The meeting between Aron and the girl he was going to meet this time had been arranged by Butler Charles Whitmore.
The horses galloped the entire way until they arrived at a low wooden house in the western suburbs of the city.
People along the roadside looked back in surprise, unable to understand why gentlemen in luxurious clothing, riding tall horses, had come to this poor district where members of the lowest social class lived.
“It looks like they’re heading toward Alice’s house. Mike, let’s go see what’s happening!”
A freckled young man tugged at the sleeve of his tall and strong friend, hoping he would go with him.
It was as though only with his company would he have enough courage to face the distinguished gentleman before whom he felt worthless.
The tall and strong young man shook his head and quietly refused:
“I’m sorry, Jonathan. My mother no longer allows me to get into trouble!”
“I recognize the gentleman on the white horse. That is the head of the Blackwood family. They’re not from a debt collection company, and they certainly didn’t come to cause trouble for Alice’s family.”
Jonathan’s face turned pale, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.
If they were not debt collectors, then the situation was even worse.
If they did not want money, what else could they be looking for?
At that moment, he remembered the news the neighbors had secretly whispered about.
Gibb Fuller, who had still been living in poverty a month ago, had begun showing off again ever since he handed his daughter Jenny over to the head of the Blackwood family.
No!
Knowing the greed of Alice’s father, he would definitely sell her to that disgusting man.
Jonathan gave his friend a cold look, then raised his head high like a warrior going to the battlefield and ran toward Alice’s wooden house.
At that moment, things were indeed unfolding exactly as he had assumed.
Alice’s father, Seth Sterling, was grinning from ear to ear and calling for his daughter in a flattering voice to come out and meet the guests.
“Mr. Blackwood, please, sit down. The house is very modest, and I sincerely apologize for that!”
“Alice, come out quickly! Mr. Blackwood has arrived!”
Aron looked at the dirty, darkened chair and waved his hand in disgust.
Since he was somewhat obsessed with cleanliness, the environment before him caused him intense discomfort.
Seth rubbed his hands awkwardly and hurried to explain:
“Alice actually cleans very often, it’s just that…”
Charles interrupted him:
“Mr. Sterling, my master’s time is extremely valuable. Please do not waste it on unimportant matters!”
“Do you think the Blackwood family lacks maids who know how to clean?”
“Your daughter only needs to be responsible for remaining beautiful!”
After that series of words, Seth’s face turned red, but he did not dare become angry.
He was afraid he might jeopardize his daughter’s opportunity to become part of a wealthy family.
Clop, clop, clop!
The clear sound of high heels echoed across the floor.
A beautiful young girl came out from inside the house.
Her skin was delicate and fair, while her long golden hair fell smoothly down her back.
She was beautiful like an elf who had just stepped out of a painting.
The only flaw was that she was somewhat short, and her breasts were not particularly developed.
Perhaps because of malnutrition, Alice looked petite and fragile.
“How old is she?”
After sizing her up with his gaze, Aron concluded that she was probably seventeen or eighteen.
Seth’s answer confirmed his assessment.
“Alice is eighteen years old. She is already a grown woman!”
Aron rubbed his chin and looked her over more carefully.
“Judging by her features and build, she will grow into an exceptionally beautiful woman!”
It did not matter that she was not particularly well-endowed at the moment.
Once he took her to the estate and she was better fed, her body would develop over time.
Charles knew his master very well.
Since the master had chosen her, it was now time for him to take over the negotiations.
“Mr. Sterling, I wonder if there is anything the Blackwood family could help you with?”
A smart man never puts the other side in an awkward position.
Even when discussing taking a mistress, it would not be proper to openly mention money.
However, Seth did not ask for money.
Instead, he made a request that put Charles in an awkward position.
“Respected Mr. Blackwood, I want to work in your weapons factory!”
“As a designer who once worked at the Prussian Institute for Weapons Development, I have always dreamed of designing an exceptional firearm that would bear the Sterling name!”
The weapons factory was the most important enterprise of the Blackwood family.
Only the head of the family had the right to decide on hiring personnel.
Anyone who dared overstep that boundary on their own would be ruthlessly punished.
“All right!”
Aron did not particularly care whether Seth could truly design a top-class firearm.
The Blackwood family was wealthy enough to support one more useless employee.
As long as he was not a spy sent to steal their secrets, his presence would not be any burden to them.
When he heard that Aron had agreed, Seth became so excited that his voice trembled.
“Alice, bow to Mr. Blackwood. From today onward, you will serve him!”
A blush appeared on Alice’s fair cheeks.
She grasped the edges of her skirt and bowed slightly.
“Greetings, Mr. Blackwood!”
Aron waved his hand broadly, intending to take Alice to the estate immediately.
