As a child, she had gone missing, an accident that led to her being raised in an orphanage for eight years. A kind-hearted director had taken her in, giving her a home when she had none.
Then, by some twist of fate, the Kleinberg family finally found her and took her back. For a brief, fleeting moment, she had experienced the warmth of a real family.
And then, her parents died. A sudden car accident had taken them away before she even had a chance to truly be their daughter.
Now, sitting here with the evidence laid out in front of her, Sera could no longer deceive herself.
She had been living in a nightmare all along. Sera had always longed for love.
Her childhood, marked by loss and uncertainty, had left a deep wound in her heart. She had spent years craving the warmth of a real family, yearning for the affection she had barely tasted before it was cruelly ripped away.
Even when her uncle and aunts mistreated her, belittled her, and shut her out, she refused to let go. She needed to believe in the idea of family.
She had told herself that if she just endured it a little longer, if she just tried a little harder, one day, things would change.
But now, all her illusions were being shattered.
“Stop… Please, stop…” Her voice trembled as she shook her head, desperately trying to block out Alex’s words.
Her hands clutched the documents in her lap so tightly that the paper crumpled beneath her fingers.
She didn’t want to hear it. She couldn’t hear it. But Alex? He was just getting started. Watching her break down before him, something inside him stirred, not pity, not sympathy, but excitement.
Because just moments ago, something very interesting had happened.
[The protagonist, Sera Kleinberg, has suffered a mental breakdown. Congratulations! You’ve earned 2,000 Critical Points.]
‘Oh! That’s right. Sera was the protagonist too. And protagonists could also earned him Critical Points.’
Alex had originally planned to seduce Sera—just to put a green hat on that so-called ‘Chosen One,’ Eric, and watch him spiral into despair. It was supposed to be a tool to weaken Eric, a means to collect points through his suffering.
But now? Now, things have just gotten way more interesting. Sera was far more fragile than Eric.
She was emotional, sentimental, and deeply wounded. Her trauma made her easy to push over the edge, and when she broke, she broke hard.
In just a short time, she had already given him 6,000 Critical Points. Compared to her, Eric was useless.
Still… as he looked at the girl beside him, tears streaming down her face, her delicate frame trembling in his arms, he felt a faint sense of guilt.
She looked so small like this. So lost. Alex sighed and reached out, brushing away the tears at the corner of her eye. His fingers were warm, gentle, almost tender.
“There’s one more thing I haven’t told you,” he murmured. “I wasn’t sure if you could handle it.”
Sera flinched, her body stiffening once more. Her mind was already teetering on the edge, barely holding on.
What could possibly be worse than learning that her own family had murdered her parents?
Slowly, she lifted her gaze to him. Her eyes, once so full of life, were dull, empty. The vibrant young woman she had been was nowhere to be seen.
“…Tell me,” she whispered. Her voice was devoid of emotion. No matter how strong a person was, emotions would always ebb and flow.
Sera Kleinberg was no exception.
At first, her mind had teetered on the edge of collapse as she stared at the undeniable evidence before her. Then, under the relentless assault of Alex’s words, the last of her defenses crumbled.
She broke down. She wept. She let out all the emotions she had buried deep inside.
And once she had cried, her mind, fragile as it was, began to slowly piece itself back together. Not fully. Not yet. But enough for her to push forward, even as she teetered once again on the brink of despair.
By this point, she believed there was nothing left in this world that could shake her. What could possibly be worse than what she had already learned?
She had lost everything already. There was nothing left to fear. Alex let out a soft chuckle, his voice carrying a note of amusement.
“Your grandfather was always in excellent health, wasn’t he?” he mused. “Didn’t it ever strike you as strange? A man as strong as him suddenly falling ill?”
It was just a simple remark. A passing comment. And yet, in Sera’s mind, it was like a thunderclap. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire
A cold shiver ran down her spine as her breath hitched.
“…Are you saying my grandfather was murdered?” Her voice trembled, the words barely escaping her lips.
“That’s just my guess, of course,” Alex replied smoothly, watching her reaction carefully.
But the seed had already been planted. Sera’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her already little red palms as a sickening realization took root in her mind.
“He was their father…” she whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. “How could they do something so heartless?”
Alex gave a casual shrug. “Your father was their younger brother,” he pointed out.
That was all he said. But it was enough. Sera’s entire body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat.
Then, in an instant, everything clicked.
Her lips curled into a bitter, hollow smile as a dark, dangerous light flickered in her eyes. “You’re right,” she muttered.
“If they were willing to kill their own brother, then why wouldn’t they kill their own father? They’re nothing more than monsters wearing human skin…filthy monsters, wretched beasts who would do anything for money…”
Her mind spun in a frenzy of thoughts, one revelation leading to another. She didn’t need proof. She didn’t need Alex to say another word.
She knew. Alex observed her carefully, suppressing a shiver that ran down his spine.
‘This was… interesting.’ He had only offered a suggestion, yet Sera had taken that suggestion and plunged headfirst into darkness.
‘She had built the story herself, filling in the gaps with her own imagination. I never actually said anything for sure,’ Alex thought to himself. ‘This is all you. As for why her grandfather had fallen ill so suddenly? Well, she’d have to ask Eric Vaughn about that.’
…
Bonus Chapters on: 500, 1000, 1500 Power Stones.
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(A/N: Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!!)
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