Chapter 263

The moment Brandon’s words landed, the entire room fell into stunned silence.

The operator froze, staring at Brandon as if he’d misheard. “S–Set it to maximum…?”

Brandon gave a relaxed smile. “That’s right. Incremental increases take too long – no need to waste everyone’s time."

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, clearly unsettled. A few female researchers who had just been swooning over Brandon moments ago now felt a cold sweat forming. They had mistaken his focused gaze on Noelle for – was he here because he liked her or because he held a grudge?

Bennett couldn’t keep quiet any longer. He frowned and said, “Brandon, that’s far too risky. We don’t know how much Noelle can handle – what if something goes wrong?”

But before he could finish his sentence, Brandon was already behind the control panel. He reached past the operator and turned the dial straight to the maximum setting.

Bennett’s heart jumped to his throat.

Yes, he wanted to use Noelle for the experiment, but never at the cost of actually hurting her. This was pushing it.

He moved to stop Brandon, but the cold warning in the man’s eyes forced him to stop in his tracks.

“Just stand there and watch,” Brandon said evenly.

For a split second, Bennett actually shivered. Brandon gave off a kind of danger that was bone-deep.

Bennett turned his gaze down to the testing chamber where Noelle sat, unaware of what was coming.

She’d been mentally preparing for another round of harmless testing like before, but just as she relaxed, a searing jolt of electricity shot through the electrodes on her head.

The surge slammed into her brain like a tidal wave. The pain was instant, sharp, and overwhelming.

Her whole body flinched and tensed in reaction, and she instinctively tried to move, to get away.

Then she heard a familiar voice over the comms.

“Noelle, can you hear me?”

“Brandon…?” she gasped through gritted teeth. She was trembling from head to toe, but the moment she heard his voice, she froze again.

“Can you keep going?” Brandon asked, voice calm. “This shouldn’t be too hard for you, right?”

So… he was telling her to endure it?

Noelle sucked in a shaky breath. Compared to the kind of brain stimulation she’d undergone in the past, this really wasn’t that bad. It was just sudden and caught her off guard.

Still, if Brandon wanted her to keep going – then she would.

She sat back down and forced herself still. “I can do it. Keep going.”

“Good girl. I knew you were the best,” Brandon replied with a soft smile.

Everyone in the observation room was floored.

“That’s the highest voltage we’ve ever tested, and she’s still conscious?”

“She’s not just conscious— she’s speaking clearly. What the hell kind of monster is she?”

They were blown away. In previous tests, even trained soldiers couldn’t withstand this level of neural stimulation without blacking out. But Noelle was holding steady.

“See? She’s managing just fine,” Brandon said, turning to Bennett with a pleasant smile.

But Bennett didn’t smile back. In fact, he couldn’t even maintain his usual polished composure.

His eyes stayed locked on Brandon, sharp with growing displeasure.

This man knew exactly what Noelle had been through. He knew, and yet he deliberately forced her to relive that trauma without warning – just like before.

Now, even Bennett – who’d always considered himself emotionally detached – was starting to feel doubt.

Because this sure didn’t look like science anymore.

As the minutes dragged on, even Noelle’s remarkable endurance began to fray. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Her muscles locked up. She was clearly in agony, even though she refused to say a word.

Bennett saw her jaw clenched so tightly he feared she might crack a tooth.

She was in pain – terrible pain – but she still kept going.

It hurt just to watch.

“That’s enough, don’t you think?” Bennett finally spoke, voice cold.

Brandon shot him a look, irritated. “She hasn’t called it off. What gives you the right to do it for her? You’re a researcher – act like one.”

“I am a researcher,” Bennett said, his tone icy. “But before that, I’m also her brother.”

Without waiting for a reply, Bennett strode forward and cut the power.

The machines wound down instantly. Noelle, still dizzy with pain, felt her mind come rushing back to clarity. She let out a shaky breath, ripped the electrodes from her head, and tried to get up.

But her limbs were weak, trembling. She barely made it to her feet before her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor with a loud thud.

The noise jolted the entire observation team.

“Noelle!” Bennett immediately turned and bolted for the test room.

Brandon, watching him with interest, raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Bennett to react so emotionally.

Huh. Maybe he’s not as heartless as I thought, Brandon mused, amused. Noelle really does have a way of softening even the coldest people.

Downstairs, Noelle was slowly getting to her knees, still dazed.

Her arms were weak, and her legs were barely holding up – but she was recovering. Just as she was about to push herself upright, Bennett burst into the room and reached her.

“Noelle.” His voice was tight as he helped her stand.

“Bennett?” Noelle blinked at him in surprise. “Is the test over?”

“It’s done. More than done, actually,” Bennett replied, still holding her.

“Really?” She gave him a tired smile. “I did pretty well, huh?”

“You did great,” Bennett said softly. Then he asked, “Don’t you have anything you want to say?”

“What do you mean?"

“Nothing.”

He'd expected her to complain, maybe cry a little – like she usually would when she was hurting. But now, she didn’t say anything at all.

It felt wrong.

Just then, Brandon walked in.

He smiled at Noelle. “You did amazing today.”

“Alright, anything for you,” Brandon said, walking over and naturally slipping his arm around her shoulders. He gently pulled her away from Bennett. “Let’s go grab something delicious as a reward.”

Noelle hesitated. She’d been planning to see Nicolas right after the experiment.

“What’s wrong?” Brandon asked, still smiling. “I don’t get out much. I was hoping you’d keep me company for a bit.”

How could she say no to that?

Noelle pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay, I’ll show you around.”

“I knew you were the best,” Brandon said, looking pleased. He led her toward the door but suddenly paused and looked over his shoulder.

“Oh, and by the way,” he added with a smirk, “the current today was a little weak. Next time, maybe bump it up by two levels.”

Two more levels?

That was insane.

Bennett noticed her reaction and narrowed his eyes. His voice dropped into a dangerous tone as he said, “That’s more than enough. If you go any higher, Noelle won’t be able to handle it.”

Brandon sighed like he was genuinely disappointed. “You know, for a researcher, you’re really letting your emotions get in the way. Disappointing, Bennett.”

Then, without giving him a chance to reply, Brandon turned with a grin and walked off with Noelle in tow.

Bennett stood there, staring at the doorway long after they’d gone.

His expression shifted – dark, stormy, unreadable.

Then, under his breath, he muttered, “Son of a bitch.”