I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 97 Vincent Vermillion [2]

"or perhaps the fault lies with her father."

vincent's gaze locked onto adam, scrutinizing him with an intensity that could make most crumble under its weight.

but adam, despite his frail appearance, stood firm. there wasn't even a flicker of hesitation in his eyes as he returned vincent's stare, a quiet resilience that piqued the older man's interest.

"and who might you be?" vincent asked. "another of irisdina's ineffectual companions?"

"it hardly concerns you who i am," adam replied. "personal information should only be exchanged between individuals who respect and trust one another."

"is that your justification for refusing to share even your name?" vincent chuckled.

"no," adam said, his tone turning cold. "the reason i won't tell you my name is simpler than that—it's my selfish choice. i don't share it with anyone who stoops so low as to strike their own daughter."

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vincent's eyes narrowed. "some children need discipline—sometimes harsh discipline—if they are to learn from their mistakes." he shook off adam's grip on his sleeve and added with a sneer, "perhaps your parents failed to teach you the proper decorum when addressing a noble elder."

adam's lips curled into the faintest semblance of a smile, though it lacked warmth. he slipped his hands into his pockets. "unfortunately for you, i have no parents. i grew up an orphan—i never had the chance to know them."nôv(el)b\\jnn

"that explains quite a bit," vincent said with a scoff.

"but i was raised," adam continued, "by someone i consider a father. he took in me and another girl. he never once raised his hand against us, yet we both became the most sought-after individuals in our country."

vincent raised an eyebrow. "sought after? you? for what reason, i wonder?"

his tone was dripping with condescension as he cast a derisive glance over adam. there was nothing outwardly remarkable about him—nothing, save for his composed manner and his ability to speak with confidence, qualities vincent grudgingly acknowledged but didn't find particularly impressive.

to vincent, adam was nothing more than an impudent boy—reckless and unaware of the world's harsher realities. in his mind, the young man's audacity stemmed solely from his ignorance, and it would only be a matter of time before that illusion shattered.

"i don't need to explain myself to you."

"indeed," vincent shot back, "and you have no right to lecture me about how i treat my daughter."

"you're correct. i have no such right," adam replied. "but whether or not i offer advice is entirely my choice."

"advice, was it?" vincent sneered, sarcasm dripping from his words. "should i take advice from someone who's barely even old enough to be called an adult?"

"it wasn't advice." adam's voice dropped, his gaze hardening, his eyes flickering with a clear, dangerous glint—murderous intent.

"think of it as a warning," he said coldly. "i don't tolerate parents striking their children without cause or restraint."

a heavy, stunned silence filled the room.

julius gawked, his mouth hanging open in disbelief, while lunevy, who also abhorred the idea of parents hitting their children, leaned in with interest. but it was irisdina who appeared the most astonished. never before had she seen anyone hold a conversation with her father—much less challenge him—without vincent steering the discussion entirely.

'this boy...'

vincent's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he assessed adam. the threat in the young man's words was clear, and what unsettled him further was how genuine it felt. it was no hollow posturing—adam seemed more than willing to follow through.

suddenly, adam reached into his pocket and produced a folded letter, handing it to vincent.

"here," he said simply.

vincent's gaze flicked to the paper. unfolding it, his eyes scanned the contents. the words caught his attention instantly.

"a devil's dungeon..." he muttered.

"the man residing rent free below your territory had deciphered the location of one of asmodeus' dungeons from the book of asmodeus," adam explained. "judging by the ink and the characteristics of the paper, i'd say he discovered the dungeon's location no more than three days ago. he likely planned to claim its treasures himself. unfortunately for him, that's no longer an option."

vincent's lips curved into a slow smile. "how fascinating."

adam's expression didn't change. "next time, stand up to him yourself," he said bluntly. "otherwise, you'll remain trapped in that place forever."

he turned away, ready to leave, but irisdina called out again.

"wait—just one last thing!"

adam glanced back, clearly impatient but willing to humor her. "what is it?"

irisdina hesitated, fidgeting nervously before swiping her watch and bringing up a contact interface. "can we... exchange numbers?"

agatha and luke froze, their mouths agape.

in all the years they'd known her, they had never seen irisdina ask a man for his number—or show even a hint of interest in doing so.

adam raised a brow, probing. "for what purpose?"

julius, agatha, and luke nearly smacked their foreheads in unison. adam's denseness to the situation was almost painful.

irisdina hesitated, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

'why am i even asking for his number?'

"um... when my father gains rights over the dungeon, i'll need to contact you," irisdina said, her voice trailing off as she tried to justify her request.

adam, as dense as ever, took the explanation at face value. he retrieved the phone he used for his 'adam' persona and quickly hovered it over irisdina's watch. a soft notification sound followed, and their numbers were now registered in each other's contacts.

with that, adam gained his third contact—another woman—joining luna-evelyn and ophelia in his list.

irisdina cast a quick, nervous glance at luna-evelyn, wondering if she might be bothered by the exchange. to her relief, luna-evelyn seemed completely unperturbed. however, there was something almost naive about the way lunevy viewed things—she would likely assume this had to do with the devil's dungeon and nothing more.

'maybe it's not what i think...' irisdina felt a flicker of hope, but she quickly shook her head. she had only asked for his number out of curiosity, nothing more!

unaware of the conflict swirling in her mind, adam turned to leave, followed by lunevy and julius.

"are you sure about leaving the devil's dungeon?" julius asked. "you could've made a fortune off it if you found the right buyers and people."

at the mention of money, adam's expression darkened briefly, a flash of discomfort crossing his features—an echo of the influence james had on him. but just as quickly, he pushed the thought away.

"i have enough money to live comfortably," adam replied.

"as expected of someone from horizon," julius chuckled. "they do pay their employees very well." he sighed, then turned toward lunevy. "anyway, we should give our reports."

lunevy nodded in agreement and began to turn away, but then, as if on impulse, she turned back and raised her hand in a stiff, robotic wave. "bye."

it was almost cute how awkward she was.

adam, equally robotic, nodded in kind, but then added one last thing. "i'll contact you again if i find more about krainel salvador."

lunevy nodded appreciatively. "understood."

"don't forget to take at least two days of rest. you should tell mr. stephen the same," adam said with a faint but purposeful glance.

"understood," lunevy nodded again.

for a brief moment, both of them stood there, exchanging an unspoken understanding. julius, left standing off to the side, suddenly felt like a third wheel. the air between adam and lunevy was strange, and he couldn't quite place what was happening.

then in unison both turned around and parted ways.

'what the hell is going on between those two?'

confusion clouded his mind as he decided the best course of action was to quickly report today's events and then get a long, restful sleep.