QT: Against My Will-Chapter 555 - 8.72 - Henry’s Homelad - Monster Heist

Victor frowned slightly, "Don’t touch him. He is bound by a spell," he glanced at the dead child in her mother’s embrace, "Whoever touches him dies."

The other two teenagers were too traumatized to react. Their eyes were hollow, filled with fear and shock.

Leon grabbed Juliet’s wrist that suddenly held up her gun against her temple as if ready to kill herself before her family like a contribution, "You don’t want us to knock you out, do you?"

Before anyone could blink, Douglas whipped out his gun and shot a paralysis bullet into her back, "I ain’t going face-to-face with Juliet."

Juliet’s right hand trembled under Leon’s grasp as she fell to her knees. He draped her hand over his shoulders and supported her up.

"Are you going to leave them behind?" Victor asked about her mother and siblings when Leon and Douglas began to carry Juliet back to the grandhall.

"She only mentioned valuable things," Leon stated simply.

"..." Victor looked back at the dark room. Raising his hand, he undid the spell and shackles around her father and followed after Leon.

Juliet’s mom and her siblings stared at the bright light at the end of the path absentmindedly, showing no signs of escaping the place. How could they? Their feets were gone.

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Meanwhile...

Aria spotted a freezer in the kitchen and deftly emptied its content.

"Mom, tell Dad I’ve got him new ingredients," Shina spoke to her phone as she pressed her foot against Juliet’s grandfather’s chest, immobilizing him. "Alain is asking if you want them intact or in parts."

A deafening sound of the chainsaw roared to life. Alain couldn’t resist giving it a playful rev. He positioned the chainsaw above the old man’s face, ready to demonstrate its power.

"There is no need to worry," Bing Shi looked down at the terrified man after she hung up her phone, "We won’t waste a single part of you," she said while putting on a raincoat for fishermen, "I will make sure everything is going to be put to good use."

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Victor watched intently as Shina’s team boarded the bus. Their faces were masks of indifference, their actions casual, as if returning from a mere coffee break. All but Linda, who glanced around with wide-eyed wonder, and Juliet, whose expression hinted at deeper thoughts.

Liam handed out a bottle of water to Linda, his heart pounding as he sat next to her. The sweet scent emanating from an omega like her was hard to resist, "How old are you?"

Linda accepted the water, hesitating slightly before answering, "Seventeen...almost eighteen!"

The omegas from the institution were typically confined, and isolated from the world outside to preserve their "purity" until the right candidate emerged. It was so Alphas could mold them to their preferences.

Nevertheless, the institution did ensure regular checks to confirm their well-being and state, a facade of care amidst a system of control.

Observing Linda, it was clear she had been preserved in a ’pristine’ state, untouched by the world’s influences. How Leon managed such a feat remained a mystery to all.

For Bing Shi, who received 20 system bodyguards on a whim, it was easy to guess.

Aria waved her hands before Linda’s face, breaking her trance, "A child like you shouldn’t be wandering here without supervision. This isn’t a playground, darling."

Linda’s trembles grew more pronounced, and she bit her lip to stop it from quivering, "I...I’m no longer a child." Her eyes trailed Leon constantly, "Why...why is she hiding her face? Is she beautiful?"

Liam and Aria gave each other a look before they burst into laughter, "You should ask Victor," they pointed at Victor, "He loses his appetite whenever she shows up for breakfast."

Victor, caught off guard by the sudden attention, brushed them off with a roll of his eyes.

Aria, barely containing her laughter, explained, "You see, Shina has this radiant morning glow, alright? It’s so distracting, that Victor here will forget all about his breakfast and keep staring at her with a spoon halfway to his mouth, haha!"

Henry nodded in affirmation, "It’s like clockwork! The sun rises, birds sing, Shina walks in, and Victor’s breakfast... pauses indefinitely."

Laura added with a wink, "Guys, give him a break, maybe he’s just having a feast for his eyes instead."

Everyone erupted into laughter.

Victor grumbled before joining their jokes, "Not everyone is blessed with the ability to eat and admire that kind of beauty simultaneously, okay? Some of us get a bit... overwhelmed."

Shina cupped her monkey cheeks, laughing behind her hands.

Back when Bing Shi was an actress, she saved inside her space a make-up kit they used to transform her face into another — from enchanting sirens to ghastly goblins. So one could imagine how she had shown up for every meal.

