Ficorpio
Chapter 1
【The blue one…】 【The lace one…】 【Baby, you’re so damn tempting.】 【Baby, I took the lace one. (Image)】 【I’ll be sleeping with it tonight.】 …
Ravenport.
Aster University—the top-ranked university in the country.
It was eight o’clock on Monday morning in the computer science department.
All around Julian Bennett, students were slumped over their desks in every imaginable sleeping position. Even the elderly professor at the front had given up trying to fight the inevitable. He adjusted his thick, beer-bottle glasses and cast an approving glance toward the only student in the back row who was still awake.
Julian: “…”
Did the professor think he didn’t want to sleep?
He couldn’t sleep because he was furious!
Two weeks ago, after one of his white socks vanished and he received a disgusting text, Julian had thrown away every sock he owned. Following advice from helpful people online, he had even carefully installed a high-definition camera inside his dorm-room closet. Supposedly, opening the closet door would trigger a shrill alarm.
And yet that disgusting pervert had still managed to get away with it.
That damned creep…
Julian bit his thin pink lip, his handsome face puffed up and flushed with anger.
No!
He couldn’t tolerate this for another second!
Today, he was going all out.
He didn’t care if it was embarrassing anymore.
He was going to mobilize the entire Bennett family and drag that disgusting pervert into the light!
“Wait, young man, you—”
The old professor hadn’t even finished finding a few words of praise for Julian when Julian was already on his feet and walking out of the classroom.
One student, roused by the commotion, lifted his head and offered the professor a sympathetic explanation.
“Aw, Professor, you’ve been offline for too long. Don’t you know who that is? He’s the Bennett family’s precious youngest son—the pampered little prince everyone dotes on.”
“If I were him, would I still bother coming to class?”
“I’d have spent the last few years driving luxury cars around until I caught an STD and died.”
“He’s only skipping class. That’s already a tremendous courtesy to the rest of us wage slaves.”
The professor: “…”
—
Aster University parking lot.
Julian sat behind the wheel of a discreet silver-white supercar.
He had just pulled out his phone and sent a message to the family group chat, saying that someone had bullied him and that he was going back to the family estate.
The next second, the previously quiet chat exploded.
Richard Bennett, chairman of a billion-dollar conglomerate: 【Who the hell is bold enough to bully my baby?】
Eleanor Bennett, the heiress to a Harbor City financial dynasty: 【Don’t worry, sweetheart. Your mother will make sure you get your revenge.】
Adrian Bennett, CEO of a cutting-edge technology company: 【Who dared bully my little Julian? I’m canceling my meetings and coming home.】
Marcus Bennett, the world’s top hacker: 【I’m already at the estate. I’ve started using my skills to investigate everyone around my little brother.】
Caleb Bennett, one of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars: 【Someone dared bully my adorable, kind little brother? I’m done filming this show. It’s time to demonstrate what a ninth-degree taekwondo black belt can do. I’m coming back to deal with that bastard right now.】
Victor Bennett, the toxic-medicine specialist feared across the world: 【Give me a moment. I’m already on my way with several cases of poison. Whoever bullied my brother can swallow every last drop.】
Gideon Bennett, the occult master who spent most of his time traveling and training: 【Don’t panic. I have several sacks of cursed talismans. I’ll be home soon. I guarantee that whoever bullied my brother will suffer terrible luck and a miserable end.】
Julian stared at the messages still flooding the family chat, warmth spreading through his entire chest.
“Hmph. The whole Bennett family is mobilizing.”
“That damned pervert. Let’s see where you can hide now.”
“Get ready to spend the rest of your life behind bars!”
Julian set down his phone and was just about to press the accelerator and leave Aster University for home when a deep, restrained male voice came from the back seat.
“Baby, you look so irresistible when you’re angry. I want you right now.”
Julian: !!!
No, no, no! Only that sick bastard would say something so disgusting!
When had he hidden himself in the car?!
How had Julian not noticed him?!
He glanced into the rearview mirror and saw a strange man with striking features and an icy, severe face. Shock and fury twisted together inside him.
On instinct, Julian snatched up the water bottle beside him. His first thought was to fight the bastard with everything he had.
Unfortunately…
How could a pampered young heir, doted on by his entire family, possibly stand a chance against a deranged man who had planned this all along?
The next second, a freezing hand struck the back of his neck.
Julian blacked out.
–
The outskirts, far from the city.
An unfinished European-style villa that had been abandoned for years.
A hidden basement no one would think to search.
Chapter 2
Julian was laid on a specially built bed. Four iron chains held his slender, pale wrists and ankles firmly in place. A black cloth was wrapped tightly over his beautiful, lively eyes.
“Wife, wife… You’ve finally fallen into my hands.”
Adrian Blackwood was exceptionally tall. Even Julian, who stood six feet tall, only came up to somewhere around his shoulder. Adrian was broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, dressed in a gray shirt and black slacks. The results of years of working out were impossible to miss.
