Sold on Earth, Chosen by Beasts

Chapter- 14

A few moments later, the front door finally opened again, and Brendon stepped inside the apartment.

The moment he noticed the tense expressions on everyone's faces, the smile on his face disappeared instantly.

"What happened?" he asked cautiously.

The atmosphere inside the apartment immediately turned heavy.

Nyx lowered her gaze slightly before quietly explaining everything that had happened after they left.

Mr. Roy is coming to ask for sugar. Sneaking inside while her back was turned. Trying to force himself on her. Grandma is getting injured while trying to protect her. Victor arrived at the right moment. And arranging the guards to stop the today's incident from repeating again.

And finally, the neighbors gathered outside the apartment after hearing the commotion.

By the time Nyx finished speaking, the living room had fallen completely silent.

Brendon, Mike, and even Rosa looked too shocked to react immediately.

Only Karen's face slowly twisted with anger.

Then suddenly—

"You b***h! This is all your fault!" Karen shrieked furiously as she lunged toward Nyx. "If you hadn't seduced him with your face, do you think something like this would've happened?!"

Nyx instinctively stepped backward.

But before Karen could reach her, Rosa quickly grabbed her arm tightly.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Rosa hissed at her. "Did you already forget Victor's warning about harming her?"

Karen jerked her arm angrily.

"I remember perfectly," she snapped bitterly. "But that doesn't mean we can't teach her a lesson. If Victor asks, we can always say she slipped down the stairs."

Nyx stared at Karen coldly before suddenly laughing softly.

The sound unsettled everyone in the room.

"You can try," she said quietly. "But don't forget Victor left some of his men outside the apartment to guard me."

Karen's expression stiffened instantly.

"If something happens to me," Nyx continued slowly, "who do you think Victor will believe? You? Or the men he personally stationed outside the building?"

For the first time in her life, Nyx felt grateful for Victor Romano's terrifying reputation.

Karen let out a mocking laugh.

"So what if you have Victor backing you now?" she sneered. "That doesn't mean we can't punish you in other ways."

A cruel smirk slowly spread across her face.

"We can always destroy that pendant you treasure so much."

The moment those words left Karen's mouth, something inside Nyx finally snapped.

The exhaustion.

The fear.

The humiliation.

Everything she had endured today came crashing down at once.

"You wouldn't dare," Nyx muttered through clenched teeth.

Karen stepped closer defiantly.

"Try me."

For a brief second, silence filled the room.

Then Nyx slowly leaned closer toward Karen until only she could hear her next words.

"Don't provoke me, Karen," she whispered coldly. "Because the moment you destroy the only thing controlling me… you'll lose the ability to control what I become afterward."

Karen froze.

For the first time in years, genuine fear flashed across her face.

The coldness inside Nyx's eyes sent chills down her spine.

This wasn't the same obedient girl they had controlled for years.

Not anymore.

"That's enough!" Rosa suddenly snapped, finally realizing the situation was spiraling out of control.

Her sharp gaze moved between both girls.

"You two are not children anymore."

Then she turned toward Nyx.

"And you," Rosa said sternly, "you went too far today. Apologize to Karen right now."

But Nyx simply stared at her silently.

The same cold look she had given Karen moments ago now landed on Rosa instead.

Rosa's throat bobbed nervously.

For the first time, even she seemed slightly unsettled by Nyx.

Realizing there was no point pushing the matter further while Nyx was emotionally unstable, Rosa immediately changed the subject.

"So much happened today," she said awkwardly. "Why didn't you call us?"

Nyx let out a tired sigh.

"You never answer your phones while shopping anyway," she replied calmly. "So I decided to tell you after you came home."

Rosa opened her mouth as if wanting to scold her again, but immediately stopped after seeing the exhausted expression on Nyx's face.

Brendon quickly stepped forward instead.

"How's Mother?" he asked worriedly. "Is she badly hurt? What did the doctor say?"

"She injured her back during the fall," Nyx replied while rubbing her temple tiredly. "But the doctor said it's mostly muscle strain and tissue damage. He prescribed painkillers and some medication. Grandma already took them and fell asleep."

The tension in the room eased slightly after hearing that.

"Good," Rosa finally said with relief. "We'll go check on her."

Then she glanced toward the kitchen.

"You go prepare dinner."

Without waiting for an answer, Rosa immediately dragged Karen toward Grandma's room while Mike and Brendon followed behind them.

Karen looked like she wanted to continue arguing, but one warning glare from Rosa shut her up instantly.

Nyx stood silently in the living room, watching them leave.

Then slowly—

A faint smile appeared on her face.

For the first time in years, they actually looked nervous around her.

The realization amused her far more than it should have.

Shaking the thought away, Nyx turned around and quietly walked toward the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, the grandmother had already woken up and was struggling to sit properly on the bed.

Brendon immediately rushed forward to help adjust the pillows behind her back.

"How are you feeling, Mother?" he asked worriedly. "Does your back still hurt badly? Nyx told us what happened earlier."

