The Contract CEO's Arrogant Pet: Part IV – The Truth and the Emotional Abyss
Chapter One: The Shock of Identity and the Suppression of Power
39. The CEO's Iron Reign: Protocol Omega-7
Amidst Yulia's destructive white light, Lu Chen completely tore away the "servant" façade. Impeccably suited, he stood opposite the surge of power, his gaze sharp as a steel blade.
"Omega-7 Protocol, activate!"
Following Lu Chen's command, a net of blue light instantly illuminated the area around the basement. This was Aethel Group's top-secret "Faraday Energy Barrier," developed not to repel magic, but to absorb and convert all disorganized energy flow.
Yulia's ancient magic was instantly enveloped, compressed, and drawn out by the blue light net. She felt millennia of power being rapidly siphoned away, as if by a high-pressure pump into an unseen black hole. Her shriek cut off abruptly.
The Vampire Knight Order was utterly stunned by this sudden technological force. Lu Chen's "rune interference wave" precisely locked onto the Knights' ancient ceremonial weapons, causing them to instantly overload and explode.
"Retreat! This is no mortal! This is a demon!" the Knight leader roared in terror, fleeing with the remaining members. They never imagined that ancient magic could be so efficiently suppressed by "mortal technology."
40. The Total Collapse of the Worldview
Yulia's power was drained, and she collapsed weakly to the floor. She looked up, seeing no longer the "servant" she needed to protect, but a condescending, all-controlling ruler.
His suit, the communicator flashing on his finger, and the cold calculation in his eyes all mercilessly mocked her every past effort.
"You, you are..." Yulia's voice was faint, unable to accept the reality before her.
Lu Chen walked up to her, offering no helping hand, merely looking down at her with the demeanor of a CEO. His voice was cold, like reading an irrelevant business report:
"I am Lu Chen. CEO of Aethel Group. I disguised myself as a 'servant' merely to escape a family arranged marriage, and simultaneously, to personally experience life at the bottom to provide data support for the Group's 'Societal Needs Sector.'"
He reached down and picked up the shattered parchment contract fragment on the floor, his eyes completely unruffled: "You thought this was a Lifetime Servant Contract? It was merely a cohabitation agreement for me; I simply found your 'performance' amusing."
Yulia's heart felt pierced by an icy steel nail. She wasn't his mistress, not his lover, not even his pawn—she was merely an 'interesting sample' in his corporate experiment.
Chapter Two: Emotional Rupture and Escape
41. The Contract Fragments and the Shattering of Dignity
Yulia rose from the ground, her pride overwhelming her weakness. She saw the contract fragments Lu Chen had tossed down, and she used all her strength to utterly pulverize the remaining pieces.
"Lu Chen! You! You hypocritical, arrogant, shameless mortal!" Yulia's tears welled up, but she refused to let them fall. She would not let the man who deceived her witness her fragility.
She accused him of exploiting her love, her trust, and her awkwardness, manipulating her at his will. She recalled every moment she had stood vigil for him, shielded him from injury, and risked interfering in the financial market for him—all transformed into the greatest mockery of her being.
"Did you think I was a toy in your world? Did you think my heart was a string of numbers in your database? You were wrong!"
42. Furious Accusation and Refusal to Communicate
Yulia refused to listen to any explanation from Lu Chen. To her, a person whose lies were so precise and whose disguise was so perfect, any explanation would only be a more advanced lie.
"I would rather be executed by my own family than remain another second in this world full of lies and false affection!"
She shrieked, activating the last ounce of power within her—not to attack Lu Chen, but to escape.
She forcefully coalesced the ancient space-tearing magic, violently ripping a crack in the wall.
43. Desperate Flight and the CEO's Anguish
Yulia turned and plunged into the spatial rift without a backward glance.
As the rift closed behind her, Lu Chen's CEO mask shattered completely. He rushed to the wall, reaching out, but only touching cold brick.
"Yulia! It's not like that!" His voice was filled with pain and regret.
He slumped to the floor, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands. He knew his "protective deception" had inflicted a mortal wound upon her. He had merely intended to give himself a "normal vacation," yet he had destroyed all her faith in love and trust.
