He Was Too Soft to Hurt Anyone Until They Took Me Away Chapter 02

He Was Too Soft to Hurt Anyone Until They Took Me Away Chapter 02

Julian leaned in to kiss me that night, slow and careful. I turned away.

Midnight came, and I was still wide awake, tossing around under the covers.

Julian’s breathing was slow and even next to me.

I stared at the ceiling and made the call.

[System. I’m done. Pull me out.]

The system hesitated, then tried one more time.

[You sure? No mission bonus, and five years of your life gone. Just like that.]

I nodded.

Julian wasn’t going to break. Not in five years. Not in fifty.

The system knew it too. After a beat, it offered something else.

[Okay. One last shot.]

[If his corruption level doesn’t move after this, I’ll send you home. Deal?]

Whatever. I nodded.

The mission itself was simple enough.

In the story, Ethan Cole and Maya Brooks had built a company from the ground up.

Tomorrow, they had a contract pitch that could make or break them.

In the original plot, Julian was supposed to sabotage them and steal the deal.

Too bad this villain wouldn’t hurt a fly. So the dirty work fell on me.

The next morning, once Julian left, I headed out to deal with Ethan and Maya myself.

I had someone cut them off on the way to the meeting.

Ethan swerved hard. His shoulder slammed into the door on impact and dislocated.

I pulled up beside them, rolled down my window, and smiled at them.

“Aw. Looks like you two need a hospital.”

By the time they got checked out, the meeting would be over.

And Julian would walk away with the contract.

Ethan recognized me. His jaw tightened.

“This is how you people operate? Playing dirty?”

I played along and shrugged.

“Yep.”

That’s what villains did, right? Whatever it took.

Maya studied me for a beat.

“Does Julian know you’re doing this?”

Something twisted in my chest, but I didn’t let it show.

“He sent me.”

That sealed it. As far as Ethan and Maya were concerned, Julian was the enemy now.

Ethan was in too much pain to argue.

They went to the hospital. They missed the pitch.

Once I confirmed Julian had gotten the contract, I headed home.

Julian got back not long after.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked tired, which almost never happened. The first words out of his mouth were:

“Chloe. What exactly did you do today?”

I blinked. “I got you that contract. You should be thanking me.”

Julian sighed. When he spoke again, the softness was gone.

“Where did you learn to pull a stunt like that?”

“Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to apologize. I’ll handle the fallout.”

I stared at him. That was his takeaway from this?

I switched tactics.

“That’s how business works, Julian. Everyone plays dirty. And it got you the deal.”

“Just be a little more ruthless. That’s all it takes. Money, power. It’s all right there.”

Julian looked at me like I was speaking a different language.

“But it’s wrong, Chloe. How could you think that’s okay?”

I wanted to scream.

You’re the villain! Since when do you care about playing fair?

You’re the villain!

My silence must have worried him, because his voice softened again.

“Hey. All you have to do is show up tomorrow and say sorry. That’s it.”

I crossed my arms.

“I don’t want to.”

He crouched down so we were eye to eye.

“What if I buy you that bag you’ve been eyeing?”

I nudged him with my foot. “I don’t want a bag.”

“How about a few days away with Stella? My treat.”

I shook my head. “No.”

Julian went quiet. When he spoke again, the coaxing was gone.

“Chloe.”

We’d fought a thousand times in five years.

Every single time, I was the one picking fights, and he was the one talking me down.

Maybe this time I’d actually gone too far.

He’d never said my name like that before. Cold. Final.

I looked away and checked with the system.

[Corruption level. Where is it at?]

The system didn’t even try to soften it. [Still 11%.]

My face went blank. Of course it was.

Julian opened his mouth to try again.

I cut him off.

“Fine. I’ll go apologize tomorrow.”

Julian stopped. He clearly hadn’t expected me to cave that fast.

“…Really?”

I nodded, soft for once.

“Yes, really.”

In the back of my head, the system chimed in.

[Mission failure detected. Again.]

[As agreed, the system will now arrange the host’s return to the real world.]