“Kill him.”The voice was sweet, seductive. How tempting the command to kill was. Slaying him had been my lifelong dream. Just as I had done with Hugh and George, he too deserved death.Jerome’s words were right. All these years I had lived for vengeance against the top-level boys. It wasn’t just my revenge. It was vengeance for every life broken by their hands—the knife master, James, Matt, and countless others ruined like Jamie last night. I could not end this by simply snapping Jerome’s neck in one swift motion.“You can’t do it, can you?” Jerome bared his fangs in a grin. He gripped my knee firmly and leaned forward. We stared at each other from nearly nose to nose. No, I alone was glaring. Jerome remained unnervingly at ease.“Shall I guess why?”“….”“This isn’t what you truly want. It wouldn’t satisfy the years you dreamed of vengeance.”Leaning back in his chair, Jerome crossed one leg over the other, as if joking.“I can’t grant you an ordinary end. You’d never accept a quick, hollow death by strangulation. So what would be fitting? How could I force you to beg for your life, then mock you as I end it? For George, the cruelest punishment was taking Hugh from him. You managed that by chance—your finest revenge. You stole Hugh forever. I deserve such a penalty too. I must draw out the agony. A swift death is too gracious for me. I should die ignobly, filthy, in torment—drowning in filth if need be. A noble broken-neck death is out of the question.”“….”“Raymond…” Jerome’s eyes glittered as he asked,“Have you found the perfect way to kill me?”His question struck me like a blow. He was right. For eight years I had hunted ways to kill Jerome and Simon. I had sought any method to sever the chains of my past.But death alone would not suffice as vengeance. I didn’t even need to kill them. I wanted to leave upon them the same mark they left on me. I craved a vengeance that would burn their traces to ashes. I had spent years seeking that method. Jerome knew exactly what I desired.“Shall we return to the beginning, then?”Jerome rose from the chair with a lazy air.“Go back. You shouldn’t stay here yet. Wait for the right moment, as you always have.”“….”“For one thing, Timothy already left for London this morning. If you want to stay, I won’t stop you—but we’re leaving.”He was right. Jerome was completely right… and in that moment I felt a crushing sense of defeat—not because he was right, but for some deeper reason…What on earth had happened? I stared at the calm man before me. Where had the madness that once possessed you gone, Jerome? The cruel lunatic who had sworn to kill me—where had he disappeared to, replaced by this gentleman in evening dress calmly speaking? And I, who had lived madly under your power all these years, what was to become of the frenzy still beating in my chest?I glared at Jerome’s unfamiliar face, furious at this unexpected loss. We had both been lunatics once. I wanted to gouge out those steady eyes. I was still bound to you, yet you looked at me so ordinarily…“This isn’t good.”Christopher’s careless murmur snapped the tension. I jumped and looked at him. Jerome turned too. Christopher frowned at his phone’s screen.“We’ll have to change plans. Someone’s coming for you—they’ve left London and are heading here.”“Why?”“I don’t know. Did you turn off your phone?”Jerome nodded and strode to Christopher, took the phone, then frowned.I watched them, unsettled. Christopher hurried across the room—high heels clicking cheerfully on marble. He opened a door, peered outside, then locked it. He ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ repeated this with the other door.Meanwhile, Jerome stood in place, absorbed by the phone screen. His frown was strangely out of character—almost anxious. Since last night’s dinner, he had shown me nothing but faces I didn’t know. Unfamiliar… unsettling.“We have to go.”Finally Jerome murmured in a low voice.“It seems someone discovered what we were up to in London. That’s the only explanation.”“What?”“I stirred up the engineers looking for something—and left a trail. We need to return to London.”“Wait—what about Raymond? I can’t take care of him and—”“I won’t.”Jerome returned the phone to Christopher and spoke firmly. They discussed me as if I weren’t there; I strained to catch every word. Christopher spoke without falsetto, low and serious. Their tone was too familiar. “We’ve known each other a while” was no modesty; Christopher genuinely trusted Jerome. And my trust in Christopher melted away.“You brought Raymond to the banquet, so me retrieving him would be awkward.”“At this hour there are fewer eyes,” Christopher replied.“That’s uncertain. And plenty will tail us afterwards.”“Even royal guards—Timothy’s protection makes it safe here.”“Safe in the mansion, yes. One step outside, and they’ll be on us.”