Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP

Chapter 286: Chapter 286 : Jax’s Life Isn’t His Anymore

Astrid locked the door behind her and turned to Jax.

Jax, who had faced kings and popes and entire armies without flinching, was genuinely afraid of the girl standing between him and the only exit.

And the moment she turned around, her real emotions were on full display. No audience meant no mask. What Jax saw was raw pain hiding behind wrathful eyes that had already started going wet because of his foolishness.

Before he could say a single word she charged at him. Grabbed his collar with both hands and shoved him backward. His feet dragged across the marble until his back slammed into the wall.

"You liar. You cheat."

Then she used her full body. Legs sweeping his footing while her hands wrenched him sideways and brought him crashing down onto the marble floor.

And as he hit the ground she was already on top of him. Knee pressed into his chest. Left hand bunching his collar. Face inches from his. Eyes burning through the tears she was refusing to release.

"You scum. You promised me."

Her right fist cocked back ready to slam into his face but it hung in the air. Frozen. Not by hesitation. By the storm of emotions crashing through her faster than her body could process.

"You said you would trust me. That you would stop carrying everything alone. I asked you to let me in and you told me you already had."

Her voice cracked. "And after your promise. After our confessions. I was walking home smiling like a fool. Replaying every word you said. And within a few hours you were out there throwing your life away for your stupid ego."

Jax opened his mouth to explain but her voice hit him like a wall. "Don’t say another word with that lying mouth."

Then her tone dropped. The anger started melting into something worse. Something that couldn’t be fixed with explanations or apologies.

"It hasn’t even been a full day. And I’m hearing something this serious about your life from someone else."

Her raised fist dropped to his chest. Not as a punch. Just dead weight.

"Didn’t you know how much that would hurt me?"

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. "Everything about you hurts me now and you don’t even realize it. Your actions. Your lies. You throwing your life around like it’s something disposable. Like it doesn’t belong to anyone."

Her voice broke further. "You don’t care whether you die or not because you’ll just respawn back to your own world. While here, I would be left with the pain of loving you and nothing else."

She looked down at him. "Tell me, Jax. Did yesterday mean nothing to you? I can’t do this. I can’t keep discovering new ways you’ve been lying to me while pretending to be honest. Every time I think I’ve finally seen the real you, another layer peels back and there’s something worse underneath."

Her shoulders trembled.

"I’m tired, Jax. I am so tired of being the last person to know the things that matter most."

She went silent. The sobbing started. Quiet. Suppressed. But unmistakable.

And in that silence Jax found his opening.

He raised his hand to wipe her tears. She flicked it away immediately. But he spoke anyway.

"I know I’m at fault here. And I did something I shouldn’t have. But please don’t form the words the way you’re forming them. Don’t hate me for not opening up to you."

His voice was steady but careful. Like a man defusing something volatile.

"I can prove to you that you are the only person in this world. No, scratch that. In the whole universe who knows the most about me. I’ll take any oath you want."

She hissed through her tears. "Then why didn’t you tell me that you foolishly sold yourself to that bitch? Knowing the odds?"

Jax said. "That wasn’t a foolish move, Astrid. But first let me clear the most important thing. Why I hid it from you. So please calm yourself and think logically."

Her expression said ’go ahead, I’m listening.’ But her grip on his collar tightened as if communicating that one more lie or manipulative word would be the last thing he ever spoke.

Jax said. "Tell me. What would you have done if I told you that I made a deal with Matriarch Sianna?"

Astrid answered without a second of thought. "Kill her. And things would be sorted."

Jax said. "Exactly. And that’s exactly why I needed to hide it from you. Because you would have brought her down with the power you hold."

Astrid was genuinely confused now. "What? Wasn’t that the best move?"

"See, Astrid. I didn’t want you killing an important political figure just like that and making enemies for yourself. Many leaders would see you as a threat and there would have been serious consequences for you and your family."

He paused.

"But that’s just the smaller picture. The bigger one was about the wager itself. The one you’re calling foolish. I knew from the moment I accepted it that things would come down to this. I knew it could start a war. I knew the odds were so slim that in everyone’s eyes it looked impossible."

Astrid pressed. "Then why accept it in the first place? Was it your ego? Your pride? Your inability to walk away from any challenge thrown at your face?"

Jax shook his head. "No. It was some unknown power within me."

Astrid didn’t know what to say to that. Confusion replaced the anger on her face for a moment.

Jax explained in the most minimal and safest way he could manage. "There is an entity that assigns me tasks. And with each task comes great rewards which makes me powerful. One such task was to humble Lady Sianna."

He deliberately avoided telling her anything about how the system actually worked. Because if he did, he wouldn’t be alive to see the end of this tournament.

Understanding started settling into Astrid’s expression. Her grip on his collar loosened slightly. "That explains a lot. Why you’ve been suicidal from the very start."

Jax saw her mood softening and seized the opportunity to lie through his teeth. "Yup. Otherwise I absolutely hate chaos and risks."

Astrid gave him a deadly glare that said she understood his humor and was not amused by it. Then she grabbed his collar again, yanked him up, and slammed the back of his head against the marble floor.

"Still. You made a mistake putting yourself on the line. Because your life is no longer yours to begin with."

Her voice carried finality. "Your life is not yours to gamble. Your freedom is not yours to wager. Your body is not yours to throw into fire or blood contracts or whatever suicidal arrangement the next asshole dangles in front of your stupid face."

She leaned closer. "You have already become my slave. So I have every right over you. And no other bitch gets to claim ownership over what already belongs to me."

Her eyes narrowed. "So how dare you think you can run away from me?"

Jax looked up at her face. At the tears. The anger. The possessiveness that should have been terrifying but was somehow the most adorable thing he had ever seen. This girl who was sitting on his chest threatening to murder anyone who touched her property was so ridiculously cute that his body couldn’t hold itself anymore.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug while still laid flat on the marble.

And before she could protest or say a word, he gave her a gentle kiss on her lips. Just touching. Barely pressing. Soft enough to steal her voice completely.

Astrid’s brain short-circuited. Her face went through every shade of red the mortal body could produce in under two seconds.

"Wh— you— that was— I didn’t give you permission to—"

She separated from him and placed her foot on his chest. Standing above him with a face so red it could guide ships in the dark.

Jax said from the floor. "I’m sorry, master. I thought maybe a kiss would make up for my mistake."

She turned around instantly. Couldn’t let him see her face right now. And as she stood there with her back to him, her fingers hovered over her own lips. Tasting the ghost of what had just happened.

After several seconds of composing herself through sheer willpower, she spoke. Still facing away from him.

"You bastard. Don’t you dare think you can escape your crimes with a kiss. I will come back to your punishment after I deal with the mess you’ve created."

Her voice steadied into something that sounded like a general issuing battle orders.

"First, I will beat that senior again. And if by any chance I lose, I will still choose the exact path you were worried about."

She clenched her fist. "Don’t think for a single second that I’ll let that woman lay a finger on you. Because I will wipe her from existence before she ever gets the chance to call you hers."

-x-X-x-

[A/N: Huge Shoutout to Ordici_T for the lovely dragon❤️ and wbug for that motivating inspiration capsule ❤️ and thanks to per_andersson, Outsxder, BlackLanne, Charles_Nix, Ordici_T and tony_adams_4787 for the golden tickets

(づ*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)づ♡]