QT: Against My Will-Chapter 508 - 8.25- Visual Distress - Monster Heist
Lu Kai had retreated into his own mind after her death, creating new characters to cope with his grief. Nathaniel Hauxley could be considered one of such creations, a persona that Lu Kai had crafted for himself as a means of escape from his own pain. Nathaniel was everything that Lu Kai was not - confident, charming, and dangerously charismatic.
In Nathaniel’s world, there was no room for grief or loss, only the thrill of adventure and the excitement of living on the edge. Because of this, he was the second one to recover and regain the ability to function in a normal way. (Ru Quan was first.)
Setting the pillow aside, Nathaniel leaned in even closer to Bing Shi, using his striking good looks to intimidate her, "I’ve never seen you be so nervous around me," he observed.
She felt a sudden lump in her throat at the sight of his nose. It was sharp and defined, giving him a regal air.
"That’s because you became so frustratingly good-looking that it became painful to look at you," she responded, finally viewing him as Nathaniel and not as Lu Kai, "And I thought that I was the only one causing visual distress to other people..."
"I give you visual distress?" Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, a controlled expression on his face as he processed Bing Shi’s backhanded compliment.
"Yes." Bing Shi rubbed her chest where the icicle was lodged. "It’s difficult to find any other emotion when this constant ache in my chest is all I can feel," she said quietly, her eyes downcast.
There was no hint of humor, only a gloom in her voice, "You may have broken my heart, but it will only serve as a stepping stone on my path to becoming a true masterpiece."
"You seem to forget that I can break more than just your heart," Nathaniel’s eyes flickered with a sense of cold determination as he looked at the sparkling icicle lodged in her heart, "It’s strange, isn’t it? How beauty can still exist even amidst pain and suffering," he said softly, almost to himself.
His hand reached out to touch the icicle, and a faint glow emanated from his fingertips. "It can be found even in the darkest of moments. And sometimes, it just takes a little twist to bring it out."
The sharp, jagged edges smoothed out, and the crystal-clear surface took on a subtle, iridescent glow. The icicle now resembled a delicate flower frozen in time, looming over her heart, which seemed to shimmer and sparkle in the light.
"I agree," Bing Shi watched in awe as the icicle’s shape began to shift and transform under Nathaniel’s touch. The edges were sharp and jagged, giving it a dangerous and alluring quality. "It’s like a work of art," she said softly. "A cruel, twisted work of art..." With a final gasp of breath, her eyes closed and her body went still.
Lu Kai felt a pang in his chest at her words. His gaze drifted to his watch, and he saw that their time was up. Without the timer, he knew he wouldn’t be able to tear himself away from Bing Shi. He simply loved spending his time with her. Nathaniel had become as real to him as any of his other selves and he pondered how long it would take for his wife to uncover the truth.
He gently touched the icicle and it shattered into a million tiny shards, disappearing into thin air. Bing Shi was alive. Yet, when he saw the light leave the eyes of the body she occupied, he felt an unexpected sense of loss.
Lu Kai thought about the man who didn’t participate in this whole parade, ’How about you? Whenever I see that face and hear that name, everything I see is a cam girl stuffing her pussy with dildos for the whole world to see. But what pissed me off more was how Victor treated her, and I couldn’t do a thing to change it because of her ’I have it under control’ bullshit.’
He observed with growing concern as Bing Shi endured the constant attacks from Victor without any visible signs of weakness or anger. He realized that her self-control in the face of mistreatment was not just limited to her interactions with Riley, but was a part of who she was.
It was a terrifying thought that she had become so accustomed to enduring relentless abuse that it seemed like an everyday occurrence to her, a reality that she carried with remarkable poise.
Xuan Mu was quick to answer, ’Well, she wasn’t lying. I don’t think she is going to get bullied again.’
’That’s the problem here,’ Lu Kai muttered, ’Everyone will be able to have fun with her as I rot away in the corner. Now we all can rot together.’
Xuan Mu laughed out loud, ’Why does your mind always contain the darkest shit?’
Lu Kai snorted as he glanced at the girl that showed no sign of waking up, ’Probably not dark enough to make you stop laughing at me.’
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"Took you both long enough," Nathaniel said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he turned his attention to Victor and Leon, who stood before him with tense bodies and murderous expressions, "She is already gone."
Victor took a step forward, his eyes locked onto Nathaniel’s as if daring him to make a move. Ru Quan stood at his side, his jaw tight and his body coiled like a spring.
A wicked smile crept across Nathaniel’s lips. "I’ve always had a feeling that Riley and Damon was never her ultimate goal. And look at us now, ready to tear each other apart over a dead body."
There was no response from anyone in the room, and Nathaniel let out a small chuckle, radiating an aura of quiet power that commanded attention. "She may be gone, but her legacy lives on. Let’s not let it destroy us."
Victor’s eyes flickered with a dangerous glint as he took another step forward toward Silvia’s body. His jaw clenched tightly, his voice low and filled with barely contained rage. "Gone, you say? I want to take a look at the body."
Victor’s hand twitched at his side, as if ready to reach out and shake the body awake at any moment. There was something about her stillness that seemed unnatural as if she was suspended in some sort of limbo between life and death.
The tension in the room grew thicker, and for a moment, it seemed like the two men would pounce on Nathaniel. But then, without warning, the door burst open and a group of armed LADs stormed into the room.
"Freeze! Nobody move!" one of the guards shouted, his weapon trained on the three male students.
Ru Quan and Victor exchanged a quick look before reluctantly raising their hands in surrender. Nathaniel just smiled, raising his hands as if he had expected this all along. Maybe not from the beginning, but certainly after she no longer seemed to be able to recover from her injuries.
A few students watched on, their eyes fixed on the group of Alphas leaving Silvia’s room, chill running down their spines as they observed the deadly air oozing out of them as they tried to establish dominance over the army of LADs.
It was as if a battle was about to break out at any moment, and the students could not help but shudder at the thought of being caught in the middle of it all.
They knew better than to mess with the Alphas, and they quickly dispersed, eager to avoid any potential confrontation. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
A few individuals with discreet winged accessories gave each other a signal. The signal was barely noticeable to those around them, but it was enough to convey their silent message. They nodded to each other in understanding and began to move out of the school.
