QT: Against My Will-Chapter 539 - 8.56 - Not The Most Positive Influence - Monster Heist

Bertha’s chip held valuable information that shed light on her final interactions, providing crucial clues in narrowing down the list of potential suspects.

Among them, Victor Egerton and Nathaniel Hauxley emerged as individuals who had some interaction with Bertha before her temporary death. They all had a history of enmity with Silvia LeClere, and in some cases, a strained relationship with Shina Night as well.

Although it was an unsaid truth, the investigation team knew that if it weren’t for the fear of Shina Night and her team’s retaliation, the case would have been dismissed and swept under the rug, just like what happened to Silvia LeClére.

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An official seated a possible eye witness at the armchair before him, "Thank you for your willingness to cooperate, Ms. Mai. Can you recall any specific encounters or conversations you had with Victor Egerton prior to the accident?"

Elera, her posture stiff and her expression guarded, hesitated for a moment before speaking, "There wasn’t a conversation but I did catch them during a very intimate moment."

"An intimate moment?" the official inquired, his voice with a hint of disbelief.

A mix of apprehension appeared across Elera’s features, "Yes," she admitted, her nails digging into her palms, hiding her inner turmoil, "I stumbled upon them in a secluded corner outside the training grounds. It was a private moment."

Elera always knew that Victor was a womanizer. Why did it still hurt anyway? She clutched her heart which was hurting the most.

It brought up an uncomfortable memory from her past, where Elera caught the love of her life cheating on her with her boss’s daughter. After a few more questions, it was time to answer questions regarding Nathaniel.

Elera’s eyes narrowed, her expression clouded with uncertainty. "I can’t say for certain. We exchanged a few words about the upcoming mission and some general small talk. We both went our own paths after that."

As soon as the integration ended, Elera walked to her dorm. The weight of the recent interrogation pressed upon her, and the realization of the potential implications hit her like a crushing blow.

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Closing the bathroom door behind her, Elera’s trembling hands instinctively clutched her stomach, as if trying to protect the little pea within. The fear in her eyes reflected the depth of her emotions, and her breaths came in short, uneven gasps.

"Fucking murderers," she whispered, her voice filled with a mixture of anger, fear, and disbelief. The words escaped her lips, carrying with them a bitter truth she struggled to accept.

The image of Victor’s hands haunted her thoughts. They were holding onto Bertha’s neck, his bloodthirst evident in his eyes.

"Did he do it to get back on me?" she hissed under her breath. She also felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. It was telling her that Victor still regarded her as his top choice for a lover.

Elera wanted to scream, to intervene, but fear paralyzed her, leaving her helpless against the horrifying reality that played out before her. So she did the first thing that came to her mind. She fled the murder scene. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The sight of Nathaniel filled her eyes with a flicker of fading hope. She didn’t explicitly mention what had happened. Only that she saw Victor with Bertha. He told her everything would be alright and go back to the dormitory and pretend nothing had happened.

Elera bit her lips as she replayed the events in her mind. Regret gnawed at her, knowing that she had made a grave mistake by secretly following Nathaniel that fateful day.

The person who had always appeared nonchalantly gentle, stood impassively, devoid of the compassion Elera had come to associate with him. Nathaniel ripped out Bertha’s heart and crushed it within his grip like it was nothing more than a mere inconvenience.

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° Bertha’s eyes slowly fluttered open. As her vision cleared, she realized she was lying on the damp forest floor, surrounded by towering trees and the faint rustling of leaves. The memories of her deed with Victor came rushing back.

° Bertha, she...she thought that her chances with Nathaniel were zero. In her mind, their paths seemed destined to never intersect, a painful realization that gnawed at her heart.

° Then, there was Victor. Victor appeared as a tempting alternative, a chance to experience the passion and excitement she believed she had been missing. At that moment, he made her forget about Shina Night, bringing forth her raging hormones.

° ’No, no, no!’ Bertha realized the gravity of the situation when she looked up to see Victor buttoning up her shirt. Even though he never went all the way with her, the things he had done to her didn’t make her feel like a virgin at all!

(Victor is sticking to his bet with Bing Shi about not having sex in a way.)

° "Relax, my dear. I’m just helping you tidy up a bit. You wouldn’t want to meet Shina Night in this state, would you?"

° Bertha immediately began to rub her body as if it would help her get rid of his scent, "No! Nobody can know what happened! If she finds out, she will kill me!"

° But Victor only sneered at her words, "Wasn’t it Shina who sent you to tail me?" he whispered with a chilling tone, his eyes filled with a twisted delight, "To have me tend to her little pet?"

° "Don’t you dare drag Shina Night into this! She has no part in my decision to confront you!" Bertha hissed in anger, "She is trying to change for the better and you are just dragging her down with your twisted ways. Leave her alone!"

° "So, what was the point of all this then?" Victor’s smirk faltered, "Why would you allow me to fuck you with..."

° "Shut up!" Bertha felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as she reflected on her initial belief that she could reason with Victor and talk him out of his behavior in a civil manner. He played her! He played her this whole time!

° With a surge of water magic, Bertha unleashed a powerful attack against him, catching him off guard. He leaped to the back as the water cascaded towards him, swirling and crashing with relentless force.

° "You think you can defy me?" Victor teleported before her, his fingers wrapped around her neck, changing the trajectory of the water in another direction, "You’re nothing without her, Bertha. Just a weak and pathetic plaything."

° Bertha’s determination only grew stronger as she defied his words. "You think I’m weak? Pathetic?" she spat, her voice laced with anger. "Well, let me show you just how wrong you are!" She continued to attack him with everything she had.

° But as the battle raged on, her determination was no match to the other man’s experience and cunning.

° "Your resistance was admirable but... ultimately futile," Victor left Bertha writhing on the ground after she could no longer fight, "If you want to survive, you should call your precious Shina Night for help," he said, leaving her behind in the woods to her own fate.

° The special people Victor encountered through his world missions would always become a balm to the void within him. The new warmth and passion always worked like magic, gradually transforming and taming the darker aspects of his nature. He was not a fuck boy that only looked for a body to screw around with. He was looking for someone to fall in love with.

° On the other hand, Bing Shi’s arrival had the opposite effect. Rather than being a positive influence, her presence seemed to bring out the darkest aspects of his character to a greater extent.

° "Ha..." Victor let out a wry laugh, his hand covering his mouth as he tilted his head, ’No wonder the HQ wanted to erase her from my memories. She does have a bad influence on me.’

° The thought that he almost killed Bertha, Shina’s innocent chewing toy, to get himself into unnecessary problems, hit him like a tidal wave.

° What if Bing Shi wasn’t the solution to his problems he initially believed her to be? What if, instead, she was the villain in his life, manipulating him for her own sinister purposes?