Grandma let out a tired sigh.

"It hurts a little," she admitted, "but the painkillers helped."

Then her expression darkened.

"That girl thinks I nag her for no reason," she muttered bitterly. "Now look what happened because she refused to listen to me."

Everyone in the room fell silent.

"If she hadn't clung to Victor Romano like that in front of everyone," Grandma continued coldly, "do you think that disgusting man would've gotten the wrong idea and tried something like this?"

Karen immediately seized the opportunity to complain.

"And her attitude became even worse afterward," she added bitterly. "Not only did she talk back to us, but she even threatened and blackmailed us."

The grandmother's expression darkened further after hearing that.

"She did what?" Grandma asked in shock.

Mike immediately repeated everything that had happened in the living room, including Nyx threatening Karen after the pendant was mentioned.

The grandmother's expression gradually darkened.

"That girl has truly become arrogant after getting Victor Romano's support," she muttered grimly.

Karen crossed her arms angrily.

"She's getting too smug," she snapped. "We should break her wings before she starts flying over our heads."

Mike nodded in agreement while Brendon remained silent.

Only Rosa sighed tiredly, looking utterly disappointed by everyone in the room.

Sometimes she genuinely wondered how she ended up surrounded by so many fools.

"And exactly how do you plan to do that?" Rosa asked sharply. "Do you honestly think you can still control her the same way after she gained Victor's backing?"

The others frowned in confusion.

Rosa rubbed her temple before speaking again.

"Nyx knows very well that Victor is protecting her now," she explained calmly. "And more importantly… she knows how to use that protection."

Her voice grew colder.

"No one is more dangerous than someone who understands where their leverage lies."

The room fell silent.

"If you push her too hard now," Rosa continued carefully, "I'm afraid she'll completely rebel against us. And if that happens, none of us will be able to handle the consequences."

Karen looked furious.

"So what?" she snapped bitterly. "You're suggesting we let her do whatever she wants now?"

"Lower your voice," Rosa warned coldly before continuing. "And no, that's not what I'm saying."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm saying we stop provoking her unnecessarily. Especially stop threatening her using that pendant."

Karen frowned.

"She's become extremely protective of it," Rosa added thoughtfully. "Which means it's no longer just a weakness."

"Then how exactly are we supposed to control her now?" Mike asked impatiently.

A slow smile suddenly appeared on the grandmother's face as realization dawned on her.

"We change our method."

Rosa finally smiled back in satisfaction.

"Exactly."

Her fingers tapped lightly against her arm.

"If we still want the goose that laid the golden egg to continue laying more for us… then we need to stop strangling it."

Brendon frowned slightly.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

Rosa's smile widened faintly.

"We do what we've always done best," she said calmly. "Guilt-trip her."

Karen's eyes slowly lit up with understanding.

"After all," Rosa continued smoothly, "we picked her up from the garbage and raised her. The least she can do is repay us."

The others slowly nodded in agreement.

But the grandmother still looked uncertain.

"We've mistreated her for years," she muttered thoughtfully. "Do you really think she'll still listen to us after everything we've done?"

"To be honest?" Rosa admitted calmly. "No."

Then a cold smirk appeared on her face.

"But I know how people like Nyx work."

The room quieted again.

"She's emotionally vulnerable right now," Rosa explained. "What she needs most at the moment is warmth. Comfort. Reassurance."

Her smile deepened.

"A few kind words mixed with guilt will be enough to pull her back under control."

"Tonight," Rosa added quietly, "I'll go to her room. A few kind words before bed. Nothing dramatic."

She said it the way she might discuss a business appointment.

The others slowly began smiling as well.

Completely unaware that outside the slightly open bedroom door—

Nyx had heard every single word and was strangely surprised that she hadn't broken down crying.

Maybe she had simply grown used to their emotional manipulation after enduring it for so many years.

Or maybe, deep down, she already knew she wouldn't be staying with them much longer.

Perhaps she was just too emotionally exhausted to react anymore.

Or maybe she had simply run out of tears to cry for them a long time ago.

Nyx didn't know which one it was.

But for the first time in her life—

She was grateful for it.

Because she no longer wanted to be weak for them.

She no longer wanted to cry because of them.

They will no longer control her more.

Everything changes starting tomorrow. For better.

With an emotionless face, she knocked on her grandmother's door.

Knock. Knock.

The sudden sound made everyone inside the room jump slightly.

All of them immediately turned toward the door.

Nyx stood quietly outside the room with her usual calm expression on her face.

"The table is ready," she said softly. "Grandma, would you like to eat in your room or at the dining table?"

For a brief moment, nobody spoke.

Everyone unconsciously stared at her face, trying to search for even the slightest trace of emotion.

But there was nothing.

No anger.

No sadness.

No tears.

Just exhaustion.

The grandmother was the first to recover.

"In my room," she answered stiffly.

Nyx simply nodded obediently.

"I understand."

Without another word, she turned around and quietly walked away toward the kitchen.