Read Novel Full Chapter 410: Adopting
Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Adopting
Later, Ron learned that Aunt June was actually quite close to Ivy. Compared to Ivy’s favor, these privileges were insignificant.
Yet she still helped him wholeheartedly. He felt genuinely lucky. He had never imagined a babysitter could be so kind.
The moment Aunt June saw Ron return with ice cream cups and cones, her eyes widened.
"Where did you get this?" she blurted out.
Ron smirked proudly. "A new item in the main store. It’ll probably be sold to everyone soon. You can buy one too."
He paused, then added lightly, "For now, this is just a sample."
With that, he handed her a cup of strawberry ice cream and passed a cone to his sister.
The moment his sister tasted the ice cream, her small face lit up. She closed her eyes in pure bliss, the cold sweetness melting on her tongue.
"It’s been... such a long time," she murmured faintly, her voice filled with wonder.
In no time at all, the cup was empty. Ron watched her lick the last traces from the spoon and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.
Seeing her healthy, seeing color return to her cheeks, filled his chest with a warmth he hadn’t felt in years.
’I’m really lucky,’ he thought quietly.
This base had given him more than he had ever dreamed of. Safety. Stability. A decent job. Enough food. Even before the apocalypse, his life had never been this good.
With a soft chuckle, he rubbed his sister’s head absentmindedly. She leaned into his touch without complaint, clearly content.
Across from them, Aunt June watched the scene with gentle, pitying eyes. Her thoughts drifted to her own son, and her heart ached. ’This child has grown up too fast,’ she thought.
The idea of adopting Ron surfaced again, as it often did. She and her husband had discussed it more than once.
Even though Ron was almost fifteen, the truth remained that in an apocalypse like this, a child needed a guardian. Someone steady. Someone dependable.
Her thoughts shifted to Ivy. ’Thank God,’ she sighed inwardly, ’that child found someone good and cut ties with those adoptive parents.’ Otherwise, she could only imagine how much Ivy would have suffered.
Meanwhile, far away behind tightly shut gates, Marcus paced the room restlessly.
"Where is he?" Marcus muttered, voice edged with frustration. "Why hasn’t Arthur come back yet?"
His fists clenched tightly. A dreadful thought crept into his mind. ’Could Hannah have betrayed him?’
They had sensed something was wrong long ago, but their son had refused to listen. No matter how much they warned him, Arthur had walked straight into danger. Now, all they could do was sigh in regret.
’If only we had been firmer,’ Marcus thought bitterly. ’Maybe he wouldn’t have left.’
Just as their anxiety peaked, Angelina arrived.
Truthfully, she didn’t want to return to her parents’ house anymore. But she needed human flesh to fulfill the order given by Damien, and using her parents as a cover was convenient.
They knew nothing about what she truly did. In their minds, this was merely something necessary for her abilities.
The moment Angelina stepped inside, Marcus rushed toward her, panic clear in his voice.
"You need to find Arthur," he blurted out.
Angelina felt disgust coil in her stomach. ’That idiot,’ she thought coldly. ’I warned him.’
She inhaled deeply, steadying herself. "I’ll try," she replied calmly.
She didn’t bother asking whether Arthur had returned. If he had, her parents wouldn’t look this desperate.
As she turned to leave, she suddenly paused after taking two steps. She glanced back.
"Did you... find someone during this time?"
Her parents immediately understood. They nodded. "The sacrifice is in the next room."
Angelina clenched her fists and nodded once before leaving. The "sacrifice" they spoke of was nothing more than a corpse.
She often asked her parents to procure bodies, preferably those who had died only hours ago.
Instead of wandering aimlessly, Angelina headed straight for Damien’s cave.
The moment she arrived, she heard familiar footsteps. Her body instinctively tensed, fear crawling up her spine.
But when she saw Damien emerge calmly, her muscles relaxed without her even realizing it.
Damien smiled at her gently. His aura was completely different now. Gone was the crazed, animalistic presence.
In its place stood a calm, composed man. If anyone else had been there, they might have fallen for him instantly.
Angelina was no exception. His refined features, his almost actor-like appearance, made her heart skip a beat. But she forced herself to look away.
’No,’ she reminded herself firmly. ’You haven’t forgotten what he really is, right, Angelina?’
Damien approached her, his voice smooth and pleasant. "Did you come for something?"
"I’m looking for my brother," Angelina murmured. "I can’t find him anywhere."
Damien paused, then nodded. "I’ll help you."
He closed his eyes.
The next second, an invisible force swept through the cave. Leaves, dust, and debris were blown violently aside.
The air roared, yet Angelina remained completely unharmed, rooted to her spot. Her eyes widened slightly. ’Invisible power,’ she realized.
When everything had settled, Damien opened his eyes and looked at her with a faint smile.
"Arthur has been captured by Ivy."
Angelina lowered her head. ’Just as I thought.’
The more she thought about Ivy, the more fear tightened around her heart. Among all her enemies, there were only two she truly feared. Ivy and Damien.
Yes, even Damien.
She was constantly aware that he might kill her at any moment just to keep her silent. And Ivy... Ivy was someone she couldn’t oppose at all.
Damien’s voice softened further, intimate, almost tender. "What are you going to do now?"
Angelina took a deep breath and slowly unclenched her fists. "I’ll tell my parents the truth."
She turned to leave, but Damien spoke calmly behind her.
"If your parents know, they’ll force you to go to Ivy’s base and bring Arthur back."
Angelina froze.
"You’ll be trapped there too."
On the surface, his words sounded concerned. But Angelina, having spent so much time with him, understood the truth.
This wasn’t a concern.