Chapter 231: “Game Over”
Scott couldn’t take his eyes off Brigid.
His gun stayed pressed against Adira’s neck, but his eyes lingered on Brigid like he’d just seen a ghost he wasn’t sure he wanted back.
His face was hard, unreadable.
He wasn’t sure what to say.
His head was so clouded with the need to knock Adira off her high horse, he completely forgot how to show his humanity around someone like Brigid.
He took in a breath and gave her a faint smile.
"It’s been a while..."
Brigid just stood there, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, arms awkward at her sides like she didn’t know where to place them. Her toes pressed against the floor and she nervously rubbed her knees together like a guilty child.
She stared at him without blinking.
God, she missed that face.
Maybe that was why she’d run so easily.
She knew that the second she saw him again, all her walls would melt.
And now they were.
Her cheeks flushed a light pink. Her eyes sparkled.
She looked like she was fighting her own heartbeat.
"I... I’ve missed you... Lord Scott..."
She finally whispered, barely holding herself together.
Then she quickly turned her face away and clasped her hands behind her back, trying to hide how easily her face had gone from normal to red as a tomato.
Scott chuckled quietly and said—
"Good answer."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Now go get your stu—"
"I’m sorry."
Brigid interrupted.
Her voice wasn’t shaking anymore.
"But I won’t be leaving here with you, Lord Scott. I miss you... but I won’t go."
That was all it took.
Scott’s grip on the gun loosened just slightly, and Adira’s smug little smirk was back like a bad rash.
"Her choice, right?"
Adira said, full of shameless triumph.
Over the comms, Jake sighed.
[Man... I swear I’ll never understand women.]
Brigid took a slow step forward.
She looked much more confident now.
"I came here by choice. I believe in you... I really do. You make me want to become my best self. But it’s a dream, isn’t it? You notice everything. Except me."
Her voice was steady.
Normally, she would have broken into tears saying this, but it wasn’t the right time.
"You look at me but you don’t see me. You’re always chasing bigger things... always so far ahead, I start asking if I’m even part of the equation."
She took another step.
"I’m tired of being a placeholder. Tired of waiting to be noticed. So... like Irina said... maybe it’s better to be a corporate sellout admiring real heroes, than a nobody who spits on corporate heroes."
Her eyes shimmered, but her chin was high.
Even Scott couldn’t say anything to that.
Truth was, he’d had that same conversation with himself the day she left. And he still hadn’t come up with a good enough reason why she shouldn’t have.
He sighed and shook his head.
"You’re right..."
He flicked his thumb over a switch on his gun.
Brigid blinked. "What—?"
A blast of blue plasma cracked through the air and slammed into her forehead with a soft fzzat.
She dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
Nina gasped. Adira flinched.
"YOU SICK BASTARD—!!"
But there was no blood.
"O-, Oh..."
Instant relief.
Scott spun the pistol back to Adira’s neck.
"Relax..."
His tone went back to frozen temperatures.
"I’m not a psychopath."
He leaned into her, one hand casually back to gripping her hips tightly, close enough that his breath fanned against her sweating cheek.
Still, she didn’t flinch.
"If you want to touch me inappropriately just say so. I’ll even let you fondle my breasts, dog."
Her lips curled into a defiant smile.
In time, her second line of security burst into the room.
Men in tactical gear, helmets, and rifles swarmed the place, all weapons trained on Scott.
Without hesitation, Scott yanked Adira back into a chokehold as he hugged her tightly from behind.
One arm wrapped around her delicate neck.
The other pointed his pistol square at her head.
He slowly stepped toward the glass stairs, dragging her along like a proper hostage.
No one moved.
This was a standoff.
"PUT YOUR GUNS DOWN!"
Nina screamed.
"MADAM IS IN DANGER!"
The guards exchanged glances.
"NOW!"
They dropped their rifles with loud clatters.
Scott’s voice stayed calm.
"All of you. Out. Go prepare a car outside."
He ran his tongue over his teeth.
"And be fast about it... I’m getting tired of holding this trigger, y’know?"
He tensed his grip just slightly, and Adira gasped.
Nina spun toward the men. "MOVE!"
They backed out reluctantly.
Adira turned her head just enough to speak.
"If you came back here to kill me, just know... you won’t make it out of this city alive"
She lifted her chin, but her voice was tight.
"I’m the wife of the politician most likely to win the—!"
Scott cut her off by pressing the barrel harder against her skull.
"Shut your stupid mouth and start worrying about how much of a saint I’ll need to be not to turn your head into ground beef before we even step outside."
Adira coughed, wincing at the pressure on her neck.
Her voice shook.
"The... *cough* the only way you’re surviving this is if you stop now... and beg me to spare you. I’m the most powerful woman in this city..."
She sounded tough, but her arms were trembling.
Scott stared at her a moment longer... then released her.
He stepped aside, still pointing his gun at her.
Nina didn’t dare move.
『What’s he... doing...?』
･･･
Meanwhile.
At a bustling campaign rally, Dr. Hudson stood on a podium, smiling like royalty.
