Chapter 316: The Tyrant’s Promise
"Just because you hold the contract gives you the right to treat us like this," said the blonde, gritting her teeth as she tried to catch her breath, "but you have no idea how the world works."
"I don’t understand it, nor do I care," answered Alexander, letting go of her without ceremony while looking down at her. "But we can play a little game. For one year, you will stay with me, follow me like my shadows, die if I say die, and fight my battles. If in one year, despite everything, you still want to leave... I will cancel the slavery contract and give you back your life. However, if in one year you decide to stay, you will be mine forever."
All three women froze, caught entirely off guard. Alexander didn’t even know if undoing such a seal was technically possible, but he was promising them freedom on his word alone. They had everything to gain and nothing to lose.
"I accept," said the blonde snapping her head up. "In one year, you will free us."
"Of course," said Alexander, letting a cocky, arrogant smirk slip onto his face. "Though after I show you what a real man is, you’ll be begging to stay in your current position just to have a real man between your legs."
"You’re an idiot!" the blonde snapped, losing her temper at the insult. "Do you have any idea how much training we’ve been put through?! They’ve shoved things bigger than you inside our pussies so we could endure any torture! You don’t have what it takes, you fucking brat...! Aggghhh!!"
The moment rage and the intent to attack him consumed her mind, the contract’s magic triggered on its own. A searing bolt of pain shot through her brain, causing her to collapse hard against the floorboards, writhing in spasms and groans of agony.
Alexander knit his brows with a slight look of pity. Quickly dropping to his knees beside her, he spoke into her ear with the tenderest, gentlest voice he could muster, lightly stroking her hair.
"I’m sorry... the contract triggered on its own," said Alexander in a compassionate tone. "Don’t think about anything, just let the pain go away."
The blonde remained paralyzed on the floor, momentarily ignoring the throbbing inside her head.
Did he apologize? thought the blonde, her eyes wide with sheer shock. A man apologized? What the fuck is this? What is happening... why the hell is he apologizing?
"Everything is going to be alright... everything is going to be fine," whispered Alexander, gently cradling her face to comfort her.
The other two mercenaries watched the scene in absolute shock. Their minds struggled to process what they were seeing, shaken by a visceral sense of confusion. What was this strange warmth? What was this stinging sensation in their chests? Was it... jealousy? A perverse, absurd thought crossed both of their minds at the exact same time: they wanted to be in the blonde’s shoes, willing to endure the contract’s agony just to receive such tender treatment from a man.
"Everything is going to be fine," Alexander told her again, giving her a look filled with understanding.
The blonde took a deep breath, forcing herself to pull it together. She pushed herself up to her feet with a bit of clumsiness and looked at him with the coldest, most neutral expression she could manage, yet it was impossible for her to refrain from swallowing hard at Alexander’s proximity.
Alexander didn’t miss a single one of her movements. Noticing the trembling in her legs and the suppressed devotion in their eyes, a sarcastic thought flashed through his mind.
One year? thought Alexander, holding back a burst of laughter. I should have told them one month, haha! Desperate bitches... dominating them is going to be way easier than taking candy from a baby.
"I would really like for you girls to get some rest," said Alexander, rising calmly and dusting off his pants, "but time is of the essence. Today you’ll be helping me out, alright? After that, I’ll do you a favor. I just want to know the location of the Wild Rose headquarters."
The three women looked at one another, and suddenly, the illusion shattered into a thousand pieces. A spark of fury erupted across their faces.
"So that’s what your supposed kindness was leading up to!" shouted the blonde, clenching her fists in frustration as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "You’re a bastard! You’re an idiot! You’re a monster!"
All three allowed a trace of femininity and vulnerability to slip out—one they didn’t even know they had kept hidden away. They felt betrayed, used, and manipulated. They had just begun to lower their guard at his gentle words, only to realize that every sweet gesture was nothing more than a calculated lure. With glistening eyes and voices trembling with rage and helplessness, they stared at him as if he had ripped the hearts right out of their chests.
Alexander watched their outburst of frustration and the glistening tears in their eyes with absolute internal satisfaction. It was precisely the reaction he had been hoping for. He knew a person’s mind couldn’t be broken through a direct head-on clash; he needed to approach the fortress from multiple angles, constantly shift his focus, and attack every possible pressure point. Subjecting them to a genuine emotional rollercoaster would confuse them to the point where they wouldn’t even know where they stood.
Alexander put on a look of painful surprise, placing a hand over his heart as if their accusations had wounded him deeply.
"You misunderstand me..." said Alexander, softening his gaze. "What I have going on with you is one thing, but my personal grudges are something else entirely."
He took a slow step toward them, letting his voice resonate with a false empathy laced with conviction.
"You say they mistreated you, that they were your owners and you were just bitches to them... So, shouldn’t you be happy that I want to deliver a little justice on your behalf?"
The three mercenaries froze right where they stood. The words caught in their throats as they processed Alexander’s twisted logic, feeling their rage instantly morph into overwhelming confusion.