Chapter 341: Slap yourself!
Maria.
"Enough of this, Daniel!"
The words exploded out of me before I could stop them. My voice rang through the corridor, sharp and heated, drawing immediate attention.
"Why the hell are you pretending?" I demanded, lifting my brows as I glared at him.
Daniel froze for a second, clearly taken aback by my outburst.
"Maria, what exactly are you talking about?" he asked.
As he spoke, he took a cautious step toward me, his face filled with confusion.
"Oh, please!" I immediately raised both hands between us, signaling for him to stay exactly where he was. "Don’t." The warning came out colder than I intended.
Then I turned toward Vincent, who stood nearby looking far too calm for my liking.
"And you, Vincent," I continued, narrowing my eyes at him. "Why are you also acting like that?"
Unlike Daniel, Vincent didn’t look surprised, If anything, he looked amused and satisfied.
"Relax, Maria," he said casually, and the calmness in his voice irritated me even more. "Everything will be made known at the appropriate time," he added.
I stared at him in disbelief.
Appropriate time?
What was that even supposed to mean?
Every answer they gave only seemed to create more questions.
Meanwhile, Daniel’s gaze shifted from Vincent to me and back again.
The poor man looked completely lost.
His brows were furrowed, and his eyes carried genuine confusion, as though he truly had no idea what was happening.
But instead of making me sympathetic, his expression only fueled my irritation. The more innocent he looked, the more annoyed I became.
I let out a frustrated breath and shook my head.
"This is unbelievable."
Neither of them was willing to explain anything properly—One was acting confused and the other was speaking in riddles.
And somehow, I was expected to remain calm.
"I will take my leave," I announced firmly, while trying to sound polite.
I truly did.
But judging from the tension in my voice, I wasn’t very successful.
The moment the words left my mouth, both men reacted.
"I will go with you!"
The declaration came simultaneously. Daniel and Vincent spoke in perfect unison.
For a moment, the synchronization was so ridiculous that I almost laughed.
Instead, I rolled my eyes dramatically. My gaze moved from one man to the other, and I couldn’t even hide the disgust on my face.
Honestly, they were impossible.
"None of you should follow me," I declared firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument.
The effect was immediat, as both men stared at me, visibly stunned.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke and then their attention shifted away from me and landed on each other.
The air instantly became tense.
Daniel’s eyes hardened.
Vincent’s casual expression disappeared.
They exchanged a long, deadly stare that practically crackled with hostility. It was as though they had forgotten I was standing there.
As though some silent battle was taking place between them.
But frankly, I didn’t care. I had neither the patience nor the energy to deal with whatever drama they had going on.
Without another word, I turned around and walked away. My footsteps echoed softly as I distanced myself from them.
I continued walking aimlessly through the hallway, my mind still boiling with frustration.
After a while, I slowed my pace and a sigh escaped my lips, maybe wandering around wasn’t helping, maybe I just needed some peace and quiet.
On second thought, returning to my room seemed like the best option. At least there, I could be alone with my thoughts.
With that decision made, I turned and headed in the direction of my room.
However, just as I rounded the corner, still distracted by everything that had happened, my shoulder collided with something solid.
Or rather, someone.
The impact caught me completely off guard. My breath hitched as I stumbled slightly, my eyes widening in surprise.
It was Vanessa.
The moment my eyes landed on her, a wave of regret washed over me.
Of all the people I could have run into, it had to be her.
I honestly should have stayed in my room.
At least there, I wouldn’t have to deal with her endless drama.
Vanessa stood a few feet away, her perfectly styled hair resting over her shoulders as she stared at me with obvious disdain. Her lips curled into a mocking smile, and her eyes swept over me from head to toe as though I was something unpleasant she had accidentally stepped on.
"Well, if it isn’t the universal whore, who else could it be?" Vanessa asked.
She folded her arms dramatically across her chest and tilted her head to one side while staring at me.
I resisted the urge to groan.
There she goes again.
At this point, I was convinced that insulting me was her favorite hobby. She still hasn’t learnt from what had happened in the room, so Instead of responding, I simply looked away.
Vanessa wasn’t worth my time.
She was nothing more than a fool desperately seeking attention, and I had no intention of giving her what she wanted.
With that thought in mind, I turned slightly, intending to walk past her and continue on my way.
Unfortunately, Vanessa had other plans.
The moment she realized I was leaving, she stepped directly into my path.
I stopped abruptly.
A sigh escaped my lips.
Of course she would do that.
"I am still talking to you, Maria. How dare you try to walk out on me?" she demanded angrily.