Supporters waved banners with his face.
Cameras flashed. Journalists fired questions.
One eager reporter asked—
"Do you have time for more questions, sir?"
Hudson laughed politely.
"No, no. I think my sweet wife is waiting at home. She probably cooked something delicious. I wouldn’t want her efforts to get cold."
The crowd roared. Applause thundered.
Chants broke out praising him as the ideal man.
Then his head of security slipped in to whisper—
"Sir, Madam’s been taken hostage!"
Hudson didn’t blink. "And?"
The man was stunned. "W-, Well, sir, I—"
Hudson turned back to the crowd.
"My faithful bodyguard just informed me my wife decided to cook dinner late..."
He spoke with a saintly grin.
"I suppose I can answer a few more of your questions from all my lovely supporters."
The crowd exploded with joy.
Hudson laughed and waved like a benevolent king.
･･･
Back at the mansion.
Scott stood a few feet away from Adira.
His gun was still aimed at her head.
A small mechanical drone—a spider-like thing—flew down and landed neatly in his palm. He grabbed the phone clipped to it and tapped a few things on the screen.
Adira narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"
He gave her a slight nod.
"Just emailed you something."
"What?"
"A video..."
Scott said casually.
" I recorded every single thing you’ve said... oh and also everything that happened."
He began walking toward a corner of the living room.
Nina ran after him instinctively—but when he turned abruptly, she froze mid-step.
He smiled coolly.
"I already sent it to the press, prosecutors... local DA."
Adira’s heart stopped.
It almost felt like her entire world had ended.
But Scott had more to say.
"Don’t be so discouraged, sweetie."
His tone was calm.
"I’ve set it to auto-send in twenty-four hours."
He gave her a wink.
Adira’s face drained of all color.
"You..."
Her shoulders shook, her breath staggered.
She looked like someone trying not to scream.
Scott just gave her a little smile.
Game over? Perhaps.
Scott walked back to Adira.
"So, to put it simply... I’m the one who’s in control here. There won’t be someone else to put off sending this email of legally obtained evidence if I die."
He smiled innocently at Nina.
But she stared at him like he was some kind of monster.
He didn’t mind though. He just chuckled.
"So all you people need to do is pray I get through each and every day alive. No matter what."
The smile dropped from his face.
His eyes turned cold and half-lidded.
Jake’s voice cracked through the comms—
[CHECK AND MATE! Can’t believe you just cooked the corporate evil milf so hard!]
Scott ignored Jake’s gleeful shouts.
He tossed the phone casually to the side.
Then, with a single pull of the trigger, he blasted the device into smithereens.
Pieces of plastic and metal flew in every direction.
Adira and Nina nearly screamed when they saw this, but they held it back and painfully shoved the urge down their aching throats.
Scott never lost his cool.
He walked over to Nina as he stared at her with the feeling of superiority that made her sick in the stomach.
"You."
His voice was low.
"Go outside and take care of the situation out there. If your men do something stupid, like trying to kill me..."
He nodded gently at the destroyed phone.
"You’ll be in big trouble."
Both Nina and Adira stared at him like they could strangle him and shove a sword down his throat, just so they wouldn’t have to watch him act so calm and smug. It annoyed Nina even more, especially since she was the one who’d written Scott off as someone useless.
Scott just smiled while she kept glaring at him.
"Come on, be a good girl and go."
He clicked his tongue and gave Nina a strong smack on her surprisingly soft backside.
──PAAAAH!!
The force of the slap made Nina stumble forward, and her mouth opened in shock. She whipped around, eyes wide as her lithe body trembled with shame.
『I can’t believe a man just touched me there... and it had to be this disgusting man!』
She gnashed her teeth, claws digging into her backside like she could somehow tear away the indignity.
She didn’t know what hurt more—him being the one who smacked her, or the fact that her legs were shaking like some helpless woman when he did it.
Her body was shaking with anger. She felt the rush of heat in her chest, but it wasn’t just from the shameful slap—it was the audacity, the absolute lack of respect.
Scott arched a brow at her pointless meltdown.
"What are you waiting for? A slap on the chest?"
He looked over at Adira, then smirked as he jabbed his thumb at Nina.
But Adira was boiling internally.
The only thing in her mouth was insults.
Against her will, Nina turned and stormed out.
･･･
A few moments later, Scott had Adira in tow as he lead her outside to the waiting SUV. He whistled a cheerful tune as they made their way down the steps. His gun pressed firmly into her spine, just enough to remind her who had the upper hand.
The air outside was crisp.
The armed guards were waiting, high-end rifles held loosely but ready.
Scott jabbed his gun into her back once, twice.
"Get in the driver’s seat. I’ll be the one riding like a politician today, eh?"
Adira’s face was a picture of restraint.
She didn’t speak as she climbed into the front seat and started the engine. The vehicle rumbled to life, and Scott slipped into the back andsettled in.
VROOOOOM!!
The moment the car started moving, Nina sprinted after them for a brief moment before barking at her men.
