CHAPTER 519: BEFORE THE MASK CAME OFF (PART FOUR)

Silas watched the girl in silence. The question had been simple, so simple that any sub who genuinely wanted to enter a contract would have answered it immediately. Yet she sat there, eyes flickering down, hesitating. The delay stretched into something uncomfortable. A small, controlled exhale slipped from him as he leaned back slightly, his gaze steady and sharp.

Doubt started to creep into his mind. He reviewed what he knew, facts and fragments about this person.

1. She had known he was a doctor. The way she had extended her injured hand earlier wasn’t something a stranger would do.

2. Her phone had an unusually advanced privacy tracker installed.

3. She had joined the Alpha app at the exact same time as he had. Too convenient to be a coincidence.

4. Another new sub had gone against her, but instead of fighting, she just vanished.

5. Alpha app compensated her and kicked the other out. Unusual. The app rarely got involved itself in user disputes.

6. She had chosen him directly.

7. She had used a legal representative to communicate, hiding her identity.

8. She wasn’t shy or socially anxious; he had seen her in person, fearless and quick when she jumped to rescue the child.

9. She had been genuinely surprised when she saw him today. As if she hadn’t expected him to show up, or perhaps hadn’t expected what she saw.

10. She wore a mask and a cap, concealing her face.

11. Her understanding of the app’s structure was nonexistent.

Every point stacked neatly in his head, forming a quiet map of contradiction.

Silas tapped his gloved finger on his thigh slowly and rhythmically. The sound of leather meeting fabric was faint but precise, a metronome marking his patience.

This kind of peaceful, surface-level conversation would lead nowhere. He needed to strip her calm, press under her skin, make her speak before she could think.

"It seems I wasted my time," Silas said, voice devoid of frustration. He rose to his feet. "I’ll take my leave, then," he murmured and started walking toward the door without looking back.

"Wait!" she blurted in response.

Silas stopped mid-step. A flicker of something cold and analytical passed through his eyes.

Oh, so she was desperate. Why though? Why the hesitation, then the sudden panic at his departure? Fear of losing an opportunity or fear of exposure?

Slowly, he turned his head. His gaze swept back over his shoulder, detached and with a hint of condescension as if her interruption had merely delayed his schedule.

She swallowed. "I’m new. I don’t know what is expected and what’s not... because of my personality... I just follow what others tell me. I can’t... I don’t even know how to list my red flags..."

Silas regarded her for a long moment, unblinking.

"I don’t want a doll," he replied flatly. His voice was low, smooth and without warmth. The type of tone carried no room for misunderstanding.

He really did despise this kind of personality, timid, indecisive, self-pitying. If she truly was what she claimed, then there was no fun left. The game lost its colour. A puppet without a mind of her own was nothing but dead weight.

"No, I want to change! That’s why I joined the app. If I feel safe, maybe I could... voice my desires too..." she stammered.

Silas gave her a once-over look, without pity or curiosity. "What’s in it for me?"

"Huh?" she asked, stupefied.

"You don’t expect me to agree to anything just because you ask, do you?" Silas’s expression was flat, eyes cold. "You are far younger than I imagined. Dealing with someone of low intelligence is insulting."

Silas’s gaze was focused on her eyes. There it was...a flash of anger, brief but real. Silas’s interest rose. With a little push, she should reveal her true self.

"Then why did you even show up?" she shot back.

Silas didn’t flinch. He adjusted the cuff of his sleeves with two fingers, flicking away an invisible speck of dust. His movements were refined, habitual, the sort of grace that came from someone used to controlling his environment. His gloved hand brushed over his overcoat, aligning the fabric as if the order of things mattered more than the conversation itself.

"The least I could do," he said, voice steady, "was show courtesy to those requesting my assistance. Unfortunately, we live in a society that thrives on favours and empty pleasantries." he paused, glancing at her with eyes devoid of emotions. "Well. This evening has been such a disappointment."

And it was. Silas meant it. He had expected something else, a puzzle, a challenge, a mind worth dissecting. Instead, this had turned dull. She wasn’t naive enough to amuse him, nor cunning enough to threaten him. Just boring.

"Fine," she muttered, voice trembling just enough to sound wounded. "Go ahead. I thought you were different. That you’re more attentive than the others. I thought you wanted to help me... You said you didn’t mind that I was a girl. But I guess it was all a lie."

Silas turned fully to face her. What did she say? That he didn’t mind that she was a girl? What a strange statement. In the app, he had simply mentioned he preferred boys, nothing else. She knew him well enough to know about his aversion to women, yet he didn’t know he had no patience for timidity. That if he hadn’t caught her rescuing that boy, he would have left the moment she wasted his time?

And what did she mean by attentive? Just because of two text messages?

He took a step toward her, towering over her. Was there something strange about her? Silas’s eyes flickered to the girl from top to bottom. His eyes caught the choker around her neck. Her shoulders looked too broad for her frame, the structure of her posture oddly stiff. But maybe it was just genetic... she was tall... entirely covered.

She instinctively backed away until her spine hit the back of the couch.

Silas didn’t stop. He followed her, his shoes gliding over the carpet. The girl was afraid of closeness? Intimacy? Why was she backing up? No. She grabbed that child. She had let strangers touch her and bandage her hand. Guilt, maybe? Or fear of discovery.

This had become far interesting if what he guessed was right. Let’s give her one more chance. He thought to himself.

His cold eyes locked on her. "I won’t pair with you. But I can bring out this side of you."

He liked it when the girl lost her temper. It meant she was restricting herself for some reason. His voice lowered, not in warmth, but in something quieter. "The choice is yours."

Silas reached forward and, in a sharp, controlled motion, he grasped the edge of her mask and cap and pulled.

The mask slipped off; the cap followed, strands of her wig falling into her face.

Silas paused; the face had no scar. No deformity. It was the opposite. She was stunning.

"Too pretty," Silas muttered. His gaze flickered over her face, not with appreciation, but evaluation. "Well. Passable."

He wasn’t impressed. Beauty had never impressed him. But this person was a mystery. He thought she was sent to him by someone, an enemy, but she was full of contradictions and loopholes.

What was her angle? With her look, she could seduce anyone. But she hid her face. She wasn’t a celebrity, was she?

Silas didn’t even ask her name. What was the point? She would just give him an alias.

Well, she didn’t ask his name either. How careless of her. Sloppy.

Well, if he wanted to hook her, he should put the ball in her court.

He could already tell. No matter what she said now, she would come back.

Then the real game would begin.

Author’s note:

Honestly, writing from Silas’s point of view is always difficult for me.

I want it to sound logical and emotionless, but sometimes I can’t tell if it even makes sense anymore!

My head is exploding! Ahhhh...🤯🤯🤯