Read Novel Full Chapter 394: Nina
Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Nina
No one had told him what to do when the past itself became a weapon.
From Kael’s perspective, this wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was a stain. A moment in his life where his feelings had wavered and landed elsewhere. There was no justification for it.
Outside, Martha yanked the door open.
Felix immediately blurted, "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry..."
She shoved him aside without even looking at him and walked past.
Felix swallowed hard and turned toward Kael, who was still staring blankly at the empty space in front of him.
"What are you standing there for?" Felix barked. "Shouldn’t you be chasing her?"
Kael looked at him hollowly.
"What should I even say?" he muttered. "It’s... partly true."
Felix nearly smashed his head against the wall.
"You’re really destined to stay single," he snapped.
The next second, Kael shoved him hard.
"I’m not done for!" Kael shouted. "This is your fault. Why did you say that at that moment?"
Felix shouted back, "How was I supposed to know she was inside?"
The two brothers began arguing loudly, shoving and nearly coming to blows.
From afar, Ivy sensed everything unfolding and felt utterly speechless.
’What kind of cursed luck is this,’ she thought bitterly. ’He finally gets a chance... and it shatters into pieces.’
She sighed deeply.
How was she supposed to face Martha now, after confidently telling her that Kael liked her? If he truly did, then why had there ever been a stand-in?
The situation was a mess.
Far away, Dante returned to his office and found Silas lounging casually in the chair.
Dante rolled his eyes and sat down.
"The deal’s done?" Silas asked calmly.
Dante nodded.
"Then it’s time for us to leave."
"I’m almost finished with the follow-up work," Dante replied. "We can leave anytime."
Silas nodded, then paused.
"How many loyal people do you have?"
"About sixty," Dante answered after a moment.
Silas’s lips twitched.
"That many will definitely attract Frank’s attention."
Dante frowned. "Then what should we do?"
"We go quietly," Silas replied. "Split them into groups. Let them leave one by one. Once the base is cleared of those loyal to you, we’ll move."
Dante nodded in agreement.
He hesitated before asking, "Anything else?"
Silas calmly took out an envelope and slid it across the desk.
"I’m resigning."
Dante stared at the letter, then slowly looked up at Silas. A faint trace of anger flickered in his eyes.
Silas almost laughed when he saw his old man seething with anger.
The vein on Dante’s temple throbbed visibly, and his glare could have pierced steel.
"What happened now?" Silas drawled, leaning back slightly. "Why are you staring at me like I burned down the base?"
Dante slammed his palm on the desk, the dull thud echoing through the office.
"You’re planning to leave," he snapped. "Did you even think about how your sister and the others are supposed to get out of the base?"
Silas rolled his eyes, utterly unimpressed.
"If you’re talking about yourself," he replied coolly, "then just say so. No need to drag everyone else into it."
Dante clenched his fist, anger surging up his chest.
Because Silas was right.
Taking a deep breath, Dante forced himself to calm down. He had already been proven wrong too many times... by Silas, by Ivy.
Fighting them head-on never ended well. Slowly, he swallowed his pride.
"It is about me," he admitted, his voice noticeably softer.
Silas did not soften in the slightest.
This man had made his wife’s life a living hell. Taunts, cold neglect, and pride without merit... Silas remembered all of it far too clearly. His gaze hardened.
"Figure it out yourself," he said coldly.
Dante’s fingers curled so tightly that his knuckles turned white. For a moment, he almost roared back. But he stopped himself.
’The hard way won’t work,’ he realized grimly.
So he tried again, his tone lowering, almost pleading.
"If you stay here," Dante said, "Frank will find a way to trap me in this place. You know how he operates."
Silas opened his mouth to respond...
Knock. Knock.
Both men turned toward the door.
"Come in," Dante said.
The door opened, and a young woman stepped inside.
She looked to be in her early twenties. Her clothes were patched and worn, yet strangely deliberate.
The neckline of her top dipped into a deep V, revealing more than necessary, and her skirt barely reached below her hips.
In a world suffering from shortages, it almost looked as if she had intentionally dressed this way.
Silas frowned immediately and turned his gaze away.
Dante, however, stood and nodded politely.
"This is Nina," he introduced.
At the mention of her name, Silas gave a brief nod, his eyes carefully fixed anywhere but on her exposed skin.
Nina bit her lower lip, her gaze lingering on Silas. Heat crept up her neck, and her heartbeat quickened.
’Not him,’ she reminded herself silently. ’Not yet.’
Once the Blackthorn family collapsed... she would have plenty of chances.
She turned to Dante and smiled sweetly.
"I brought you the files you asked for."
She walked closer, placing the documents on his desk.
As she leaned forward, her neckline dipped further, enough that anyone looking could easily see more than intended.
Dante didn’t glance up even once.
His eyes skimmed the papers, and his brows knit together.
"These are battlefield analysis reports," he muttered. "I don’t need these anymore. There won’t be a war during this apocalypse."
Nina stiffened.
"I... I must have mixed them up," she said quickly. "I meant to bring the food consumption analysis. I’ll come back later."
She gathered the papers hurriedly and turned to leave. Before exiting, she cast one last lingering look at Dante, her eyes filled with something close to yearning.
Once the door shut, Dante shuddered slightly.
"That woman is strange," he muttered.
Silas frowned deeply.
"Does she come here often?" he asked. "You interact with her regularly?"
Dante shook his head.
"Not really. If she weren’t related to Janet, I wouldn’t have let her near this office."
Silas’s eyes sharpened. "Related to Janet?"
Dante nodded with a stern expression.