BAM!
The answer was like lightning striking down onto the top of Catrina's head. In that instant, her tears poured out like two small streams.
Seeing this, Kael laughed hard inside, both looking down on Alex and feeling heartache for Catrina.
Catrina's lips trembled as she forced the words out with difficulty. "You… you're saying… you and I… are friends… right?"
Alex seemed to not realize that Catrina's pain was caused by his words. He only thought she was crying because she was afraid of Kael.
He answered firmly, "That's right! You're my friend…"
Thinking of his feelings for Catrina, Alex spoke again. "A... a very close friend. Childhood sweethearts."
Hearing that, Catrina's body swayed as if she was about to fall, luckily caught in Kael's arms. When their bodies touched, Catrina felt a warmth and steadiness coming from this young man.
Even though she had been forced by him to the point where she could only get into bed with him, still... at least he had saved her entire family from bankruptcy, and her father didn't need to go to prison either.
Catrina let out a self-mocking laugh and said softly, "Hahaha… Alex, these past fifteen years, haven't I made it clear enough?"
Alex froze, confusion written all over his face.
Choking back sobs, Catrina said, "Fifteen years ago, when you were seven, your parents died. You had no money to go to school. It was me who gave you all my savings so you could study. It was me who begged my parents to let you eat at my house every day."
"When you were twelve, because I wanted to attend the same school as you, I gave up a scholarship to a famous academy. When you were fourteen, you…"
Catrina cried as she recounted everything, her voice growing more and more hoarse, but it was enough to show just how much she had once loved Alex, and how much she had helped him.
"Alex, everything I did was only to trade for the word 'friend'? Hahaha… I really am a stupid slut, giving all my love to a rock like you."
"No, you're even worse than a rock. Water flows, and even stone can be worn down. But for fifteen years, you never acknowledged a single thing I did for you, only treating me like a friend."
Catrina's body trembled violently. She couldn't stand at all anymore. Luckily Kael was here, holding her tight, or else she would have fallen to the floor.
Kael, of course, knew Catrina and Alex's past.
After all, he was the villain. If he didn't investigate and prepare thoroughly, it would be easy to be blinded by the Protagonist's Halo.
After investigating, Kael realized Alex was like the male lead in those [Action] trope novels. That's right, most of the plotlines were exciting, but they only focused on combat and the Male lead's growth, while romance was extremely faint.
In many novels like that, you have to wait until the ending for the Male lead and the Heroine to finally get together.
Kael found it hilarious. The Male lead in that kind of novel might have incredible talent, but when it came to feelings, he was like a rock. Even though most of the Male lead's Fortuitous Encounters came from the Heroines, from beginning to end he still pretended not to understand their feelings for him.
And that was exactly why Kael had the chance to tear apart the bond between the Male lead and the Heroine.
Alex was trembling too now, remembering that Catrina had indeed done so much for him, so much that he couldn't even remember it all, and he didn't know how to repay her.
But because Catrina had helped him so much, a thought had taken root in Alex's heart: 'She definitely won't leave him.'
It was that confidence that made Alex say he only saw Catrina as a friend, because he knew... she would forgive him, and she would be by his side again like before.
But Catrina was human too. Her heart and patience had limits. When Alex said Catrina was 'just a friend,' her last wall collapsed, and she completely threw away the feelings that had lasted fifteen years.
Alex gritted his teeth and said, "Catrina, come with me. Let's go back together. We... we'll be like before."
Catrina found it ridiculous to the extreme. She didn't answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Kael's neck and kissed him on the lips.
Kael was a little surprised too. Kissing the Heroine right in front of the Male lead, that was way too thrilling, but... he loved it.
The kiss was a little wild. Catrina bit Kael's lip, sucked hard on his tongue, using her tongue to explore the inside of his mouth.
Alex's eyes turned so red they looked like they were about to spit fire. He roared like a feral beast, "Bastard! Let her go! You bastard!"
He shoved away the bodyguard he had been controlling, then with the other hand gripping the fruit knife, he charged at Kael.
Right at that moment...
A figure appeared, long blonde hair spilling down, a hot body wrapped in a black-and-white maid dress.
Alex jolted when he saw the newcomer, but he had no intention of backing off. He kept gripping the knife and rushed forward.
"Move!" he bellowed, his face twisted with rage.
"Huh!" The blonde maid snorted in disdain. Her hand snapped out, striking Alex's wrist with perfect accuracy.
SMASH!
"Ack!" Alex cried out in pain, and the knife in his hand dropped to the floor with a cold metallic clatter.
Alex gritted his teeth, about to say something. "You bitch! You..."
BAM!
"AGH!!!"
That beautiful maid obviously wasn't going to give him a chance to talk. She immediately swung her leg and kicked him in the stomach.
The blow was so heavy that Alex felt like his gut was about to explode. He flew backward and slammed onto the ground.
The maid spoke with a face and voice so cold it seemed frozen solid. "Anyone who dares to harm Young Master... dies!"
At this moment, the kiss between Kael and Catrina ended. Catrina's face was even more flushed, like it was about to catch fire, yet her wet eyes were filled with determination.
Alex clutched his stomach, forcing down the pain as he stammered, "Catrina, don't... he's just fooling you. He only... treats you like his toy."
