Chapter 5 - Entangled Desires

After Scarface's death, his group of underlings became frantic. This was expected by Aries. On the spot, she selected someone relatively stable to take charge, ensuring they wouldn't turn into a disorganized mess. The chosen guy was Zane, not too old, around thirty. He seemed surprised to be chosen but displayed more fear than excitement. Clearly, he hadn't fully recovered from the shock of Aries's intimidation.

Observing Zane's cautious nod without any signs of joy after being promoted, Aries knew he was a smart guy.With the matters handed over to Zane, Aries took a car back to the Jiang residence and returned to her room to shower and change clothes.In Estrella's dictionary, the words 'mercy' and 'kindness' were nonexistent. Beneath her alluring appearance, Estrella concealed a twisted and corrupted heart. Her cruelty and ruthlessness extended to both enemies and her own subordinates. Yet, even so, Estrella never lacked loyal henchmen.Over the years, people around Estrella had died, some had betrayed her, but the fate of those traitors was inevitable - death. In all this time, the only one who remained by her side was Aries.Aries' invisibility ability wasn't particularly outstanding among known superpowers. It had less destructive power than fire or lightning abilities and less practicality than water or spatial abilities. Still, it was a valuable skill for covert assassinations.As the longest-serving 'dog' by Estrella's side, Aries had always been diligent. Estrella ordered her to bite, and she bit. Over the years, Aries had killed a myriad of people - from heartless villains to innocent children, regardless of age or gender. Aries had tasted every kind of blood. Perhaps, she was naturally suited for this role. The transition from a trace of compassion to complete numbness didn't seem to take much time.Estrella had been relatively quiet recently, leaving Aries with some leisure time. After a shower, Aries lay on her bed for a while, but in the afternoon, the ringing of the phone interrupted her rest.The caller was Cloud, a man promoted by Estrella in recent years. He was over thirty, ruthless in actions, and skilled at reading people's intentions. Particularly with Aries, his attitude bordered on flattery.Cloud chatted with her casually, then got to the point, "By the way, there's a new guy recently. He seems promising. Since Howard's death, you've been working alone. This person, I think, is decent. He's a second-tier psychic, a bit lower in rank, but he's skilled. Consider him your new underling. It'll be more secure when you're working for Sister Ling. Don't worry; I've checked his background thoroughly. He's absolutely reliable."Howard had been Aries' former partner, a regular human. In the past, when helping Estrella with various tasks, they occasionally cooperated. Despite Howard's unremarkable appearance and reticent nature, he was a crafty old fox with a stomach full of sinister tricks. Aries often called on Howard when facing troublesome situations. A large portion of her survival credit could be attributed to him.However, two years ago, Howard died. His death didn't create any waves. It happened silently. Aries didn't even know the details of how he died, and she didn't bother to inquire.In this era where everything was cheap, seeking revenge had no meaning.Hearing Cloud mention Howard, Aries couldn't help recalling many past events. When she came back to her senses, she interrupted Cloud's praise for the so-called new person and said, "If you speak so highly of him, I'll meet him."Cloud chuckled and said, "If you're not satisfied, just deal with it. He was originally a gift for you. Do as you please."Aries nonchalantly hung up the phone.In the evening, Aries met the person Cloud mentioned.She sat on the sofa, watching the person walk in. When she saw that face, Aries was momentarily stunned.A young woman walked in and found an empty room. After a moment of confusion, she remembered Aries' invisibility ability. She took a deep breath without showing any signs, then softly spoke, "Miss Aries? I'm Amber. Cloud sent me over, said I should work with you from now on."After speaking for two hours without any response, it felt like she was talking to herself in an empty room. However, Amber felt the pressure increase, as if there were invisible eyes scrutinizing her relentlessly. No, this wasn't an illusion; it was as if there were indeed a pair of eyes staring at her!Aries was watching her, but she had no idea what the other person wanted. Aries knew she was a fourth-tier psychic, so she wouldn't use her second-tier mental ability to locate the other person. Amber tensed her expression, trying hard to appear more composed. Unconsciously, she had already broken into a cold sweat.After another half hour, Amber suddenly heard an unexpected, soft laughter behind her, gentle and unreal. It didn't sound like laughter from a human but more like the playful laughter of a demon reveling in the death of countless lives.In that instant, her hair stood on end.Amber stiffened, slowly turned around, and saw Aries standing behind her."Why are you so afraid of me?"Aries seemed extremely delighted, her smiling expression making her look like a harmless girl. However, the sinister undertones in her eyes made Amber uncomfortable. She resisted the urge to frown and respectfully replied, "Miss Aries, your reputation precedes you. It's natural to be a bit nervous.""You're quite interesting. Since Cloud recommended you, follow me." Aries patted her shoulder, and the corners of her mouth curled into a mocking, almost scornful smile. "I heard you're good at everything. I hope you won't die too quickly."The words sounded somewhat unpleasant, and Amber initially thought Aries was questioning her skills. However, it wasn't until a few hours later that she understood the true meaning of "hope you won't die too quickly."The overwhelming smell of blood filled her nostrils. With her hair being pulled, she was