My Dearest Delusion

I was a top-ranked succubus, for crying out loud! I could get any man I wanted!

He let out a cold snort, neither agreeing nor denying. He knew better than anyone what a contract bond actually meant, anyway.

-

With anger in my chest, I forced myself to hold on for three days, then another three. Even when I was dizzy with hunger and I couldn't stand straight, I still refused to call his number.

The best way to tame prey had always been to corner it, wait for it to be drained of every last drop of resistance, before appearing as its savior.

Jack had always been a patient hunter.

The summer days were hot, humid, and full of rain. By the tenth day of being locked in the villa, a storm raged outside, wind and lightning tearing the sky apart.

I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, burying half my face against my knees as my teary eyes looked outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

If Jack appeared now… Perhaps I could forgive him, just a little.

In the past, whenever thunder rumbled outside, he would stop working and pull me into his arms, coldly chiding me for being childish while wiping away the tears at the corner of my eyes.

But now, the entire villa was silent. He didn't even bother to call me.

I sniffled hard and tucked my face deeper, trying to hide myself from the world.

Suddenly, a crack of thunder lit up the living room, and the front door slammed open, bringing with it a gust of cold, rainy wind.

Stunned, I jerked my head up, and someone in a bright red race suit appeared in my line of sight without any warning.

Cool and tall, the man had black hair that was wet with rainwater and features that were both familiar yet not at the same time.

Before any rational thought formed, my instincts kicked in. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally did, and I threw my pillow away, running towards the man and pouncing into his arms barefoot.

"Jack!"

-

I was still very angry, but the emotion that welled up in my heart the moment I wrapped my arms around his waist wasn't anger, but a huge wave of hurt and sadness.

"I hate you…" Tears streamed down my cheeks pathetically as I weakly pounded my fists against his chest. "I hate you so, so much…"

Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed by a big, wet hand.

The man in front of me stepped back, putting distance between us, before he drawled, his voice lazy and teasing, "Whoa there, throwing yourself at me already?"

Perhaps it was because his soaked hair covered his brows that he looked a little less aloof than he usually was. To top it off, the red race suit he wore gave him an almost roguish air.

However, my thoughts had become sluggish after being starved for so long, so all I felt was confusion. "Why are you wearing those clothes?"

If I remember correctly, Jack always turned his nose up at car racing. In fact, he practically despised it.

He furrowed his brows as he held my wrist, which was heating up. "You're here all alone?"

What a strange question.

"Weren't you the one who told me to reflect on myself here?"

He lifted his gaze and swept the villa with a glance, then touched my forehead. Dazed, I leaned my head backwards slightly.

With a 'tsk', he said, "How do you have no idea that you're running a high fever?"

A fever?

I touched my cheek in a daze.

-

I had always been more partial to cold temperatures, so even on rainy days, the whole villa was blasting with air-conditioning.

The first thing he did was find the remote and turn them all off.

The villa was unoccupied in the first place, so there wasn't so much as a flu tablet in sight. He could only use a wet towel to cool me down.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up. The voice on the other end was clearly annoyed. "What?"

Hyde didn't bother with pleasantries, his tone lazy and proud. "What, can't I call you without a reason? By the way, the succubus you locked up in the Southern Villa seems to be running a fever. Aren't you going to check in on her?"

"Why did you go over there?" The man on the other end was clearly displeased.

"Well, my car broke down, and the villa was close by, so I ducked in here to wait out the rain."

On the other end, the navigation announced a turn into the old district.

Hyde chuckled, his voice laced with mischief. "Oh my, isn't that where your precious damsel in distress lives? What, is Prince Charming swooping in for the rescue again?"