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Chapter 52: I Counted It With My Fingers
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"I had a lot of money lying around," He began, his tone light, almost bored. "So I invested. And I'm decently smart, so I… well, what's that excuse…"
[Tf?] [????] [Yeah, that's unexpected.]
[Guys!! Give him suggestions!!!]
He trailed off, appearing to genuinely ponder for a moment. In reality, he was reading the show comments.
[Just tell them your imaginary friends told you!]
[Tell them his majesty, Victor Von Doom told you.]
[Fuck it, just say it's divine intervention.]
[It's a miracle! Then do the wahhhh angelic sound!]
[Tell them you counted it with your fingers.]
Adam smiled and held up his hand, counting on his fingers as if running through a list.
The silence stretched, taut as a wire. Then, he let out a low, soft chuckle, as if immensely amused by a private joke which he then released, "I counted it with my fingers."
[YYYEEEESSSS! Mine mine mine! Guys, he told my excuse!! WTF?!]
[???????????????????]
[How did he know!?] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1]
[I believe!] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1]
[Welcome to the Illuminati.]
[He's treating a potential SEC investigation like a minor inconvenience!]
[The journalist's face is priceless! He was expecting denials, not… whatever this is!]
The journalist's expression twitched with frustration. "Mr. Cypher, that's not..."
Adam cut him off, his voice taking on a patronizing, cheerful tone. "I'm sure there are already numerous educational videos on Pulse that can teach you how to count with your fingers. You can learn there."
He gave a dismissive wave and pointed to another reporter. "Next question."
After fielding a few more questions about Oracle AI's capabilities, the inspiration behind John's design; Adam gracefully ended the conference.
As he stood, he leaned close to Domino, whispering a single, inaudible instruction.
She nodded once, her eyes sharp, and peeled away from the group.
Adam made his way back through the sterile, opulent halls of his headquarters toward the private elevator to his penthouse office.
He was almost there when a voice, sweet and slightly breathless, called out from behind him.
"Mr. Cypher! Adam!"
He turned to see a beautiful blonde reporter from the conference hurrying toward him, a pleading smile on her perfectly made-up face.
"I'm so sorry to bother you," She said, her voice a husky whisper. "But I have just one question… I feel like I didn't really get to know the man behind the genius. Perhaps I could ask you a few more questions? Maybe over a drink?"
She bit her lip, her eyes wide and imploring. "I'd be so grateful for just a few hours of your time."
"Hours?" Adam repeated, his cybernetic eye whirring faintly as it focused on her.
The signs were clearer than a neon sign. She was seducing him. It made perfect sense, he mused internally.
He was unique, special, handsome, smart; the best. His internal monologue was a cascade of narcissistic affirmation.
He offered her a charming, capitulating smile. "Sure. I've got a few hours in me."
[He's falling for it! No, Adam, it's a trap!]
[Or is he? That look in his eye… It's not lust, it's math.]
["I've got a few hours in me." Yeah, right.]
[Is he perhaps just horny?] [Who isn't?]
[Him, he's techsexual, no?]
[That was a joke, he isn't actually that... Right?] [Dunno.]
[Adam! Please don't fall! Keep your chastity for me!!] [+1] [+1] [+1]
[Dude! What?] [????] [Actual freak nation in here.]
He led her toward his private elevator, which opened with a soft chime. They chatted amiably on the way up, her laughter a little too practiced, her touches on his arm a little too frequent.
But as the elevator ascended to the top floor; a space that contained only his office, a small personal workshop, his kitchen, and his bedroom; Adam suddenly went still, raising a brow in surprise.
It was as if he had already seen the future.
The doors opened to his pristine, minimalist living area. But Adam didn't step out.
He stood in the doorway, a look of profound disappointment on his face, "Bummer."
The reporter was confused. "What is it, Adam?"
He let out a long, weary sigh. "It's unfortunate," He said, his tone now flat and utterly devoid of its earlier charm. "I really won't get to lose my virginity today."
He wasn't looking at her. His gaze was fixed on a seemingly empty corner of the plush sofa in his living room. "Why are you here?"
The reporter was first startled by the 'virgin' comment, then utterly bewildered. "Who… who are you talking to?"
The air in the corner shimmered, like heat haze over asphalt. Then, the form of Emma Frost solidified in her eyes, lounging on his sofa as if she owned the place.
She was dressed in her signature white, an eyebrow arched in amusement and interest.
Her eyes, however, glinted with a sharp, psychic light as she looked at the reporter.
