CHAPTER 355: A MAN LIKE HIM (MASS RELEASE -CH1)

Ciel’s departure from the room was marked by a quiet gentleness, devoid of any defiance towards Isiah or Astrid.

He simply stood and left without uttering a word. Astrid, after closing the door, settled into the chair beside Lexie’s bed, her gaze fixed on her with a mixture of intensity and frustration.

"You can’t possibly fathom what it’s like out there, witnessing Isiah’s descent into madness within this room," Astrid remarked, her voice heavy with exasperation.

"All for that damn blood. I supplied him with what he needed, even offered my own, but it was never enough. He craved yours, yet he never took it. What kind of twisted relationship is this... it’s sickening, if you ask me."

Lexie was at a loss for words, her mind swirling with confusion and uncertainty.

Astrid’s voice was solemn as she spoke, her words carrying a weight of concern. "I know he has his charm and allure, but, dear, this man... he harbors a darkness that runs too deep."

Lexie nodded silently, feeling as though she was being lectured .

Astrid gazed at Lexie with a sense of disillusionment, her expression conveying a depth of disappointment.

"I always yearned for a meaningful relationship," she confided, her voice tinged with regret. "But my advances were only met with him... I liked him ...I wanted to impress a man like him...and now I realize the man I admired physically is rotten to the core. I’ve been suffering ever since that fateful day....he was so charming Lexie ...I get it ...I get why any girl would fall for him so deeply and immeasurably ...but ...the more you know him ...he is just ...dead "

"Is this your place?" Lexie attempted to shift the focus, she couldn’t listen to another girl talk about her man like that .

She couldn’t even know if Astrid was loving or hating him, what she knew was that he left a huge impression on her

Astrid remained steadfast.

"You can talk to me freely, Lexie ..." she replied, her tone unwavering, "because apparently, we’re staying here until you can stand on your feet....I think it will be for so damn long looking at you now "

Lexie settled against the wall behind her with difficulty before speaking. "No, Astrid, you’re mistaken. Isiah is going to leave me here, he will not take me with him, don’t worry ....rest assured."

Astrid, her voice edged with frustration, retorted, "Assured! I want him to leave me alone, girl. He’s an evil person, and I don’t want to be involved with him....I know ...I like him but ...I don’t want to fall deeper for him ...this guy is poison...I feel like I would die if I stayed with him ...he is irresistible though....oh ...shit ...this is frustrating"

At that moment, Lexie smiled at her, feeling a sense of understanding toward Astrid, realizing she was talking to her nicely and casually .

She replied softly, "If he needs you... he’ll keep you around until he doesn’t."

Astrid nodded solemnly, acknowledging Lexie’s words with a sense of resignation. "You’re right," she admitted, her voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

"But mark my words, Lexie, you don’t want to be trapped in his web any longer than necessary...if he gives you a chance to leave ...then I think you should "

Lexie’s smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression as she considered Astrid’s warning.

She yearned to confess her profound love for Isiah, but the weight of her own doubts held her back.

The words lingered on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t bring herself to utter them, feeling undeserving of being regarded as someone capable of loving Isiah so deeply.

"I’ll keep that in mind, she said with a smile .

The unexpected kindness from Astrid rattled Lexie to her core. Unlike Ethyl’s demeanor, Astrid exuded a sense of femininity and elegance that left Lexie in awe.

Despite Astrid’s evident disdain for Isiah’s deeds, there was a subtle undercurrent of affection in her words when she spoke of him

Isiah’s arrival interrupted the tense atmosphere in the room. Upon seeing Astrid, he addressed her with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Astrid, they’ve discovered what happened to the people of the underground of Triavert. I did them a favor, yet they’re just so hypocritical... I mean, that report you were in was pathetically unnecessary."

Astrid’s expression remained composed, but there was a subtle tension in her response. "Isiah, you know I have a duty to report the truth, regardless of how inconvenient it may be for some."

Isiah’s jaw clenched.

"But they don’t understand the circumstances. They don’t know what drove me to that point." Astrid murmured.

Astrid’s gaze softened slightly as she regarded Isiah. "Perhaps if you didn’t kill an entire section then no one would question it...but u just wiped an entire area ."

Isiah scoffed, his demeanor defensive. "I had to"

Lexie watched the exchange, Isiah never talked to her this way .

."You resorted to killing them... to kill her! There’s no justification for that, Isiah," Astrid argued vehemently.

He glanced at Lexie before replying, "Yes, I did."

Recognizing that Lexie might react strongly to Isiah’s admission, Astrid stood up and gestured for him to follow her outside to continue their conversation.

Meanwhile, Lexie, feeling overwhelmed with frustration, bit her lips in an attempt to contain her emotions.

But as the weight of the situation bore down on her, she couldn’t hold back the tears, and they flowed more intensely than before.

."I’m such a fool," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the sound of her sobs. "Why did I let myself fall for him? For a man like him...he wanted to kill me ...they all said that ...and why in the hell I understand his doing ...am I this pathetic to feel this way ...He’s nothing but trouble, and now look at me... stuck here, broken and alone." Her words dripped with bitterness as she berated herself for her perceived weakness and naivety.