Bang!... Smack!... Slap!
Her eyes widened.
"He's beating her…? Seriously?!"
In her mind, she saw the horror: Wang Xiao towering above his daughter like a beastly tyrant, fists flying, Wenxi crying, blood splashing on the snow-white sheets.
"Beast…" she whispered, hugging her knees inside the warm tub, shoulders trembling. "How could he… his own daughter…"
Another loud BANG!
She nearly scread.
Then, a voice:
"I don't have all day. Co out, now."
Wang Xiao.
His tone was casual. Impatient. But it struck her like a celestial lightining.
Why does he want now?! What did I do this ti?! I haven't even say anything today!...
Terrified, she sank deeper into the water, refusing to co out.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then two.
Only after she was pruned like a peach left in divine wine, did she finally step out.
The room was quiet.
Empty.
She sighed in relief.
"He got tired and left. Thank the gods…"
She spotted an aqua-colored dress on the table. It shimred faintly, as if freshly conjured by an immortal tailor.
Slipping into it felt like redemption.
For the first ti in three whole days, she wasn't naked.
Her skin finally touched fabric, not hands.
"Maybe I'm free…"
She checked the drawers.
The corners.
Even under the bed.
No phones. No screens. No communication device.
Just a TV in the wall.
She turned it on.
"The Eighth Prince has yet again shattered international peace..."
The broadcast filled with violence, corpses. Smoke, nations on fire.
The na "Eighth Prince" flashing red.
Ning Xue stood still, eyes narrowed.
"Him again..."
Her heart sank.
Once, she had told Wang Xiao she disliked the Eighth Prince.
Not just because he was technically her father.
Not just because he was a mass-murdering lunatic with a god complex.
But because…
Every ti Athene ca back with bruises and trembling knees, it was always him.
Her thoughts shook.
"He's a demon… He raises daughters for sacrifics… manipulates them… It all makes sense."
In her fractured mind, Wang Xiao was rely a lesser devil.
The real monster?
Was her father.
That naless shadow she had never t.
The one whose na was whispered only behind barriers and blood seals. The one who ruined her mother's life. The one who, according to Athene, wanted to turn her into a sacrifice—a ritual doll for power.
"He's worse than this beast," she murmured under her breath.
Wang Xiao might be twisted, might spank won and smile during global crises,.but he hadn't yet skinned anyone or summoned a sacrificial altar for his daughters.
Not yet.
Still wrapped in her thoughts, her mories drifted.
She always imagined being raised by Athene instead of her mother. After all, her mother had been locked away for helping the father she never t.
That man would've raised her like cattle.
Marked her as divine offering.
Wrapped her in silk, only to slit her throat on an altar when the stars aligned.
"I'm not going back to him!..."
She shook her head violently, as if even thinking it would invite the curse.
No.
She would not return. She'd rather be locked here, bathed by a sadist and tutored by a crazy daughter, than go back and beco a living sacrifice.
Her heart pounded.
She needed to find Athene.
Her guardian, her one salvation. The one who used to smile and say, "No matter what happens, I'll tear through the void to get you."
But she hadn't co.
It had been days.
Why?
What happened?
She bit her nail.
Then the skin.
Then pressed her forehead against the cold wall, whispering, "Athene… where are you?"
And then, click.
The door opened.
Wang Xiao stepped in, gaze indifferent, like he just ca to pick up dry-cleaned laundry.
"Follow ."
Just that.
Two words, not a glance, and no explanation.
He turned.
Ning Xue followed.
Barefoot, still wet from the bath, wrapped in sha and confusion.
But she wasn't scared of dying.
Athene once told her:
"You're his sacrifice. The World can't kill you even if it wanted to. That's your blessing, and your curse."
So she followed.
Maybe she'd use that knowledge.
Maybe she'd whisper the na.
The Eighth Prince. Her real father.
Would that na scare this beast? Would he recoil in fear, knowing who she was?
She stared at Wang Xiao's back as they walked.
Black blazer, calm steps.
He looked… civilized.
Like a man on the way to a board eting, not escorting a captive ex-goddess.
Sohow, while thinking too much, she didn't even notice they'd reached the top floor.
Through heavily guarded corridors, past retina scans and suited n who bowed without question.
A massive hangar door opened slowly, revealing sothing straight out of a secret military base.
A black aircraft.
With four rotating blades, two on each side, glowing faintly violet from beneath.
"A Flying Machine?" she whispered.
More like a war beast in disguise.
He stepped in first, she followed, silently, her bare feet brushing the tal floor.
Inside, it was cold, sleek, military-grade luxury.
Her eyes darted around.
"Where is she…?"
She scanned the cabin, checking every shadow, every seat.
The red-haired pale demon wasn't here.
Mary.
Wang Xiao's bodyguard. The real danger. The one who could kill with a clipboard and smile doing it.
Not seeing her brought her relief...
...and unease.
Because if Mary wasn't here…
Who was protecting him now?
And why was he still so calm?
Wang Xiao watched her, this proud, trembling girl, fidgeting in her seat like a pigeon caught in a thundercloud.
Her eyes kept darting left, right, up, down, as if searching for escape hatches, traps, or salvation.
It was irritating.
"Ah?" she squeaked as he suddenly leaned forward and grabbed her face, fingers cool and firm.
He tilted her chin up, making her look straight at him.
"Stop turning your head like a confused golden duck," he said flatly.
"…D-Duck?" Ning Xue blinked.
Her face flushed instantly, the tips of her ears going red.
She froze.
Sat stiffly.
Straight-backed like she was facing an imperial executioner. Now her excessive stillness was sohow even more annoying.
Wang Xiao's brow twitched.
He gave her a slow, long look, up and down, like soone trying to assess whether the item he purchased in a drunken haze was really worth the price.
'What the hell did Athene raise…?' he thought.
anwhile, Ning Xue was spiraling.
Why am I here? Where are we going? Is this the flying chariot of death?
Just then, a warm cup was placed gently on the small tray beside her.
"Drink it."
The voice wasn't his.
She turned and blinked.
Another girl.
Calm, beautiful in a cold, starry way.
Yue.
When had she entered? Was she even there the whole ti?
Only now did Ning Xue register, there were more people in this aircraft.
Everyone was here.
The entire dysfunctional family.
They were all flying back to Shanghai from Macau, apparently in a hurry.
Why?
Because this guy's mother, had spamd their phones after hearing about the world collapsing.
Typical family stuff.
Wang Xiao had zero intention of going back at first, but when your mother starts dialing like a storm is coming, you obey.
And as for the helicopter?
It was never a prison ride.
It was a joyride for his sisters.
He just happened to be handling this woman at the sa ti.
"It's not poison," he said flatly, watching her eye the tea cup like it held molten sin. "It'll clear the wine from your body. Drink it."
She hesitated.... For a second.
Then grabbed the cup and chugged it like a dehydrated refugee.
"..."
Wang Xiao was speechless.
Not the elegance he expected from a 'noblewoman.'
She wiped her lips, exhaled softly, and indeed, the effect was instant. Her mind cleared. Her veins tingled faintly. Her power stirred, like a sleepy beast curling a claw.
She looked up at him again.
Her gaze no longer panicked.
It was… sharp.
Confident.
"Aren't you worried," she said coldly, "that I'll kill you once my powers return?"
She felt the pulse of her vast aura ripple beneath her skin.
Her limbs responding.
Her energy reviving.
Her mouth curled slightly.
A hint of vengeance.
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