Emma's voice would echo directly in the reporter's mind, laced with imperious command. Leave. Now. Forget all that's happened today.
The reporter's eyes went blank, her pupils dilating. Without another word, she turned on her heel, walked back into the elevator, and descended, a perfect, beautiful zombie.
It wasn't that Emma could turn invisible, but she simply masked her presence in the reporter's mind, just as she deleted her recollection of today.
Adam finally stepped into his penthouse, the doors sliding shut behind him. "You have a terrible sense of timing, Emma."
[EMMA FROST! My Queen!]
[This is the best love triangle: Adam, Trouble, and Emma Frost.]
[Except there is no love here, just fucking manipulation and mind games. She's an actual fucking vixen.]
[Damn, Adam is a virgin?]
[Makes sense. He's been captive for more than a decade and has been very busy since his escape.]
[But what about his past life?]
[Oh, right, there was that... I think he said in one of his endless monologues that he's been bedridden.]
[Speaking of which, since this is a reincarnation story, could it be that Adam's previous world is our world? You know, with the supernatural nature of the show.]
[Illuminati here, we aren't sure. We find a couple of lookalikes of Adam but not him, we're sure.]
[Also, we have people in some government positions; there are no files or paperwork about anyone like him, as if he doesn't exist.]
[Tf? What do u mean you have people in governments?]
[Is the Illuminati actually a thing? Is it Hydra of this world?]
[Don't you dare taint our name. We aren't Hydra. We worship the First, Adam, not whatever Hydra is doing.]
[...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [I'm scared.]
[This is a show, so the actor behind Adam must exist. If he doesn't, the only possibility is... I believe.] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1]
Adam stared at the white-clad psychic, making herself at home in his penthouse.
Fortunately, he never leaves any valuable information in any of his places, even if he considers them secure.
Everything is in his brain.
He let out another, more theatrical sigh.
"You really have a terrible sense of timing, Emma. And you're actively sabotaging my good deeds."
Emma Frost uncoiled herself from the couch with the languid grace of a predator.
She approached him, her heels silent on the polished concrete floor. A curious, delighted expression lit up her flawless features.
She was dressed not in her Hellfire regalia, but in deceptively simple, impossibly expensive casual wear.
She wore cream-colored trousers and a silk blouse that clung to her form, emphasizing a beauty that was both classic and utterly formidable.
"Ruined your good deed?" She purred, stopping inches from him. Her perfume was subtle and cold, like winter roses.
"That 'deed' would have ended with her sucking you dry for all you know, and bugging your room for even more info."
'That's the point, I want to give her information and have a good time,' Adam complained in his mind.
Does she think he's so stupid that he would fall for something like that? Now his opportunity to fuck over Hydra again has been delayed.
"But let's revisit the more fascinating revelation." Her eyes, sharp and diamond-bright, sparkled with genuine amusement. "You're truly a virgin?"
Adam raised a brow, watching as she casually encircled his neck with her arms, her body leaning into his.
The proximity was intimate, charged.
"Why the surprise? You pilfered Logan's mind to find out about my M.R.D. plans. Surely you saw… other things."
His tone was dry and curious in the face of her advance. "Opportunities to experience that particular facet of life were scarce. Hydra was quite stingy."
He shook his head in mock disappointment. "They didn't even do the logical thing and send partners to try and breed my unrivaled genes. Idiots, truly."
[Okay, dude!]
[Yeah, the humor is on point, dark and to my taste!]
[Emma's face is a masterpiece. She's met megalomaniacs, but never one this hilariously self-aware.]
[Damn, I'm in love. She's so fucking hot.]
[Who's the actress? I've never seen her before.]
[It's already been investigated. She doesn't exist.]
[She's so beautiful that had she existed, she would've been an actress, or had an OnlyFans, and I would be her number 1 supporter!]
[Degenarte and proud of it, I see.]
[If u aren't a gooner, your balls shrink. Don't u know that?]
[True, if you don't goon, blood doesn't flow, and balls shrink. Tested and Proved fact.]
If the audience was left speechless, Emma was momentarily dumbfounded.
He had a singular talent for stating the most ludicrous things with the earnest conviction of a physicist stating a universal constant.
It disarmed her, which was a rare and intriguing sensation. Her surprise melted into a deeper, more predatory delight.
Her face drifted closer until their lips were a mere inch apart. Her whisper was a warm ghost against his skin. "How about I take it?"
The offer was blunt, devoid of her usual games. "I could show you the best time of your life. Teach you… all kinds of things."
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