His skin was unnaturally pale, almost sickly white. His features were so striking they seemed flawless, and his thick lashes curved like a small fan.
Unable to contain himself, Adrian climbed over Julian and pinned him beneath his body.
His dark eyes fixed helplessly on Julian’s soft pink lips.
His voice was full of wounded longing. “Wife, wife, I investigated everything that’s happened to you over the past twenty years. I was so happy to find out that you’ve never kissed anyone before. I want to claim your first kiss right now.”
“But then again… I want your first kiss to be something you give me willingly.”
What a difficult decision. He hated having to choose.
Unable to make up his mind, Adrian settled for something else. His right hand closed around Julian’s slender neck, and he slowly licked at the skin.
In the end, he chose nothing.
“Wife, wife… I’ll be a good husband who respects you.”
“I’ll wait until you wake up, and then let you decide for yourself. Mm…”
Julian had only just regained consciousness when he heard that. He was so furious he nearly laughed.
Where had this lunatic even come from?!
Not only had he started calling Julian his wife without permission and referred to himself as Julian’s husband, he was also pressing himself all over him!
Then Julian felt something distinctly arrogant pressing against him.
He had never dated anyone, let alone been this close to a man. The tips of his ears burned red.
He tried to lift his leg and kick the bastard as hard as he could, only to find that his ankle seemed to be locked in place.
Clank… clank…
That sounded like iron chains.
“You disgusting bastard…”
“What are you planning to do to me?!”
A thread of fear slipped into Julian’s voice.
He immediately realized how terrible his situation was.
His eyes were covered, leaving him completely blind. His ankles were chained down, and it seemed his hands were restrained as well.
He was nothing more than a madman’s toy now.
If Adrian wanted to kill him, it would be effortless.
Julian didn’t want to die. Not yet.
He hadn’t even had the chance to see Dad, Mom, or his brothers again.
He hadn’t finished his degree at Aster University.
He hadn’t achieved his dream of building a robot he could truly be proud of with his own hands.
And most importantly…
He still had so much money left to spend!
“Wife, are you shaking because you’re scared…?”
“You’re such a timid little thing.”
“This is only the beginning, and you’re already unable to take it.”
“Even so, I like you just as much, my timid little wife.”
With clingy affection, Adrian pressed the beautiful person beneath him even more tightly against the mattress.
Through the black blindfold, he awkwardly kissed the damp corner of Julian’s eye.
“Don’t be afraid, wife. How could your beloved husband ever hurt you?”
“At most, I’ll kiss you and play with you from head to toe, leaving you covered in marks that belong to me.”
Julian: “…”
Julian: !!!
Julian trembled harder, a whimper catching in his throat.
“You know who I am,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “If you touch me, the entire Bennett family will come after you.”
Adrian Blackwood clicked his tongue. “Sweetheart, dying at your hands would be an honor.”
Julian fainted on the spot.
Adrian thumped a fist against his own head. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t realize you’d scare so easily.”
He hadn’t actually done anything. He’d only teased Julian, and that had been enough to make him pass out. If Adrian really tried something, Julian might die of fright.
No. He couldn’t risk anything happening to him.
Reluctantly, Adrian climbed off Julian and took out his phone. “Bring me some matcha cupcakes,” he ordered coldly. “They have to be from the bakery on Longwater Street.”
He’d already found out they were Julian’s favorite, especially fresh from the oven. Once Julian had something he liked to eat, he would calm down. Then nothing would happen to him. He wouldn’t leave.
Meanwhile, at the Bennett family’s sprawling estate, the grand living room was full of people who were used to getting their way.
They had been waiting for Julian. He hadn’t appeared, wasn’t answering his phone, and hadn’t replied to a single message.
“Something’s happened to him,” Richard Bennett said.
The head of a vast publicly traded company, Richard had spent decades making connections and outmaneuvering rivals. Business had earned him enemies, but he’d taken precautions. His youngest son had a detail of highly trained bodyguards who worked undercover as cleaners, couriers, and delivery drivers. They kept Julian safe without intruding on his life at university.
Somehow, someone had slipped past every one of them and taken him without a sound.
“My poor baby. I don’t even know what he’s going through.” Eleanor Bennett wiped at her tears as she dialed her phone. Gentle as she looked, she had never hesitated when something needed doing. “Dad, someone’s taken your favorite grandson. I need every contact you have in Ravenport working for me, starting now. I’ll tear this city apart to find whoever did it. If they’ve harmed so much as a hair on his head, I’ll cut them into pieces.”
Adrian Bennett, Julian’s eldest brother and the president of a tech company, rose from his seat. “Mom, Dad, I’ve put our most advanced satellite systems to work searching the city.”
Chapter 3
Marcus Bennett held a modified laptop on his knees. “I’ve hacked into every camera network in Ravenport. Whoever took him can’t avoid all of them.”
Caleb Bennett, whose enormous following had made him a star, was already posting an appeal. “And even if they dodged every camera, they couldn’t have dodged every person. Someone must have seen something.”
