Chapter 2

In less than twenty-four hours after I met Dominic, he killed his beloved Presa Canario, Brutus, whom he had raised for five loving years.

Dominic was a notorious figure in Crestfall’s elite circle. He was eccentric and ruthless.

Everyone who knew him was aware of his two major obsessions: dogs and women.

He had raised many breeds of dogs. The only thing they had in common was their aggression and viciousness.

He trained them using live animals. Other than chickens and rabbits, he often used human flesh to train them.

After all, he had plenty of money. Many people were willing to take the risk and feed themselves to Dominic’s dogs in exchange for huge sums of cash.

The survivors received a sum of money that one could never earn in a lifetime. The families of the deceased also received sufficient compensation.

Though Dominic was short, he was utterly obsessed with legs. He was only attracted to tall, beautiful women with long legs.

His obsession with women’s legs was almost fanatical in nature. Rumor had it that he personally drew every tall, beautiful woman he met. At home, he had a collection of pictures featuring hundreds and thousands of unique, beautiful portraits of legs.

Ava was an exception.

She was 5’3’’ and did not have long legs. Her only outstanding feature was her unforgettable face. This earned her some recognition in the facial modeling industry.

Ava earned a small salary as a facial model to pay for my expensive medical bills. She was unwilling to spend even a cent on herself.

When I was kicked out of the mental health institute, I found out that Ava had not sent money to the hospital in a long time.

It was as if she had vanished from my world.

I tried to log into her personal blog several times and finally succeeded when I used my birthday as her password.

As I searched her private space, I found her hidden diary.

In the diary, I learned that Brutus had viciously licked Ava’s decaying legs during her final days.

I could not fully understand what pain truly felt like. But if it could be expressed in words, it must be exactly as Ava described.

At that moment, it seemed like something was about to well up in my eyes and was ready to spill over.

Meanwhile, Brutus lay stiff on the floor with its eyes wide open.

Dominic had shot the dog. A bullet pierced its skull so fast that it did not even have time to howl before falling dead to the floor.

I dragged my bloody leg over to Brutus and gently closed his eyes with my fingers.

Dominic called for a doctor and a nurse. He told them to make sure my leg was fully healed and as fine as before. He warned them that if they made even the slightest mistake, they would end up like Brutus.

I could see the fear in their eyes, despite their immaculate skill.

Dominic was a man of his word.

He had done the same to Ava. He was obsessed with her face. He imprisoned her in his mansion. He tortured and humiliated her day and night.

Ava endured the humiliation. She had tried to end her life many times. But she could not let go of me. I was her only family.

Ava knew I was different from other children since I was young. If it were not for her, I might have been cast aside by everyone long ago.

I strangled my neighbor’s oriole when I was three.

I dismembered a cat I found when I was five.

Ava held my bloodied body and cried heart-wrenchingly.

The doctor told her there was something wrong with my genes. I could not feel emotions in the same way a normal person would. He also claimed that I was only driven by violence and aggression to my core.

I hated what the doctor had said. The oriole was making a racket. The stray cat stole my food. How could all of that be my fault?

I stared intently at the doctor’s face. Before I could think of a way to deal with him, Ava had taken me away.

Ava built me a castle. It was wonderful and had everything I wanted.

No one was allowed in the castle except for people in white coats. I immersed myself in my world and learned everything I could.

Ava gave up everything in exchange for my peace.

I mimicked the appearance of charming women that I knew from books as I looked at Dominic. He took Ava away from me. I smiled and said with tears in my eyes, “Dom, don’t be angry. I’m fine.”

Ever since I moved into his mansion, he cast aside the other beautiful, long-legged women he knew.

The news of Dominic killing his own dog spread mysteriously throughout the Crestfall social circle. I was famous overnight.

Many sought to dig into my background, but they came up empty-handed.

Dominic tried to investigate me too, but Ava had hidden my identity very well. After several unsuccessful attempts, Dominic gave up.

Soon, my leg injury healed quickly and left no trace of the bite.

Dominic generously rewarded the doctor. He did not know that my special genes were the real reason for my rapid recovery.

The servants in the mansion treated me with respect. Their eyes filled with fear whenever they looked at me.

They had witnessed Dominic kill his beloved Brutus. He did that so that I would not be bitten by it again.

Moreover, Dominic had changed so much that his servants could barely recognize him.

He smiled more and spoke gently. He was no longer the arrogant and intimidating figure he once was.