"Bastard! Jerk! You scumbag!"
Sierra stared at Veil’s retreating back, cursing him silently hundreds—no, thousands—of tis.
Why?
He was the one at fault, yet he acted like the victim. He completely ignored her—dismissed her—when she was the one who was terrified of being exposed. That’s why she’d lashed out. But now? Now he wouldn’t even acknowledge her presence.
No response. Not even a glance.
As if... she didn’t exist.
The coldness in his eyes felt like a knife straight through her chest, and she couldn’t understand why it hurt so much.
And then, in a mont of terrifying clarity, sothing struck her.
Wait... am I actually upset because of Veil?
No. No way. That’s ridiculous.
Sierra frantically shook the thought from her head. She tried to rationalize the discomfort away—It’s his fault, she told herself.
He used to flirt relentlessly, tease her at every opportunity. But now, he treated her like a stranger. That sudden shift was jarring—that was why she felt this way.
It had to be.
There was no way—absolutely no way—she had feelings for a man like him.
Veil? Seriously?
Immature. Shaless. Constantly picking on won.
He was the last person she’d ever like.
"Sierra, what’s wrong?"
Joseph looked at his daughter, watching her sit in her chair, grinding her teeth like she wanted to murder soone. "Who pissed you off this ti?"
Sierra shook her head.
"No one. Dad, go ho without . I have sothing I need to deal with."
She had never been this humiliated before.
Even if she had been the one to accidentally bite him... most of the bla was still on Veil. He was the one who acted without thinking, who crossed the line. She would rather have been yelled at—hell, even slapped—than be brushed aside like she was nothing.
This couldn’t stand.
She was going to confront him—face to face—and make sure he understood exactly how she felt.
Sierra stood up and stord out of the room, marching straight for Veil’s villa with fire in her eyes and a fierce determination in her step.
...
anwhile...
Back at ho, Veil had just stepped through the front door when he was greeted by the warm, inviting sll of freshly cooked food.
The dining table was covered in dishes.
Alice stood in front of the stove, apron tied neatly around her waist, her black lace slip dress hugging every curve of her body. She was humming to herself, swaying slightly as she stirred the pan.
Veil stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his chest.
"Ah!"
Alice let out a surprised squeal, sending a chunk of at flying out of the pan with her spatula. But when she turned and saw it was him, her expression imdiately softened. A mix of embarrassnt and joy flushed across her face as she shrank into his embrace.
"Master, the at’s going to burn," she murmured shyly.
"Let it burn," Veil said, brushing a strand of her hair up to his nose and inhaling its soft fragrance. "I missed you. You’ve been gone so long—I thought maybe you’d decided to abandon ."
The tenderness of the mont made Alice’s heart lt. She nuzzled against his chin, letting herself enjoy the warmth.
"Be patient, Master. I saved your favorite for last," she whispered. "You always finish the beef rolls first, even when you don’t say anything. If I cook them too long, they’ll get tough."
Veil kissed her just below the eye, smirking.
"You’re clearly in a rush, and yet you’re making wait. What, did you learn so new tricks while you were away? Trying to seduce now?"
"I... I wasn’t!" Alice stamred, visibly flustered.
Veil’s fingers tugged lightly at the strap of her dress.
"Cooking in a dress like this? You’re not even trying to hide it. Don’t tell there’s no other clothes in the house."
He guessed the old matron at the orphanage had given her a few more "lessons" while she was gone.
Too bad—Alice was still her. Even if she tried to play the temptress, she was too earnest, too obvious.
Not like the scheming kind of woman—like Daisy—who could light a fire in him with a few yoga poses and half a smirk.
Alice’s innocence made her easy to read.
"Master..."
Alice lted into his arms, part shy, part exhausted.
The truth was, things at the orphanage had kept her away far longer than she’d wanted. The old matron had even told her to put so distance between them—"Let him miss you," she’d said.
It had worked.
She hadn’t been this close to him in a long ti—and now, all that yearning ca crashing down at once.
"Keep cooking. I’m not in your way," Veil whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder, his hand lingering just between the apron and her slip.
Alice was trembling by the ti she brought the beef rolls to the table.
The poor girl couldn’t even walk straight—Veil had insisted on carrying her over while she held the plate.
"You worked hard. Try one of the ribs. See how your cooking turned out," he said, holding a piece up to her lips with his chopsticks.
Alice’s eyes sparkled. She took a bite, cheeks glowing.
"It’s sweet," she said, beaming.
"Is that so? I should verify."
Following the noble principle of never believing rumors, Veil leaned in and kissed her lips—still slick with sauce.
