Chapter 35: Side Character x Mafia Boss (35)

Deep within the modern skyscraper that served as the headquarters for the Hart, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

"Boss... the maid has been caught," a subordinate reported, kneeling low with his eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

Gabriel slowly looked up from his desk, his dark eyes flashing with pure anger. "What do you mean she was caught? How did that happen?! She has never failed a single extraction task!"

"Boss... we don’t have the full details yet," the guard stammered out, cold sweat dripping down his neck. "We just know she successfully bypassed the outer security perimeter and went inside the master suite for the girl, Lyra... but she never came back out."

Gabriel leaned back against his chair, his fingers tapping against the wooden armrest. A sudden, glint flickered deep within his cold eyes as a dark smile slowly spread across his face.

"So... she’s not as weak as I thought, huh?" Gabriel murmured, his voice dropping into a low, amused purr. "It turns out the little rabbit wasn’t so pure after all."

He picked up a glass of whiskey, taking a slow sip before glancing up again. "What about my useless sister?"

"She’s still locked down in Voss’s subterranean cold dungeon, Boss," the guard answered quickly. "She tried to break out through the rose garden, so Voss threw her into the lower cell block."

Gabriel sneered, tossing his head back with a cruel, mocking laugh. "Useless as always."

He set his glass down, reaching across the desk to pull out a photograph that his spy network had gathered earlier. The photo showed Lyra and Elena hugging tightly in the garden, both of them smiling warmly like normal, carefree college girls.

Gabriel stared at the photograph, his thumb slowly tracing over Lyra’s face before sliding across Elena’s. A truly evil, terrifying scheme began to take shape inside his brilliant, wicked mind.

"Best friends, hmmm...?" Gabriel whispered, his eyes narrowing into sinister slits. "What will happen to your fragile little mind when your precious best friend betrays you... dear sister?"

He tossed the photograph back onto the glass desk and looked up at his top intelligence officer. "Activate the secondary sleeper agent inside the estate. I don’t want Lyra kidnapped anymore. I want Elena to believe Lyra dumped her to save her own skin."

The head guard bowed deeply, his expression solemn. "Understood, Boss."

"Go," Gabriel ordered coldly. "Let’s see how long their precious bond lasts when poison is planted between them."

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Meanwhile, down in the pitch-black torture chambers beneath the Voss estate...

The air was thick with the smell of rust and iron. Two interrogators were standing over the unconscious body of Gabriel’s female operative, who was securely strapped to a steel chair with restraints.

Just as one of the guards reached out to splash cold water onto her face to wake her up, the maid’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

Before anyone could grab her jaw, she bit down hard on her back molar, cracking a tiny hidden glass capsule embedded inside her tooth.

"Stop her!" the head interrogator screamed, lunging forward.

It was too late. Dark purple blood instantly welled up from her lips. Her body convulsed violently for three seconds, her eyes rolling back into her head, before her head slumped forward, completely lifeless. The cyanide had shut her heart down instantly.

"Damn it!" the interrogator cursed, checking her nonexistent pulse. "She carried a suicide pill! Run up to the master suite and inform the Boss immediately!"

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Upstairs, in the grand master suite...

The soft golden glow of the bedroom lamps created an intimate warmth.

Alastair sat on the edge of the massive king-sized bed, his suit discarded onto the floor, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Lyra was sitting directly in his lap, completely wrapped in a blanket like a small, soft burrito.

Alastair’s long, strong arms were locked tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against his broad chest. His face was buried deep into the crook of her neck, his nose inhaling her sweet, floral scent over and over again with an unhinged, needy intensity.

His thumb rhythmically caressed her chin, his touch possessive and inescapable.

"You are not leaving this bed tonight," Alastair whispered raspy against her neck, his warm breath causing a wave of goosebumps to break out across Lyra’s skin. "Not for tea. Not for food. Nowhere."

"U-Um... Boss Voss?" Lyra squeaked out, her dark eyes darting around the room as she tried to keep her voice sweet and submissive. "My legs are getting a little numb... can I at least sit on the sofa?"

"No," Alastair purred, his grip tightening just a fraction, pinning her completely to his body. "You stay right here. In my arms. Where I can see you, touch you, and make sure you are still breathing."

Ding!

A translucent blue screen popped up floating right above Alastair’s messy dark hair.

