Nerissa's Mother, Eleanor

Hearing what Malacai said made her shudder. Could she really trust a promise from Malacai? 

A man who didn't flinch even after massacring an entire school – people he had seen almost every day for three years. 

They might have bullied him, but any normal person wouldn't have done what he did. 

At most, if they possessed his power, they would probably enslave the whole school.

If Malacai heard this, he would probably laugh.

What use would enslaving a bunch of gangsters be? It wasn't even worth the risk.

In the short time he had, Malacai had pondered what he could and couldn't do. 

In Nerissa's eyes, his abilities seemed overpowered, but he knew they had many weaknesses.

Many thoughts ran through Nerissa's mind.

Perhaps it was because this was the only hope she had, or maybe it was just her survival instinct, but somehow, she felt that if Malacai made a promise, he would keep it. 

"I… I believe you…" she stuttered.

Malacai's smile widened. 

He placed his hand on her chin, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she answered swiftly.

His black eyes flickered for an instant. "Then I promise you, let's go." 

His words made her feel relieved like a rope of hope had been dropped into the midst of her misery.

They took a few buses, and throughout the journey, no one gave them odd looks, as they had acquired a fresh set of clothes at the police station.

Nerissa observed Malacai, looking at his expression and face. 

Malacai, on the other hand, simply closed his eyes as if he were sleeping. 

'Sleeping like this, he seems just like any normal human. To think he did that just a few hours ago.'

The image of Malacai walking through the school, causing her classmates to commit suicide left and right was still fresh in her mind. 

Some of them were even her underlings. 

She then shifted her gaze to the scenery swiftly passing by the bus window. 'Now, what should I do? Everyone will be looking for me.'

As the only survivor and one of the gang leaders, she was sure that other gangs, which had some cooperation with the school students, would be searching for her. 

The amount of drugs and items stockpiled in the school was massive! It could easily be worth over a million dollars.

These items belonged to more than a dozen criminal groups. 

Nerissa was one hundred percent sure this would cause a headache. 

They would at least look for a scapegoat for all those losses. Then, a voice in a flat tone reached her ear, "You don't need to worry about them."

Nerissa turned her head, looking at Malacai, who was now gazing at her. "How can I not worry? That's a lot of money, you know!"

"You are mine. No one will hurt what is mine ever again." 

His tone was calm, but Nerissa could see in the deep abyss of his black eyes that he was serious.

It was as if he would burn the world down if necessary. 

His gaze made her soul shudder, yet it also gave her a sense of calm, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time.

After speaking, Malacai closed his eyes again.

Soon, they reached Nerissa's apartment, a decent one built by the government. 

As a gang leader, Nerissa had earned quite a sum of money, and with the rent being subsidized, she could afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Malacai followed her in silence as they finally reached the front door. 

At first, she wanted to remind him again about his promise, but she decided against it.

She was sure it would only trigger him. 

Upon opening the door, they were met with a typical living room connected to the kitchen and dining room.

The place was dark. Nerissa turned on the light and called out, "Mom, I'm home." 

But no response came. She soon started running to one of the rooms, panicking.

She even forget to take off her shoes.

Following behind, Malacai saw a beautiful woman gritting her teeth in pain, both of her hands clawing deeply into her arm, from which blood trickled. 

She looked very much like Nerissa, only more mature, adding her own unique charm.

Malacai didn't know her age, but if judged solely on appearance, most people would guess she was in her late 20s. 

However, he knew this was impossible since Nerissa was already 18 years old.

Nerissa was sobbing as she crouched down beside her mother. "Mom, you haven't taken your medicine again!"

Her mother was in so much pain that she only just realized Nerissa was beside her. 

Her blue eyes, previously out of focus, started to gain clarity and then filled with love and worry. 

She seemed to want to say something, but Nerissa cut her off, "I told you, don't worry about the money, just use it." 

Tears fell from her eyes as she stood up, took out a patch from one of the cupboards, and applied it to her mother's arm.

The medicine's effect was almost immediate; her shivering body stopped, and she began to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"But it's very expensive, Riri. Do you think I don't know how much you spend to get one?"

"The money from your father's insurance will probably run out soon."

"I've told you many times that animal is not my father!" Nerissa retort.

"I also hate him, Riri, but he is already dead. We don't need to speak ill of him anymore."

"Just never talk about it again. And you need to use the medicine, Mom. Let me worry about the money."

Nerissa's mother, Eleanor Vivienne Hawthorne, believed that the money came from her late husband's insurance, which is how they could afford the apartment and their living costs. 

But she was mistaken; in reality, everything was paid for by Nerissa. 

She also told her mom that she used some of it as capital to start an online shop and did some dropshipping with her friend.

Well, she wasn't entirely lying. 

She did have a dropshipping business with her gang underlings, but the items they sold were illegal.

Malacai observed their affectionate exchange with a curious look. 

It was something very alien to him, a parent caring for their child like that. 

His lips suddenly turned into a smile, and his cold black eyes softened. "Nerissa, sweetheart, why does your mother feel pain like that?"