The Strange Groom's Cursed Bride-Chapter 38: Putting the piece(s) together.

The room felt colder.

Even the air felt a lot heavier as soon as she said those words.

Hades stared at her as if she had lost her mind. For once, his usual unreadable expression cracked, revealing something close to disbelief.

"You will... what?" His voice was low, but the weight of it sent a chill down Alice’s spine.

She swallowed, her fingers curling into her palms. "M-Move into your... home." Her voice almost came out high-pitched but she maintained it.

His eyes darkened, and his expression was unreadable once more. Then, with the cold amusement that always seemed to linger around him, he tilted his head slightly.

"Are you just fearless or..." his brow furrowed. Like he was looking for the right word to use.

Stupid.

She thought he would say that. Because that should probably be it. Choosing Hades and his psychopathic henchmen over the Wildfire home? Only someone who was crazy would do that.

But they were her best bet.

With him, she wouldn’t need to improve any stupid ranking. People avoided him. They would avoid her too. And she wouldn’t have to be a maid for the Wildfires like they were trying to make her.

And if she was lucky... she may be able to eat well here. If she were lucky.

"...clueless?" Hades finally said.

He seemed to have a rather polite diction in comparison with his personality, Alice noted.

Alice inhaled sharply but refused to let her fear show. "My being there will help you."

He said nothing.

She knew he didn’t give a damn about his ranking, but she was grabbing at whatever she could find right now. "Your reputation is probably why you got an F. If I can help improve it—"

A sharp snort cut her off. His gaze flicked over her with annoyance. "You got a D."

Alice clenched her jaw. "That’s still better than you," she snapped before forcing her voice back to a controlled whisper. She didn’t need to provoke him further. "I won’t be in your way. I’ll stay out of your sight. Act like I’m not there."

Hades leaned back. He didn’t even seem to ponder on her offer, which didn’t make any sense. Without hesitation—

"No."

Alice stiffened. "But—"

"No."

She bit her lip, frustration clawing at her throat. She had seen this work in movies before. The desperate plea. The reckless bargain. Maybe it was worth a shot.

"I... will do anything," she blurted out. Even though she didn’t want the desperation to show in her face, she was sure he could see it when he looked at her.

Silence.

Hades didn’t move, didn’t blink. Then, after an agonizing pause, his lips curled into a smirk.

That unsettled her. Was he going to ask her to do something weird—

"No." He said, bursting her bubbles. Her shoulders sagged like a deflated balloon, and she had to control herself not to cuss at him.

It was final.

He was not falling for any of her tricks.

He stood up. The action also made her jump away from her seat, and she stepped back away from him quicky, her hand unconsciously reaching for her neck.

He took in her reaction. And maybe she was imagining things, but he took a step back away from her.

"Do your job," he murmured. "The first private hearing is tomorrow. Don’t fail."

Alice stood there and continued to look at him, not sure what else to say or do to convince this man. His eyes trailed away from her to the door.

That was it.

He was telling her to disappear from his sight.

She picked up her bag and stuffed the document in before she looked at him, raising her chin.

"I will win. And we will discuss this again."

She didn’t wait for him to say a word.

She hurried away, quickly disappearing from the apartment.

***

The room was quiet, save for the faint clinking of ice against glass as one of his men swirled his drink. They sat around him, exchanging looks before one of them finally spoke up.

"This is the perfect opportunity," Milo said, his sharp gaze fixed on Hades. "She sounds desperate to do something. Maybe she has a secret mission. If she moves in, we can control things."

Rowan nodded in agreement and leaned forward, his arms crossed. "The best way to figure out what she and her mother are planning is to keep an eye on her. If she’s under our roof, she won’t be able to make a move without us knowing."

Clarisse didn’t look too sure. She didn’t comment on it. Neither did Gavin.

Milo nodded. "We can monitor her every conversation, see who she meets with. Maybe she’s not the real threat, but we can’t ignore the fact that she’s tied to Pricillia and the Matriarch."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Hades didn’t respond. He sat with one elbow propped on the armrest, his fingers tapping against his temple, his mind elsewhere. His eyes were distant.

Then, absentmindedly, as if the thought had just drifted to him, he murmured—

"A little strangle," he said, slowly. "Do you think it’s painful?"

The words caught the henchmen off guard.

"What?"

Hades blinked, as if realizing he had spoken aloud. He tilted his head, expression unreadable.

Milo cleared his throat. "Well... that depends." He hesitated before continuing, choosing his words carefully. "If it’s slow, yeah. If it’s quick, maybe not as much. Why, Boss?"

He didn’t respond.

Gavin observed him quietly before asking, "Do you want her to move in?"

Hades leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming against the armrest. Everyone looked at him, waiting.

"No," he said flatly.

Milo frowned. "No?"

"She annoys me."

The men exchanged glances before Rowan scoffed. "Everything and everyone annoys you."

Hades’ cold eyes flicked up to them, sharp as a blade. The room tensed under his silent glare. freewebnøvel.com

"Right," Milo muttered, clearing his throat. "Anyway, we have something more important."

Hades remained still, waiting.

Milo stepped forward, holding a tablet in one hand. "I found something this morning. I’m not sure of the full connection yet, but I have a wild guess."

Hades raised a brow. "Go on."

He exhaled. "Three years ago, during one of the Wildfire’s company openings in the East, there was an accident in the same city that night."

Hades said nothing, but a flicker of interest passed through his gaze.

Luca continued. "That same night, Van suddenly missed his graduation ceremony. And then, he vanished for two weeks after that."