My Taboo Harem System

Chapter 149: Begin

Denzel stared at her for a long moment before letting out a short laugh.

"...Okay."

He waited.

When she said nothing else, he frowned.

"Where’s the punchline?"

"There isn’t one."

His smile lingered for another second before slowly fading.

"...You’re serious?"

She nodded.

"I’m entirely serious."

Denzel searched her face, expecting even the slightest hint that she was messing with him. There wasn’t one.

He shook his head.

"That doesn’t even make any sense."

"It does."

"No, it doesn’t." He spread his hands. "You’re telling me Sophia knows absolutely nothing about Patrick? None of this adds up."

She parted her lips.

"I can explain—"

Then she stopped.

The words died in her throat.

Denzel waited.

"...What?"

She lowered her gaze.

Nothing.

He took a few slow steps toward her.

"What is it? Just say it."

She remained silent.

He stopped only a few feet away.

"You’ve already told me this much. Why stop now?"

She swallowed.

"If I tell you..." she said quietly, "...you won’t have any reason to keep your end of the deal."

Denzel frowned.

"What?"

"You’ll already have everything you came here for."

She looked away again.

"So why would you help me after that?"

For a brief moment, Denzel simply stared at her.

Then he sighed.

"Is that what you’re worried about?"

She didn’t answer, but the silence was enough.

Denzel folded his arms.

"I already gave you my word."

She looked up at him.

"And I don’t go back on my word."

She searched his face, as if trying to decide whether she could believe him.

"I’ll still help you," he continued. "Whether you tell me now or later doesn’t change that."

"You don’t know what I’m about to tell you."

"Maybe not."

"And it changes everything."

"Maybe it does." He shrugged lightly. "Doesn’t matter."

She blinked.

"I made a promise. That’s enough."

Neither of them spoke for several seconds.

Finally, she let out a slow breath.

"...Okay."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, gathering her thoughts.

"I’ll tell you."

The tension in Denzel’s shoulders eased.

Only slightly.

After everything she’d said, he could finally feel himself getting closer to the answer he’d been searching for.

Silence stretched between them.

She stared at the floor for several long seconds before finally lifting her eyes to meet his.

When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"...Sophia is a drug mule."

Denzel blinked.

"...What?"

"I’ve seen her."

He frowned.

"What do you mean you’ve seen her?"

"I saw her collecting drugs."

His expression hardened.

"From who?"

She held his gaze.

"Patrick."

The name hit him like a punch to the chest.

"No..."

"I saw it with my own eyes."

She paused before continuing.

"The drugs he was bringing in... she was collecting them."

Denzel felt his heart skip.

"Doke?"

She gave a slow nod.

"Doke."

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

The words refused to settle in his mind.

Doke.

One of the most addictive drugs on the market.

The kind of drug that destroyed lives, tore families apart, and left people as empty shells of who they used to be.

And Sophia...

His Sophia...

"No..." he muttered again, almost to himself. "That can’t be right."

"It is."

He searched her face desperately.

Her eyes never shifted.

She wasn’t nervous.

She wasn’t trying to convince him.

She wasn’t lying.

His own eyes slowly dropped to the floor.

Suddenly...

Everything made sense.

Why she’d hidden things from him.

Why she’d become so secretive.

Why she kept disappearing without explanations.

Why she’d always looked so anxious whenever Patrick’s name came up.

Denzel swallowed hard.

He had spent weeks imagining countless possibilities.

He’d convinced himself she was seeing someone else.

That maybe she’d fallen for another man.

That perhaps she simply didn’t love him anymore.

Out of every possibility he’d imagined...

This had never crossed his mind.

Not once.

His chest tightened.

He had expected betrayal.

He hadn’t expected this.

"...Jesus."

The word escaped him before he could stop it.

He rubbed a hand across his face, trying to steady himself.

"I thought..." He let out a humorless laugh. "I thought maybe she’d met someone else."

His eyes remained fixed on the floor.

"I never imagined..."

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

The reality of it was simply too heavy.

Sophia hadn’t just been keeping a secret.

She had somehow become involved with Patrick’s drug operation.

And that changed everything.

"I’m going to kill him."

The words came out cold.

Steady.

Without the slightest trace of hesitation.

Her eyes widened immediately.

"You can’t."

Denzel looked at her.

"I mean it," she said, taking a step forward. "You cannot do that."

"And why not?"

"Because the moment Patrick dies..." She hesitated before finishing. "...I’m going to prison."

He frowned.

"What?"

"If Patrick is murdered after I reveal this, who do you think they’ll suspect?" she asked. "The only other person who knows is me."