"GET IN THE CAR AND FOLLOW THEM!"
She couldn’t stop shouting today.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!!"
Her men piled into another vehicle, and it shot off after the SUV with a terrifying start.
･･･
The SUV hurtled down the busy expressway as the city lights flashed by in a blur. Inside, Scott leaned back in the leather seat, his legs casually crossed, arms stretched out across the back of the chair. He was relaxed, almost too much so, as if he had all the time in the world.
Adira glanced up at the rearview mirror.
Her face hardened slightly.
She mumbled under her breath—
"Seems like I deeply underestimated you..."
Scott yawned lazily, completely unaffected.
"Trust me, you thought everything through. But I wouldn’t even say you underestimated me. You were always no match. You just had to piss me off on the right day."
He stretched, making himself comfortable, which only irritated Adira more. She blinked, trying to shake off the nervousness that crept up on her.
"Fine... I’ll acknowledge my mistake."
She bit her lower lip in frustration.
"Let’s start the negotiations then."
The SUV went quiet.
Inside Scott’s ear, Jake was practically shrieking with so much excitement—
[Oh, oh, I know what you should ask for! A million dollars! No! Ask for a billion dollars instead! No, no! I’ve got it! Tell her you want a dirty threesome with her and Nina... imagine banging an evil milf and a stuck-up, mean bitch!]
Despite hearing the ranting,Scott remained calm.
With how calm he looked you wouldn’t believe the rubbish he had to listen to over the comms.
『Oh, brother... this guy...』
His fingers absentmindedly drummed on the door.
Jake’s voice was still rambling in his ear.
[And after we’ve finished licking all the scalding hot chocolate off their tits, we’ll pour some hotter ones in their butt holes and also lick them th—]
Scott shook his head slightly and cut him off.
"Negotiations?"
Adira’s voice came through, steady, but the cracks were starting to show.
"Name your price."
Scott uncrossed his legs and leaned forward.
"So you really want that email, huh?"
Adira stiffened as her confidence wavered for just a second before she smoothed it back down. She even allowed herself a small smile, though it barely reached her eyes.
"I mean... there’s really no such thing as a priceless item in this world, after all."
Scott shrugged.
"Hmm, that’s a fair point. Well, the price of accessing that email is probably similar to that of my life. We all know I’ll die if I hand it over."
His gun clicked as he adjusted it casually.
Adira sat up straighter now.
She looked more confident, more composed.
"Name your price, sweetheart... and I promise I’ll give you double that."
She was trying to pull herself together, to take back control of the situation. She couldn’t really use her pheromones properly unless she was calm and graceful, but she knew how to make men fall in line. And if she could use that skill to get charm Scott, she’d win.
But Scott wasn’t easily swayed.
He turned to her and asked a question that completely shattered her composure.
"Hmm... how much are you worth?"
Her lips parted in shock.
The pheromones she had been subtly releasing hooked.
Scott leaned in with a smooth voice.
"If I told your husband that I’d either sell you or access to the account, which would he choose, I wonder? Do you think he’d give up all that political power for you? Or do you think he’d sell you out?"
His grin got a little wider.
"You’ve been silent for a while. What happened to all that confidence you had earlier?"
Adira’s eyes turned glassy and her pride cracked.
She couldn’t think of a response.
Scott’s gave her a lazy smirk.
"Tsk, tsk, all that beauty wasted."
But before Adira could even think of anything, there was a sudden, deafening sound from outside the SUV—a booming force that seemed to rattle the very air around them.
A lanky figure, clad in green and black armor, streaked across the sky, moving at terrifying speeds with a winglet-styled sonic jetpack. The unidentified creature’s HUD locked onto the SUV, and Scott felt a sharp pain in his body—a familiar, disorienting resonance, like the one he’d felt during his fight against Red Titan.
"What was that?" he grunted in pain.
Suddenly, the car lurched forward, picking up speed at an alarming rate. The acceleration slammed Scott’s back hard against the seat, and the world outside blurred.
Adira’s eyes widened in panic.
"I... I’m not the one speeding up the car. It’s as if it’s moving on its own!"
She slammed the brakes, but nothing happened.
The car kept accelerating to dangerously high speeds.
"THE BRAKES WON’T WORK!"
Scott leaned back, still calm.
He spoke into the comms.
"Jake, what’s up? I told you to put anti-hacking measures in place when I enter the car."
This was in case anyone attempted to hack the car and force the car to a stop.
Jake’s voice crackled through the comms.
He sounded panicky.
[I—I did, but someone... something bypassed it! I’m trying to erect new firewalls, but they’re moving faster than I can think! It’s like I’m battling a supercomputer!]
Scott’s brow furrowed. "What...?"
This was when Adira started laughing.
Scott lifted an eyebrow.
"What’s so funny?"
"Nothing fun that’s for sure. My organization members want me dead."
"..."
Scott tilted his head in confusion.
"Why would Crowe Enterprises want you de—"
And then it hit him.
It was Black Mechanica.