"Of course, no one knows that to this day. Everyone believes she simply ran away from home after an argument."
Under the dim light, the man’s pupils seemed to darken into an eerie shade of deep blue, like a bottomless abyss rippling with endless despair.
Within that abyss lurked a demon that had crawled out of hell, waiting for its revenge.
A chill shot down Vivienne Blackwood’s spine, making her shudder involuntarily. The familiar scent of death filled her nostrils once more—a cold, foul stench.
Adrian Voss leaned down until their eyes met and their breaths intertwined. His voice was frighteningly bleak.
"During those years abroad, every time I woke up in the middle of the night, I dreamed of that fire. I dreamed of my brother dying right in front of me."
"I heard their screams over and over again. I heard him asking me, ’Adrian Voss, why didn’t you die? Why are you still alive? Why didn’t you die? You’re useless now. Come join your brother. Why didn’t you die? Why did you leave me to die alone?’"
"I dream of my father lying in that hospital room. He looks at me through the crack in the door, his eyes filled with despair and agony. He begs me for mercy. He asks, ’I’m your father. Have mercy on me. Kill me. I’m begging you. Why are you doing this to me?’"
"The Voss family cared only about power and profit. After I took control, I held everything in my own hands. They called me a shark because I destroyed whatever I wanted. They also called me a mad dog because I became a rabid beast with nothing in my heart or eyes except power."
"They were right." Adrian Voss laughed softly. "But there was nothing they could do to me. No one could touch what belonged to me. Eventually, they all started wishing for my death."
"That was exactly what I wanted."
His eyes glittered with amusement.
Vivienne Blackwood stared blankly at the man above her as her fingertips trembled uncontrollably. The Adrian Voss before her—the one quietly falling apart as the abyss swallowed him whole—was not the person she knew.
Nor was he the male lead from the book.
She should have feared this devil.
She should have run away.
And yet...
Her heart ached with a sharp, unbearable pain. The inexplicable heartbreak left her speechless.
"I did everything I was supposed to do. No one wanted me to keep living. But I never cared about life as much as they thought I did."
"I was ready to die at any moment."
Adrian Voss looked at her.
"But then you came."
"I told you to leave me behind and save my mother. Yet you saved me."
His low, hoarse voice was like glass scraping against stone, sending chills down her spine.
"The weather was just like the day I crawled out of that old house. It was raining."
His gaze seemed to pass through her and into the past.
"Five years ago, I wanted to live, so I dragged my broken leg and crawled out of that old house inch by inch. More than five years later, I had already surrendered to death. Then you came and dragged me out of that car. You saved me."
"You held my hand and told me to smile. I saw you desperately trying to free my mother and then me from that burning vehicle. I saw you trying to flag down passing cars for help, but there wasn’t a single vehicle on the road. I saw you trembling in panic."
"To be honest, I wasn’t grateful at the time."
Adrian lowered his head, hiding the coldness in his eyes beneath his lashes. His tone remained gentle and calm.
"I even wondered who had sent you."
Vivienne’s breath caught in her throat.
A cold palm touched her cheek. Rough fingers intertwined with her slender hand. Their fingertips brushed against each other as she looked up helplessly.
"I was lying in your lap, and I heard you crying."
"I heard you talking to yourself, asking over and over again why. Why would you do this to him? Why were you being so cruel to us? Why were you manipulating us like this? Why were we merely characters trapped beneath your control?"
Those memories remained vividly etched into his mind.
"It was the first time anyone other than my mother had cried for me. And it was the first time someone had begged so desperately for me to stay alive."
Adrian laughed softly, his eyes reddening.
"So I decided to keep you."
"No matter what you were, I was going to keep you by my side. You saved my life, but you also dragged me into hell. You have to take responsibility for me."
"I wondered what I should use to bind you."
His fingers gently caressed her cheek.
"Money? Power? Status? Fame?"
"I didn’t know, so I tried them one by one. I protected you in the entertainment industry and gave you endless resources."
"You thanked me and insisted on refusing those things. But there are always things people can’t refuse. I took every opportunity to get closer to you. You never rejected my methods, and you had no reason to."
"I investigated everyone around you. No parents. No family. No friends. And me... I was your only friend. I thought I was your only support, so I could give you anything."
Adrian stared at her darkly.
"But all I saw in your eyes was resistance and disgust."
Vivienne’s entire body had gone rigid. She didn’t dare move.
She barely dared to breathe.
Adrian lifted a hand and brushed the strands of coal-black hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear.
Beneath his gentle voice lurked stubbornness and darkness.
"So I changed my approach. I gave you honesty. I gave you kindness. I gave you care. I’m a businessman. I’ve met all kinds of people. I’m very sensitive to emotions."
"The way you looked at me was far too complicated."
"There was admiration. Helplessness. Hatred that surfaced now and then without you realizing it. Hatred that came out of nowhere. Complicated emotions. Even pity."
"But I didn’t really care."
"It didn’t matter, as long as you stayed by my side."