Nate's laughter echoed in the room, a harsh sound that filled him with cruel pride. He felt pleased, victorious. He had dominated Marciel, taken her to the point where she would have no choice but to submit.
Marciel blushed from head to toe, and he felt steam rising from his ears. His hands balled into fists under the table.
"Nate, darling, would you share the joke with us?" Rosalyn's mother's voice had become sharp. Although her initial anger had subsided, seeing her son gloat over the girl's humiliation was something she couldn't tolerate.
Nate, ignoring the implied warning, leaned back in his chair with a cheeky grin.
—It's a very simple thing, dear mother. I just imagined my seed traveling through Marciel's tight cavern, sliding down her white thighs.
As he spoke, Nate stared at his mother, like a scientist observing a chemical reaction. He saw Rosalyn's anger turn to disgust and then to panic.
"Wait, Nate. You came... inside her?" Rosalyn's question came out in a whisper, a mixture of horror and despair.
Nate shrugged, his expression chillingly calm.
—Of course I came inside her.
"Damn beast!" Aisha muttered softly, her fists clenched.
Rosalyn clutched her head, her heart pounding. She couldn't believe her son's stupidity.
"Nate, honey... what do you plan to do if you get her pregnant?" Rosalyn's voice was soft now, holding the last hope that her child had even a shred of consciousness.
—If she gets pregnant, Mom, what kind of question is that? It's obvious she'll keep whatever children we have.
A sigh of relief escaped Rosalyn's lips. She felt a small comfort; at least she had a shred of responsibility left.
However, Larisa felt something off about Nate's words. A discomfort settled in her chest, a strange feeling she couldn't define. Her gaze darted from Nate to Marciel and back again, trying to decipher the reason for his concern, but she couldn't find the answer.
Nash, who was watching her, noticed her nervousness.
—Larisa, is something wrong? I can see you're feeling uneasy.
All eyes were on her. She was the youngest in the family, the most protected.
"What's wrong? If you feel sick, tell us," Aisha insisted, her expression genuinely concerned.
Under everyone's attention, Larisa felt a little overwhelmed. She opened her lips to speak, but stopped. What would she say? Not even she understood what was bothering her. They would surely mistake her for the thoughts of a little girl.
"It's nothing," he said finally, forcing a radiant smile.
Seeing her calm, the tension in everyone else's face dissipated. Her mother, sitting next to her, stroked her head tenderly.
"Marciel, I'll pick you up after school," Rosalyn announced suddenly.
Marciel was surprised.
—No need, ma'am.
He tried to decline the offer, but Rosalyn's voice brooked no argument.
—Of course it's necessary. When you finish classes, we'll go to the hospital. A doctor should give you a contraceptive.
"Especially if you're going to keep sleeping with my dear brother," Nash added, chuckling and adding fuel to the fire.
Marciel looked down, her cheeks burning. Just a few hours ago, she'd been a virgin, never having kissed a boy, and now she was sitting at a table with the family of the man she'd lost her virginity to, listening to them mock her.
She felt embarrassed, yes, but also… accepted. She didn't dislike the teasing; on the contrary. It made her feel part of something. Even though they'd found out Nate was paying her, and there was no love involved, they hadn't rejected her. That was a huge relief.
"Aisha, lend him a uniform and underwear," Rosalyn ordered, leaving no room for objection.
Marciel tried to refuse, but a single look from Rosalyn stopped her in her tracks.
—Don't worry, dear. Now that that bastard has gotten his claws into you, you're family.
"Thank you, ma'am. Even though it's temporary, it feels nice to be accepted this way," Marciel replied with disarming honesty.
A burst of laughter echoed around the table. Some were choking with laughter, others were grimacing. Seeing the mix of reactions, Marciel felt he'd said something wrong.
"I'm sorry if I said anything inappropriate," she quickly apologized, embarrassment returning to her face.
