Chapter 28: Side Character x Mafia Boss (28)

The System quickly ran a deep database scan, its blue screen flickering rapidly as it processed the stranger’s data.

Ding!

[ Host! That man... he is the Female Lead’s older stepbrother! ]

Lyra blinked, stopping near the lounge entrance. The stepbrother?

[ Character Profile Unlocked! ] the System announced, pulling up a profile card.

[ Character Name: ] Gabriel Hart

[ Identity: ] Heir to the Hart & Main Villain of the original novel

The System quickly explained his role in the narrative: [ In the original plot, Gabriel is a completely cold, ruthless bastard who doesn’t care about his sister Elena at all! He views her purely as a pawn to be used, traded, or discarded for political gain. Seeing how horribly Gabriel treats Elena is actually one of the major catalysts that triggers Alastair’s burning anger! Later in the story, Alastair takes complete revenge on the Hart family, making Gabriel suffer a terrifying downfall! ]

Lyra’s brows furrowed tightly as she processed the information.

"First the Male Lead, then the Female Lead, and now I just crossed paths with the main villain too?" Lyra muttered, rubbing her temple. "Something is indeed not right here... I really don’t think the plot is working the way it’s supposed to."

[ What shall we do now, Host?! ] the System asked, its voice laced with growing panic.

Lyra rolled her dark eyes, giving a dry sigh inside her mind. "Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? Duh. You’re the one with the futuristic manual!"

She walked into the quiet executive lounge and sat down on a plush couch near the glass window. A few office workers around the room cast curious glances at her breathtaking beauty. Her pale skin and delicate floral dress made her look like a piece of fine porcelain amidst the harsh corporate environment. But Lyra wasn’t paying any attention to their whispered admiration.

She leaned back, resting her chin on her hand as a sudden realization hit her brain.

"Hmm..." Lyra narrowed her eyes at the floating interface. "I just realized something I haven’t checked in a while... System, pull up the Male Lead’s darkened value!"

[ Right away, Host! ]

Ding!

[ Alastair Voss - Darkened Value: 80% ]

The moment the dark red numbers flashed onto the screen, both Lyra and the System froze in absolute panic.

"WHY IS THIS VALUE SO HIGH?!" Lyra practically shrieked internally, her hands gripping the couch cushion so hard her knuckles turned white. "SHOULDN’T YOU HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE?!"

She jumped up from the couch, her dark eyes wide with terror.

[ H-Host! I swear I fixed that bug earlier! ] the System cried out frantically, its interface screen flashing warning red lights. [ The darkened value was supposed to come down as his romance progress grew! If his darkened value is rising to 80%, it means his violent, unhinged instability is getting worse! This is extremely bad! If it hits 100%, he will go completely mad, and our mission is guaranteed to end in total failure! ]

Lyra’s mind was swirling with a frantic mess of thoughts. If his darkened value is this high, it means his obsession isn’t romantic... it’s pure, terrifying villainy! I need to fix this! I need to lower his darkened value before he completely snaps!

Just as her brain was about to short-circuit from stress, a polite waitress approached her table, placing a small silver plate containing a warm, chocolate-filled croissant right in front of her.

Lyra absently picked up the pastry and took a small, nervous bite.

The moment the rich chocolate hit her tongue... BOOM!

A sudden reckless plan sparked inside her brain.

Lyra’s eyes lit up with absolute determination. She swallowed her food, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and looked at the floating blue screen with a sly smirk.

"System..." Lyra whispered, her voice full of mischievous excitement. "...I have a brilliant idea."

------------------

Meanwhile, deep in the heavily guarded basement conference room of Voss Enterprises...

The atmosphere inside the soundproof glass boardroom was icy.

Alastair sat at the head of the long table, his suit unbuttoned, his icy grey eyes narrowed into as he stared across the table.

Sitting opposite him was Gabriel Hart

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, a dark, arrogant smirk resting on his scarred face. "You took my sister, Alastair. But don’t pretend you hold any real leverage over me. Victor Hart might care about his precious bloodline, but to me? Elena is nothing more than a convenient bargaining chip. Kill her, lock her up, do whatever you want. It won’t change the fact that the Hart syndicate controls the eastern trade docks."

