He knew nothing about psychological warfare.
Before long, they started to mess with his mind.
The moment he accidentally died in the game, a chorus of cheerful voices erupted behind him.
“Yay! Mr. Darrell, what a great help to the enemy team!”
When he misfired and healed an opponent, they gasped in mock awe.
“Wow, that’s so impressive! My one–year–old nephew couldn’t even manage that!”
Most of the time, they didn’t say anything at all. They just giggled.
Darrell finally slammed his keyboard and shot up from his chair, pointing a trembling finger at them. “Fuck! You’re here to fucking mess with me, aren’t you?!”
But they looked perfectly innocent. “What? Mr. Darrell, we’re here to cheer you on.
“Keep at it! You totally got them.”
Utterly exasperated, Darrell slumped back into his chair, a faint, smoky ache burning in his chest.
All of a sudden, he felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
What did he do to deserve this? Why was he being tortured like this?
Powerless and enraged, he began to vent.
He slammed his keyboard, shoved his monitor off the desk, and let out a raw, wordless shriek.
He even slid to the floor, crawling and writhing…
But after the storm of fury passed, he realized it changed nothing.
Defeated, he dragged himself back to bed and wrapped the blanket tightly around himself with so much force it seemed he wanted to suffocate himself.
The bodyguards remained preternaturally calm. They looked down at him, their gazes even mixed with a trace of gen- uine kindness and affection.
“Have a good nap, Mr. Darrell,” they said softly.
Hiding under the blanket, Darrell finally surrendered and cried.
He didn’t really want to cry.
0.0 %
09:34
Chapter 11
But his tears just kept falling against his will.
For fifteen years, he had never shed a tear–not when neglected by his parents, not when bullied or beaten.
But today, he cried out of anger.
Once the dam of his emotions broke, there was no chaining them back.
Eventually, he broke down into loud, wailing tears.
1288 ¡Vouchers
Downstairs, Norma was growing increasingly frightened and uneasy. The sounds from above were deeply unsettling. “Mrs. Beasley, did you hear that? Are you certain those tutors aren’t mistreating Mr. Darrell?
“Is he going to be alright?”
Cordelia had called several beauticians over for an in–home facial.
While having her nails polished, she answered, her voice muffled by the thick layer of her facial mask. “Of course. I selected those tutors from a premier psychological education school. They’re the best in the business.
“They don’t believe in physical discipline. All of them have top–level teaching qualifications, numerous positive re- views, and are incredibly popular among students with disciplinary issues.”
None of those words made sense to Norma.
Eventually, she gave up and sighed, deciding to go to the kitchen to make some snacks Darrell loved to cheer him up.
Cordelia hummed cheerfully, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Suddenly, Declan asked her, “Where did you find these people?”
She looked a bit embarrassed.
After pausing to think for a moment, she answered, “On a psychological education website, of course. Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already installed cameras in Darry’s room. His safety is completely guaranteed.”
But it was a lie.
In truth, she had no idea who those men were.
It had all started yesterday. The moment she opened her phone, a chat window sprang open on her social media app.
The person on the other end claimed to be a senior instructor from a psychological education institute.
He stated that he had received a service request from Cordelia years ago and would arrive for a session the next day.
Of course, Cordelia didn’t know what had happened back then.
Concerned it might be a scam, she quickly scrolled through the earlier chat history.
Then it dawned on her that she had actually hired those “teachers” herself.
34.7 %
09:34
Chapter 11
And they charged a lot–15 thousand dollars per visit!
But she couldn’t tell any of this to Declan.
After all, she didn’t know what her past self’s intentions were in hiring these people.
Upstairs, after he was done crying, Darrell made to stand up and leave, only to be blocked again.
By this point, his pride mattered very little. He roared in frustration, “I need to pee! Get out of my way!”
The next second, his eyes widened in utter disbelief.
One of the bodyguards actually pulled out a portable toilet from behind him expressionlessly.
“Go ahead, Mr. Darrell,”
Darrell burst into tears again.
1288 Vouchers
At dinner time, Norma approached Cordelia nervously. “Mrs. Beasley, Mr. Darrell is so upset that he’s crying. Shouldn’t we do something?”
Cordelia chuckled. “I am doing something. I’m trying my best to guide him, aren’t I?
“Darry is a teenager. Without proper discipline, if he goes down the wrong path, it will be Declan and me who end up crying.”
80.2 %
