Read Novel Full Chapter 448: Price
Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Price
Mia rolled her eyes, already lifting her hand in dismissal, but James continued, his tone turning suggestive.
"If you do come to me," he added, "you’ll have to pay a price."
Mia was about to wave him away completely when Ava tilted her head, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "What kind of price?"
James chuckled, his gaze roaming shamelessly. "Mia would have to become my girlfriend."
Ava stared at him for a moment, her expression eerily calm. Then she spoke. "You’re disgusting."
Mia nodded in agreement, their synchronized disdain unmistakable.
Seeing that look, James felt something snap inside him.
Anger flared in his eyes as venom seeped into his voice.
"You’re being too judgmental," he sneered. "You should be grateful that even with your attitude, someone is willing to like you."
Mia burst out laughing, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke.
"I don’t need anyone else to like me," she replied. "I already have someone who likes me and I like that person romantically too."
Before anyone could react, she turned and leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Ava’s cheek.
James sucked in a sharp breath, horror written all over his face. "Are you a lesbian?" he blurted out.
Mia laughed again, louder this time. "I’ve seen stupid people," she said coldly, "but never someone as stupid as you. I’ve already kissed Ava on the cheek too. Isn’t my answer clear enough?"
James stared at Mia and Ava in shock.
Slowly, his rage melted away, replaced by a twisted excitement.
"Even if that’s the case," he said eagerly, "you can both come to me for help."
His smile turned darker. "But the conditions will be more... advanced. This time, both of you will have to serve me."
That was the final straw.
Ava didn’t hesitate. Her palm cracked against James’s cheek, the sound echoing sharply in the air.
She glared at him, her eyes blazing.
"If you have such a dirty mind, keep it to yourself," she snapped. "Don’t spread it around."
James froze for a second, then fury consumed him.
He immediately pointed toward a nearby guard. "She hit me!" he shouted.
"She has violent tendencies. She should be kicked out right now!"
A smug look crept into his eyes. ’I’m already cleared,’ he thought triumphantly.
’I’ve even rented an apartment. My status is far higher than theirs.’
What James didn’t know was that while status did matter here, the base wasn’t blind or foolish enough to protect the wrong person.
The guard approached, his expression neutral. "What happened here?"
Before James could twist the story,
Mia stepped forward and calmly recounted everything, her voice steady despite the tension. James frowned, then quickly smoothed his expression.
"I only made a suggestion," he said lightly. "Why are they acting as if I almost molested them?"
The guard looked at him for a long moment, eyes sharp and assessing.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed James by the arm. "You’re coming with me," he said firmly, dragging him toward the background re-verification counter.
James was stunned. So were Mia and Ava.
When they had first seen the guard approaching, they hadn’t held much hope.
They had even wondered if they would be kicked out or never get the chance to meet Ivy at all.
They had silently debated whether camping outside the base would be their only option.
Who would have thought that the guards here would be so fair?
After understanding the situation, they chose to reasonably punish James instead of blaming Ava and Mia.
For the first time since arriving, a fragile sense of trust settled in their hearts.
Meanwhile, as James was dragged farther away, Ava let out a soft laugh, the tension finally easing from her shoulders. "Ivy really does choose the best," she murmured, a hint of pride warming her voice. "This base actually has a proper justice system."
Mia nodded in agreement, but the relief didn’t last long.
A crease formed between her brows as unease crept back into her eyes.
"Then what could have gone wrong?" she asked quietly. "Why were we still called out?"
Ava sighed, the cool air brushing against her face as she folded her arms.
"Even if there’s some problem in our background," she said gently, "we can still request the guards to arrange a meeting with Ivy."
Mia nodded again, hope flickering faintly in her chest. ’Even if we gain nothing,’ she thought, ’if I can just see her one last time...’
As long as their best friend was alive and safe, that alone would be enough.
Soon after, both Mia and Ava were escorted toward another building.
The moment they stepped inside, they froze. The room was filled with people, different faces, different builds, different expressions, but all of them shared one thing in common. Every single one was a woman.
What surprised them even more was what followed.
As they interacted, quietly exchanging words and glances, a strange pattern emerged. Many of the women were named Mia or Ava.
Some were Ava spelled slightly differently, starting with an E instead of an A.
Others had names that sounded almost identical to Mia, just altered by a single letter.
The realization hit them like a dull thud to the chest.
Mia’s heart began to pound loudly in her ears. Ava felt it too, that unsettling premonition crawling up her spine.
’This can’t be what we think it is,’ Ava told herself, even as doubt gnawed at her.
Neither of them dared to voice their thoughts.
They didn’t want to believe it. Whatever they were hoping for, reality rarely aligned with such fragile wishes.
So they sat there in silence.
As time passed, more and more women were brought into the building.
Eventually, Mia and Ava began to wonder if they had wandered into some kind of bizarre amusement or a hidden facility where women were quietly being gathered for reasons unknown.
When an entire day passed, they realized something even stranger.
They were provided with food, water, and proper necessities without being questioned at all.