He ordered his tech team: "Activate highest-level tracking! Initiate the 'Serene Night' Network! Find the Princess at all costs, ensure her safety! Anyone who harms her is to be terminated without mercy."
Lu Chen's pursuit was not for control, but for redemption and protection.
Chapter Three: High-Tech Pursuit and the Ancient Wisdom of Hiding
44. The Aethel Group's Seamless Tracking Network
Lu Chen mobilized Aethel Group's highest-level resources. The "Serene Night" network was a tracking system combining satellite imagery, city cameras, AI facial recognition, and social media data. Theoretically, no one could hide under this network for more than three minutes.
Lu Chen personally commanded the control center, his eyes fixed on the constantly updating data on the main screen. He commanded all tracking teams: "Only track, do not engage. Anyone who dares to harm her will be killed without mercy."
45. Ancient Wisdom vs. Tech Evasion
Although Yulia had lost most of her power, she still possessed ancient vampire wisdom.
She quickly realized that the eyes of the modern world were technological. She immediately moved toward "tech blind spots": old, abandoned buildings, underground conduits, and urban ruins without network signal coverage.
She employed ancient concealment spells—attaching dirt, plant matter, and moisture to herself, disrupting infrared and camera recognition. She even learned basic methods of static interference with cameras in an abandoned library.
Lu Chen's AI tracking system was baffled by millennia of ancient wisdom. Data continuously reported errors: "Target converted to a stray cat," "Signal covered by moss," "Energy trajectory entered non-data zone."
46. Emotional Tug-of-War in the Chase
Despite Yulia's excellent hiding skills, Lu Chen could always "predict" her next move.
When she was hungry, a drone would precisely drop a blood bag adorned with a cute sticker near her hiding place. When she tried to enter a dangerous zone, a sudden roadblock or construction project would steer her toward a safer path.
Yulia thought these were coincidences of fate, or perhaps pity from a black-market rival. Although she didn't consume the blood bags, a complex warmth surged deep within her.
Lu Chen, in the command center, watched her pale face, his heart aching. He knew she was still in pain, but he dared not show himself, fearing she would flee again.
Chapter Four: The Truth of Love and the Collapse of the Heartwall
47. The Clan Knights' Desperate Trap
The pursuit unit of Yulia's family (the Knights and financial agent Kamil), having been suppressed by Lu Chen's technology, decided to use a final, brutal method.
They captured several of Yulia's core kin and imprisoned them within an ancient magical barrier, located precisely over a highly unstable tectonic plate. They used this to force Yulia's emergence, while also pressuring Lu Chen.
Breaking the barrier required triggering a massive energy pulse, which would instantly collapse the funding pools for several of Aethel Group's core energy projects in that region.
48. The CEO's Sacrifice: Severing the Commercial Kingdom
Lu Chen tracked the barrier. His technical team calculated: the cost of breaking the barrier was the sacrifice of billions of dollars in commercial interests.
Lu Chen didn't hesitate for a second. He looked at the distressed images of Yulia's kin on the screen and the despair she would face, and he issued the command:
"Activate the emergency pulse. Sacrifice all commercial interests! Save the people! I said, anyone who stands in the way must vanish. Now, I will personally make my money vanish."
He personally input the commands to terminate contracts and sell off stock, personally destroying a segment of his commercial empire.
49. The Truth of Love and the Heartwall's Demise
Yulia was hiding nearby, watching everything unfold.
She saw the genuine agony on Lu Chen's face—not acting—and his resolute willingness to sacrifice billions of dollars for her "kin."
She suddenly understood: a ruthless CEO would never sacrifice such massive commercial interests for a mere "pawn" or "toy." That money could buy ten "weak servants."
Her heartwall began to crumble. She realized: the "deception" she had been accusing him of was actually Lu Chen's clumsy "protection." He wanted to love her as a "servant," yet he had to protect her as a "CEO."
For the first time, a look of profound regret crossed Yulia's face. She knew she had to face the CEO who "deceived her" again, because she loved him.