Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Irresistible I

Liam’s eyes fluttered open, his vision slightly blurred as a dull, throbbing pain pulsed through his head, making it difficult to focus for a moment. His entire body felt heavy, as though weighed down by an unseen force, and for a second, he couldn’t quite remember how he had ended up in this position.

As he slowly sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair, the memories of what had happened before he blacked out started coming back to him—the fight, the bodies, Ann standing before him, the old man knocking on the door. He must have passed out shortly after that, his exhaustion finally catching up to him.

But as his eyes scanned the room, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Everything was clean.

The floor, which had been drenched in blood the last time he had seen it, was now spotless, gleaming under the light as if nothing had ever happened. The overturned furniture had been put back in place, and the broken pieces that had been scattered across the room were gone entirely, removed without a single trace left behind. It was as if the carnage from before had been nothing more than a bad dream, a twisted illusion that had vanished without a single remnant to prove its existence.

A faint sound reached his ears then—the steady rush of water running upstairs, the unmistakable sound of a faucet being used. His gaze instinctively shifted toward the staircase, and without thinking, he murmured her name.

“Ann…”

She must have been the one who had cleaned everything.

Liam exhaled, his body still feeling somewhat sluggish as he pushed himself off the couch. The headache still lingered, dull but persistent, a reminder of just how much he had overexerted himself. He knew his body was still adjusting to whatever changes the system had forced upon him, but the sheer level of fatigue he had experienced was unlike anything he had gone through before.

He made his way upstairs, each step feeling heavier than usual, and entered his room. His hand instinctively reached for the small bottle of painkillers resting on his nightstand. He popped the cap off and shook two pills into his palm before tossing them into his mouth, hoping for some relief.

But the moment the pills touched his throat, an overwhelming nausea surged through him, a sharp, unnatural reaction that caused his entire body to tense. His stomach twisted violently, and without warning, he gagged, spitting the pills out immediately as a bitter, acrid taste coated his tongue.

[Ding]

A mechanical chime rang in his ears, followed by the system’s familiar emotionless voice.

[Warning: Harmful chemicals detected. Consumption is not recommended.]

Liam’s eyes widened in shock.

Harmful chemicals?

What was the system talking about? These were just painkillers—over-the-counter medicine he had taken countless times before. There was nothing harmful about them. Or at least, there shouldn’t have been.

His pulse quickened as a strange realization settled in.

Had something changed in his body? Was his system rejecting normal medicine now?

Frowning, he made his way to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and cupped his hands under the cool running water before thoroughly rinsing his mouth, making sure to rid himself of any lingering traces of the pills. The unease in his stomach gradually subsided, though the unsettling feeling of something being different still lingered at the back of his mind.

As he lifted his head to look at his reflection in the mirror, his breath caught in his throat.

His pupils were shifting.

For a brief moment, they darkened unnaturally, the edges distorting slightly before returning to normal as if nothing had happened.

Liam blinked rapidly, staring at his reflection as he leaned in closer, trying to determine if what he had just seen was real or if his tired mind was playing tricks on him.

Before he could dwell on it any further, a faint movement behind him caught his attention.

He turned around quickly, his body instinctively tensing, only to relax slightly when he saw Ann standing in the doorway.

Her hair was damp, a few loose strands sticking to her forehead, and beads of sweat clung to her skin, a clear sign of how much effort she had put into cleaning the house. Her clothes were slightly wet as well, likely from scrubbing the floor and wiping down the furniture. She had done all of this—alone.

Liam’s gaze softened as he took a step toward her.

“You cleaned everything,” he said quietly, his voice filled with something that almost resembled guilt.

Ann gave him a small smile, her expression calm despite everything they had been through. “You were exhausted. I couldn’t just leave it like that,” she replied simply.

He hesitated for a moment, then exhaled. “Thank you.”

She didn’t respond, only offering him another soft smile. But as Liam took another step closer, something in his expression changed.

A slow grin spread across his lips, something playful, something mischievous, something that made Ann instinctively furrow her brows in confusion.

“Liam?” she asked warily, unconsciously stepping back.

He didn’t answer. He just kept moving forward, closing the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps, his eyes locked onto hers in a way that sent a strange warmth crawling up her spine.

Ann’s back hit the wall before she even realized it, her breath hitching slightly as she looked up at him.

Liam rested one hand against the wall beside her face, his arm forming a barrier that kept her in place, his body mere inches from hers.

Ann glanced at his hand, then back at his face, her heartbeat unconsciously speeding up. She wasn’t sure what had shifted in the atmosphere, but suddenly, she felt hyper-aware of how close he was, of the way his presence seemed to surround her completely.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them was thick, charged with something unspoken, something neither of them had the words for.

And then, without warning, Liam leaned in.

His lips found hers.

Ann’s breath caught, her mind momentarily going blank as warmth spread through her, unexpected but not unwelcome.

Her fingers curled slightly, pressing against the fabric of his shirt as she felt the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm, a rhythm that matched her own.

Neither of them pulled away.

Neither of them wanted to.

****

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