Chapter 268
Inside Bennett’s lab, Noelle was still strapped into the testing chair. Her fists clenched so tightly that the veins on the backs of her hands bulged beneath her pale skin. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, but despite her effort to stay silent, soft cries of pain still slipped out. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, dripping in steady streams down her face and off her chin, pooling beneath the chair into a small puddle. She had clearly been enduring this for a long time.
In the observation room above, the researchers watched in tense silence. Many had turned their eyes away, unable to bear the sight of her suffering under the maximum neural load. Bennett’s expression had grown increasingly grim. His usual easygoing smile was long gone, replaced by cold fury as he stared at his subject.
Finally, as Noelle began to tremble violently, Bennett couldn’t take it anymore.
“That’s enough!” he snapped, turning to Brandon. “Are you trying to fry her brain?!”
Brandon didn’t even flinch. He cast Bennett a sidelong glance and replied coolly. “If she can’t handle this, how’s she going to survive memory extraction? That part’s longer and even more intense. You’re in charge of this project, aren’t you, Mr. Anderson? Or did you think the funding for this was just for show?”
“She’s in pain!” Bennett growled through gritted teeth. “Can’t you see that?”
Brandon’s eyes flicked toward the testing room. “This is nothing. She can take it.”
He said it with chilling calm, as if Noelle’s suffering was a trivial inconvenience.
But right then, Noelle let out a sharp cry of pain. It echoed through the observation room. Bennett’s face changed. He moved to shut down the system.
“You son of a—shut it off, now!”
But before he could reach the controls, Brandon moved. In a flash, Bennett was slammed to the ground. Brandon placed a firm boot on his chest, pressing down hard as he looked down at him with cold disdain.
“I’ve been patient with you,” Brandon said, voice dangerously low. “Only because you’re Noelle’s brother. Don’t push me.”
Bennett gasped, struggling to breathe under the pressure. His ribs felt like they were about to crack. Brandon’s gaze was sharp–lethal. He had no intention of letting Bennett interfere. Bennett stared back, fury burning in his eyes.
It was becoming clearer by the second–Brandon was here to extract all of Noelle’s memories, and he was in a hurry. That’s why he didn’t care how much pain she was in. He needed the data–at any cost. But why? What was he planning to do with Noelle’s memories?
Eventually, Brandon stepped off, brushing imaginary dust from his hands and offering a tight-lipped smile.
Afterward, Noelle lasted another half hour before she was finally removed from the chair. Her body was completely drained–she could barely stand. Her usually rosy complexion had turned deathly pale. The once-energetic girl now looked like a wilted flower, completely sapped of life.
“You did amazing today, Noelle,” Brandon approached her gently. “But it’s still not enough,” he added, smiling as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The pain she’d endured today had made her feel like she was dying. He really expected her to do even more tomorrow?
“Of course, I believe in you,” Brandon said warmly, ruffling her hair like she was a good student. His tone was gentle, almost tender.
This was the terrifying, ruthless man from the control room. With Noelle, he was nothing but soft and indulgent. And that was the most unsettling part. Because Noelle knew–no matter how sweet Brandon seemed, he belonged to the lab. And she had been trained to obey. Even if her heart resisted, her body wouldn’t.
So, despite the dread swirling in her chest, she nodded obediently. “Okay… I understand.”
Brandon beamed. “That’s my good girl.”
At the door, Bennett stood silently, watching the scene unfold. Watching Brandon stroke her hair like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just pushed her to the brink.
And in that moment, Bennett’s unease deepened. Brandon wasn’t just dangerous–he was something else entirely. And the longer he stayed in Noelle’s world, the more everyone was at risk.