Chapter 137:Oh... so this is love

Chapter 137: 137:Oh... so this is love

Nova stared at Dora, pure revulsion twisting her features. "What an irritating joke," she hissed, her voice dripping with ice. "Are you done with this absurd drama? It is time to settle our scores."

​Tears instantly welled in Dora’s eyes. "Nova, I really love—"

​"Keep it shut!" Nova snapped. In a blur of motion, her hand shot out, seizing Dora by the throat. She lifted the struggling woman effortlessly off the floor, her eyes burning with lethal intent.

​"Nova, let her go!" Clark shouted, lunging forward in panic. "This has nothing to do with her! She just has feelings for you. If you cannot accept her, just reject her bluntly, but do not kill her!"

​Nova glared at Clark, the atmospheric pressure in the room dropping to a suffocating extreme. "I think both of you have left your brains at the door. Do I look like a lesbian to you? The sheer audacity to propose to me—what a vile stain on my years of existence." Her gaze darkened, shifting from deep annoyance to outright murder. "And you... where did you get the Medusa head?"

​Anah remained seated gracefully on the sofa, silently observing the scene. A smirk of profound disgust played on her lips as she watched Dora kick and gasp for air.

​Clark clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I will answer any question you have. Just please... let her go first," he pleaded.

​Nova smirked. "Let her go? She is lucky she managed to escape me once. There will not be a second time. But... since you seem to harbor such deep affection for her, I will give you a chance to confess. Go ahead."

​"Dora, I—"

​"Shut up! I don’t want to hear a word from you!" Dora wheezed, her voice strained but frantic. "I only love Nova!"

​Clark’s jaw tightened in agony. "You don’t understand, Dora! She just made it perfectly clear she despises you. Besides... she was the one who turned your father into a mannequin! I went to your mansion, and I found him there, entirely paralyzed. He is dying, and she did it!"

​Nova abruptly released her grip. Dora crashed heavily to the marble floor, coughing violently as she scrambled for breath. Clark rushed to her side, desperately helping her stand up on her feet.

​Dora looked up, her tear-stained eyes locking onto Nova. "My dad?" she stuttered. "You did that?"

​Nova sneered, her posture radiating arrogant provocation. "So what if I did?"

​Dora lowered her head. The room held its breath. Then, a broken whisper left her lips. "He deserved it, then."

​Clark froze, staring at her in sheer horror. "Dora..."

​"Why are you telling me this? To make me hate Nova?" Dora laughed, a dry, unhinged sound. "I’m sorry to disappoint you, Clark, but I won’t. Don’t try to sow discord between us!" She shot Clark a look of absolute venom.

​"Oh... so this is love," Anah sang mockingly from the sidelines, shaking her head with a dark, amused smile.

​"But she doesn’t even love you!" Clark screamed, entirely unraveled.

​"I would rather die than be rejected!" Dora shrieked, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

​"Good!" Nova commended ruthlessly. She snatched a silver fruit knife from the table and tossed it. It clattered sharply against the floor, coming to a halt directly at Dora’s feet. "Well said. Go ahead, then. I would love to see your corpse."

​Dora sobbed, her face drenched in tears. "Nova, please, just look at me... you... you could develop just a tiny bit of feeling for me, couldn’t you?"

​Nova crossed her arms, her expression utterly detached. "Are you going to do it or not?"

​Dora stared blankly at the blade. Slowly, she reached out for it.

​"Are you completely insane, Dora?!" Clark roared, yanking her back by her shoulders. His eyes were bloodshot with a mix of fury and despair. "Do you want to kill yourself?!"

​Dora bit her lip, trembling violently in his grip.

​Clark turned his desperate gaze back to Nova. "I know I am no match for you, but Dora has done nothing wrong! Please, spare her life. If you need blood, take mine instead!"

​Nova raised a single finger, wagging it slowly. "No. She has done plenty wrong. First, she dared to covet my man. Second, she dared to fall in love with me. And lastly, she had the absolute gall to propose to me. She tried to snatch me away from my husbands. It is utter nonsense."

​"We can sort this out—" Clark began, his teeth gritted.

​He never finished the sentence.

​In a blinding flash, Nova vanished. She materialized directly behind Dora. Before anyone could draw a single breath, Nova seized Dora’s head and twisted. A sickening, wet snap echoed through the grand hall.

​Nova discarded the lifeless body, letting it slump heavily to the floor. "My apologies, but this was taking far too much of my time," Nova said smoothly, dusting off her hands. "I do not waste precious minutes on anyone outside my family."

​All the blood drained from Clark’s face. He collapsed to his knees beside Dora, his hands shaking violently as he pulled her limp, lifeless form against his chest.

​"Dora... Dora! Dora, talk to me," he choked out, a raw, guttural sob tearing from his throat. "Why? Why did you have to do this?"

​Nova snorted coldly, her aura shifting back to a dark, murderous oppression. "It is your turn now. Will you explain yourself so you can join her quickly? Or do I need to extract the information using my own methods?"

​"You could have spared her," Clark whispered, tears his eyes. His hollow eyes drifted to the fallen silver knife. He snatched it from the floor. "If I had known you were a monster devoid of reason, I would never have submitted to her wishes and brought you here."

​He gently laid Dora’s head on the marble. "I went through all this trouble just to make her happy, and it brought nothing but ruin. You want to know about the Medusa head? I have nothing left to say to you."

​Without hesitation, Clark plunged the knife deep into his own chest.

​"Fuck this guy! Did you think dying would keep your secrets safe?" Anah spat furiously. She levitated forward, thrusting her palm toward the dying man. A blinding blue light erupted from her hand, striking Clark directly in the skull.

​"Gather all his memories for me," Anah commanded. Instantly, the blue light pulsed, violently ripping Clark’s consciousness from his dying brain.

​Clark lifted a trembling finger, pointing at Nova. His lips moved, but no sound came out. The overwhelming weight of death dragged him down, and he collapsed, dead on the spot.

​"Trash," Nova muttered. She snapped her fingers. In an instant, both Clark and Dora’s bodies disintegrated into fine, grey dust, scattering across the empty floor.

​"The Medusa head isn’t here anymore," Anah reported, the blue light fading from her hand. "It seems it has already been returned. Clark’s memories are still processing; I cannot access the data just yet."

​"It’s fine," Nova replied, her eyes narrowing toward the entrance. "Let’s leave this place first."

​She took a single step toward the exit, but the heavy mahogany doors suddenly exploded inward. Wood splintered across the foyer as several heavily armed men rushed into the room, their weapons raised.

​Stepping boldly through the ruined doorway, leading the tactical squad, was a young woman wearing a black mask.