CHAPTER 68: DON’T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME?!

The next day arrived swiftly. Just like that, a loud bang echoed from the gate, jolting Victoria and Leo from their deep slumber. They stirred groggily, only to see Darius now standing inside the cell, a smug smirk plastered across his face.

"Oh, look who decided to show up," Leo was the first to speak, rising slowly from the cold floor while letting out a long yawn. "One of the Alphas."

"You..." Darius began, his smirk never wavering as his gaze fixed intently on Leo. "You used to be so quiet before, but now... you’ve changed. I suppose taking time off from your so-called job did something to you. Now that you’re back....what is it? Are you here for revenge or something?"

"What are you even talking about?" Leo raised an eyebrow, scoffing dismissively as he folded his arms across his chest, clearly unimpressed.

"The test results are out. Can I leave with my bodyguard now?" Victoria finally interjected, standing up from the floor and brushing herself off. Her voice was sharp and to the point, drawing both Darius and Leo’s attention toward her. "That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Or else, you wouldn’t have opened the gate."

"You’re right, Victoria... but not just yet," Darius replied, the smugness in his tone growing more grating. He turned back to Leo. "You should step outside. I’d like to speak to your master alone."

"What the actual hell? Who do you think you are to order me around?" Leo shot back immediately, his eyes narrowing with disbelief and growing anger.

"When did you start talking like this?" Darius asked coolly, tilting his head slightly. "Did you perhaps lose your memories? Or are you acting this way just because Victoria is now your new master and my sister likes her?" His voice lowered with threat. "I’d advise you to stop. You wouldn’t want me to become the bad guy again. You’ll regret it if I do."

"You...."

"Step out, please," Victoria cut in calmly, her voice firm enough to halt Leo’s reply mid-sentence. "I’ll come out and talk with you soon, alright? Let me just hear what Alpha Darius has to say."

Leo hesitated, clearly frustrated, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I wonder who the hell he thinks he is," he muttered under his breath, his expression twitching with irritation as he reluctantly walked toward the cell’s exit. "So damn annoying," he added, finally stepping out and leaving Victoria alone with Darius.

The air inside the cell grew heavier.

"How are you doing?" Darius asked, his sudden gentleness catching Victoria completely off guard. A chill ran down her spine not from warmth, but disbelief.

"How am I doing?" she echoed slowly, her brows lifting. "Since when did you start caring about that?" She folded her arms across her chest with cool defiance. "What do you want, Darius? Say it and make it quick. I don’t have all day."

There was a brief silence. Then, without a hint of shame, Darius spoke again.

"Can I kiss you now?"

The words struck her like ice water. Victoria blinked rapidly, her body going rigid from shock.

"What?"

"You heard me," Darius said, his tone eerily calm. "Think of it as an apology. For what my sister went through. Sure, she wasn’t poisoned but you had all of us worried. She even fell ill from the fear of being poisoned. That alone warrants an apology from you. If you kiss me now, willingly... I’ll forgive and forget that this ever happened."

Victoria’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Excuse me? Do you not have an ounce of shame?"

"You should consider the offer while I’m still being polite," Darius replied, his voice firm, lacking all traces of mockery now. "If it were any of the other Alphas standing here instead of me, they wouldn’t take this lightly. Just because my sister wasn’t poisoned doesn’t make you innocent. Just kiss me, and I’ll drop it."

He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice.

"I told you before...I have no romantic interest in you. I just want to confirm something, that’s all. Once you do, you’ll be free to go."

Victoria stood frozen for a moment, then scoffed loudly and stepped back.

"I’m really not surprised by this shamelessness of yours," she said bitterly. "Not at all."

With that, she stormed out of the cell without another word, leaving Darius behind in the silence.

Leo was still waiting outside, arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. As soon as he saw her, he frowned.