[ Character Status & Metrics ]

Alastair Voss - Obsession Level: 94%

Darkened Value: 72% (Controlled)

Target of Obsession: Lyra (Host)

System... Lyra wailed internally, keeping her face buried against his broad shoulder while her soul practically exited her body. His obsession metric is at 94%! He is literally treating me like a giant human teddy bear! I can’t even move my left arm!

[ Host, please endure it for the sake of our survival! ] the System replied back, its digital icon hovering nervously. [ Look at his darkened value! It dropped down to 72%! Your docile, clingy performance is working like an absolute charm! ]

I know it’s working! Lyra cried in her mind. But my back hurts! He’s been holding me like this for two hours straight!

Alastair raised his head slightly, his icy grey eyes locking onto her wide, dark ones. His dark gaze was heavy with an intense emotion that made Lyra’s heart skip a beat.

He reached up, his fingers gently tracing her lower lip, his dark eyes darkening further as he leaned down, pressing a firm, hot kiss against her forehead, then her cheek, and finally lingering right near the corner of her soft lips.

"If anyone ever tries to take you from me again..." Alastair murmured, his voice dropping into a deadly, dark whisper that vibrated right through her chest, "...I will rip this city apart piece by piece, Lyra. You belong to me. Mind, body, and soul."

Lyra offered him a tiny, trembling, fake-sweet smile, patting his broad chest lightly with her free hand. "O-Of course, Boss Voss! I’m right here! I’m not going anywhere..."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The abrupt sound of pounding on the double doors shattered the suffocating atmosphere in the room.

Alastair didn’t let go of Lyra. Instead, he simply turned his head, his grey eyes instantly shifting into an icy glare. "Speak."

The head interrogator opened the door just an inch, keeping his head lowered in absolute fear. "Boss... the enemy maid bit a cyanide capsule inside her tooth. She died before we could extract any information about Gabriel Hale’s plans."

Alastair’s dark brows furrowed slightly, but his face remained cold and unmoved. He didn’t care about the dead spy. All he cared about was the small, soft girl currently wrapped in his arms.

"Clean up the room," Alastair ordered coldly, his raspy voice absolute. "Double the guard post outside this door. If a single fly enters this floor without my permission, you will all answer to me."

"Yes, Boss!" the guard answered frantically, quickly shutting and locking the heavy doors from the outside.

Alastair turned his gaze back down to Lyra, his hand sliding under the blanket to hold her small hand, lacing his long fingers firmly through hers.

"Now..." Alastair whispered softly, a rare, breathtakingly handsome smirk touching his lips as he pulled her back down onto the soft mattress with him. "...where were we, my little mouse?"

Lyra stared at the ceiling as Alastair pulled the duvet over both of them, locking her tightly against his chest for the night.

System... Lyra groaned internally as she closed her eyes, surrendering to her fate. ...forget the prison break. I need to order an ergonomic back massager for this bed.

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Down in the freezing darkness of the dungeon,

Elena was curled up on the hard, dirty floor, her body shivering violently from the bitter chill. She looked down at her small, elegant hands, the same hands that used to play the piano so gracefully, now smeared with dark dirt and dried blood from trying to pick the iron locks.

Her stomach twisted in hunger pains. She hadn’t eaten a proper meal in over a day, and her throat felt as dry as sandpaper.

Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed from the stone corridor right outside her iron cell door. Elena held her breath, pressing her cold back against the wall as two faint female voices began whispering to each other near the guard station.

"Have you seen the Master today?" one voice murmured softly. "The entire third floor was put on high alert earlier, but now everything is completely calm!"

"Of course I saw him!" the second voice replied with a soft giggle. "Our Boss loves that little cafe worker so much! Have you seen how worried he was when he thought she was in danger? He almost killed the entire security detail!"

"I know, right? They’re so adorable together! He’s treating her so well... I heard he personally ordered the finest silk blankets and requested the kitchen chef to cook her favorite sweet dishes!"

"Must be nice to be her... she’s living like a pampered queen up in the master suite while others suffer."

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded down the dark hallway, leaving behind a suffocating silence.

Elena sat completely frozen in the dark, every single word hitting her heart like an icy blade.

Lyra... is living like a queen? Elena thought, her wide, hollow eyes staring blankly at the stone floor. He is treating her so well...?

A terrible, sickening feeling flared deep inside her chest.