Victor Bennett scrolled through his list of enemies. “I don’t think it was the doctor I keep threatening to poison. He couldn’t pull this off. But his family’s in insurance. They’ve solved cases no one else could because they didn’t want to pay the claims.” He grimaced. “For Julian, I’ll call him.”
Gideon Bennett shook a few old coins into his palm. He studied the result, frowning. “I cast for Julian, but the reading says he’s found an exceptionally fortunate romance. That can’t be right. I must be too worried to concentrate.”
He gathered up the coins. “Doesn’t matter. I have bags of curse charms. The person who took Julian can look forward to choking on water, falling down stairs, and one disaster after another. Their luck won’t improve until they bring him back.”
The entire Bennett family joined the search. Before long, Ravenport was in an uproar.
Out in the suburbs, a European-style villa had stood unfinished for years.
A man in a black suit, sunglasses, and a long wolf cut knocked on its door, carrying a large box of pastries. Two minutes later, Adrian opened it. The left side of his face was bruised.
“Mr. Blackwood, what happened?”
The man was Cole Hayes, the dark web’s highest-ranked assassin. Two years ago, Adrian had saved his gravely ill grandmother. Cole had promised him ten years of service in return. He knew what Adrian was capable of, but this was the first time he’d ever seen him injured.
Cole handed over the box. “Who managed to do that to you?”
He’d have to buy them a drink if he ever met them.
Adrian gave him a flat look. “The stairs.”
Cole stared at him.
Adrian shut the door without another word. On his way back down to the basement, he fell on the stairs again.
He’d been careful. How had that happened?
Then he saw Julian lying quietly on the bed, and delight swept away the thought. He wasn’t unlucky at all. He’d managed to hide Julian away.
Ignoring the fresh pain in his bruised cheek, Adrian settled beside the bed and opened the pastry box.
“Sweetheart, you haven’t spoken to me for twelve minutes.”
He leaned closer. “Can you smell that? Your adoring husband had your favorites brought here just for you. Come on, sweetheart. Wake up and try one.”
He called to Julian again and again. Julian gave no sign of waking, though his slender wrist trembled several times beneath its chain.
He didn’t dare open his eyes. The moment he did, he’d have to face that disgusting creep again. Better to keep pretending he was unconscious.
“Tsk.”
Adrian had noticed. He said nothing else. He only rested his cold fingers against the neckline of Julian’s white T-shirt.
Julian: !!!
What the hell was this disgusting man planning to do to him?!
Take off his clothes?!
Or…?!
Julian couldn’t keep pretending any longer.
He instinctively tried to slap the creep across the face.
But—
His wrist had barely lifted two centimeters when—
Clank… clank…
The heavy chain obediently dragged it back down.
“Heh, heh, heh. Sweetheart, you’re finally awake.” Adrian was delighted that his plan had worked.
He picked a small green cake from the food container, then gently pried Julian’s lips apart and pushed it inside.
“Come on, sweetheart. Try it. It’s really good.”
Everything in the box was food Julian liked.
As long as Julian ate, his mood would improve. He would calm down. He wouldn’t leave Adrian.
“Bastard…”
“Get away from me…”
“Ugh… what did you give me?”
A black cloth covered Julian’s eyes, leaving him unable to see anything.
All he could taste was the familiar matcha flavor he loved.
It seemed to be a little matcha cake from his favorite handmade bakery on Longwater Street.
Damn it…
There was no way he was going to eat anything this creep gave him.
Who knew whether Adrian had added something disgusting to it?
Julian spat the cake straight out.
Adrian’s expression darkened at once.
Without warning, he moved in close and pressed Julian back down, his right hand clamping around Julian’s throat. His voice dropped several degrees in temperature.
“Sweetheart, do you really hate me that much?”
“It’s your favorite food. Just because I bought it, you won’t even try it?”
“It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.”
“For the rest of your life, until the day you die, you can only be my wife.”
“From the moment you fell into my hands, the only food you’ll ever eat is what I give you.”
Julian hadn’t even processed his words when Adrian picked up a second green cake, put it into his own mouth, and forced his lips against Julian’s.
“Mmph—!”
Julian tried to fight back.
But against Adrian, his resistance was nothing more than an ant throwing itself against a tree.
Gulp… gulp…
The entire matcha cake, mixed with the faint minty trace of smoke lingering in Adrian’s mouth, was forced down Julian’s throat.
How disgusting…
He had swallowed this psychopath’s spit.
Julian fought back the urge to vomit.
But Adrian’s lips were still pressed against his, repeatedly ravaging and invading his mouth, sucking at him—
Julian couldn’t even spit it out.
Despair swallowed him whole.
In the end, Julian gave up. He stopped struggling altogether.
Adrian mistook it for proof that his method was working.
“Mmm. Sweetheart ate his favorite food, so he’s much calmer now.”
“Sweetheart, your lips are so soft and sweet.”