Every description Linda heard only added layers to Shina’s mystique. It made her believe that she was indeed in the presence of the greatest beauty she had ever encountered.

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The scenery surrounding Henry’s house was nothing short of picturesque. Nestled on the outskirts of the countryside, the property was enveloped by lush green fields. Tall trees swayed gracefully in the breeze, casting playful shadows on the well-tended garden surrounding the house.

Henry surprised his mother by bringing her a beautiful bouquet of flowers, "For you. They reminded me of the warmth and comfort you’ve always provided to me and dad."

"Oh, Henry, they are beautiful," Henry’s mother thanked him for the bouquets with a warm smile, and then enveloped him in a tight hug, expressing her love and appreciation.

With a bright smile, she extended her hand to each member for a friendly handshake, "Welcome, everyone! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I also want to apologize for my husband’s absence. You know how devoted he is to his duty."

Shina’s team was weirded out by the warm atmosphere. The cozy setup and genuine hospitality caught them off guard, but they appreciated the unique experience despite feeling a bit uncomfortable.

In a hushed tone, Aria leaned toward Laura and whispered, "Have you ever asked about his past?"

Laura shook her head, "He told me he had a very loving mother, father, and three cats. I thought he didn’t want to talk about it and never approached that topic again."

Henry’s early years were filled with promise. His father was a beta who graduated from St. Moon Academy and enrolled in the military right after. The young boy was being taught the values of discipline, resilience, and strategy from an early age.

During his childhood, an accident happened. A piece of shrapnel lodged near a critical nerve on his face, leading to facial paralysis. Although he survived and retained all other motor functions, his face became an unmoving mask, unable to express any emotion.

But, thanks to his mother’s unwavering support, Henry learned to use his voice to convey what his face couldn’t.

Victor seated himself on the chair in the garden, motioning for Linda to sit by his side because Liam wouldn’t stop hitting on her if he didn’t do so, {She is no longer working at the coffee shop?}

{Leon locked her inside his house and prohibited her from going outside for three years. He cut her income, and she had to rely on things being delivered to her. It was only recently that he gave her freedom.} Nora answered.

Laura fidgeted nervously, reluctant to sit next to Victor, even avoiding his eyes.

"Are you afraid of me?" Victor implored.

Laura took a deep breath and looked at her palms clutching her skirt, her voice soft and quiet, "I...I heard Victor Egerton hates inexperienced virgins like me."

"..." Victor channeled his power and sent a bolt of lightning crackling towards Leon’s direction. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Leon raised a sturdy earthen barrier, redirecting it to the ground. The lightning danced across the earthen surface, harmlessly dissipating into the ground.

"Is that Sunshine?" Shina asked in delight when she spotted a sight that brought a smile to her face.

There, lazily basking under the warm rays of the sun, was a contented cat with a striking golden coat. The cat stretched out its paws and let out a soft, contented purr, acknowledging her presence.

"Yes, that’s Sunshine," said Henry, patting the shiny ball of fur. He then pointed to the elegant white cat with stunning blue eyes that rested at the branch of a tree, "This is Luna. She’s as graceful as the moon," he then pointed at the black cat hiding under a chair, "Midnight."

Bing Shi nodded in approval. If it was her husband, he would have probably named them Snugglie, Purrie, and Snoozie.

Henry wasn’t driven by trauma or revenge but by ideology. Even if their Lady did a background check on him, there was nothing that should have made her go all ’Amazing, I want him’. After all, it was just him and his thoughts.

Despite the love of his family, he found himself trapped in a state of inaction. Opportunities for exploring the unknown came and went, but he allowed them to pass.

He came to the realization that achieving his desires was nearly impossible — his fate seemed sealed from birth as he was labeled a beta, and this perception affected his life’s trajectory — no matter how much he trained, he would never reach even close to the weakest alpha.

Henry touched the place between his eyes. It lasted until an opportunity came crashing on his forehead in the form of a gold nugget, along with an offer for some repulsive fish soup in exchange for it.

Had he not explored the black market on how to get stronger, he wouldn’t have accepted Alain Night’s offer. For those still oblivious, it was a fucking steal!

He had been saving for it his whole life, and someone just offered it to him at a fraction of the price!

Even after he got to know what it contained, he didn’t back out and even offered to help Alain with gathering the ingredients — but Alain led him to meet Silvia instead.

The rest was history.