Catrina glanced at Alex, trying to steady her breathing, then said, "Alex, you and I are only friends. I hope you don't butt into my business. Who I love, who I sleep with, has nothing to do with you. Besides, from now on, I am Young Master's woman, so please don't call me Catrina in such an intimate way."
"Pfff!" Alex couldn't hold it in anymore. He immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face pale as an anemia patient.
Kael looked at Alex at this moment. No, more precisely, he was looking at Alex's Protagonist Halo.
'Still too much.' Kael thought to himself.
According to what the System had told him, if the Protagonist's Halo hadn't weakened to the point of nearly dissipating, he wasn't allowed to kill the Protagonist. If he deliberately went against it, then the Protagonist would encounter an even more terrifying Fortuitous Encounter and instantly turn the tables.
Kael had no intention of killing Alex too early anyway. After all, Alex still had plenty of value for him to exploit.
"Who the hell dares to beat up my brother!"
Right then, a masculine voice rang out, followed by a group of thugs charging in, knives and swords in hand, looking vicious.
The burly man leading them saw Alex lying on the ground and immediately rushed over, hauling him up. "Alex, you okay?"
Alex saw the man in front of him and smiled. "I'm fine. Bob, help me... save my friend. She's being forced by that bastard. I want to save her."
Hearing that, Bob tightened his grip on the blade in his hand. His eyes turned sharp and savage as he stared at Kael, gritting his teeth. "Brat, let that woman go, then kneel down and apologize to Alex. Otherwise, today, my blade's gonna drink your blood."
Kael laughed disdainfully, thinking the guy's lines were embarrassingly corny, like he was watching some TV drama from the 19th century.
Alex also smiled confidently now, forcing himself to stand as he said, "Catrina, don't worry. I'll save you. I'll definitely save you from that bastard. Other people are scared of him, but I'm not."
Catrina panicked when she saw the gang of thugs, but when she heard Alex's words, she found it ridiculous to the extreme.
"Alex, didn't you hear what I said? I love my Young Master. I want to sleep with him. What right do you have to stop me? And now you bring this bunch of thugs here, for what?"
Hearing that, Alex didn't believe Catrina's words were real. He only thought she was saying it so he would leave, because she didn't want him to get hurt.
He said, "Catrina, don't worry. I'm not afraid of him, and I care even less what his identity is. As long as you come with me, I'll protect you. If I say it… I'll do it."
Bob spoke up as well. "Girl, you heard what Alex said. With us protecting you, that brat won't dare do anything to you. He's just a useless piece of trash, relying on his family to bully others."
Kael sneered, thinking to himself that the Protagonist really was the definition of double standards. The Protagonist could bring a gang of thugs, weapons in hand, to bully others, yet he didn't allow anyone else to do the same.
He didn't say much. He simply raised his hand in a casual wave, and right after that...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Heavy footsteps rang out. A group of fully armed bodyguards appeared, shields in one hand, electric batons in the other, and some even carrying stun guns. They filled the hallway, surrounding the thugs in the middle.
"What?!" Bob jolted. The moment he saw them, fear hit him and he backed away.
Seeing Bob's fear, Alex immediately shouted, "What are you doing? Are you scared?"
Bob really wanted to cry, feeling like Alex was an idiot with a completely smooth brain.
He said, "Look carefully. Do they look like bodyguards to you? They look like properly trained troops, and they're armed like a military unit. What the hell are we supposed to fight them with?"
Even though they often hacked and killed for territory and profit, spilling blood, and even having people die, in the end they were still just a bunch of thugs.
Facing the law, facing the police, or even a properly trained and fully armed military force, they had no ability to resist at all.
Alex refused to accept it. He didn't want to lose, didn't want the woman he loved to fall into someone else's hands, so he roared, "No! I don't want this! I have to save Catrina!"
Bob's legs were shaking in fear. He was over forty and had plenty of life experience. Even if he were blind, he could still tell just how terrifying that young man's status was.
To be able to train a group of bodyguards and arm them this heavily, it wasn't some ordinary big family.
Bob immediately grabbed Alex and said hurriedly, "Sorry... sorry. I... I don't know who you are, so I offended you. I'll leave right away."
Kael smiled at that moment. "Since you're already here, there's no need for you to leave."
"No! You..." Before Bob could finish, the bodyguards around them immediately rushed in, using electric batons to restrain them, then beating them down brutally. Of course, they had undergone professional training. They definitely wouldn't beat these thugs to death.
As for Alex, he had the Protagonist's Halo. He definitely wouldn't die.
Kael held Catrina in his arms, his eyes fixed on the elevator doors as if waiting for something, thinking to himself, 'When the Protagonist is pushed to the edge of death, someone will come to save him. I'm really curious. Who will come to save him?'
The floor number on the electronic panel above the elevator kept climbing. After it showed Floor 50, the sound of the elevator arriving rang out.
[Ding!]
At that moment, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked toward the elevator doors.
The doors slowly opened, revealing a beautiful woman as if she'd stepped out of a painting, yet her presence was like an iceberg drifting in a vast ocean, cold and solitary.
She glanced at the thugs and Alex, then looked at Kael. Her brows furrowed, and a voice so cold it carried neither emotion nor warmth sounded out, "Enough!"
Kael glanced toward the elevator, his eyes locking onto the status panel floating beside that woman.
[Heroine: Selvia]