Chapter 97: Stay away from my wife

Chapter 97: 97: Stay away from my wife

The Academy

"We are having a painting competition tomorrow. You all should be prepared, no mistakes will be tolerated," the teacher announced briskly. "Have a nice day," she added, before turning on her heel and leaving the classroom.

Whispers immediately erupted across the room. Nova, wearing a thoroughly bored expression, was just about to rest her head on her desk when Rika approached her cautiously.

"I’m... I’m sorry, Nova," Rika murmured, bowing her head in deep apology. "I was just being jealous before. I didn’t really mean any harm," she added, her voice trembling but sounding remarkably genuine.

Nova stared at her blankly. "I don’t need your apology. Just stay away from me," she replied coldly. Sensing no actual threat emanating from her, Nova rested her head back on the desk, dismissing her entirely.

Rika swallowed hard, desperately controlling the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. "I... I will leave, then," she whispered. Bowing deeply once more, she scurried back to her seat like a frightened mouse.

A moment later, Alan walked in, carrying his usual array of snacks in his hands. He approached Nova’s desk and called her name in a gentle, affectionate whisper.

Nova opened her eyes. Seeing Alan, she sat up and took the plastic bag from him. "Are you done with class?" she asked, pulling out a chocolate bar. She unwrapped it and took a calm bite, her blue eyes staring up at him.

Alan shook his head. "I just came to deliver your snacks. We have a test right now," he replied apologetically.

Nova nodded. "Go back, then. If I’m done before you, I will wait for you at the school gates," she said.

"Alright." Alan chuckled, flashing her a bright, gentle smile before hurrying out of the room.

The rest of the class sat paralyzed, staring at Nova. A chaotic mix of deep envy and terror swirled in their eyes. The tension in the room was thick and suffocating, wrapping around their throats like a vice. Yet, no one dared to breathe a single word, absolutely petrified that even the slightest noise might offend her and turn her dangerous gaze upon them.

Soon, classes finally ended for the day. Nova grabbed her bag and headed toward Alan’s classroom. Seeing that he wasn’t finished yet, she walked out to the academy’s main gates to wait for him.

Leaning casually against Cassian’s luxury car, which he gifted her. Nova pulled her phone from her bag, tossing the bag onto the backseat. She tapped the screen alive and noticed a new text message from Raymond.

She opened it and saw the detailed free-time schedule he had promised to send her. "He’s there already," she murmured to herself, quickly typing out a reply.

"How was your journey?"

Almost immediately, the typing indicator bubbled on the screen.

"It was boring, wifey. It would have been much better if you were here." he replied, attaching a sad emoji.

Nova chuckled, her thumb gliding over the keyboard. "Don’t be sad. Once you complete your mission over there, I will treat you to a meal when you return."

"Now I’m not sad anymore! My wife is always the best". Raymond replied instantly.

Nova’s smile widened. "Eat well and drink well over there, okay? Make sure you sleep well, too." She hit send.

"Noted, sweet wifey."

Reading the last message, Nova locked her screen, a gentle, genuine smile lingering on her lips. Just as she turned to open the car door, a sudden voice broke through the ambient street noise, calling her name.

"Nova!"

Nova paused and turned around. Seeing an unfamiliar male student standing a few paces away, her brows knitted together. Instantly, her gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a freezing, unapproachable glare that caused the temperature around them to plummet.

The young man flinched, visibly intimidated by Nova’s terrifying aura. The air between them grew impossibly heavy, thick with a dangerous, unspoken threat, but he somehow summoned every ounce of his inner courage to speak. "My... my name is Adam," he stuttered, his voice shaking.

"So?" Nova stared at him, bewildered and annoyed. "I didn’t ask for his name," she thought, looking at Adam as though she were observing someone entirely unhinged.

Adam gulped nervously, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the straps of his backpack. "Can... can I be friends with you?" he stammered.

Nova was left entirely speechless. She stared at him for a long, piercing moment. Suddenly, a translucent blue screen materialized in the empty space between them, illuminating the air with Adam’s detailed profile.

