Hannah’s world shattered the mont she was thrown out of the SiIvy base.
She stumbled in the dirt, palms scraping against gravel, and the warm air stung her cheeks as if mocking her.
She tried to crawl back toward the tall wall, the bitter sll of tal and dust filling her nose, but the guards blocked her instantly.
Their swords glead under the dim, clouded sunlight.
"Leave," one guard warned, his voice hard and indifferent. "If you step closer again, we’ll drag you out and throw you straight into the zombie herd."
The words crashed into Hannah like icy water.
For a heartbeat, her fear swallowed her whole, but soon it erupted into anger that clawed up her throat.
She jabbed her finger toward the guards, her voice shrill with fury.
"You’re bullying ! All of you... every single one of you!"
Her act, once so effective, fell flat this ti. Not a single person reacted with sympathy. No one stepped forward. No one softened.
From the side, Arthur watched her struggle.
The warm breeze ruffled his hair, carrying the faint rot of bodies just few ters away from the base.
He narrowed his eyes and rolled them in irritation.
’She’s truly nothing but a bitch,’ he thought. ’Even now, she’s scheming.’
And right on cue, Hannah’s expression crumbled, and soft sobs broke from her lips.
Her shoulders trembled; her voice cracked just enough to seem fragile. The sound drifted through the waiting line like a spell.
One man, standing only a few steps away, froze mid-breath.
His gaze softened as though he had been bewitched. Slowly, as if pulled by invisible strings, he walked toward her.
Hannah felt a looming shadow fall across her back and lifted her tear-sparkled eyes toward him.
The man leaned down, his average height of around five foot seven putting him close enough that Hannah could sll the faint scent of sweat on his collar.
His ordinary features were softened by concern as he asked, "Why are you crying?"
Hannah sniffled, her lashes trembling.
"I... I can’t help it. Everyone is bullying . I don’t even know what I did wrong. Sotis I think it’s better to just die."
The man’s breath caught. His eyes glazed over slightly, srized by her pitiful expression.
Arthur watched with a deepening frown.
’Sothing’s wrong with him,’ he thought.
Kate, standing farther back, had been observing too.
A sudden mory twisted inside her chest, sharp and alarming.
She rembered her own son’s unsettling reaction when Hannah had approached him earlier.
She had watched him show outright hunger in his eyes, sothing animalistic, sothing unnatural.
Now another man stood under Hannah’s spell. Even her husband had looked toward Hannah with a dazed expression earlier.
A cold realization sank into Kate’s stomach.
’She definitely has so sort of ability. No normal woman can seduce every man this easily.’
And it wasn’t the first ti. Kate recalled how when Hannah tried to force Bella to take her in, another man had leaped in to defend her.
It had been odd then, and now it was unmistakable.
anwhile, Hannah stared at the man, not with affection, but with calculation.
She wasn’t looking at him exactly; she was observing sothing around him, the faint shimring aura that only she could see.
And in this man, she finally spotted it.
Purple.
A faint purple glow circled him like a whisper of fate.
’Purple... this one will be successful,’ she thought. A perfect target.
She lowered her gaze demurely and whispered,
"I don’t understand why life is so cruel. What did I do wrong? Why is everything so hard for ? Should I just die to prove my innocence?"
The man felt his heart squeeze. He cupped her face gently between his palms, his touch warm and rough.
"If you’re suffering this much... you can follow ," he murmured.
Hannah shook her head weakly. "I can’t go inside the SiIvy base..."
Her voice drifted off. Her eyes flicked toward the gate, and she noticed the man looking at it too, hesitation flickering through his expression.
Sothing important awaited him inside; she could sense it. If he missed this chance, his future would collapse before it even began.
She grabbed his hand with trembling fingers, letting her touch linger just long enough to ensnare his attention.
"If soone could go inside," she whispered softly, "get permanent residency... buy food... and bring so out for ... I would never forget that kindness. One day, I would repay it."
The man stared at her, and for a mont her beauty intensified in his eyes.
The curves of her lips, the shimr of her tears, the softness in her voice, everything seed amplified, as though she were glowing.
’My charm is working,’ Hannah thought triumphantly. ’Good. He’s falling deeper.’
The man straightened and nodded firmly. "I’ll do it for you."
Hannah widened her eyes in innocent confusion.
"Why would you help ? No one else even shows basic kindness."
Her words struck directly at his pride. He lifted his chin and smiled with misplaced maturity.
"Because others are bullies. But I’m not. I’ll help you get justice."
Hannah shook her head gently and whispered,
"You’ve already shown more kindness than I deserve. Please... just go inside. Establish yourself. Achieve sothing great. If you ever beco successful, I’ll feel like I’ve repaid you by wishing you well."
Arthur scowled. There was sothing twisted in her words.
She was subtly taking credit for his future achievents, as if she were the one giving him permission to rise.
It was manipulative in a way that made Arthur’s skin crawl.
But the man felt none of that. His eyes glowed with admiration.
He held Hannah’s face again as if she were sothing precious.
"You’re so kind," he whispered. "A woman who thinks of others even in her suffering... I swear I’ll look after you. When I get the chance... I’ll marry you."
Arthur’s jaw clenched. A hot, unexpected burst of jealousy shot through him, even though he wasn’t in any kind of relationship with Hannah.
’Why does the idea of her marrying soone else irritate so much?’
Hannah, however, felt only rage. His words, so sudden, so overly dramatic, made her want to shove him away.
But she swallowed her fury, forcing a gentle smile instead.
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