Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead-Chapter 117: His Family.

I had never done anything wrong to these people in my family.

I just wanted to live a peaceful life.

Then why was it that my own people seemed to look at me with those empty eyes?

Glancing at one of my aunts walking on the other side, I had seen her glancing at me like I was some stranger…some anamoly?

Why?

'Noah, snap out of it.'

'You are a villain.'

'That fact is never gonna change, no matter how good you try to be or how you try to take care of yourself. Your character is never meant to be seen in a good light.

Heck, I'm shocked that girl Pixie is still with you.

Then again, we both know the day she knows that you were the one whi killed her father—'

"Damien, stop." I said sharply, my breath uneven at the thought that maybe one of the few people who had come close to me would hate me too one day.

Ruffling my hair, I grunted.

I hated this.

The fact that no matter what I did, I would never be understood…never be loved….never seen as nothing more than just an evil character.

'Well, what are you being such a crybaby about? Huh? You still have time to change all this—Not like "that event" has happened'

"That event?" I raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What do you mean?"

'Hmmm' Damien hummed in my ears, seemingly worried.

"What? Why that long face??" I asked the sentient system, feeling a sense of tension.

'Noah, there are many things you know and many things you don't.'

'In the realm of Gods, the line of truth and illusion starts blurring out.'

'And however much of a noob the God of this world may be…there are some things that you just cannot run away from.

One such thing is your fate as the villain, and no matter how much you try to run away from it, it will always come back biting you.'

My legs shook as a wide line stretched on my forehead, "Are you saying that everything we've been trying to do was all for nought?"

'No. All I'm saying is that we need to outsmart this god. Look, I've trained many villains, researched many worlds, and the only thing I've understood is that no world is perfect.'

'Especially this one.'

'The Book of Sin demands you to walk through hell. Atleast walk like you own it, motherfucker.'

Shouting a bit too loud in my ears, Damien continued. "Do you remember what I told you all those months back?"

Reaching the sidewalk to my house, I scratched my chin. "That even though I cannot change fate, I can still manipulate it to my will?" I asked.

'Exactly. The book of sin only demands you to follow the set rules.

As long as the events that are supposed to happen don't deviate from its original plot, we have a leeway of swimming through the plot holes, my boy—'

'That was the whole reason we made that secret society named Villain Hiring.

This way, you can just put the blame and the negative karma on someone else's head while coming out clean.

Though this can only be done for the sub plots, it's still a good advantage.'

Going on and on with his speech, I was starting to feel tired with his banter.

I mean yes, tell me all the information I need.

But why the fuck do you need do info dumb it on my head as if Im some can of trash?

Ughhh

Shaking my head lightly, I rang the bell to my studio apartments door; getting weirded out by all the pair of footwear's outside.

'Who could it be so late at night?' I wondered.

My body got tense as my instincts kicked in.

Slowly moving my hand to the dagger strapped beside my waist, I crouched, ready for any sneak attack that would launch at me.

The door creaked open, and before I could react—

"SURPRISE!!"

Standing in front of me, with wide grins and excited eyes, were Sylvie, Venus, and Pixie.

Balloons hung from the ceiling and a cake was places further imside the house in our center table.

I took a step in and saw how there were candles flickering around the house…as if waiting for someone to make a wish?

The whole place looked like a child's idea of a celebration, chaotic, a bit of a mess, but so, so full of warmth.

I didn't move.

I didn't breathe.

I felt like I had stepped into another world.

Pixie was the first to react, her energy bouncing as she ran up to me and held my wrist.

"Noah! Did we get you? Huh? Huh? You weren't expecting this, right?" Her black eyes shone with excitement.

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"What… is this?" My voice came out flater than usual, almost comical.

Sylvie's smile was gentle, understanding. "You've been going through a lot, dear," she said, her voice carrying the softness I thought had long disappeared for me. "We wanted to remind you that you're not alone."

Venus scoffed, arms crossed, but his expression wasn't as stoic as usual. "Even a cold brat like you needs a damn reason to smile once in a while." He said

I swallowed hard.

Something inside me cracked.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The words didn't come out.

I had spent months convincing myself that I was alone…that my existence was a curse, that no one truly cared, that I was just playing a role, just surviving.

I had forced myself to believe that my fate was set in stone, that no matter what I did, I would always be the villain.

But now, standing here, watching these idiots gathering and trying to throw a totally random party at me, I could not help but feel something in my throat getting stuck.

As if I could no longer breath.

A sharp gust of air left my lips as something warm streamed down my cheek.

I froze.

I touched my face.

Tears?

Shit.

Quickly turning my head away, I used my free hand to wipe them away.

But it was too late.

Pixie had already seen them fall.

Her expression softened instantly, the usual teasing gone from her face. "Noah…" She stepped closer, her voice so soft that it only made my heart heavier. "You okay?"

I wanted to laugh.

Was I okay?

How was I supposed to answer that?

How was I supposed to explain that for the past few months, I had felt like I was suffocating?

That I had started to believe there was no point in fighting anymore?

That no matter how much I struggled, I was always going to be hated, hunted, seen as a monster?!

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

How was I supposed to say that I was tired of being a villain?

My lips parted, but no words came.

Sylvie Grandma reached for me, her hand trembling slightly as it landed on my shoulder. "Oh, Noah…" she murmured.

Then, without warning, Pixie jumped forward, wrapping her arms around me.

I stiffened at her antiques.

Her small hands gripped the back of my neck as she tightly buried her face in my chest. "It's okay," she whispered. "You don't have to say anything."

The person I had come to call Ma also gripped my shoulders from the other side, as if letting me know that even after all the wrongs I had done, she was there.

My fucking Grand Dad, that wise old man who I had finally come to terms with, the man who never even let his hair turn grey due to the fear of being called an oldie in front of Ma.

The Cold King Of Romero.

Even such a guy let out a quite sigh, patting my back in an awkward, almost fatherly gesture.

Heh, I laughed...

"Do I look that done to you guys?" I asked, quite enjoying the warmth and love they showered at me.

And for the first time in forever, I didn't feel cold.

For the first time in forever, I didn't feel alone.

My fingers clenched at the fabric of my robe, my whole body trembling from the weight of the emotions crashing into me.

The dim light flickered, casting, long, eerir shadows across the room, but for the first time in years, I did not see the dark in them.

Feeling Pixie slowly caressing at my neck, as if she wanted to tell me that no matter what happens, she's there for me…I could not comprehend what I felt.

As for where she was touching? It was a 5 centimetre scar that circles around my neck.

The thick, jagged line that ran from one side to the other—like my throat had once been slit open and stitched back together.

A reminder of every battle I had fought.

Every death I had escaped. Every moment I had come so close to losing everything.

Yet… despite it all…

I was still here.

Still breathing.

Still fighting.

Because of them.

Because they refused to let me drown.

Because they refused to let me give up on myself.

'See that?' Damien's voice echoed in my mind, his usual teasing tone absent. 'They're worth it, kid. Worth fighting for. Worth going against that author for.'

My face darkened.

'And if that motherfucker ever dares touch a single strand of their being—' I muttered to Damien.

A pause.

Then, something cold and absolute rose from my steaming brain.

'Then we'll kill him first.'

I exhaled, my grip on Pixie tightening.

Yeah.

We would.

***