The outrage in her voice was almost laughable.
I slowly looked at her.
For a brief moment, I simply stared and then a smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
"I thought your brain stopped functioning for a moment..." I paused deliberately,bad the irritation on her face immediately deepened. "I am so surprised it allowed you to recall my name."
For a second, Vanessa looked completely speechless and then her face turned bright red.
"You—" She pointed an accusing finger directly at me. "Don’t think you can seduce the Lycan Prince forever. Very soon he will get rid of you." She paused before a triumphant smile spread across her face. "And trust me, I will be there to make life miserable for you."
The confidence in her voice was astonishing. It was almost impressive how delusional she could be.
I folded my arms and raised a brow.
"From the look of things," I said calmly, "it seems that with just the click of my finger, Vincent would immediately get rid of you."
The effect was immediate.
Vanessa’s confident expression vanished.
The color drained from her face so quickly that it was almost amusing. For the first time since our encounter began, she looked uncertain.
The sight nearly made me laugh.
"What’s wrong with you, bitch?" she suddenly screamed.
Her composure shattered completely and before I could react, she raised her hand.
The movement was quick and clearly, she intended to slap me.
Yet strangely, the slap never came, as her arm stopped midway through the air.
Confused, I frowned.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then I noticed the shock that had suddenly appeared on Vanessa’s face, her eyes were no longer focused on me.
They were fixed on something behind me.
Or rather...Someone.
Slowly, I turned around and only then did I realize that Vincent had somehow caught up with me.
He was standing directly behind us.
His hand was wrapped firmly around Vanessa’s wrist, preventing her from bringing it down.
I had been so distracted by our argument that I hadn’t even noticed his arrival.
For a moment, nobody spoke and the atmosphere became unbearably tense.
I wasn’t sure how much of our conversation Vincent had heard. Maybe he had only witnessed the last few seconds or perhaps he had heard every single word.
Either way, one look at his face was enough to tell me everything I needed to know.
His expression was dangerously cold. The kind of expression that made people immediately regret their actions.
And judging by the fear now creeping across Vanessa’s face, she had realized the exact same thing.
Vanessa was in trouble.
"Slap yourself!" Vincent’s voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and commanding, leaving no room for argument.
The command landed instantly, and Vanessa froze. It was as though her entire body had been locked in place.
She stood rigid, her arm still slightly raised from her earlier attempt, but now she couldn’t even move an inch. Not forward. Not backward. Not even a twitch of defiance.
The shift in her demeanor was almost unbelievable.
Just moments ago, she had been loud, aggressive, and completely fearless.
Now she looked like someone who had suddenly remembered how fragile she actually was.
I couldn’t help it.
A small chuckle escaped me before I could stop it.
It was honestly amusing.
Vanessa—the same woman who had been so arrogant, so full of pride, and so quick to insult me—was now standing there completely powerless, unable to even speak properly without permission.
Her eyes darted nervously, as though searching for an escape that didn’t exist.
Vincent, on the other hand, remained completely calm. As if this entire situation was nothing more than a routine inconvenience.
"Don’t waste my time," he added coolly.
The words were spoken in a low, almost bored tone, but they carried an edge that made the atmosphere even heavier.
Then, without warning, he slipped his hand into his pocket.
The movement was slow and deliberate.
When he pulled his hand out, he revealed a small bottle resting casually between his fingers and he simply tilted his head slightly and gave Vanessa a faint, knowing smirk.
The effect on her was immediate.
Vanessa stiffened even more, her body visibly trembling now. Her face turned a deep shade of red, not from anger this time, but from fear.
Her earlier confidence was completely gone, stripped away in seconds as she stared at the bottle like it contained something far worse than pain.
"I will do it," she said quickly, her voice breaking slightly. "Please... don’t open the bottle."
There was desperation in her tone now.
Without waiting for any further instruction, she raised her hands.
The hesitation lasted only a second, and then she began slapping herself hard.
Once.
Twice.
Again and again.
The sound echoed sharply in the air, each strike more humiliating than the last.
She didn’t stop.
Not because she wanted to continue, but because she was clearly waiting—waiting for Vincent to tell her to stop.
Her eyes kept flickering toward him between each slap, searching for mercy, for permission, for relief.
But Vincent didn’t move, as he simply watched.
And I stood there, frozen between disbelief and curiosity, my eyes shifting from Vanessa’s humiliating actions to the bottle still resting in Vincent’s hand.
Because despite everything happening in front of me, one question kept forming in my mind over and over again.
What exactly was in that bottle?
