi’s social media accounts, desperate to find some sign that the siblings were safe.

That was when another detail returned to her.

The incident had taken place on the night before the Fourth of July, just hours before the entire city would be lit by fireworks.

Which was why she had deliberately asked Amelia to drive her there today under the excuse of buying antique books.

She looked toward the operating room and smiled faintly. "This time... two innocent lives were saved."

"Miss Wilson." Amelia’s voice interrupted her thoughts. "They’ve been moved to a private room."

Amelia hesitated before asking, "Miss Wilson... did you already know this was going to happen?"

For a brief second, Mindy looked startled. Then she gave a nervous laugh.

"How could anyone know what was going to happen? It was just a coincidence. Those siblings were lucky, that’s all. Perhaps it was simply fate."

Amelia didn’t believe her, but she chose not to press the matter.

Mindy quickly changed the subject. "Still, I’m glad we were there."

She glanced at Amelia with a faint smile. "And I’m glad Matthias asked you to be my bodyguard. When you cracked that thug’s ribs, I almost cheered."

Amelia’s face flushed. She cleared her throat and looked away.

"It’s my job, Miss Wilson."

Then she added, "They’re waiting for you."

Mindy nodded. "Let’s go."

She followed Amelia toward the private room, releasing a quiet breath of relief.

She had to be more careful from now on.

Arthur immediately tried sitting up after seeing her enter. "Miss Wilson... thank you..."

Mindy smiled. "It was just fate. You don’t need to thank me anymore."

She pulled a chair and sat beside his bed. "Tell me something. Why were both of you still keeping the bookstore open tonight?"

Arthur smiled bitterly. "Because... it’s our only source of income. Grandma used to run the shop. After she passed away... we didn’t have a choice."

Naomi lowered her head. "We thought if we worked harder... everything would be okay..."

Mindy remained silent for a few moments. Then she said calmly, "How about I sponsor both of your studies?"

Both siblings froze.

She continued, "You can close the bookstore. Or rent it out. It’s your choice."

Arthur hesistated.

Mindy then said "Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t charity. You’ll return every penny after you graduate. Or you can work for me."

Arthur stared at her. "Miss Wilson... you’ve already saved our lives. We can’t ask for more."

Mindy gently shook her head. "You aren’t asking. I’m offering." She leaned forward. "Arthur. The men we beat today... they’ll come back. And next time, they won’t come alone. You won’t be able to protect Naomi by yourself."

Arthur instinctively looked toward his sister. Her swollen face. Her frightened eyes. His chest tightened. He had failed today. If Mindy hadn’t appeared... he couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened.

Mindy spoke softly. "I have an elder brother. I know exactly how you’re feeling. You want to protect your sister. The only way you’ll truly be able to do that... is by becoming someone no one can crush."

She looked toward Amelia. Amelia immediately handed over a tablet. Mindy placed it before Arthur. "I’ve already looked into it." She pointed at the screen. "Kingsbridge Boarding School." She then swiped to another page. "And Northvale University. The best Computer Science university in Westhaven. It’s only eighty-five kilometers from Greendale. Less than an hour’s drive."

She looked at both siblings. "Naomi can attend Kingsbridge. You can study at Northvale. I’ll arrange your accommodation as well. You’ll both be safe."

Arthur’s hands trembled. His vision blurred. No one had ever believed in him like this.

Naomi looked at her brother before quietly wiping her tears. She was only sixteen. Today’s nightmare would haunt her for years. Yet for the first time since their grandmother died, she saw hope.

Arthur lowered his head. His voice cracked. "...Miss Wilson. I accept. I swear... once I graduate... I’ll return every single penny. With interest."

Mindy smiled warmly. "Good. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear."

She stood up. "Rest well tonight." Turning toward Amelia, she said, "Stay here. Help them with the hospital formalities. Tomorrow, begin the admission procedures for Kingsbridge and Northvale. And arrange a small apartment in Westhaven."

Amelia nodded immediately. "Yes, Miss Wilson."

Mindy looked back at the siblings. "Your lives start over today. So don’t waste this opportunity."

Naomi’s eyes filled with tears once again. This time, they weren’t tears of fear. They were tears of gratitude.

After chatting with them for a few more minutes, Mindy quietly left the hospital. Vivian was already waiting outside with the car. As the vehicle drove away toward Greendale, Mindy looked out the window. she smiled without any burden.

Some destinies were worth changing.