Chapter166 – Alphabet Group
Dorian’s gaze dropped to the tray Clarissa was carrying—breakfast for two. His expression instantly darkened.
Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Did you really sleep with Atticus last night?”
Clarissa froze, caught off guard. How did he know?
But then she remembered the lie she told him the night before. She looked up, her voice calm but firm. “Yes. I did. And I don’t see how that’s any of your business. Don’t tell me you forgot what I said last night already.”
She tried to shake off his hand, but his grip was tight—like always. Dorian never knew his own strength. Every time he touched her, it hurt.
Clarissa’s expression hardened with irritation.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but she’d already yanked her arm free and turned away, walking back into the room without giving him another glance.
Dorian stood frozen, his face as dark as thunderclouds.
Lyra had been standing nearby the whole time. When she heard Clarissa admit she slept with Atticus, joy flashed briefly in her eyes. She stepped forward quickly, reaching for Dorian’s hand.
But he shoved her hand away without a second thought.
Lyra’s eyes widened, stunned by his rejection. “Dorian…”
He looked at her, jaw tight, trying to swallow the storm rising inside him. “I’m exhausted. Go get some rest.”
And with that, he turned and left, leaving her standing there alone.
.......
Inside, Clarissa placed the breakfast carefully on the table. Seeing Atticus still asleep, she leaned down and gently shook his shoulder.
“Atticus… come on, get up. Eat something before you go back to sleep.”
Her voice was soft and tender, sweet as honey. Atticus stirred slowly, like waking from a pleasant dream, and pulled her straight into his arms.
“Hey!” Clarissa yelped. “Watch your leg—you’re still hurt!”
“Just let me hold you a little longer…”
His voice was groggy, but full of satisfaction. He inhaled deeply, her scent easing every ache in his body.
Clarissa gave in, resting quietly in his arms. After a moment, she spoke again. “Let’s eat first, alright?”
Atticus smiled, brushing his lips lazily over her hair. “I’m starting to think getting shot has its perks. You’re being way too gentle today.”
Clarissa glared at him. “Are you saying I’m not gentle, normally?”
“Not at all. You’re always gentle,” he said, nuzzling her forehead with an affectionate smirk.
Her face flushed. She pushed his chest lightly and sat up. “Enough. Stop being annoying. Go wash up and eat.”
Atticus gave a dramatic sigh of reluctance, but obeyed.
Clarissa rolled over a wheelchair and parked it beside the bed.
Atticus looked at it like it was a personal insult. “You’re kidding. You want me to sit in that?”
“Of course,” she said, not budging an inch. “You’re still healing. You can’t risk tearing anything. Just sit down, be good, and I’ll bring you water.”
Atticus, clearly amused, didn’t argue further. He slid into the wheelchair, pulling her onto his lap for a moment before letting her go.
......
After breakfast, the doctor came in to examine Atticus.
He thought it was overkill—he just needed his dressings changed—but seeing Clarissa’s worried face, he sat there obediently while the old doctor poked and prodded him like a science project.
When the check-up was done, Clarissa immediately leaned in. “Doctor, how is he? Will the injury affect his ability to walk?”
The doctor adjusted his thick glasses and smiled. “Relax. His recovery is almost unnatural. I’ve rarely seen a body bounce back like this. A clean gunshot wound, and yet he's healing as if nothing happened.”
Clarissa exhaled, finally letting herself relax.
Of course, with Atticus clearly out of danger, the castle’s halls began to fill with visitors eager to see him.
Gabriel, especially, came by personally. He felt deeply guilty toward both Clarissa and Atticus and didn’t hesitate to show it.
“Whatever compensation you want,” Gabriel said earnestly, “as long as it’s within my power, name it.”
Atticus smiled, entirely unbothered. “Oh, I plan to.”
After all, as the saying goes—if you don’t take advantage of a good offer, are you even human?
After Gabriel left, Lady Rose sauntered in, fanning herself with a delicately carved folding fan.
She was dressed in a sultry black lace gown that clung to every curve of her body, the sheer fabric revealing teasing glimpses of her pale skin underneath—utterly tantalizing.
Her bold, smoky eye makeup and crimson lips gave her the dramatic allure of a baroque painting, only with far more bite.
“Oh my, I take one day off and look what happens to you,” she purred, amusement curling on her lips without a trace of sympathy.
Atticus leaned back lazily, a faint smirk playing at his mouth. “Madam Rose, what an honor. I didn’t expect you to grace me with your personal visit.”
Her smile deepened as she turned her eyes on Clarissa, who stood at his side. “Would you mind fetching me a cup of tea?”
Although Clarissa sensed something strange in this woman’s presence, she kept her manners intact and nodded politely before walking off to prepare the tea.
Atticus spoke again, his tone flat. “You don’t need to play games with me. If you’ve got something to say, say it.”
“As direct as ever...,” Lady Rose replied, flicking open her fan with a snap. Her gaze dipped to his injured leg. “Though if you’d died, it would’ve been such a waste. Boring, even.”
Atticus didn’t respond, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered hearing more than one set of footsteps during the ambush.
“You’re one of the Alphabet Group,” he said slowly, watching her. “What’s the matter? My face disappointed you? You teamed up with Massimo because I wasn’t the leader you expected?”
In the Alphabet Group, Atticus had only ever met ‘A’ face-to-face. The others were codenames—ghosts on encrypted channels. For her to know his real identity, she had to be one of them.
Her body shook with amusement, fan fluttering like butterfly wings. “Disappoint me? Not at all. I’m not as impatient as Massimo. In fact...” She leaned in, trailing her gloved fingers down his jawline. “I was quite taken the first time I saw you. You’re even prettier up close.”
Atticus didn’t flinch, but his expression turned glacial.
She wasn’t done.
Her eyes slid toward Clarissa, still turned away, unaware. “She doesn’t know, does she? Fascinating. A man like you... with a sweet little thing like her."
"Let me guess—you haven’t even slept with her yet? Want a taste of something different before you enjoy her. I can teach you things she’s never even dreamed of.”
Her voice dropped, sultry and poisonous. She leaned closer, her hand hooking behind his neck.
Atticus moved in a flash. One hand snapped to her throat.
His smile was razor-sharp. “Sorry. Not my type. I’m also not into hand-me-downs.”
Violet didn’t struggle. Even as his grip tightened, she simply smiled like she enjoyed it. “The name’s Violet. Codename S. Until next time, darling.”
She released her grip and gracefully stepped back.
At that moment, Clarissa returned with a cup of tea.
Violet spun on her heel, folding her fan closed with a crisp click. “It’s late. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” she said cheerfully, then blew a kiss to Atticus before strutting out the door, her hips swaying.
Clarissa blinked, confused by the bizarre energy lingering in the room.
She set the tea down and looked at Atticus suspiciously. “What did she say to you just now?”
Atticus smiled innocently. “She said you’re beautiful. And that we make a perfect couple.”
Clarissa narrowed her eyes. “Liar.”
He shrugged. “Can’t help it. You’re irresistible.”
She rolled her eyes and gave him a light smack on the shoulder. Everyone in this place was insane and strange.
Aside from Gabriel and David, most of the other characters felt different from how Clarissa remembered them in the original story.
She had never heard of Massimo, Madame Rose, or Yuriko Nomiya.
Because of her arrival, many plot points had already started shifting. For example, Dorian and Lyra weren’t supposed to be married yet—not at this point in the timeline.