Chapter 97: Personal Gains
Chapter 97: Personal Gains
"Big sister, congratulations on marrying a middle age... I mean, influential man," her sister teased, hoping to provoke Cyril further and relish in her discomfort in becoming a sacrificial pawn for the family.
She had always harbored jealousy towards her step-sister, resentful of the beauty that made even her own attractiveness pale in comparison.
The idea of Cyril being violated, subjected to the whims of a man she did not even love, brought a twisted sense of satisfaction to her heart.
And she wasn't alone in this lined of thoughts.
Her stepmother, biological sisters, brothers, cousins, uncles, and aunts all saw her as nothing more than a useful tool, finally good for something despite being a bastard child.
The truth was, the only reason she was given money, schooling, maiden training, and a luxurious lifestyle was because her family saw it as an investment .
They believed that if she didn't carry herself well, then no matter how beautiful she was, she wouldn't be able to catch the eye of an influential family.
After all, why would a wealthy person want to marry someone lacking in manners and elegance?
'Go on, get frustrated, get angry, feel hopeless, ' her step-sister taunted inwardly, eagerly anticipating Cyril's reaction. She longed to see her composed demeanor get broken.
However, Cyril's response was not what her step-family had anticipated.
Instead of rising to the bait, Cyril remained silent, refusing to give them any sense of satisfaction .
"I'll take my leave now. If you need me with anything else, feel free to contact me," Cyril announce, maintaining a tone of respect.
She knew that displaying anger and frustration right now would only serve to inflate her half-sibling's ego further.
"You may leave," her father nodded in agreement.
No further words were necessary, as Cyril's silence spoke volumes, indicating her lack of opposition to the arrangement.
"Thank you, Father," she bowed her head respectfully.
Then, she turned towards the others and offered a polite smile. "Thank you for having me."
Despite the weight of the situation, her facial expression showed no hint of frustration.
Instead, it was filled with an unexpected sense of relief, as if she had just come to a decisive realization.
'Has she gone mad?' her step-sisters and brothers wondered silently.
They couldn't fathom why Cyril looked so composed and even relieved in the face of such a forced situation.
Surely, she couldn't be genuinely happy about it?
Without looking back, Cyril continued walking until she reached her ride.
Once settled in her car, she quickly picked up her phone and opened the Veiled Nights app.
The app had its own encrypted communication platform, providing a secure means of interaction for fellow members.
Her phone rang for couple of seconds before someone finally answered.
"Do it," she spoke up, her eyes devoid of any emotions .
"Are you sure you want me to kill your entire family?" the voice on the other end of the line inquired.
"Yes," Cyril affirmed with a detached tone.
They had pushed her to this point, and now they would face the consequences of their greed.
"I'll start the job after you transfer me the points ,"
After hearing the demand of the individual she was negotiating with, Cyril quickly transferred 200,000 Veiled Points.
Over the years, she had never needed the money, so she had saved a considerable amount of points for situations like this.
Unfortunately, the Veiled Nights usually avoided missions that could potentially provoke the Chamber of Commerce, so she couldn't submit an official request.
But, luck seemed to be on her side today, as she had found someone powerful who was willing to take on the job.
"I've received it. Consider your whole family dead, and you'd better buy a black dress for mourning," Reign chuckled sinisterly as he ended the call.
After he put back the phone in his pocket, he glanced down below and saw her car finally leaving from the premises.
He was now on top of the mansion roof, waiting for the right moment to begin his one sided massacre.
How did it all come to this?
Well, this had all transpired just a few hours ago when Cyril had requested to speak with him.
She had laid out her current predicament, offering him points in exchange for doing a private job for her.
All along, she had harbored a vague suspicion that she would be married off to someone when she got a text telling her to prepare for a family dinner.
She decided that if it would just be a nobody, she would quietly leave the city and move on with her life.
However, after discovering that her prospective groom was powerful enough to chase her, she resolved to enact her Plan B.
And that plan became feasible after Reign accepted the job.
The mission itself was straightforward: if Cyril didn't give the go signal, he would still receive 30,000 points for his trouble.
However, if she did proceed with the mission, it would net him a substantial 200,000 points for killing everyone.
Truth be told, Reign wasn't particularly interested in the points.
His decision to assist Cyril stemmed more from the fact that she was someone backed into a corner, and was looking desperate .
People in such situations were often easily swayed by a helping hand, leaving them indebted and owing a favor.
Just look at George; he was now a loyal servant because he had no other option but to rely on Reign. So he wanted to replicate it with Cyril.
The bonus was, he did not dislike her personality. She was clever and knew how to carry herself, so he believed she would be a good servant for him.
Of course, just doing a job for her was not enough to make her loyal, but he already had a plan in mind to make her completely dependent.
After all, when they were all talking, Reign, using his enhanced senses, hid in the ceiling and overheard everything.
'Hewlet Pantheon Corporation, huh?' A grin appeared on his face as plan formed in his mind.
'To think that I would get an additional pawn just by doing some side quest,' He chuckled to himself, trying to convinced himself that all of this was for his own benefits .
Little did he know that there was more to it than just his personal gains.
He was under the impression that his choice was logical because he would gain something in return, not because he genuinely listened to and sympathized with her.
But what change his heart?
The answer to that came after he experienced a near-death encounter while fighting the parasite.
That event tempered his mind and willpower, and after growing more powerful, he began to experience something he had missed from his old world.
Puberty, that's right. Reign was finally experiencing it, albeit very late.
But in his case, he was so deluded by his Monster Mindset that he didn't even know the difference between "not disliking" and "liking someone."
It was to the point that despite his high IQ, he didn't even realize the subtle signs.
She was beautiful in his eyes, but so was Anna.
She smelled good in his opinion, but so was Anna.
She acted quiet and carried herself well, but so did Anna after she evolved .
She had a problem that needed his assistance, but so did Anna.
But in the end, Cyril was the only one he actually tried to help, even risking being discovered by attempting to massacre a wealthy family in Summit City.
What was so special about her?
***
Authors Note:
Anna vs. Cyril: Which team are you on?