Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Everyone gathered at the mountaintop villa to celebrate Dexter and Sophia’s return.

Damien left after dropping the kids. He felt too ashamed to join the gathering and did not want to be there. Seeing them happy only made him feel worse although the villa belonged to him. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"The view here is magnificent." Violette stood on the balcony as she tended to the barbecue. She then opened her arms wide to embrace the evening breeze and said, "It feels so good now that everything is over."

Everything was over it seemed like they had won, but there was no winner in this silent war.

Joel had been wearing a gloomy expression from the start. He sat in a corner as he sneaked glances at Sophia. He was afraid that she might beat him up again.

"What are you looking at? Aren’t you eating?" Eason patted the hat on Joel’s head and asked, "Why do you have a hat on when it’s nighttime?"

Joel glanced at him and said, "My hair hasn’t grown back yet. A certain someone split the back of my head open and left a scar there. The big bald spot is beyond hideous!"

He grumbled and glared angrily at Sophia. "She didn’t hold back at all."

"Would that crazy sister of yours have fallen for it if she held back?" Eason was completely taken with Sophia now, finding her decisive, clever, and brave. Not only did she rescue Dexter on her own, but she even turned the tide and completely eliminated the threat of Genome Society.

"You’ve changed," Joel said as he looked at him. "Now, you only have eyes for Sophia."

Eason rolled his eyes before stuffing a grilled sausage into Joel’s mouth. Joel took a bite before glumly sipping on his beer.

Meanwhile, Ashton and Xan were curiously watching Zion, who was at the other corner. "The food smells good, Zion!"

Sure enough, their inner children were only awoken in the presence of food. They were both practically drooling now.

"My father’s a barbecue chef. Many restaurants fought over him back when he was younger. He has a secret recipe that he passed down to me," Zion said with a smile.

He then handed each of them a perfectly cooked barbecue rib. "Be careful, it’s hot!"

Ashton was too impatient to wait and took a bite, burning his tongue. His eyes reddened as he looked pitifully at Dexter.

Sophia was slicing an apple while leaning against Dexter and accidentally cut her hand. He quickly pulled her into his arms and anxiously inspected her wound, fussing over her with iodine and band-aids.

He did not notice the way Ashton had his tongue out, looking pitiful for some time. Ashton ended up upset and crying. "Her wound has already healed, Dad. Look at my blister instead!"

Only then did Dexter look up and see Ashton, who was anxiously standing by the side with his tongue out.

Sophia chuckled and said, "That’s the price for being impatient. Go get some ice water."

Ashton turned and ran away to take a sip of his iced fruit juice, keeping the ice in his mouth.

The evening breeze felt lovely. Sophia leaned in Dexter’s embrace and whispered, "We won, right?"

She wondered if everything had truly ended or was such a pleasant life only in her dreams.

"Alright guys, the food’s ready! Let’s have a toast to celebrate that we’re all here together!" Eason gathered everyone for a drink.

"Let’s drink until we can’t!" Everyone was in high spirits as they got into the celebration.

Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction-it was all so perfect.

Sophia let loose and ended up tipsy, falling asleep in Dexter’s arms. Even Violette had one too many to drink. They had an unspoken agreement not to mention Genome Society. Instead, they shared everyday anecdotes.

Violette vented about her work frustrations, shared stories about quirky guys she encountered, and recounted the hilarious experiences of her colleagues’ blind dates.

Joel would talk about the monotony of university life and the dullness of military training. He also shared about the women who were pursuing him in class or the university.

Eason shared about the strange cases he encountered as an officer, even mentioning that his germaphobia seemingly got better.

Zion discussed his plans of marrying Violette and shared details about their home renovation, offering advice on buying and renovating houses.

Ashton and Xan were deeply engrossed in their video games, occasionally calling out for Dexter or Sophia. They would also ask the others for snacks and thank them after.

Sophia had to admit that Damien had taught them well-at least Xan and Ashton were now polite and well- mannered.

They began to socialize and knew to thank others for troubling them. They started to realize that their peers were no match for them in terms of intelligence. They learned to protect the weak and understood the responsibilities that came with being strong.

Ashton even rescued a stray kitten off the mountain road and secretly brought it back to his room. When Sophia found out, he pleaded with her to keep the kitten out of worry that she might throw it away.

He leaped in joy after she agreed for him to keep the kitten.

Everything was moving in a better direction now.

"Alright, we’ve had enough drinks. It’s time for us to head back." Eason was sensible enough to know that he might really end up on the floor if he continued drinking.

Their drivers were already waiting downstairs to send Zion, Violette, Eason, and Joel back

The house fell quiet as Ashton and Xan timely retired to their rooms to sleep.

The evening breeze blew gently outside the balcony, while the starry sky and moon were visible.

"My dream seems to have come true," Sophia said somewhat hoarsely.

She grew more fearful the happier she felt. She was afraid that such happy days were all but a temporary dream.

"It’ll continue to come true," Dexter murmured before leaning down to kiss her.

Sophia lay in his embrace and slowly drifted into slumber.

She found herself back in a familiar dream in her sleep with sunshine, a gentle breeze, and the vast field. She was with Dexter while the two children were running around and playing.

Everything seemed so perfect.

However, the sky in Sophia’s dreams suddenly darkened. She looked around anxiously as she yelled for Dexter and the two children.

She ran non-stop in the field, her hands were full of blood as she stumbled and fell. There were bodies everywhere, and blood was overflowing.

Ashton and Xan stood amidst the pool of blood and corpses, turning to look back at her. Dexter’s body was right beneath their feet.

"No!" Sophia jolted awake abruptly, her breath quickening. She turned on the lamp and massaged her temples. "Sophia?" Dexter woke up as well, hugging her. "Did you have a nightmare?"

She nodded and took some sleeping pills from the bedside, downing them with a glass of water.

"Don’t be afraid, Sophia. I’m here," Dexter said, pulling Sophia into his embrace.

But they both knew that some things, once out of control, were beyond their ability to fix.

They did not want to live a life on the run, so they could only hope that No. 9 and Jimmy could take down Genome Society’s hive and protect them. After all, those from the other regions now knew of the secret of the Reincarnation Project.

Previously, Damien contacted them in order to create confusion to help Sophia and Dexter escape. But at the same time, it also exposed both of their existence.

What Sophia was worried about now wasn’t No. 9-it was that those from the other regions wouldn’t let them get away.

She said, "There’s also Xan and Ashton. I’ve never really understood why Andy created so many of them on that cruise ship."

"He trained them using a brutal survival-of-the-fittest method and pitted them against each other, ultimately leaving only the two of them. What exactly was his goal?"

Sophia had always been wary of Ashton and Xan. She had never trusted them, which was why she was jolted awake from such a nightmare.