He smacked his lips.
"No way. That’s too sweet. Can’t be the ribs—must be sothing else."
Alice blushed, just as she was about to take the ribs back to the kitchen for a little extra crisp.
"Your lips are like honey. One taste, and the ribs lost all their flavor," Veil teased.
"Mmm..."
Alice’s shoulders hunched instinctively. Goosebumps prickled across her skin.
Any other girl might’ve cringed from the cheesiness of it.
But Alice? She was already Veil’s.
These were the lines that lted her heart.
And Veil felt the change imdiately.
He could tell, just from the way she tensed up...
She was his. Completely. Hopelessly.
Alice was so embarrassed she could barely lift her head. And yet, despite herself, her whole body was stiff with tension, her spine held perfectly straight—if anything, she was leaning slightly backward out of nervous habit.
"You’ve lost weight. What were you even busy with all this ti?" Veil asked, his voice tinged with concern as he held her close.
He weighed her lightly in his arms. No way she was over 48 kilograms—and at nearly 168 centiters tall, that wasn’t much.
"I didn’t lose weight... I gained," Alice mumbled softly, curling up against Veil’s chest. "None of my old clothes fit anymore."
Ever since taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, not only had the toxins in her body been purged and her constitution improved, but even the part of her body she used to be the most self-conscious about—her chest—had finally started to catch up in growth. In just a month, she was already pushing past a B cup. The progress was astonishing.
No wonder she stood up straighter now. There was finally so confidence behind that posture.
"You know," Veil said with a sly smile, "you should stop talking about this stuff with the old matron. What’s constantly running through that little brain of yours? I ant your weight, not your bust size."
"Ugh!" Alice’s cheeks flushed a bright pink, and she covered her face with her hands, feeling the heat radiate off her skin.
Trying desperately to change the subject, she muttered, "The old matron isn’t anything like what you’re thinking. She’s a good person. When she found out so of the kids’ real parents had been located, she imdiately brought them back to reconnect. I was just helping her. She’s getting older, and I didn’t want her to do it all alone."
Alice’s voice softened as she talked about what had kept her so busy lately. There was admiration in her tone, but also a quiet sadness.
The orphanage had been built from scratch by the old matron—out of pure love, not profit. It survived only through donations and the kindness of others. Whenever funds ran low, the old woman would take up dishwashing jobs at hotels late at night just to afford a bit more at in the kids’ als.
This ti, when she found a few leads about the children’s birth parents, she didn’t just hand the kids over right away. No—she verified everything first, cautious and protective. To her, those children weren’t wards of the state. They were her grandchildren. She cherished each one of them deeply. How could she risk handing them over to the wrong people?
She’d rather spend more ti, more money, more energy, just to be sure they’d be safe.
So reunions were heartfelt—parents who had genuinely lost their children years ago and carried overwhelming guilt. The matron cried as she said goodbye, letting them go so they could experience the love they were owed.
But not every story ended so well.
So people ca pretending to be parents. Liars, frauds trying to snatch the kids away.
One such incident even got physical. The matron refused to give in, even after reporting it to the police. With no solid evidence, there was little the law could do.
And then... everything just stopped.
The threats, the harassnt—it all vanished overnight.
"Veil," Alice looked up slowly, her eyes shimring. "It was you, wasn’t it? Back then, when those people tried to take the kids... the police said a ’concerned citizen’ gave them the evidence they needed. That was you, right? You were protecting us... protecting , all along."
Her gaze was full of unspoken gratitude.
She was an orphan. She’d never known her parents. Her luck in life had always seed cursed. She was the type to accidentally break an antique while cleaning, the kind of girl who couldn’t seem to catch a break.
Good Samaritans didn’t just fall into her lap.
No, she was certain—it was Veil. He’d done it, quietly, without saying a word.
And suddenly, she didn’t feel unlucky anymore.
In fact... maybe she’d used up a lifeti’s worth of bad luck just to et him.
The one she couldn’t stop thinking about, even when she was far away helping the matron.
The one she longed for during those sleepless nights, when she’d reach out and feel the cold, empty space beside her and want to cry.
Alice’s eyes turned glassy. Tears shimred on her lashes, threatening to fall.
Veil stepped in, gently brushing a kiss across her lips. "You’re safe now. As long as I’m here, no one’s ever going to hurt you."
Alice let out a small "mm" in reply and turned around, resting her head against his chest, her thoughts drifting.
That promise was nice and all... but the irony wasn’t lost on her.
No one else could hurt her—not with Veil around.
But wasn’t the person who kept bullying her the most... Veil
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