Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

In Irene's case, it was a twisted kind of self-sabotage. She'd even gone as far as drugging herself, offering herself up to Agent 001 on a silver platter. But 001, far from being interested, had just sneered and let other men in through the door. Realizing this filled her with shame.

But she was destined to be the future leader of the base, the one to take control of everything here. Such minor setbacks were nothing to her.

Her father was right; the challenges she'd face as a leader would dwarf this incident. After all, she wasn't physically hurt.

When the bizarre ordeal was over, and she woke up, 001 was kneeling at the foot of her bed, respectfully calling her "Leader."

At that moment, Irene struggled to control her emotions. She had learned how to kill without batting an eye but hadn't mastered how to handle the current situation. Furious, she slapped him across the face.

001 was left dazed, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

"Get out."

"Get out!"

001's eyelashes fluttered as he left, eyes reddened.

Afterward, her father praised her, saying that a woman in her position needed to be ruthless. Her physical prowess was already superior to most men, and coupled with her striking beauty, she was a walking weapon.

Her father remarked on how unexpectedly brave she was to pursue Colton, his right-hand man and a crucial pawn in his plans. Colton, despite his ambitions, had never been romantically involved with anyone. That one night with her, however, had made him utterly devoted.

To Irene, 001 represented a rare spark of life in her otherwise dark destiny. But that spark was now extinguished, along with those foolish, girlish fantasies.

She convinced herself not to care about the trivialities of romantic encounters, yet she couldn't persuade herself to stop hating 001.

Unbeknownst to her at the time, 001 had a conjoined twin brother, a secret he kept closely guarded in the base where any knowledge could be lethal.

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, when she officially became the leader, she specifically assigned 001 to the most dangerous missions, secretly hoping for his demise yet also wanting him to survive. It was a torment she inflicted upon herself. When her father was captured by a foreign power, she sent 001 on a seemingly impossible rescue mission.novelbin

Rationally, abandoning her father would have been the wisest decision, one her father would have made himself. But she couldn't let go, and as she lay with Colton, she ordered 001 into what she believed was certain death.

001 stood outside, waiting until she was finished, then knelt at her feet.

In that moment, Irene found herself unable to look at him.

Since becoming the leader, she had

sent him on 99 dangerous missions,

more withdrawn each time. Gone were the days when he would

all of which he survived, beGo get."

brightly address her as "Miss." Now, he only referred to her as "Leader" with a suppressed voice.

He didn't understand why she suddenly targeted him. On his eighteenth birthday, after completing his mission and returning, he had planned to give her

a present, only to be greeted by such a seene.

It seemed like an elaborate birthday gift prepared by the old leader for the young miss.

From a young age, they were taught to be devoid of emotions, and he had always known that upon the miss turning eighteen, the leader would choose a consort for her.

He had hoped it would be him.

He had even cautiously inquired with the old leader, who told him that for Ms. Irene, it didn't matter who it was.

So the promise she made at twelve, to choose him as her consort when she came of age, was just a child's naive words.

He believed it, nonetheless.

Facing a mission with almost certain death, he knew it would be the last time he saw her.

He didn't leave as usual but waited until the affairs behind the curtains concluded, then knelt at her feet.

"Leader, are you sure about sending me?" he asked, unable to express affection.

"Are you defying my orders?" she retorted, her gaze even colder.

Lowering his head further, he presented a gift.

"Agent 001 wouldn't dare. This is the

birthday gift ve wanted to give you since the night you came of age, fearing there would be no other chance. I hope you accept it. It took me a long time to find a retired craftsman."

It was a sleek throwing knife with a custom sheath that could be wrapped around the wrist.

Mentioning that night was a trigger for Irene.

She took the knife, carelessly tossing it aside.

"Get out."

He obediently left, never to return.

Not even his body was found.