Chapter 210

Egbert was stil 1ost in thought when her voice cut through the silence.

"Wagering lives alone feels too dul," Millie said lightly, almost playfully. "Mr. Perez, F'm sure you've played this game more times than you can count. Let's make it more intéresting."

Just when he thought she was no different from the rest, she added something unexpected."Let's gamble on something real. Let's see if anyone in this room is willing to die for someone else-completely selflessly."

Her words hung in the air, defining the purity of what was at stake.

At the time, Egbert didn't fully grasp what she meant. To him, it seemed like a challenge he could easily win.His men had been by his side for years. They had proven their loyalty time and again. Surely, any one of them would be willing to lay down his life for him.

So he agreed. "Alright," he said confidently.

Then he saw her smile-a knowing expression that sent an unexpected chill through him. Her eyes slowly scanned the faces of his assembled men, studying each one with careful attention.

"That's good," she continued, her tone growing more serious. "But once this person takes action, Mr. Perez,you cannot offer him any compensation whatsoever. Not money for his family, not promises to take care of his loved ones, not even a word of gratitude afterward. Nothing at all."

Before he could fully grasp her intent, she moved to the heart of the matter.

"Mr. Perez, I'm willing to give up my life for Brandon,"she said, her voice clear and calm. "Now, who among your people is willing to give up their life for you?"

Her gaze shifted back to him, penetrating and direct."Tell me-who among your men would die for you without expecting anything in return?"

Egbert turned slowly to look at his men. But this time, he didn't see the loyalty he'd always assumed was there. He saw fear. Uncertainty. Silent hesitation.

When he faced Millie again, that same infuriating smile was still on her face, sweet and calm, as if she already knew the answer.

Rage rose in his chest. He sprang to his feet, marched toward her, and shoved the barref of his gun against her forehead. "Don't play games with me,"he growled. "Didn't you'say you'd die for Brandon? Want me to help you fulfill that promise right now?"

He wasn't bluffing. He hadn't planned to keep his word anyway. Killing her now or later made no difference to him. He'd ended many lives before. One more wouldn't matter.

But she simply laughed-a sound filled with something that cut deeper than mockery.

It was pity. Pure, undisguised pity directed at him.

"Oh, Egbert Perez," she said quietly. "People spoke of you long before you ever set foot in Flesta. Ruthless.Wild.Unpredictable. But do you know what I see when I look at you?" She held his gaze."I see a man drowning in tragedy."

Egbert's rage intensified, the cold metal of his weapon digging mercilessly into her temple.

Yet she remained as serene as still water, untouched by the storm of his fury.

"I believe you've been orchestrating elaborate charades," she said with gentle laughter rippling through her voice. "Though these performances are stained crimson with horror and dread. I cannot fathom what treasures you've sacrificed or what demons torment your spirit within. However, I perceive that your celebrated mastery over fate and your reputation for wild unpredictability mask nothing more than a desperate hunt for something-or someone-to heal the gaping wound in your essence. I name this affliction helplessness."

Her voice grew softer, more knowing. "You yearn to shield certain people yet find yourseIf inadequate;you chase dreams that slip through your fingers like smoke, crave another's complete devotion while they merely exploit your vulnerabilities for their own advancement. Thus, you've crafted these elaborate spectacles as outlets for the tempest raging in your chest."

Egbert's memory burned with the white-hot fury that had consumed him in that moment.

His finger had trembled against the trigger, a heartbeat away from releasing the buflet that would scatter her thoughts across the floor.

She had stripped bare his most guarded secrets, laid his wounded soul open to the light, and then dared to regard him with compassion. The truth was unbearable.

Refusing to acknowledge her insight, he twisted his features into a contemptuous sneer, his words dripping with venomous mockery. "And what's the point of all this? Huh? You think you've figured me out? And you-what can you do now? You do realize that even if I shoot you right here, that contract still might not be signed. So what does that make you? Powerless too, right?"

"Hahaha!" Savage laughter erupted from his throat as he gazed down at her with cruel satisfaction."A∥your eloquent speeches, yet they ultimately spring from terror of the grave, don't they? Grovel before me,Millie.Plead for me to preserve your miserable existence so you can flee back to your little Brandon!"

But no entreaties fell from her lips.

She offered no defense, no desperate arguments. Instead, she embraced the truth with startling grace.

"Indeed, I am without strength," she simply acknowledged. "It is precisely because I have walked through that wilderness of helplessness myself that | recognize the landscape of your current torment. I comprehend it entirely."

Millie looked at him, her eyes slightly reddened, yet a faint smile still rested on her lips.

In that single glance, he felt the profound weight of genuine understanding wash over him.

Never before in his existence had anothersoul truly seen through the labyrinth of his inner torment.

Something cracked within his chest-a wall he'd built over decades, crumbling the instant he recognized her complete comprehension of his pain.

"However, Egbert, fortune has smiled upon me in ways it has denied you," she said with quiet grace. "I have someone who loves me. Someone completely devoted to me."

"You mean him?" Egbert's voice carried a note of disbelief as he referenced Brandon.

"Absolutely." Her response rang with unwavering conviction, reflected both in the depths of her gaze and the steady rhythm of her pulse.

"He became my salvation," she continued, her voice soft with reverence. "When death's shadow fell across my path, he pulled me back into the light. When weakness consumed my spirit, he breathed courage into my bones. The most exquisite words he ever spoke weren't declarations of affection, but rather 'You're part of my life plan.!' Egbert, if today you pressed that weapon against his temple and demanded he sacrifice himself for my sake, I know without question he would accept that fate gladly."

She paused, her smile deepening with profound wisdom. "What I wish to share with you is this-if there exists someone you cherish above all else, then pour every fiber of your being into shielding them from harm. Even when success seems impossible, exhaust every avenue available. If there burns within you a dream worth pursuing, then chase it with relentless determination.Drowning in helpless rage bears no fruit whatsoever."

A moment of contemplative silence stretched between them before she added, "That's something I learned...the hard way."

Without thinking, the words slipped from him. "What if I still can't do it?"

Her smile transformed into something luminous and encouraging."Success will find you-provided you drive yourself beyond every perceived limitation."

Her declaration struck him like lightning through his veins-a sudden, electrifying moment of crystal-clear revelation.

They carried the power of profound suggestion, whispering to his wounded soul that victory lay within his grasp.

Before he could formulate another word, she graced him with that radiant smile once more."Don't forget our bet, Egbert. We were betting lives," she said."And I'm betting on my win."

He didn't even have time to respond. In the next second, Millie stepped forward and jumped into the freezing pool beside them.

Egbert stood frozen, completely stunned. His mind stopped working.

He could barely process what had just happened.

"Success will find you-provided you drive yourself beyond every perceived limitation."

Through her audacious leap, she demonstrated the true meaning behind those words.

The pool water was like ice. It was late autumn. Prolonged exposure would invite hypothermia's deadly embrace, and before long, it would claim her life entirely.

Even survival would guarantee severe illness and lasting damage.

But that wasn't the worst part. As she floated there, shivering, her lips turning blue, something else happened. Blood. Red bloomed in the water around her, dark and shocking.

In that moment,bewilderment consumed him entirely. Why was there blood?

No visible wounds marred her skin; no bullets had found their mark.

Perhaps the ice had torn her flesh with razor-sharp edges?

Her expression mirrored his confusion-until sudden understanding dawned across her features, and she seemed to grasp a terrible truth he could not yet fathom.