[Ding!]

[Target information downloaded]

[Name: Adam Scott]

[Age: 19]

[Threat level: 0]

[Status: Single]

[Occupation: Top-ranking hacker; hidden leader of the GY Hacker Group]

Nova’s eyes narrowed into sharp, calculating slits as she took another glance at the innocent-looking boy trembling before her. "So his group is the top hacking organization?" she asked inwardly.

The information about Adam wiped away, replaced by new glowing text floating across the screen.

[No... his group is ranked below Alan’s group. Above Alan’s group is the SK Hacking Group. They are the highest ranked.]

Nova nodded and the blue screen vanished without a trace. Her attention snapped back to Adam, whose eyes were shining with desperate, puppy-like hope.

"I don’t need friends," she rejected him with absolute, icy finality.

"I can be your errand boy, then!" Adam blurted out immediately, desperate to keep her attention. "I saw Alan getting you snacks at noon. I can do that for you, too!" he pleaded.

"Alan is not my errand boy. He is my husband," Nova snapped, her annoyance flaring. The pressure in the air spiked dangerously, razor-sharp and hostile.

Seeing Nova’s rising anger, Adam instantly dropped to his knees right there on the pavement, entirely stunning her. "I’m sorry! I... I didn’t know! Please don’t be mad at me," he begged, bowing his head.

Nova’s mouth parted slightly in shock at Adam’s dramatic, shameless display. "Foggy face," she called inwardly.

Instantly, time froze.

The bustling noise of the academy gates went dead silent. A falling leaf paused in mid-air. Anah materialized beside Nova, floating through the static reality as she slowly circled Adam, scanning him from head to toe.

"Weird. This guy has never been a student at this school. Though he isn’t a threat..." Anah trailed off, remaining silent for a moment as her systems calculated. "He is indeed highly capable of being an errand boy," she concluded.

Nova stared at Anah in disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?" she asked incredulously.

Anah sighed. "He came to this academy specifically for you. Don’t worry, he’s a good shield. He’s willingly offering himself to you—just accept him," the system advised.

"Return," Nova ordered sharply.

Anah scoffed in annoyance before vanishing into thin air. Immediately, time unfroze, and the chaotic sounds of the street slammed back into reality.

Adam was still staring up at Nova from his knees, looking utterly pathetic.

"I don’t need an errand boy. Just go about your own business," Nova commanded dismissively.

Adam stood up quickly, brushing off his knees. A resilient, disarming smile returned to his lips. "Then I can be your bodyguard!" he offered enthusiastically.

Nova was just about to reject him again when Alan’s voice sliced through the tension like a blade.

"There’s no need. Stay away from my wife, she doesn’t need you."

Alan stepped between them, his posture rigid and intensely territorial. He grabbed Nova’s hand protectively. Without waiting for Adam to reply, he pulled open the heavy car door and gently ushered Nova inside, shielding her from Adam’s view.

He cast one last icy, lethal glare at Adam before sliding into the backseat himself. The driver immediately put the car in gear, and the vehicle peeled away from the curb.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, the innocent, eager expression on Adam’s face melted away entirely. It was replaced by a sharp, calculating, and chilling smirk.

"The way she looked at me just now... it’s as if she could already see right through me," he murmured to himself, his tone completely void of its previous nervousness.

A shadowy, glitching figure suddenly manifested in the air right next to him, letting out a loud, synthetic sigh. "Why did you approach that demoness in the first place?" the figure asked.

"I need her help to upgrade you," Adam replied calmly, his eyes still fixed on the empty road.

"I can upgrade myself. I just need more time. That female devil definitely won’t help you out of the goodness of her heart," the shadow retorted.

Adam’s smirk deepened, his eyes glinting with a dangerous, excited thrill. "Go back and rest. Don’t exhaust your energy," he commanded softly.

In the blink of an eye, the shadowy figure vanished into the wind, and Adam’s smirk widen.