Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

This sentence was very light, so light that it dispersed with the slightest breeze, so fast that Vivian thought she had misheard.

Mare took a step forward and grabbed the man’s collar, lifting him from the ground and swinging him violently into a nearby tree. The man’s back suffered a heavy blow, causing him to curl up in pain, spitting out a mouthful of saliva.

Mare had no intention of letting him go. He approached and continued to grab the man’s collar, lifting him again and landing a punch on the side of his face.

Mare might have been a natural boxer; his strength was remarkable. One punch made the man vomit blood and spit out a tooth.

“Stop it!” Vivian intervened to stop Mare’s violence. Thankfully, Luzia, who was walking beside her, promptly supported her-Vivian indicated she had just sprained her foot and wasn’t seriously injured.

However, the man who had collided with her paid a heavy price. Mare’s ferocious demeanor and his burst of fierce strength made his legs go weak, crying in pain, “Please spare me, it was not intentional.”

“Do you know who you knocked down?” Mare’s face was menacing.

The man was so scared he almost wet himself, “I, I…”

“She is Vivian Hargrave.”

In Houston, everyone knew the name Hargrave. It was a powerful and terrifying family, akin to a dark abyss. Those who offended them met a tragic end.

Under Mare’s intimidation, the man’s body went limp. If Mare hadn’t still been holding onto his collar, he might have collapsed to the ground.

“Enough, Mare,” Vivian asked Mare to let him go. “You’ve already taught him a lesson, and I’m fine.”

Mare glanced at Vivian, seemingly confirming whether she was truly uninjured, but his expression did not soften.

“What’s your name?” Mare glared at him. “Tell the truth, I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“Camar Smith,” Camar answered shakily.

“Good, Camar Smith, I’ll remember your name,” Mare said.

Camar trembled even more.

However, Mare didn’t do anything violent to Camar again and let him go.

Camar stumbled to his feet and dared not stop, fleeing into the crowd, quickly disappearing from sight.

Luzia, angry, crossed her arms, “Why did you let him go?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mare said indifferently. “I’ve got his name.”

Vivian shuddered. She knew Mare would tell Alajos, and Alajos would not let Camar off easily.

Distressed, Vivian said, “Why did you do that? He didn’t do anything to me.”

“I’m certain he did something,” Mare stared at her, imitating Camar’s tone, “Be careful where you’re going.”

Vivian’s expression stiffened.

She didn’t know what that meant, but a chance encounter with a stranger, an inexplicable phrase, might be enough to trigger Alajos’s sharp defenses. This could be a danger to the Hargrave family.

Vivian couldn’t persuade Mare to keep today’s incident a secret. Although the incident was thrilling, it wouldn’t affect their plans for the day. However, Vivian’s enthusiasm was dampened; she no longer felt like browsing in the bookstore. She bought a few necessary professional books and followed Luzia into the spa.

The scheduled massage was just in time. After pressing on her stiff neck, Vivian changed into a robe and lay on the small bed, with Luzia beside her.

Massage was truly a great way to relax and soothe the nerves. The masseur was a man, yet this didn’t affect the joy and relaxation Vivian felt under his skilled hands. As his strong and flexible hands massaged her stiff neck and moved in a rhythmic pattern down her back, Vivian moaned in pain and pleasure, though she quickly bit her lip.

Luzia seemed to be more uninhibited, moaning passionately under the man’s touch. Vivian almost mistook her masseur for Mare.

Vivian felt she could hardly get along peacefully with Luzia and Mare.

…

After the massage, when they returned to the apartment, it was already late. Alajos was sitting on the living room sofa, attending to his work. Vivian checked the clock; it was ten minutes to eight in the evening.

“You’re back early today,” Vivian greeted him. “Have you had dinner?”

“Haylee has it arranged for me, no need to worry,” Alajos said, taking a sip of the coffee on the table. He actually preferred the whiskey in the small fridge to the coffee. “You look much better; it seems the massage worked wonders.”

Alajos was glad to see Vivian’s smile brighten again. Her fair and smooth skin looked pleasant to touch.

However, Mare seemed to be in a bad mood. As a bodyguard, such emotions never surfaced easily. Something must have happened. This speculation made Alajos’s expression darken, “What happened, Mare?”

Before Mare could answer, Alajos noticed Vivian’s alarmed expression; something had indeed gone wrong.

Mare didn’t hide anything, “Someone knocked Vivian down, and I taught him a lesson.”

Alajos caught the hint in Mare’s words, “You didn’t kill him?”

“No, but I got his name, Camar Smith,” Mare said. “I believe soon all his information will be on your phone.”

“Good job, Mare,” Alajos commended him, standing up to prepare to leave.

Vivian knew what he intended to do; he was going to kill that man.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Vivian stood in his way, “You can’t, Alajos. He didn’t harm me, and as you can see, I’m completely unharmed.”

“No, this isn’t about whether you’re hurt, Vivian,” Alajos brushed aside Vivian’s hand, continuing toward the door. “This concerns the family’s honor, my authority as Capo. He offended you, which is a challenge to the Hargrave family’s authority. I must give him a lesson.”

“Mare has already taught him a lesson, and he has apologized,” Vivian argued.

“Your innocence disgusts me, Vivian!” Alajos scolded, “A lesson without any physical harm is just a warning, do you understand? A mere warning is not enough to deter people; it will only embolden the foolish.”

“Killing him, or taking an organ from him, is my greatest mercy to him.”

In anger, Alajos entered the elevator. The light slanted down from the ceiling, casting shadows on his face, making his dark complexion look even more terrifying.

Vivian felt a chill in her heart; this version of Alajos frightened her from the core. It was this fear that prevented her from stopping Alajos.

This was truly terrible.

Vivian slumped onto the sofa, her face pale.

“Have some hot water,” Luzia poured a suitable temperature of water for her and placed it on the coffee table in front of her, “or do you want coffee? Hot chocolate?”

“No, hot water is fine, thank you, Luzia,” Vivian took a sip from the cup. The hot water flowed down her throat, warming her body instantly.

Vivian let out a heavy sigh, seemingly trying to expel the remaining coldness from her body.

“Will Alajos kill him?” Vivian asked Luzia, essentially asking Mare.