System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 380: Fragments of the Past

The room was draped in heavy shadows, the only light emanating from a smartphone screen. Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, tears silently tracing paths down her cheeks as she stared at a photograph. In the image, a young man was looking away, a sleek BMW reflecting the sun in the background. In the foreground, Chloe was smiling brightly, her fingers formed into a playful "V" sign.

She let out a long, shuddering sigh. "Those days were so beautiful," she thought, her chest aching with a hollow longing. Now, those few fleeting days of happiness were all she had left to keep the darkness at bay.

The door creaked open. A boy, no older than fifteen, stepped into the room. He saw the glow of the screen and the slumped posture of his sister. He placed a hand over his heart, took a steadying breath, and closed the door softly behind him.

At the sound of the latch, Chloe jumped like a startled fawn, her eyes wide with terror. She instinctively shoved the phone behind her back, hiding it beneath the covers.

The boy offered a clumsy, pained smile. "You know I would never betray you, sister. You don’t have to be afraid of me. Please, trust me," said the boy.

Chloe’s shoulders slumped, and the defensive wall in her eyes crumbled. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand as he approached. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a consoling embrace.

"What’s wrong? Why are you like this?" he asked softly.

"Everything is fine, I’m just tired," said Chloe, her voice straining to remain firm.

He tried to push further, but she kept her guard up until he finally looked her in the eye, his expression one of pure guilt. "I know Father is forcing you into this. I tried to persuade him, Chloe... I tried to stop it, but I failed. I’m useless. If only I were stronger..."

Chloe pulled him into a hug, stroking his hair gently. "You aren’t useless. Don’t ever say that," said Chloe.

Suddenly, a deep, booming voice thundered from the floor below, shattering the moment.

"Chloe!"

She flinched violently, her face turning pale. Without a word, she scrambled to her feet and ran toward the door, disappearing down the stairs. In her haste, she left the smartphone behind—unlocked and glowing on the bed. Her brother stared at it for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. He reached out and picked it up.

Downstairs, Chloe stood before a middle-aged man with a thick, neatly trimmed black beard. He stood with a rigid posture, but his eyes were weary.

"Are you ready?" asked the man.

Chloe nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She stared at the floor, her knuckles white as she clenched her fists at her sides.

The man felt a sharp pang of pressure in his chest. He let out a heavy sigh, his voice dropping into a tone of deep melancholy.

"Chloe... I know how hard this is for you. As your father, I feel truly disappointed in myself. I feel like I’ve failed you, being unable to do anything to help you out of this," said the man.

Chloe’s voice was hollow, stripped of all the vibrant life that had once filled that old photograph. She didn’t look up, her gaze fixed on the polished floorboards that seemed to reflect the bars of her own cage.

"I understand that this is my duty, Father. There is no need to apologize. My life is a small price to pay to keep the family safe," said Chloe.

Her father flinched as if she had struck him. He reached out, his fingers trembling, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch her. The guilt was a physical weight, bowing his shoulders.

"I am so sorry, Chloe. If your grandfather were still healthy, they would never have dared to go this far. They wouldn’t have dared to breathe your name. But no matter how hard we’ve fought to find the medicine... it’s been useless. There is only one person rumored to possess it, a shadow we cannot reach. Their power is terrifying, and they do not show themselves to the likes of us," said her father.

Chloe finally looked up, her eyes brimming with a cold, jagged despair.

"I know our situation is hopeless, Father. I’ve always known that the heir of the GreenSorrow Group was obsessed with me. I thought that by running away, by disappearing for a while, he would forget. I thought I could outrun his shadow. I never expected that the moment Grandfather was wounded, they would pounce on our weakness like vultures. They waited for us to bleed so they could force your hand," said Chloe.

She took a step forward, her voice rising with a frantic, sharp edge that cut through the quiet room.

"And I know that not even my death would save you. If I took my own life tonight, they wouldn’t mourn—they would use it as an excuse to annihilate the rest of you for ’insulting’ them. I am a hostage of my own bloodline. I understand it is my responsibility, but I can’t stop the walls from closing in! I can’t stop feeling this... this suffocating desperation!" said Chloe.

She broke then. The stoic mask shattered, and she began to sob—harsh, racking sounds that tore from her throat. She collapsed slightly, her hands covering her face as if she could hide from the reality of being sold to a monster like the GreenSorrow heir.

"I feel like an object, Father. A piece of land to be traded. A medicine to be consumed. Does my heart even matter? Does the fact that I breathe mean anything to them beyond a trophy to hang on a wall?" said Chloe between gasps for air.

Her father dropped to his knees in front of her, tears finally escaping his own eyes. He gripped her trembling shoulders, his voice a broken whisper of a man who had lost his honor.

"To them, you are a prize. To me... you are my daughter, and I am a coward who cannot protect his own child. We are heading to Washington D.C. to sign your life away, and every step I take feels like I am walking you to the gallows," said her father.