Rosalyn, seeing her, looked at Nate with narrowed eyes.
—Nate, darling… hellbeast… damn bastard. You didn't bother to explain, did you?
Rosalyn's voice was soft, but everyone who knew her knew it was the calm before the storm. Nate, who until recently had been laughing boldly, froze. He didn't even dare look her in the eye.
—NATE. Explain it to her, or end this. I won't let you make her suffer later.
Nate shuddered.
"There was no need to explain, it was obvious," he muttered, trying to defend himself.
—Nate, explain yourself.
With a heavy sigh, Nate looked Marciel in the eyes and began to speak.
Marciel's laughter dissolved into the air like smoke. The echo of Nate's words clung to the walls: "Any woman I have a relationship with is mine forever. If I ever find her with another man, or a woman, or even a damn dog... I will destroy her life."
Nate's gaze wasn't simply a gesture of possession; it was an abyss. Marciel felt the blow to her stomach before the uncontrollable tremors ran through her body. In that instant, her previously carefree mind lit up with icy terror. She hadn't interacted much with Nate, but the murmur of those who knew him was a constant echo: he's a lunatic, don't get involved with him.
Now she understood. Her face, once a mask of calm, had become a nightmarish promise. This wasn't a joke. Marciel hadn't slept with a man; she'd sold her soul to a demon. And suddenly, she thought a demon would have been a fairer trade. Tears fell soundlessly, trailing down her cheeks in silent lines of resignation.
The other women at the table watched the scene. There was no comfort. There was no reason to. They were all caught in the same web, the same uncontrollable goal: each other. Nate had desired them from the beginning, and his desire was a cage that closed with every word.
A heavy silence filled the room. The only sound was the soft clinking of cutlery against china, a chilling contrast to the horror brewing in the air. Breakfast continued, but it was a farce.
Suddenly, a gasp broke the silence. Larisa, the youngest, raised her head and looked at Nate.
"Ah… I get it." His voice sounded strangely casual. "Brother Nate, you said you'd keep the baby if I got her pregnant, right?"
"Of course," Nate replied without hesitation. His mother, who had remained stoic until then, felt a chill. Larisa, on the other hand, let out a hollow laugh. She had deciphered Nate's twisted logic. And without waiting, she launched into the next question.
"And what would you do if it were a boy?"
Nate's once lascivious smile turned into something icy, a soul-chilling grimace. Five pairs of eyes watched him, holding their breath.
"Because I'm not going to share my wife with another man," Nate said without hesitation.
The impact was brutal. Nate's mother gritted her teeth. "So you're... going to abort them?"
"No. He's my son. I'll keep him, but only until I can send him to boarding school. Any interaction with my women, even his own mother, will be monitored. And I mean that."
Nash, the older sister, chimed in, her voice filled with indignation. "But he's your son, are you really jealous of your own flesh and blood?"
Nate's response was a whiplash. "Exactly. He's my son, my seed, my own blood. That's why I'll keep him away."
"That's too much, Nate," Nash insisted.
Nate's grin widened. "Too much? Dear big sister, aren't I Daddy's son? His seed, his blood?" He leaned forward, the calmness in his voice more terrifying than any scream. "And yet, this morning I put my hand in Mommy's vagina, kissed her, caressed her body. I put my penis between her buttocks and almost came. And not only that, but I kissed Larisa, you—I kissed you wildly, I held your buttocks in my hand. If it weren't for the agreement with Mommy, I would have thrown you on this table, penetrated you, and came inside you."
The words echoed in the room. No one needed further explanation. The point was brutally clear.
"Believe me," Nate concluded, "no one will know my children better than I do."
Aisha, the youngest of the sisters, couldn't help but ask, even though she already knew the answer. "Okay, Nate, but what if it's a girl? Why would you keep her?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Nate replied, his voice now a sick caress. "Because I'll train her from a young age. And when she's old enough, I'll fuck her just like I will you."