SCT-Novel Chapter 516 Vladimir
Chapter 516 Vladimir
Governor Vladimir was enjoying the best part of his afternoon.
He reclined comfortably on an expensive massage chair inside one of the private relaxation rooms of his mansion, the soft lighting above casting warm shadows across polished marble floors and carefully selected pieces of artwork that decorated the walls. The room itself screamed luxury. Thick carpets imported from overseas covered parts of the floor while the faint scent of incense drifted through the air, mixing with the rich smell of tobacco.
His large stomach rose and fell beneath the loose robe hanging around his body as one hand lazily held an expensive tobacco pipe while the other rested comfortably against his side. Every now and then he would release a satisfied breath through his nose, the stress of politics temporarily forgotten as the young maid behind him carefully worked her hands across his shoulders and back.
The girl looked to be in her early twenties. Her expression remained professional, but there was no hiding the disgust that occasionally flashed through her eyes whenever she looked at the governor’s sweaty skin and oversized body. Years of serving powerful men had taught her how to hide her true thoughts, yet sometimes it slipped through the cracks.
She hated this job.
Still, she kept her hands moving.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed.
It wasn’t loud.
There was no explosion.
No warning.
Just a strange breeze.
The curtains fluttered.
Loose strands of the maid’s hair danced across her face.
Governor Vladimir frowned slightly as he adjusted himself on the chair.
The maid paused, instinctively reaching up to brush the hair away from her eyes.
Then she froze.
Her entire body locked up.
Her hands stopped moving completely.
Governor Vladimir noticed immediately.
"What are you doing?" he grumbled impatiently. "Continue..."
His voice trailed off.
The irritation on his face vanished.
His eyes widened.
Because standing in the middle of the room where absolutely nobody had been just moments ago were two men.
One of them knelt on the floor.
No.
Not knelt.
Collapsed.
His face was pale and soaked with sweat. His body trembled uncontrollably as if the strength had been drained from his bones. Fear had completely broken whatever dignity he possessed.
The second man stood behind him.
Tall.
Straight-backed.
Calm.
He looked almost out of place inside the luxurious room.
His appearance was absurdly perfect.
Dark hair framed a face that looked sculpted rather than born. His features were sharp yet effortless, his expression relaxed as though he had wandered into the wrong room by mistake. Even dressed casually, there was something magnetic about him. Something impossible to ignore.
The maid stared.
For a brief second, the fear disappeared.
Her heart skipped.
She had never seen anyone that handsome before.
Not actors.
Not celebrities.
Not wealthy heirs that occasionally visited the mansion.
None of them came close.
The stranger wasn’t merely attractive.
He was perfect.
Heat rushed into her cheeks.
Her pulse accelerated.
A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.
I wish he was smiling at me.
Almost as if hearing that thought, the young man slowly turned his head.
His eyes landed on her.
Then he smiled.
Amused.
Playful.
"O-Oh my..."
Her knees gave out.
Everything went black.
Thud.
She collapsed onto the carpet.
The smile instantly disappeared from Liam’s face.
"...Huh?"
He blinked.
He looked down at the unconscious maid before looking back at Ivan.
Then at Governor Vladimir.
Then back at the maid again.
"What just happened?"
Nobody answered him.
Liam scratched the side of his face.
He hadn’t touched her.
He hadn’t used force.
He had literally just smiled.
"...Women are weird."
Since she didn’t appear dead and was breathing normally, he decided there were more important matters to deal with.
His attention shifted.
The smile returned.
He raised his hand enthusiastically.
"Vladimir."
Governor Vladimir nearly jumped out of the massage chair.
Liam waved.
"Hi."
He said it with the excitement of a child greeting someone at an amusement park.
Governor Vladimir stared blankly at the young man before his gaze dropped toward the trembling figure kneeling nearby.
His face lost all colour.
"I-Ivan?"
His voice cracked.
The tobacco pipe slipped from his fingers and rolled across the polished floor.
Ivan couldn’t even raise his head properly.
He looked broken.
Terrified.
Governor Vladimir’s breathing quickened.
"H-How are you out of prison?" he demanded before his eyes snapped back toward Liam.
"W-W-Who are you?"
His finger shook violently as he pointed toward the stranger standing comfortably inside his private room.
Liam tilted his head slightly.
"You don’t remember me."
"I’ve never seen you before!" Vladimir shouted.
Then panic finally won.
"Security!"
His voice thundered throughout the room.
"SECURITY!"
Silence answered him.
No footsteps rushed down the hallway.
No doors burst open.
Nobody came.
Governor Vladimir’s expression slowly transformed as realization settled over him piece by piece.
"Security!"
Nothing.
His breathing became heavier.
Sweat gathered across his forehead.
Liam casually pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
"Oh, them?" he said cheerfully. "They won’t be answering for a while."
He spoke so casually that it almost sounded rude.
"I had to do a little cleaning before coming in. Some of them are unconscious. The stubborn ones are currently reconsidering their life choices while rolling around on the floor."
Governor Vladimir stared.
His mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
No words came out.
Liam slowly crouched down until he was eye level with the governor.
Up close, Vladimir noticed details he hadn’t before.
The smile.
The calm eyes.
The complete absence of hesitation.
This wasn’t confidence.
Confidence implied uncertainty.
This man wasn’t uncertain.
He looked like someone who had already decided how this encounter would end.
Liam’s gaze drifted between Ivan’s terrified face and Vladimir’s pale expression.
The fear radiating from both men filled the luxurious room thicker than the scent of tobacco ever could.
And strangely enough...
Liam enjoyed it.
A slow grin spread across his face as he straightened back up.
He could practically smell their terror.
The governor who once commanded an entire state.
The prisoner who once ruled his cell block.
Both reduced to trembling wrecks standing before him.
And Liam basked in it.