Denzel clenched his jaw.

"So what?" he snapped. "You expect me to sit around while my family gets dragged into this? While Patrick keeps using Sophia?"

She remained calm despite the anger in his voice.

"I’m saying you need to think."

He scoffed.

"I am thinking."

"No, you’re reacting."

That made him pause.

She continued carefully.

"As far as anyone else knows, there was never any drug transaction."

He frowned.

"No one can prove that I saw Sophia collecting the drugs. No one can prove you know anything either."

She folded her arms.

"But if Patrick suddenly turns up dead..."

She let the sentence hang.

"It won’t take long before people start asking questions."

Denzel’s expression darkened.

"He’s the village chief’s son," she continued. "People will move mountains to find whoever killed him."

"And once they discover I knew something..." She forced out a bitter smile. "...I’ll become the easiest person to blame."

Silence settled between them.

Denzel hated every word she was saying.

Mostly because she was right.

His fists slowly loosened.

Killing Patrick now...

It would solve one problem while creating ten more.

He clicked his tongue in frustration before letting out a long breath.

"...Fine."

She looked up.

"I won’t do anything."

Relief flashed across her face.

"...Yet."

The relief disappeared just as quickly.

"But on one condition."

She blinked.

"What condition?"

"You’re going to help me."

She stared at him as though he’d spoken another language.

"...Help you?"

"Yes."

She gave a small, confused laugh.

"How exactly do you expect me to help you?"

Denzel met her eyes.

"Because unlike me, you’ve already managed to get close enough to Patrick’s operation without raising suspicion."

She frowned.

"You know how he moves."

"You know who he trusts."

"And more importantly..." He paused. "You’re one of the few people who’s actually seen something and lived to talk about it."

She fell silent.

"I don’t need someone stronger than me," Denzel continued. "I need someone smarter."

For the first time since they’d started talking, she looked genuinely caught off guard.

"You’ve been surviving around people like Patrick this whole time," he said. "That takes courage... whether you realize it or not."

She looked away, unsure how to respond.

"So yes," Denzel said firmly. "I need your help."

After a long silence, she finally asked,

"...And what exactly are you planning?"

Denzel folded his arms.

"One thing is certain."

She looked at him.

"I’m getting Sophia out of whatever this is."

The young woman frowned.

"...Why?"

He stared at her.

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean exactly that." She shrugged. "From everything you’ve told me, she isn’t being held against her will. She’s still living her life. She’s still walking around freely."

She tilted her head.

"So why throw yourself into something this dangerous?"

Denzel’s expression hardened.

"Because she’s family."

She didn’t answer.

He continued.

"I don’t care whether she got dragged into it or walked into it herself."

"It doesn’t change anything."

"It changes everything," she replied quietly.

"No."

He shook his head.

"It doesn’t."

"If she’s in that kind of business, sooner or later it’ll destroy her."

He looked away for a moment.

"Maybe not today."

"Maybe not tomorrow."

"But people don’t just walk away from things like this."

His voice dropped.

"I’ve seen what drugs do to people."

"What they do to families."

"I’m not standing by and pretending none of this is happening."

She studied him in silence.

"You really believe you can save her?"

"I have to."

"And if she refuses to leave?"

Denzel hesitated.

The question lingered.

"...Then I’ll convince her."

"And if that doesn’t work?"

"I’ll find another way."

She couldn’t help letting out a small sigh.

"You’re incredibly stubborn."

"I’ve been called worse."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips before disappearing.

"You know..."

She looked at him for a long moment.

"...Most people would’ve walked away after hearing what I told them."

Denzel didn’t respond.

"They would’ve decided it wasn’t their problem anymore."

"It is my problem."

"Because she’s Sophia?"

He nodded once.

"Because she’s family."

The conviction in his voice left no room for doubt.

She stared at him for several seconds before finally exhaling.

"...Fine."

Denzel raised an eyebrow.

"I’ll help you."

His expression softened ever so slightly.

"You will?"

She nodded.

"I don’t know if we’ll succeed."

"I don’t even know if we’re crazy for trying."

"But..." She held out her hand. "...I’m in."

Denzel looked at it for a second before reaching forward.

Their hands met in a firm handshake.

"Thank you."

"Don’t thank me yet," she replied with a weak smile. "We haven’t done anything."

He gave a small nod.

"Fair enough."

Releasing her hand, he leaned back against the wall.

"So..."

He looked at her.

"First things first."

She folded her arms.

"Yeah."

"We’re talking about dismantling a local drug operation..."

"...and getting Sophia out before it’s too late."

He let out a slow breath.

"So where do we even begin?"