The Mafia Heiress's Comeback: She's More Than You Think novel Chapter 231

Chapter 231 The Mother

Bear

Disappointment flickered across the judges‘ faces before any of them could mask it. None of them expected Maren to be that impulsive.

“So much for Lucien’s faith in her.” Calvert had hoped she had some strategy–anything resembling foresight-

but now, all he saw was recklessness.

Still, not all was lost. If Maren ended up dead, the Marshall family’s image might finally recover from the

embarrassment.

While the judges were already grieving her fate, Maren was walking in the cave.

In the thick, absolute darkness, she moved with delicate steps, her presence nearly silent against the stone.

All the while, she kept her attention fixed on the faintest of sounds, tuning her ears to catch even the slightest stir around her.

“This must be a black bear’s lair,” Maren muttered to herself, stooping down to inspect the coarse strands of fur scattered across the cave floor. The texture was unmistakable. Black bear.

Fortunately, the abundance of fur cushioned her steps, letting her glide forward without stirring a sound.

“Tough as tigers. Likes the dark. Sleeps by day. Hunts by night.” She mentally catalogued what she knew.

Realizing it likely wasn’t awake, Maren allowed herself to loosen up just a bit.

Though dangerous, a sleeping bear was far less of a threat than one on the prowl.

She picked up her pace, driven by a sharper sense of purpose.

As the path narrowed and the air thickened, the stench of blood grew more pungent. This was, without question, a predator’s lair.

“What is that noise?” Maren could hear the soft cries of cubs echoing from somewhere farther in.

Could it be a mother bear with her cubs?

The whimpers were sharp and clear so clear that it seemed likely the mother wasn’t inside the cave with them.

Sure enough, when she reached the nest, only four tiny cubs greeted her, blind and squirming, their cries ragged with hunger.

One of them stumbled towards her and nudged her–shoe, giving it a curious lick.

“No mother. Just hungry babies. She must’ve gone out early, desperate to find food,” she muttered to herself,

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Maren bent down and gently lifted the cub at her foot, testing its weight in her hands.

Light–that was the first thing Maren noticed as she held the cub.

The cub looked weak and malnourished–not a hint of strength or healthy weight on it. When she touched its tiny frames, she could feel the bones beneath its thin fur.

Given the cave’s emptiness and the absence of anything edible, her guess seemed more than reasonable.

The one she lifted wouldn’t stop crying, the constant sound starting to throb in her head. She reached into her pouch, unwrapped a bundle of roasted cheetah meat, and brought it close to the cub’s mouth.

Without hesitation, the cub latched on, chewing greedily.

At last, the crying ceased.

Maren exhaled slowly, her hand drifting to gently stroke the fuzz atop its head.

That meat had been leftover from the cheetah leg she hadn’t finished earlier in the day. She’d wrapped it carefully, not expecting it to come in handy like this.

“Well, guess that worked out.”

With the cub now content, she placed it back down on the fur–covered floor and began to turn away.

Her plan had originally been simple–eliminate the predator and use the cave for shelter. But after finding four starving cúbs and realizing their mother was still out hunting, the idea of slaughtering their only protector left a bitter taste.

A new plan would have to do.

Maren started her way back to the entrance, her movements no longer quiet or cautious since the mother bear was clearly absent.

But before she could make it far, something latched onto her boot.

A glance downward revealed the same cub she’d just fed.

“You again?” she said, raising an eyebrow..

It clung to her leg and gave her shoe another slobbery lick–clearly thinking it had cracked the code to getting

fed.

Maren stared at the tiny bear and sighed.

She was running low on meat. Almost everything she had was already fed to the tiny creature in her arms.

As Maren debated how to slip away from it, a frantic scream tore through the silence outside the cave. “Maren -help! There’s a bear! A beár!!” Morris‘ voice rang out, filled with panic.

“Shit–she’s back!” Maren’s face tightened as she snatched up the cub and bolted towards the mouth of the

cave.

Outside, Morris had already crumpled to the ground, his legs too weak to hold him upright.

Towering in front of him was a full–grown black bear.

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Chapter 231 The Mother Bear

It wasn’t bulked up or particularly well–fed, but its sheer size–easily over two meters tall–was terrifying enough.

To Morris, it didn’t matter how thin it looked. That thing was a living nightmare.

This wasn’t like the cheetah from earlier. The presence of the bear alone was enough to paralyze him. Not a single muscle moved. No escape. No resistance..

All he could do was scream Maren’s name like his life depended on it.

Just in time, Maren dashed onto the scene, cub in hand.

“You still breathing?” Maren asked, spotting Morris sprawled in the dirt with terror etched across his face.

“Barely. But yeah,” said Morris, looking up as if he’d just laid eyes on an angel.

Only a few meters separated the bear from Morris. It was close–too close. Seeing Maren appear did nothing to ease his panic.

His eyes welled with tears, and for a second, he looked like he might sob.

Maren didn’t waste time reacting to his pitiful state. Most people would’ve passed out on the spot.

A growling roar tore from the bear’s throat when its eyes landed on Maren–and more importantly, on the cub in her arms.

That was her child.

“You need to settle down. If not, your cub could end up paying the price,” said Maren, raising the little one high with a single hand, sending a clear warning that if the bear so much as touched Morris, she wouldn’t hesitate to smash its baby against the stone.

There wasn’t time for gentleness. Morris couldn’t run, and the bear was seconds from attacking

Maren needed leverage, and this was the only way to buy it.

Bringing the cub out with her had been no accident.

Black bears, for all their brute–strength, were among the smartest wild predators–some said as clever as apes or dogs.

They understood what it meant when their cubs were in danger.

Ironically, the cub in question seemed oblivious to the situation. It happily stuck out its tongue and began licking Maren’s hand.

“Not now,” she said, giving its fuzzy head a quick pat.

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