"You could’ve kicked that fool right in the groin," Leo muttered, his voice thick with rage. "I can’t believe he had the nerve to ask for a kiss after locking you in a dungeon like some criminal. That’s low. Even for him."

Victoria let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples as they walked.

"He’s not the only one having those dreams he talks about," she murmured. "They’d all want to do the same thing if they’d already kissed me in the past. But thankfully, none of them have their memories from the first life. All they get are fragments, bits of feelings or moments. Dreams. That’s all." She looked ahead, her tone turning contemplative. "I should be grateful. If they remembered everything like I do, this second life would be far worse. The creator... whoever they are, they were wise."

"Yeah, well," Leo huffed, "remind me to punch the next Alpha who ever ask for a kiss but then I believe that day will never come. Where are we going though? The Academy or your house?"

Victoria allowed herself a faint smile as they finally reached the entryway. She pushed the door open....

Only to freeze.

There, standing just outside beside a sleek black car, were her four brothers...Callum, Theo, Damien, and Lucian, each looking tense and unreadable. Beside them stood Mirabell, her expression a mixture of relief and worry.

"We’re going back to the mansion," Victoria murmured under her breath, a faint but genuine smile forming on her lips as she began walking toward her siblings waiting by the car.

"Finally!" Theo was the first to react, shouting with uncontainable excitement as he ran up to her. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and spun her around in a tight, joyful circle before setting her back down gently.

Lucian and Callum stepped forward almost immediately, both wrapping their arms around her. The three brothers pulled her into a firm, protective embrace.

"Those bastards wouldn’t even let us into the mansion," Callum growled, his voice laced with frustration. "They locked us out here for what felt like forever. We couldn’t even get word to you."

"I’m just glad you’re free now, Sister," Mirabel said softly as she stepped closer. Her eyes glistened with emotion as she wrapped Victoria in a warm, lingering hug. "I’m sorry... We...your siblings couldn’t protect or save you sooner."

Victoria smiled warmly as she looked at each of them. "I’m okay, brothers. And you too, Mirabel. Truly, I am. Alpha Darius’s sister wasn’t poisoned, after all. That’s why they finally released me."

"Of course she wasn’t!" Callum snapped, the anger returning to his voice as his fists clenched at his sides. "They just wanted an excuse to punish you....to torture you. I knew coming to their personal mansion was a mistake, but we couldn’t stop them. I knew they had a plan... accusing you of poisoning Anna was their way of justifying it."

"Mother and Father were so worried," Damien added, stepping forward and placing a gentle hand on Victoria’s shoulder. His voice was calm, but the concern behind his words was unmistakable. "They wanted to come with us, but we convinced them to stay back. They’re waiting for you now at the estate."

Victoria nodded in silent acknowledgment.

Then Theo turned toward Leo, his expression hardening instantly.

"And as for you..." he began, his tone sharp. "I hope you have a damn good explanation for why you decided to kiss Anna. You still haven’t learned your lesson when it comes to crushing on her, have you? And now you’ve gone ahead and kissed her? What the hell is wrong with you, Leo?"

Leo, who had been silent until now with his gaze fixed on the ground, slowly looked up. The fire in Theo’s voice seemed to burn straight through him.

"Thank goodness you didn’t pull that stunt in public," Theo continued, his jaw tightening. "If you had, you’d probably be dead already. Actually, who knows? Maybe I am talking to a man who’s going to end up dead soon anyway. Fuck."

"Crushing on her...?" Leo murmured under his breath, confusion flashing in his eyes. His brows furrowed as if he couldn’t understand what Theo was accusing him of. "What...?"

Victoria didn’t say a word during the exchange. Her silence was heavy, thoughtful. Without wasting another moment, she turned and slipped into the waiting car, followed by her brothers, Mirabel, and Leo, who trailed behind with a quiet, pensive look still on his face.

As soon as the doors closed, the chauffeur started the engine and began driving them away from the Alpha’s private mansion, the gates slowly opening to let them pass.