Villain With The Absolute Evil Sytem
Chapter 43 - 41 : Bitter truths and sweet dessert

Chapter 43: Chapter 41 : Bitter truths and sweet dessert

The small shop was tucked away from the busier streets, its interior illuminated by soft, warm lights. The air was thick with the scent of fresh waffles and chocolate, but Shirley had her focus on one thing,the ice cream.

She ate with a surprising amount of enthusiasm, spooning the cold dessert into her mouth like it was the best thing she’d had in years.

Gone was the girl who had been crying on the street just a short while ago.

Now, she sat across from Lumian, happily enjoying her treat, completely absorbed in the moment.

Lumian leaned back, resting his elbow on the table as he watched her.

Shirley took another spoonful before finally clearing her mouth. "Alright, seriously, why am I here again?"

Lumian ignored her question. Instead, he lazily scooped a bit of his own ice cream, tasting it before nodding to himself.

"It’s good," he said. "I just discovered this place recently. Too bad I’ll be leaving soon."

Shirley raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be concerned about that?"

Lumian smiled. "If anything, you should be glad I’m leaving."

Shirley narrowed her eyes slightly. "O...kay? Why am I here again?"

This time, Lumian didn’t dodge the question. He placed his spoon down and met her gaze.

"Tell me your story. Leave nothing out."

Shirley blinked. Then she scoffed. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I can help you." Lumian’s voice was calm, deliberate. "I can put you above him."

There was no hesitation in his words, no doubt in his tone.

Shirley felt something tighten in her chest. She didn’t know why, but for some reason, she believed him.

She stared at her melting ice cream for a moment, gripping the plastic spoon between her fingers. Then, after a brief silence, she sighed.

"Fine. But you probably already have an idea, don’t you?"

"I do," Lumian admitted. "But I want to hear it from you."

Shirley exhaled slowly. "Alright..."

She took a deep breath, preparing herself. Then, she began.

"The man you saw earlier, his name is Jason. And yeah, he’s my father."

Her voice was surprisingly steady, but there was a sharp bitterness underneath.

"Things weren’t always like this. We were... normal once. A happy family. My parents weren’t rich, but we had enough to live comfortably."

She swallowed.

"Then my mother cheated. I don’t know with who, but my father caught her. And after that, everything changed.

"She became his punching bag. I was young, but I remember the screams. It didn’t matter how much she begged, how much she apologized. He never stopped."

Shirley clenched her fist.

"Then she died. And that’s when it got worse."

She inhaled sharply, gripping the spoon so tightly it looked like it might snap.

"It was like all the rage he had for her transferred to us. Especially me. Because I look like her.

"I could handle it. I thought I could handle it. But my little sister, Melanie... she couldn’t.

"She was always frail. Sickly. She wasn’t strong enough to take the beatings like I could."

Shirley’s voice grew quieter.

"She ended up in the hospital."

Lumian didn’t say anything. He only watched her as she spoke, his expression unreadable.

Shirley swallowed and continued.

"Maybe he felt guilty, or maybe he just didn’t want the police sniffing around. Whatever the reason, Jason started paying for Melanie’s hospital bills. But he got tired of it.

"So he found another way to make money."

Her grip on the spoon tightened even further.

"He started bringing men to the house. At first, he’d just call me out and... let them look at me. Like I was some object for sale. Then they’d give him some cash, and he’d send them away."

She let out a dry, humorless chuckle.

"At first, it was just touching. Nothing too bad. Just hands where they shouldn’t be."

She trailed off.

She didn’t need to say more. The silence filled in the gaps.

Lumian took another spoonful of ice cream.

Shirley continued, her voice quiet but firm.

"I thought school would be my escape. If I could just graduate, get a real job, I could finally leave. But Jason never let me work. Any money I made was his money."

Her jaw clenched.

"And then... some guys from my school showed up at the house."

Her fingers dug into the table.

"Along with a teacher."

She exhaled sharply, her shoulders shaking.

"They paid him."

The words were barely above a whisper.

"They spread the news at school. After that, it was impossible to go back. Everyone knew. Everyone whispered. Judged. Laughed."

Her voice broke slightly, but she held herself together.

"I thought about running away. I really did. But I couldn’t."

She closed her eyes.

"I couldn’t leave Melanie."

Silence hung in the air.

Shirley stared down at her empty cup, her shoulders rising and falling with her breathing.

Lumian didn’t comfort her. Didn’t offer sympathy.

Instead, he took another bite of ice cream.

Shirley slowly looked up, expecting him to say something.

He finally did.

"I see," he said simply. "So what do you want to do?"

Shirley blinked.

"...What?"

"What do you want to do?" Lumian repeated, as if it was the simplest question in the world.

Shirley frowned. "What the hell do you mean? You’re the one who said you could help me!"

Lumian tilted his head slightly. "And I can. But that doesn’t mean I’ll decide for you."

Shirley scoffed, her anger rising. "Aren’t you some kind of undercover cop? A private investigator? A detective? Are you from child protective services or something?"

"No," Lumian said, his voice even. "I’m none of that."

He took another spoonful of ice cream.

Shirley stared at him, her frustration boiling over.

"You know what? Forget it." She pushed back her chair, standing up. "This was a waste of time."

She turned to leave.

Then—

"Kill them all."

Shirley froze.

Lumian’s voice was quiet. Cold. Absolute.

"Every last one of them."

The words sent a shiver down her spine.

She turned back slowly, her breath unsteady. "What...?"

Lumian set down his spoon.

"You want real freedom?" He gestured slightly. "Then take it. Burn the whole damn house down. Get rid of him. Get rid of all of them."

Shirley took a step back, her mind racing.

"Are you insane?"

Lumian chuckled softly.

"Maybe."

He leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand.

"But tell me this, Shirley." His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "If he were gone... if they were all gone... wouldn’t your life be easier?"

Shirley opened her mouth. Then closed it.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest.

She should walk away. She should leave.

But...

A small, horrible thought whispered in the back of her mind.

Wouldn’t it be easier?

She clenched her fists.

"...You’re serious."

Lumian smiled. "Dead serious."