Chapter 221
He smirked devilishly. “Phee, from the day you stepped into Ignite Camp, I told you, you’d belong to me, Maximus. You’re mine alone, no matter where you flee to the ends of the earth of the depths of hell, I will chase you down.”
“Look, aren’t you right here in my grasp? So quiet, so obedient, I like it.”
He loosened his grip on her chin, his slender fingers gently tracing the elegant lines of her face, teasing and toying with her features.
Each touch sparked a tiny electric thrill across her face, stopping at her soft, rosy lips. His fingertips caressed them lightly, his eyes filled with obsession and fervor fixed on them, as if he was about to bite down fiercely.
No, it’s wrong. I can’t, I shouldn’t.
Xanthea restrained her pounding heart and flushed cheeks, turning her head shyly, “Because I am independent, free, and I will never belong to anyone.”
“Is that so?*
He sneered, his eyes suddenly blazing with jealous fury that startled Xanthea, “What about Matthew?!”
“Why are you with him? For thirty days, I set up traps to catch you, and I watched you move in and out with him, sharing meals and living spaces. I was driven mad with jealousy. I wanted to kill him!”
Huh?
Xanthea, who had already been completely drawn into his performance, was suddenly snapped back to reality by his out–of–place mention of “Matthew.”
He’s just reciting lines, why is he adding his own twist?
Did he think blending reality with the role will make it easier for her to get into character?
She wasn’t sure if she was into the character or not, but he clearly was, almost snarling as he spoke, his hand that had stopped moving at her chest now resuming its advance, positioning to tear her clothes apart.
Xanthea glanced down, “?!” Hey, this isn’t part of the script, this crossing of lines was supposed to be glossed over!
“Maximus!”
She shouted, and it indeed halted his movements, “You can’t kill him!”
“Why?”
Her firm defense and opposition infuriated him further, his tall silhouette looming over her, his halted movements resuming.
“Phee? He’s just reciting lines, why is he adding his own twist? That weak, good–for–nothing pretty boy? What’s so good about him? How is he better than me? Is he richer, from a better family, or is he more ‘capable‘ than me?”
“Have you tried it? Why don’t you compare and see, taste what I offer? I guarantee that once you’ve tried it, you won’t think of him again.”
“Hey, hey, hey, Orion! Stop, stop. What I just showed you was an unedited line from ‘Realm of Illusions. This part was removed from the actual play, and there are no action scenes.”
Xanthea, her face crimson and heart pounding, listened as his words grew more outrageous, repeatedly trying to stop him, but he seemed lost in his role, completely deaf to her protests.
The sound of tearing fabric broke her thoughts, Xanthea looked down to see him actually ripping her neckline, exposing what lay
beneath.
In “Realm of Illusions,” a jealous and enraged Maximus begins to roughly grope Phoenix, but the Phoenix in the novel, skilled in top assassin techniques, slaps him hard having secretly untied her bonds.
But the Phoenix in the novel was a top–notch assassin, while the real–life Xanthea didn’t know anything. There was no director to call “cut,” so wasn’t she going to let him do whatever he wanted?!
“Orion, Orion.”
Repeating his name was futile. Remembering that he had stopped when she spoke the script lines directly, she quickly said, “Maximus, instead of humiliating me, you might as well kill me! If you don’t kill me, one day I will…”
“You will what?“.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes burning intensely, making Xanthea shiver.
“Kill me?”
1/2
14:44
The infinitely magnified beauty before her and the inexplicable wounded look in his eyes made Xanthea momentarily unable to distinguish whether he was Orion or Maximus.
Regardless of who he was, the Phoenix in the original script, who said, “Yes, I will kill you myself,” couldn’t bring herself to say those words.
She understood then, perhaps for the first time.
Previously, she understood Phoenix as a cold–hearted, heroic figure, single–mindedly seeking revenge and not being bound by anyone or anything.
But throughout her dark, blood–stained childhood, it was Maximus who had always been there, protecting her, helping her through the toughest times, rescuing her from the most perilous situations, and giving her the taste of love. He was the most important person in her life. Even if they later became enemies due to differing allegiances, Phoenix could never bring herself to kill him.
Just like in her past life when she was killed by scoundrels and abandoned by friends and family, her reputation tarnished, only he was willing to visit her grave, seeking vengeance for her. He was also the most important person in her life.
So, the sentence-“I will kill you myself“-that Phoenix was supposed to say, should be a lie.