Crash!
The half-closed wooden door slammed hard against the wall.
Jonathan rushed inside clumsily and nearly fell before managing to regain his balance.
He stood in front of Alice and shouted loudly with his eyes wide open:
“I do not agree to this marriage!”
“Uncle Seth, you cannot sacrifice Alice for money and ruin the rest of her life!”
“And you, don’t think you can buy and exploit other people with a few filthy coins!”
Slap!
Seth fiercely slapped Jonathan, who would not stop talking.
Then he cautiously glanced at Aron from the corner of his eye.
When he saw his expressionless face, rage surged through his head.
Without thinking for even a moment, he kicked Jonathan hard in the chest again.
“Who cares about your objection?”
“Mr. Blackwood and Alice are perfectly suited for each other! What right do you, an ordinary street thug, have to object?”
“Look at yourself in a mirror first! How could someone like you possibly be worthy of Alice?”
Jonathan wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, looked at Alice with red eyes, and asked in a pleading voice:
“Alice, you don’t want this, do you?”
“As long as you don’t want it, no one can…”
It seemed as though flames were burning in the young man’s eyes.
Aron vaguely sensed a force developing inside his body.
It needed only the right stimulus for an enormous amount of energy to erupt from him.
Aron remembered the online novels he had read in his previous life.
This kind of plot felt very familiar to him.
The woman loved by the main character is taken away from him, after which a hidden power awakens within him.
Then he quickly becomes stronger and humiliates the villain.
It seemed that in this story, Aron was the villain, while Jonathan before him was the main character whose power was just about to awaken.
Alice quickly walked up to Jonathan, stepped between his legs, and pressed down hard with her thin heel.
“Who gave you permission to call me Alice? Do we even know each other well?”
“If my kindness gave you some false hopes, then it’s about time you woke up!”
“You and I are just strangers who happened to meet a few times!”
Jonathan felt terrible pain in his lower body, but he did not let out even the slightest scream.
Because his heart hurt even more!
He had never imagined that everything would end like this!
“Impossible… It wasn’t supposed to happen like this…”
Jonathan quietly muttered to himself.
The flames in his eyes disappeared, extinguished by the hands of the girl he loved.
The force that had just been about to erupt from his body retreated deep inside him and disappeared without a trace.
Seth tugged at his daughter’s sleeve.
Although his previous blows had already made it clear whose side he was on, it would be bad if her behavior caused Mr.
Blackwood to dislike her.
Alice came to her senses and quickly pulled her foot back.
The heel of her shoe was stained with blood.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Blackwood. I acted too impulsively just now, but I normally don’t behave like that!”
Aron shrugged.
The most important thing to him in a woman was that she be beautiful.
Whether she was calm or violent did not particularly matter to him.
He pointed toward Jonathan, who was lying on the floor, and addressed Charles, who stood beside him with his head slightly lowered:
“I’ll leave this annoying man to you. I never want to see him again!”
“And as for Seth’s request, I agree.”
After saying that, he wrapped an arm around Alice and led her out of the house.
Before they mounted the horse, he quietly said to her:
“Throw those shoes away. I don’t want to bring dirty things onto the estate!”
Alice froze for a moment, then, as though struck by electricity, immediately took off the newly purchased high-heeled shoes.
Aron grabbed her slender waist, lifted her onto the horse, then mounted behind her.
Alice intimately placed her hands over his arms, which were wrapped around her waist.
Aron raised the whip and swung it hard.
The large white horse neighed softly and raced toward the estate.
Inside the house, Charles coldly watched Jonathan.
That young man had nearly ruined his master’s plans.
He absolutely could not allow him to die easily.
“Go and fill the bathtub with water. I want to give this boy a proper farewell.”
Seth trembled under his icy gaze.
He knew that the Blackwood family’s butler intended to do something cruel, but he did not dare say a word.
He quickly ran into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and filled the bathtub with water.
Charles grabbed Jonathan by the hair, dragged him into the bathroom, and forcefully pushed his head underwater.
Jonathan, whose heart had been completely shattered, did not resist at all at first.
However, as the air in his lungs ran out, his innate survival instinct forced him to begin thrashing wildly, scratching and kicking.
When he reached the very edge of suffocation, Charles pulled his head out of the water.
Jonathan managed to take several breaths before his head was pushed beneath the surface again.
After this was repeated three times, his entire body looked like a broken doll, and his eyes became dull and lifeless.
“I hope you’ve had enough fun. In the name of the master, I will reward you with death!”
When he heard those words, a relieved smile appeared on Jonathan’s lips.
The power that had only just begun awakening inside his body completely faded away.
After losing the woman he loved, death no longer frightened him.