"Alright, lead the way," Jania gestured toward the dining room.
"Yes, Miss Jania," the butler turned to Eira, his voice polite yet distant. "Please follow me."
With a nod, Eira fell in line, her mind racing, wondering where the damned AI was, what explanation these absurd people would give her for their insane master's behavior, and how to deal with the mother-daughter pair when she got to their house. The grand mansion's intricate décor passed by in a blur as she followed the butler and Jania through another maze of hallways.
Her nerves were on edge, and she couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since yesterday. First, she was attacked, then a man suddenly came and took her to his home. Then the AI was nowhere to be found, she fell asleep and woke up to find her abductor in her bed, but the fucker seemed to have turned into a different person overnight! Then she found out her cursed stepmother was behind the attack.
Wow! What a fucking great day it was.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, they finally arrived at a set of large double doors. The butler pushed them open, revealing an opulent dining room bathed in soft, golden light. At the far end of a long, polished table sat Doctor Liam, scanning through the screen of an iPad. He looked up as they entered.
"Ephyra," he smiled at her, standing up from his seat. "I see we meet sooner than expected."
Eira crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at the smiling man in front of her. "Too fucking soon and definitely not in a way I'd like." She uncrossed her arms and walked forward, pausing behind the chair. She looked at him and tilted her head. "You're not curious about why or how I got here, so you must know." She smiled. "It's understandable since you are his doctor. Anyway, I was told I would get some answers when I got here. Are you the one who will be telling me?"
Liam nodded calmly. "I'm sure you have many questions. I'll answer what I can." He gestured to one of the empty seats. "Please, have a seat. Lyle will be joining us shortly, and we can discuss everything."
Eira hesitated for a moment but decided to play along for now. She took a seat, her gaze flicking between Doctor Liam and Jania, who had positioned herself a bit farther from them.
"What exactly is wrong with your patient?" Eira asked, her voice sharp. "Why am I here? And don't give me any more vague answers."
Liam sighed, placing the iPad he was holding onto the table. "Lyle suffers from a very rare condition—something that's affected him since childhood. It has... complicated his life in many ways, especially when it comes to controlling certain impulses."
Eira frowned. "Impulses?"
"Yes," the doctor continued, "but more than that, his condition has caused mental damage to his body. We've been treating him for years, but there are limitations to what modern medicine can do." He paused, glancing at Jania before continuing. "Your presence here... is part of that treatment."
Eira's jaw clenched. "What does that even mean?"
Before Liam could answer, the doors behind her creaked open again, and a familiar presence filled the room. Eira didn't have to turn around to know who it was. The air seemed to shift, a strange sense of tension prickling her skin.
His footsteps barely made a sound on the polished floor as he walked to the table.
Jania was the first to greet him immediately after he took his seat, while Liam nodded at him. Eira didn't bother saying anything to acknowledge him. Instead, she turned to Liam.
"So, is anyone going to tell me what I really want to know?"
"When they're done," Liam gestured to the maids serving them their food.
The maids quietly finished serving the food, their movements precise and silent, before exiting the room, leaving only the butler standing by the door. Liam, watching the maids leave, passed the iPad to Eira. She took it with a skeptical expression, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at the screen. Her fingers tapped the edge as she began reading, and it wasn't long before her eyes widened in shock.
"Why the hell didn't anyone tell me that he was the Lyle Aelion?!" she exclaimed, her voice sharp enough to draw attention.
Jania and Liam both stared at her in surprise, their forks frozen midway to their mouths, while Lyle, ever calm, barely glanced at her before continuing to eat, unfazed.
"I thought you knew," Jania started. "I mean, with everything that happened and—"
"You didn't know?" Liam cut her off, raising a brow as he stared at her genuinely shocked expression.
Eira huffed, defensively shrugging. "Well, there are a lot of wealthy people. And it's not like there aren't other men named Lyle in the world! No one has ever seen his face, nor does anyone know his personality. And—who would've thought that Lyle Aelion would be like this?" Her voice trailed off, almost in disbelief, as she looked at the man at the head of the table, the image of the powerful businessman mismatched with the deranged, unpredictable person sitting before her.
Jania, nodding thoughtfully, returned to her meal. "I guess you're right."
Liam, on the other hand, seemed to struggle to keep his amusement in check. He shook his head slightly, a chuckle escaping him.
Eira shot him a glare. "Are you laughing at me?"
Liam quickly masked his expression, waving a hand in denial. "No, no, of course not."
"Yeah, right," she muttered, unconvinced. Her gaze shifted to Lyle, who continued eating in silence. Even the way he ate was unnerving—too quiet, too precise.
She remembered back when she was an assassin, how she sometimes idly imagined what powerful figures like Lyle Aelion were like. She had pictured someone cold and calculating, yes, but never imagined he'd be... what she imagined and more. A man with deeply ingrained power and control, health problems, and odd personalities.
Shaking off the thought, she refocused on the iPad and resumed reading.
"Advanced Antisocial Personality Disorder... Clinical Summary..." she muttered under her breath. Her eyes scanned the lines, noting the grim details of Lyle's condition, the reference to his detachment from societal norms, lack of empathy, and the predatory behavior he exhibited when feeling challenged. But what really caught her attention was the mention of his sensory treatment—calming floral scents that seemed to suppress his volatile tendencies.
Her lips curled in distaste as she continued to read aloud. "In various experiments, if the patient smells this scent, he will not only be calm but also possessive, emotional, and physically engaged—an aberration in his otherwise stoic and calculated behavior. And this will be a completely different personality, so a high chance that his personality will completely change is 98%. And if it continues, it can lead to Dissociative Identity Disorder."
She stopped, staring incredulously at the words on the screen. Switching to Italian, she muttered, "Che sciocchezze!" (What nonsense!), catching the attention of everyone at the table. "Do you honestly expect me to believe this?"
Liam met her gaze evenly and shrugged. "It's the truth. You saw how he reacted when he smelled the scent on your body."
Eira laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Really? And let's say he does have this ASPD or whatever. What about his fast healing, hmm? Because a deep cut across one's torso cannot heal overnight. Or did the ASPD do that too?"
Liam hesitated, searching for a response, but Eira cut him off, her expression growing more thoughtful. "Actually... I think I know now."
Jania and Liam exchanged questioning glances as Liam asked, "What do you know?"
Eira didn't hesitate this time. Her eyes locked onto Lyle's, her voice filled with an almost triumphant certainty. "You're a demon. No, not just a demon—you're a werewolf too. That's why you're so strong, why you heal fast, and why you're the most powerful businessman in the world. It must be because you've lived for centuries. And the reason you're so attached to me? I'm your other half, aren't I?"
Her smug smile remained plastered on her face as silence fell over the room.
Jania burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she doubled over. Liam shook his head in disbelief, muttering under his breath, "I can't believe she actually came up with that when there's a logical explanation right in front of her."
But Lyle, ever composed, simply chuckled and glanced at her, amusement flickering in his usually cold eyes. "You have a very rich imagination, Ephyra Allen."