Alastair’s dark gaze remained dead calm, though the air in the room grew suffocatingly heavy. "Is that so?" Alastair murmured, his deep voice carrying a cold threat. "Then I suppose your father will be very interested to see how much his precious heir is worth once I tear down your docks piece by piece."

Gabriel’s arrogant smile faded just a fraction, his sharp eyes darkening with hidden malice.

"We’ll see about that, Voss," Gabriel replied coldly.

Standing up from the conference table, Gabriel adjusted his suit cuffs, offering a fake bow before turning on his shoe to walk out of the private conference room.

As he stepped out into the quiet executive corridor, Gabriel slowed his pace. His cold gaze flicked toward the far end of the hallway, remembering the soft girl in the pastel floral dress he had passed earlier. He had just caught a quick glimpse of her quietly sneaking away from the lounge toward the private executive elevators while the female assistant was busy preparing coffee.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed into a cruel smirk as he continued walking toward the main exit without glancing back again.

"What a sneaky little rat..." Gabriel muttered under his breath, a dark chuckle escaping his throat as he left the building.

-----------------

Inside the boardroom, Alastair stood up from his chair, completely uninterested in continuing any further discussion with the Hart family’s emissaries.

Now that the annoying meeting was finally over, his dark, restless thoughts immediately returned to his little mouse.

Just being apart from her for a couple of hours was making him miss her so intensely it was almost unbearable. He wanted to see her small, cute face again. He wanted to hold her fragile waist and watch her flushed lips move as she rattled off another clumsy excuse.

He wondered what his adorable little hostage had been doing while he was stuck in that dreadful meeting with that bastard Gabriel. Had she eaten her pastries? Was she waiting for him patiently?

With quick strides, Alastair walked straight toward the executive lounge on the upper floor.

He pushed open the glass doors, his grey eyes scanning the room to find her soft figure on the couch.

The couch was completely empty.

Only a silver plate with a half-eaten chocolate croissant remained on the small glass table.

Alastair’s step stopped dead in its tracks. The warmth in his chest vanished in a fraction of a second, replaced by a sudden boiling rage that made his blood run cold.

The entire temperature of the executive floor plummeted below freezing. The terrifying pressure emanating from his broad frame made every employee in the room tremble with horror.

Alastair slowly turned his head toward the standing staff, his raspy voice dropping into a deadly, chilling whisper that promised absolute destruction:

"Where is she?"

The surrounding office staffs turned pale as ghosts, looking at the empty couch in absolute, horrified panic.

Their little angel... was gone.

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[ Host, what are you doing?! ] the System shrieked frantically inside her head, the floating blue interface flashing bright red with alerts. [ The darkened value is keeping raising! ]

[ Darkened Value Warning! ]

85%... 86%... 87%... 89%...

WARNING: 90%!

Lyra stood completely still inside a small, dusty supply closet right next to the executive ladies’ room, watching the red numbers rapidly jump higher and higher.

She had deliberately chosen this hiding spot after checking the floor map. She knew there wouldn’t be any security cameras tucked away in this quiet, tiny corner, and she was right.

She checked the gold watch on her wrist, listening closely to the loud, chaotic footsteps echoing down the main corridor.

"Yeah... he will be here real soon," Lyra muttered under her breath, taking a deep breath to steady her pounding heart.

She hurriedly opened the closet door, stepped into the adjoining washroom to wash her hands, and then casually walked out into the main hallway as if nothing had happened.

The exact second her foot stepped out into the open corridor, she collided straight into a rock-hard chest.

Ouch!

Lyra let out a tiny gasp as strong, muscular arms instantly wrapped around her body, locking her into a tight, almost painful embrace. She could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly- his heart was beating wildly against her cheek, his breathing heavy and ragged as if he had been frantically running around the entire eighty-story skyscraper just looking for her.

Alastair’s handsome face was terrifyingly gloomy, dark shadows looming under his grey eyes, yet a subtle trace of relief washed over his pale features.