“What then? I can’t send my driver until Timothy returns. And if he stays in the mansion, who knows what chaos he’ll cause?”Their gazes flicked to me. I stared at Christopher. I had never considered him a full ally, but neither had I thought him my enemy. Even seeing him conspire with Jerome, I hadn’t believed he’d actually endanger me. Not after the night drinking with Harry, or our argument at dawn—he’d promised never to use me as a pawn.He would never harm me. Reflecting on our time together, I realized Christopher hadn’t meant to hurt me; he felt some bond with me, though I couldn’t tell its nature. He invited me to that dinner, confessed he was a monster—he didn’t call me one of his toys. In front of Timothy, he shielded me, urging me to flee danger. So I trusted he wouldn’t harm me. But I would drift further from the truth. Christopher would never help me avenge. Our bond was secret; we could never stand side by side as friends. If he truly sided with Jerome, we would be enemies.If I stayed tangled in Christopher’s web, I would be driven further from my vengeance. Even if a repeat of last night’s horrors occurred, I’d rather investigate the top-level boys’ secrets alone in the club. So I spoke first.“Christopher. I have no more words I want to hear from you. I can’t trust anything you say. Seems we must go our separate ways.”Christopher’s bright blue eyes bored into me.“I’m not leaving this mansion, so you two needn’t bicker. If I wait here, I can see Timothy whenever I want.”“….”“If I want to know about Hugh, it’s fastest to ask his brother, right? Timothy owes me some clarifications—better to wait here.”“Clarifications?” Christopher asked coldly.“You need to know my name is Raymond, and that I’m the real Sergio Terres you’re seeking. And one more thing.”I turned to Jerome, who watched us as though a spectator.“Who handed me the club mask. I couldn’t answer then in the chaos. You two saw it yourselves.”Christopher could no longer contain himself. He seized my collar and dragged me forward. I had no strength to resist and was pulled along. Gazing at his face, I abruptly asked,“Does Tim like this lipstick?”He frowned at me, puzzled. I studied the faint eyeshadow and pressed on,“Seems Tim enjoys makeup?”Without waiting for an answer, I groped at his evening coat. We glared at each other as if ready to devour one another.“No fake chest. Not Tim’s taste, I guess.”“….”“You two must’ve done all sorts of things for that bastard’s approval. Imagine me ratting you out to Jerome here—now that would be quite a show.”Before I finished, Christopher threw me into a chair. He grabbed both armrests and leaned over me, menacing.“Enough, Rachel. If you think I won’t break your nose just because of what happened last night, you’re mistaken.”“Try it. Maybe then Tim will believe me better.”Silence. We glared, neither yielding.“You’re a nuisance.”Jerome murmured from behind.“Step aside, Christopher. I’ll take him.”At those words, Christopher released the armrests without hesitation. Jerome stood before me, removed his watch, and pocketed it.I tried to stand but my legs gave way and I collapsed. Jerome remained by my fallen chair, watching. Christopher stood stubbornly, arms crossed. I glared at him with hatred, clawing the floor as I struggled to rise. I refused to go quietly, stumbling backward.Jerome’s eyes locked on me with a strange gleam. I saw a flicker of the madness I’d pursued in them. He stepped forward. I backed away on unsteady legs until I fell again. My body was too exhausted to move even a finger. I could only glare helplessly as he approached.Jerome advanced with an unreadable expression, neither smiling nor frowning. I glared at him with blazing eyes.“You bastards.”He seized my wrist effortlessly.“Let go, damn it!”There was no point in struggling. He lifted me to my feet, and I had to lean on him. He twisted my wrist artfully, leaving me powerless. Any attempt to flex my hand strained my muscles painfully. When I glowered, he offered a gentle smile.I turned my head to look at Christopher. He was setting the fallen chair upright. I screamed in fury,“How could you! Christopher! How could you give me to Jerome! Christopher!”Christopher did not answer. He watched me being led away by Jerome. Jerome was the one who spoke, softly,“Behave like a gentleman, Raymond.”I wanted to kill him. Jerome opened the large window overlooking the courtyard and stepped into the garden. The sudden brightness and cold air stole my breath.Nearly two meters tall, Jerome led me effortlessly. Whenever I refused to walk, he half-lifted me and dragged me along; it was easier to move my feet. Each forced step sent pain through my wrist and reminded me of last night’s brutal torment on my buttocks. Before long, I could barely speak for sweat pouring down me—sweat from fear, not Jerome’s support.

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