Chapter 5

The confined space of the car was stifling, filled with the scent of leather and Leo's strong aroma, a mix of tobacco and gasoline.

This man was a piston, his energy as fast and fierce as his car's speed.

The car rocked violently; I even worried if this multi-million dollar Ferrari would fall apart under his assault.

"Scream," Leo bit my ear, his voice rough. "Weren't you screaming plenty at the cliff's edge?"

I rolled my eyes; that was out of fright.

But for the sake of the mission, I still let out a few cooperative moans.

Leo seemed satisfied, and his actions became even more unrestrained.

The system appropriately broadcasted in my mind. "Third gene acquisition in progress... 50%... 80%..."

I looked at the pitch-black night sky outside the window, with only one thought: it's finally going to end.

These past few days had been pure hell.

First the mad dog, then the hypocrite, and finally this daredevil.

My body had reached its limit, sustained only by sheer willpower.

After an unknown amount of time, Leo finally stopped with a low growl.

System. "Congratulations, Host. All three genes collected, gene fusion program initiated."

In that instant, I felt a warm current surge in my lower abdomen. The constant, nagging ache seemed to lessen considerably.

It really worked.

Leo lay on me like a sated tomcat, idly kissing my neck.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" I pushed him away and sat up, tidying my clothes.

"Of course it matters." Leo sat up straight and lit a cigarette. "You're the first woman who dared to overtake me on the track and keep up with me in bed. How about being my co-driver?"

I scoffed inwardly.

Co-driver?

To play with your life?

I buttoned up my shirt and pushed open the car door. "No interest."

"Not enough money?" Leo reached out, trying to pull me back. "Name your price."

"It's not about money." I looked back at him, my gaze cold. "I don't play with losers."

Leo was amused. "Loser? If it weren't for that oil slick, you'd have lost."

"Lost is lost." I jumped out of the car, uprighting my slightly deformed motorcycle nearby. "A bet's a bet. Tonight, consider it your overnight fee."

With that, I got on the motorcycle, started the engine, twisted the throttle, and sped away.

In the rearview mirror, Leo stood by his car, the cigarette tip flickering, but he didn't follow.

I knew this hurdle was also cleared.

Back in the city, I found a place to get rid of the motorcycle and checked into an inconspicuous hotel.

Next was the waiting game.

Waiting for the pregnancy test results, waiting for this absurd "collecting mission" to finally conclude.

Three days later, I bought a bunch of pregnancy tests.

Seeing the clear two lines, I let out a long breath.

Mission accomplished.

But the real trouble was just beginning.

None of these three men were easy to deal with.

Ethan was surely still looking for that "psychologist." Julian had probably figured things out by now. As for Leo, that guy was the type who could turn the world upside down if he didn't get an explanation.

Once they found out I'd provoked all three of them simultaneously and was pregnant...

That image was too beautiful, I dared not imagine it.

I had to disappear.

And disappear completely, so they'd give up looking for me.

A dead person is never found.

I called out to the system. "Help me plan a fake death."

System. "Alright. How about a yacht explosion? The kind where there's no trace of a body?"

"Deal."

I used the money I'd saved to rent a small yacht and booked a time for it to go out to sea on a Saturday.

Then, I started writing "suicide notes."

Three of them.

To Ethan: "Mr. Blackwood, thank you for showing me the light in the darkness, but I am too tainted for you. If there's a next life, I hope to meet you in the sunshine."

To Julian: "Mr. Thorne, that night was the most beautiful memory of my life, but I know it was a desecration. I'm leaving, don't mourn me."

To Leo: "Beating you was the most exhilarating thing I've ever done. Don't look for me, I'm in the wind, forever free."

I scheduled these three letters to be sent automatically, half an hour after the yacht explosion.

On that day, the weather was beautiful.

I sailed the yacht out to sea alone.

Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to stay on board.

The system gave me an "invisibility bug."

Before the yacht reached the designated explosion point in international waters, I had already put on a diving suit and quietly slipped into a passing freighter's lifeboat.

This freighter was bound for another country.

Time ticked by.

In the distance, a massive explosion suddenly rocked the sea.

Flames soared, and thick smoke billowed.

The rented yacht instantly disintegrated into fragments.

I hid in the shadows, watching the fireball, my heart utterly calm.

Alice was dead.

From today on, I was new.

Half an hour later, my phone indicated that the three emails had been successfully sent.

I imagined the expressions on the three men's faces when they received the letters.

Ethan would probably crush his phone, then frantically search the sea for my body.

Julian might sit silently in his room all night.

Leo would probably drive his car wildly along the coastal road until his fuel tank ran empty.

But none of that mattered to me anymore.

I touched my still-flat belly.

"Babies, Mommy's taking you to a new life."

The freighter sounded its horn, slowly sailing toward the other side of the ocean.

I threw away my SIM card and everything that could prove my identity.

Goodbye, New York.

Goodbye, infertile tycoons.