forced to lift her face reluctantly. The flickering light caused dizziness, and in a trance, she heard a voice—a voice full of feminine charm yet icy to the extreme."Is this the trash you picked up?" Estrella glanced at Amber, now resembling a dead dog. She casually raised her hand to the man pulling Amber's hair.The man released Amber's hair, tightened his large fist, and was about to strike down at the defenseless woman on the ground. In that moment, Amber slightly lifted her head.Aries, who had been standing by Estrella's side with folded arms, seemed to meet her gaze."Stop."As soon as Aries spoke, the man abruptly halted his descending fist, stopping just a few centimeters from Amber's spine. He lifted his head, glanced at Aries, then at the indifferent Estrella. His face turned pale, and he stammered in panic, "Boss... I... I thought you told me to stop...""What's the matter? Can't bear to do it?" Estrella paid no attention to the now bewildered man. She turned her head to Aries, her tone showing no emotions."This is my person, Boss," Aries said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of a request."Yours?" Estrella's expression changed slightly, from her usual emotionless demeanor. She raised an eyebrow and, in the next moment, reached out, grabbing Aries by the collar and pulling her down.Aries, quick on her feet, grabbed the armrest of the chair, stabilizing herself just in time. Estrella's move was unexpected, and if Aries hadn't reacted swiftly, she might have ended up falling onto the other woman.Aries didn't anticipate Estrella's reaction to be so strong. Realizing that she might have touched a nerve, she raised her eyes and met the seductive yet fierce gaze of Estrella.Estrella's tone remained indifferent, "Since when does my dog dare to use the words 'mine' in front of me? Everything you have is mine, even you. Tell me, is there anything that truly belongs to you?"Estrella was undoubtedly a tyrant, unpredictable in her emotions, allowing no room for resistance. Aries knew she was treading on dangerous ground, but she still said, "Don't kill her."Aries looked into Estrella's eyes, no unnecessary words, just a simple statement.Estrella stared at her darkly for a while, then suddenly laughed. It was like the sudden blooming of a corpse flower, dazzling yet macabre, beautiful in a way that was suffocating.Amber managed to survive in the end because Aries made a deal with Estrella. At that moment, they ceased being master and subordinate and became objects of a transaction, engaging in a purely transactional relationship with clear objectives.Aries never thought she would one day be like those young masters, willingly offering herself to Estrella's bed for various purposes, treating herself like a commodity. Even if she were to be played with and discarded, it didn't matter as long as she got what she wanted.She never thought she would have the qualifications to make a deal with Estrella. It could be considered an honor, but it wasn't something to be happy about.Smack! Aries was abruptly slapped by Estrella. Estrella's strength was considerable, and Aries' ears rang from the impact. Slowly turning her head back from the force of the slap, through the disheveled strands of hair on her face, Aries looked at Estrella. In Estrella's eyes, she saw desire—not the desire of passion but the desire to ravage and tear apart her prey.It felt as if what was pressing on her right now wasn't a breathtaking beauty but a bloodthirsty and savage beast.Aries had seen many sides of Estrella, but this was the first time she had seen her like this.It suited Estrella's style perfectly.Estrella had various methods of torture; she seemed to use them not for pleasure but purely to vent her brutality. Aries knew this, but she never expected Estrella to be completely indifferent to the life or death of the other person.Once in bed, Estrella was almost like a madwoman. Even though the physical resilience of an esper's body, especially a higher-level one, surpassed that of an ordinary person several times over, Aries still had the thought more than once, in her semi-consciousness, that she might die by Estrella's hands.Several times she fell into a coma, only to be forcibly awakened again. Aries' vision blurred, her consciousness confused, and all she could feel was the intense pain from all over her body, accompanied by the ruthless and brutal atmosphere when entangled in breath with Estrella.When Aries woke up, it was in the medical room inside the Jiang family. Staring at the bright ceiling lights, she found it a bit hard to believe she was still alive."Are you awake?" a calm and gentle voice sounded beside her. After a while, a clean and pretty hand holding a glass of water appeared in her field of vision. "Drink some water; you've lost a lot of blood and need to replenish fluids."Aries blinked weakly and then tried to prop herself up with her arm. However, with this movement, the somewhat sluggish nervous system transmitted the pain from various parts of her body directly to her brain. Aries groaned, and in the next moment, she fell back onto the bed.It felt as if her internal organs were all stirred up, and her stomach spasmed, a nauseous feeling rising up, making her dizzy.Aries, with a pale face, beads of cold sweat forming, struggled to open her eyes. The person beside her watched impassively for a moment before speaking slowly, "Your right wrist was twisted. Let me help you up."With that, she placed the water glass aside, gently helping Aries sit up. Then, picking up the glass again, she fed Aries some water. Her actions were considerate and attentive, as if the person who had been coldly watching moments ago was not her.After taking a few sips of water and resting for a while, Aries' blurry vision gradually cleared. She turned her gaze and, unsurprisingly, saw a beautiful face."...Who are you?" Aries asked hoarsely."Sunny," the woman replied coldly.Aries was slightly taken aback.Sunny, Estrella's chief physician.