“Get out!“Get out now!”Adina bit her tongue as she struggled to say those words out loud. Duke hugged her tightly. “Addy, it’s okay. I’m here to protect you. Nothing will happen. Don’t force yourself…”‘Addy is being controlled by the biochip. Most of the time, it’s asking her to harm the person she loves… ‘I don’t mind getting hurt a little. I can’t continue to watch her being in pain…’“Go away! I told you to go away!” Adina looked at him through misty eyes. “Duke, go! If you don’t, I won’t be able to control myself anymore…”Earl’s voice in her mind became louder and clearer.“Addy, take out that dagger under your pillow. Aim it at Duke’s neck and stab!”“No!”Adina shook her head painfully. Duke was still in front of her, holding her shoulders and comforting her softly. The voice in her head and the voice by her ears came together and spoke in unison. It was suffocating. The thread of rationality in her head snapped.Adina broke free from the ropes that she had
Suddenly, Adina’s phone vibrated. She took a glance at her phone screen. It was a video call from her four children. Duke took the call and the four children’s faces popped up.“Mommy, our winter break starts today!” George spoke first. “Mommy, the teacher says we’ll have a one-month holiday. Can we go to your place to play?” Harold blinked as he asked. Adina smiled bitterly. ‘Earl, the devil, is back in Sea City. I don’t dare to meet my children.If they bumped into him, he might regard them as the thorn in his flesh. “I’ll be busy for the next few days. I might not be able to spend time with you.” Adina smiled gently and said, “There are still ten more days until New Year. Daddy and I will go back on New Year’s Eve and celebrate with you all, okay?”Melody tilted her head and said, “I’ve never celebrated New Year.”Alden said, “We celebrated New Year when we were abroad. Mel, you were too young to remember it.”“Wow, we’re going to celebrate New Year with Mommy this
To Adina, Alden was an obedient and sensible child. He had not cried since he was two years old. But just then, her obedient and sensible Alden was sobbing hard as tears streamed down his face. She quickly went to him and kneeled down to wipe her tears. “Al, Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here with you. Don’t cry, don’t cry…”She embraced little Alden in her arms and patted his back.“Mommy… Mommy…”He called out repeatedly. He gradually calmed down. She held his hands and led him to the couch as she smiled gently. “Do you know why Daddy asked you to come here?”He nodded and said gloomily, “I’m here to help you crack the biochip program in your body.”Adina sighed.‘Indeed, Al has already figured out about it. He’s…’She held his hands and touched them gently. “Are you confident about it?”Alden pursed his lips. “I’ll try my best.”Duke took out a laptop and various power tools… Everything had been prepared for him.Adina lay on the couch and closed her eyes a little, tryin
Duke stood by the bed as he took off his suit with his slender fingers. He unbuttoned his shirt one by one, revealing his broad chest.Adina gulped. ‘He held himself back last night. He has also observed the changes in me… ‘It looks like tonight, he won’t be able to hold himself back.’“Addy, I love you…”He leaned in and kissed her forehead. From there, he started kissing downward. His kisses were warm. Adina’s heart fluttered as she curled up her toes. As they became even more intimate, she realized there were no commands being given from the robotic female voice in her head. No matter how close she was to her lover or how deep she was in her thoughts, she was finally able to have some peace for herself.After they were done, she was exhausted.She soon fell asleep, feeling so exhausted that she felt like collapsing. Duke was not much better, either. He vented all his worries and anxieties over the past few days.After it ended, Adina was already sound asleep in his
With the cold breeze blowing past her face, Adina could barely feel the pain. She clenched her fists and spoke, one word at a time. “Earl, what exactly do you want to do?”“I want you to leave the city with me.” Earl stroked her chin. “I’ll let Duke go as long as you come with me.”Adina looked at him. “What if I refuse?”“Refuse? Hmph!” Earl sneered. “I’ll let him meet Hades, then.”He lowered his head and sniffed her neck. “How unpleasant. You smell like Duke.”Adina lowered her gaze. She caught the dagger that slipped out from her sleeves. She raised it and stabbed it towards his neck. He seemed to have expected it long ago, as he quickly took a step back.“You’re digging your own grave, Adina.”His expression turned cold, colder than the winter breeze.“Let’s die together, then.” She raised the dagger and charged forward again.‘It has been about a month, and I’ve had enough of this!‘I rather die fighting with Earl than being terrified all the time. ‘If he’s dead,
Duke put Adina onto the bed. He then sat on the couch beside the bed and watched her in silence. He could already guess what happened, but he did not dare to ask her. Some things could not be answered, even if he posed questions.Daylight was emerging as the bright sun rose from the east. A new day had come. The pain at the back of Adina’s head had gotten worse. She lay on the bed, about to break down. Duke clenched his jaw and looked at his phone. “We were able to spot Earl last night. Indeed, he was just around here. “He changed cars three times, and in the middle of it, we lost track of him. But he’s definitely in Sea City. He couldn’t have gotten far.”His gaze darkened. ‘It’s my fault. I should’ve insisted on following Adina downstairs.‘I’ve only given Earl another chance to meet her… Duke pursed his lips guiltily. He went downstairs to cook a plate of pasta. He then came back upstairs. “Addy, eat up.”“I told you not to talk to me! Get out!”She pulled her h
Not a trace of emotion showed on Duke’s face.His cold gaze swept toward Harold. “You klutz, what would you do if you woke your mommy up?”Melody blinked. “Daddy, I’m not a klutz, can I go see Mommy?”Duke said indifferently, “Naturally, your mommy and I will be going back for the New Year. You don’t have to see her now.”The children’s faces were full of disappointment.George knit his brows together.‘Didn’t Al say that this matter was mostly solved? So we should be able to get in touch with our mother…’Why was their daddy still trying to keep them from seeing their mommy?The confusion in Alden’s eyes grew all the more.He had personally modified the program commands yesterday, so it would be reasonable to say that Mommy should be fine to see them. ‘Why is it still like this?’He looked at Duke.Duke gently shook his head at him.He did not know what orders Earl had given, but he could make a vague guess when he saw how Addy treated the children like they were the plagu
Melody also pounced forward, but Adina avoided her.Adina’s eyes were locked on Alden.But the noise in her mind was growing louder and louder, and it was replaying itself more and more…“Addy…”Duke walked over and held her in his arms.“You haven’t rested yet, I’ll take you upstairs.”Without another word, he led Adina up the stairs, but she forcefully broke free from him.She crouched down in front of Alden and said in a slightly hoarse voice, “Al, Mommy has to make a decision.”As though he had anticipated this, Alden remained calm. “Tell me what it is, Mommy.” “Leave the Winters family.” Every word Adina said sent a pang into her heart, but she soldiered on to finish the sentence. “Don’t live in the Winters family’s mansion anymore, go wherever you wish.”Even though he had anticipated this, Alden was nonetheless shocked by this and was at a loss for words for a long time.“Addy, how could you make this kind of joke to a four-year-old child?” Mabel was incredulous. “Al