The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Damien’s proposal took Novahy surprise. She thought. I literally haven’t done anything. Why is he suddenly asking for this? It makes no sense.

But to Damien, it was the most natural thing in the world.

Damien, who had climbed from slavery to the very top, had chased power and status obsessively in his youth.

He founded the world’s strongest assassin organization-Shadow Sanctum, monopolized 80% of the global arms trade, and held a 30% share in legitimate business.

He earned a reputation as the most ruthless man alive. Yet few people knew that he didn’t care about money or status.

If he wanted something, he would go after it at any cost. The moment he realized he had developed feelings for Nova, he went straight to her and tested the waters.

After several encounters, he was certain of one thing-he liked having this woman around, and he wanted her by his side.

Desire fueled his actions-because he liked her, he had to have her. That was Damien’s way, so he made his offer-he wanted her to become his wife.

In return, he would provide the poison doctor she needed and was even willing to hand over Shadow Sanctum itself if she agreed. The only thing he wanted was her.

“Oh?” Nova had never expected Damien to say that. She was shocked internally, but her expression remained calm. She looked at him teasingly. “Marry you? Are you sure?”

In the international underworld, alliances between the powerful were always tangled with interests-just like the marriages of two big shots, often just tools to consolidate power with no real love involved.

Such relationships looked glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, each party often had their own affairs, men kept mistresses, women took lovers-mutual exploitation disguised as partnership.

Nova thought, ‘Damien’s probably doing this to form an alliance with the Bloodblade Mercenary Corps. We’re both basically rivals right now. Using marriage to tie our interests together is a convincing move, after all. And the rivalry between us may indeed need this kind of resolution.

Nova was no naive girl. She didn’t easily believe Damien’s promise of “marry me, and I’ll give you Shadow Sanctum.” She saw it more as an invitation to form an alliance.

Her gaze lingered on Damien’s well-built frame. She thought, ‘Even with clothes on, his powerful physique is obvious. In this game where neither romance nor profit matters, I might not come out losing.

She suddenly reached out, grabbed Damien’s collar, and pulled him down to her level. With a teasing look, she met his eyes and said, “Marry you? Fine. But I’ll need to inspect the goods first. What if you’re not up to it?”

She thought, I’m not about to make a bad deal

Damien remained expressionless as she tugged, but his eyes darkened at her challenge. He gripped her wrist, his magnetic voice unusually husky. “Then let’s test it. Don’t regret it.”

Just as he moved closer, Nova flashed a triumphant, cunning smile, suddenly looking like an ordinary teenage girl.

The next second, Charles’ furious roar echoed from the staircase. “So it’s you! You’re the one who bullied my daughter at the ball. How dare you come to our home! What did you do to her?”

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Chapter 78

charles had grown-amore suspicious the more he thought about it, and came upstairs to check, only to catch Darien

ripping Nova’s wrist, leaning down like he was about to kiss her.

Charles finally recognized Dikien as the black market figure from before. At the gate earlier, he hadn’t recognized him because Damien had no mark on his face.

Enraged, Charles grabbed a broom and charged Damien. “I don’t care who you are. You dare bully my daughter. Get out! Now!”

Nova had staged the whole thing on purpose. She watched contentedly as Damien was driven out by Charles.

Damien frowned, but he didn’t resist not even when the broom touched his clothes. Not a word of protest, not even a murderous vibe.

Nova wondered, ‘Maybe he’s serious? This marriage without love might be worth reconsidering

Outside Blake Villa, Aiden hid in the shadows and waited for Damien. Suddenly, he saw Damien being “escorted” out with a

broom.

Aiden rubbed his eye, his jaw nearly dropping. He thought, totally dumbfounded, ‘Is this really the king of the underworld, who takes lives over a wrong word?

‘But now, he is being driven out by Nova’s father without a fight? If this news reaches Shadow Sanctum, the higher-ups will be terrified!’

Inside the villa, Nova sensed the last traces of Damien and his men vanish from the gate. They were gone.

Before she could explain, Charles and Fiona rushed over, their eyes full of worry.

Fiona held her hand, holding back tears. “Nova, we won’t ask about the past, and we’ll never judge you. You just met the wrong person. That’s all in the past. From now on, we will live well together.”

She clearly misunderstood, thinking Nova had been coerced by Damien.

Charles, usually sharp and decisive in business, was now just a protective father, with that broom still in hand.

Waving the broom, he declared, “If that bastard dares to come again, I’ll beat him up.”

Maxwell chimed in, “I’ll protect you, Novie. I won’t let that guy get anywhere near you.”

Hannah had just heard from Charles that Damien wasn’t Nova’s boyfriend. She snapped, “You’re usually so tough. You should’ve fought back hard.”

Nova didn’t bother explaining anything. She basked in her family’s protectiveness, silently vowing to safeguard this warmth. She nodded. “Don’t worry.”

*****

Ever since Damien showed up, the whole family believed Nova had been threatened by a black market big shot. To avoid hurting her, they never mentioned it again.

For a while after that, Maxwell drove Nova to and from school, with Hannah always accompanying her, strictly preventing Damien from getting close.

Time passed quickly. Two weeks went by in the blink of an eye.

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Chapter 78-

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Worth mentioning Frank, the head of Verdant Reign, got chased out of Ravenport because of Damien’s threat.

Victor had managed to strike a deal with Brody at the ball. Without Verdant Reign’s suppression, Frostwave Bar started taking off-business was booking/

Everyone at Frostwave Bar was hustling. Victor was too busy to contact Nova, giving her a period of peace.

SLRA encouraged students to participate in all kinds of club activities. It urged students not to just bury themselves in books during their youth. They needed to do what they ought to do.

Because of this, the students had numerous activities every year. For instance, the earlier birthday banquet, the duel tournament, and the wilderness survival program.

One day between classes, Sophia leaned over her desk, saying, “Nova, are you going on the school hot springs trip tomorrow? It’s three days out of state. Something fun is bound to happen.”

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