Chapter 16: Jonas the Conquest Maniac
The focus of their conversation had shifted to the conflict between the Vetting Conglomerate and the Bond Group. No one would have imagined that Mr. Jonas’s true objective was actually this inconspicuous purple-haired girl in the corner.
After all, if his real intentions were exposed, given Serca Bond’s paranoid nature, taking Miss Elise away might not have been so easy.
Because if there weren’t some secret hidden within that Miss Elise, Jonas wouldn’t have gone to such lengths just to take her away.
Eiffel suddenly recalled something Jonas had once told her:
—The first thing an excellent hunter must learn is to conceal their intentions.
Looking at the black-haired young man sitting in the back seat of the car, Eiffel only felt that she understood his thoughts less and less.
Withdrawing her gaze, Eiffel turned her attention to the purple-haired girl beside her.
The girl’s timid expression resembled that of a small animal afraid of being hurt. Eiffel simply couldn’t associate her with the hacking genius Jonas had described.
Seemingly frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings, the girl remained curled up in the corner.
Her gaze kept flickering toward Jonas beside her, only to quickly withdraw and lower her head whenever he made any movement, resembling nothing so much as an ostrich burying itself in the sand.
As if sensing the girl’s nervousness, Jonas spoke in a calm voice:
“There’s no need to be nervous, Miss Elise. I won’t do anything to you.”
Intending to ease her wariness, he didn’t expect his words to have the opposite effect. Instead, she grew even more flustered, lifting her head as she spoke in a panicked voice:
“D-did I do something wrong?”
At this, Jonas found himself at a loss for words. Staring at the overly sensitive girl, he opened his mouth but couldn’t muster a response.
The lack of an answer seemed to confirm the girl’s fears.
She grew utterly distraught, stammering in a desperate attempt to salvage the young man’s impression of her:
“P-please don’t hit me… I’ll do better…”
Before she could finish, instead of the expected insults or blows, Elise felt a hand gently rest atop her head.
“No one will hit you from now on.”
The warmth from his palm, that long-forgotten sensation, left Elise momentarily stunned. For a long while, she couldn’t speak, only letting out a soft “Mm” before lowering her head again.
The car moved steadily forward, the surrounding pedestrians and buildings receding into the distance.
The car fell into silence once more.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting its glow onto the girl’s pale thighs, causing her to shrink back slightly as if trying to retreat entirely into the shadows.
Elise occasionally stole glances at the man beside her, quickly averting her gaze each time, as though afraid he might notice.
Jonas, meanwhile, had closed his eyes, allowing Elise to observe Mr. Jonas more boldly.
As the sunlight shifted, it filtered through his hair, gilding the tips with flecks of gold.
A strange thought suddenly surfaced in Elise’s mind.
The moment it appeared, even she herself was startled by it.
The girl shook her head vigorously, as if trying to fling the thought away.
………..
…..
…
In a villa within the Silt District…
A purple-haired girl in a white dress looked like an angel who had descended into the mortal world—innocent yet wary and curious about everything around her.
Elise, clad in the slightly oversized dress, stared at her reflection in the mirror, unsure of what to do.
She turned to Jonas beside her and timidly asked,
“Can I… change back into my old clothes…?”
It wasn’t that the dress was uncomfortable—quite the opposite. It was too comfortable, which made her uneasy.
The silk fabric felt unreal to her, like a bubble that might burst at any moment.
She didn’t want to embrace hope, because accepting hope would only mean despair would follow once again.
“You don’t like it?” Jonas asked.
“It’s not that I don’t like it, just…”
Elise tried to explain, stumbling over her words, only to hear the man in front of her chuckle and say,
“As long as you like it, that’s enough.”
His response left Elise at a loss. Then, he spoke softly,
“Later, I’ll remove the chip from your doll programming.”
“Eh…?”
Elise froze, unable to process his words for a long moment.
“Y-You said…?”
Her lips parted, but for some reason, no words came out.
The man before her seemed like an illusion—as if no matter what she said, he would cruelly tell her it had all been a lie.
She was afraid, so she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Ignoring the girl’s unusual reaction, Jonas stepped forward and undid the chains binding her, as if declaring, You’re free.
“What I need is Elise Chelsea… not a doll with no sense of self.”
He spoke as though stating a simple fact.
Elise stared at the smiling man before her, lips trembling, yet no sound escaped.
—I need you, Elise Chelsea.
This was the first time anyone had ever said such words to her.
The emotions pent up inside her surged like a flood, overwhelming her consciousness until her vision blurred.
She didn’t even know why she was crying, nor could she stop.
As if releasing all the grievances she had endured, the girl kept wiping her eyes with her sleeves, choking out between sobs,
“I… I understand, Mr. Jonas…”
………
….
..
“Fourteen hours and twenty-six minutes…”
Eiffel glanced at the clock’s timer, then sighed as she looked at the already fallen maiden not far away.
Without a doubt, Jonas’s methods were exceptionally skillful, completely living up to Eiffel’s previous assessment of him.
This scoundrel had conquered a maiden in less than fifteen hours, turning her into his willing puppet.
Where exactly had things gone wrong?
Eiffel didn’t know, but she became even more wary of Jonas.
His control over women’s hearts had reached a terrifying level. Even she might momentarily let her guard down and fall into his trap, just like what had happened on Flower Street…
She needed to maintain some vigilance against this Young Master Jonas.
Taking a deep breath, Eiffel watched the girl named Elise choking back sobs, feeling somewhat uncertain in her heart.
What did you think of this chapter?
0 reactions
Discussion
0 comments
No comments yet.