Amanita: Poison Shot

Chapter 91: Kill Me Or Free Me

I felt horrible when I guessed that Apollo might have identified Sigi thanks to my father's nanochip. He must've seen him through my father's eyes. That must have been how Apollo knew about his existence.

"I don't need your so-called protection," I replied as politely and calmly as I could.

I didn't want to anger him, but his constant attempts at being nice to me felt loathsome. My fists were clenched and my breathing hitched. His eyes noticed my tension, confirming to him how I felt.

"Why won't you accept me? I'm the best suitor you'll ever get." His puzzlement collided with my incredulity. I was sure he didn't really want me, not for real.

"I don't trust you. You just want me because I remind you of someone else," I replied in a heartbeat. "I'm not that woman."

"Yes, you are. And you don't remind me of her – you're exactly like her." His tone was amiable, but I still felt revulsion. "Let me invite you to a romantic dinner. I'd like you to get to know me better. Then, you would see that you can trust me."

"I... I can't. Don't you see that this is highly inappropriate?!" My complaint fell on deaf ears.

"I'm a God. I do what I want. And what I want is automatically good." His assertiveness was undefeatable. It took my breath away – and my hopes to stay away from him too.

I didn't dare to reply after that. He saw my hesitation and decided to go on:

"Are you ashamed of you who are, Daphne?" The softness in his voice made him look magnanimous then.

"What?!"

"Am I wrong in assuming that you find it shameful that the God of clones chooses a young traditional-human woman as a partner? I certainly don't." He shrugged his shoulders. "And if anyone's got a problem, I can get them out of the way." He had said that last bit as a threat while staring at Sigi, who was still painfully tense.

"Stop harassing her," Sigi replied with pride while taking a step forward with defiance. He stood right in front of me, shielding me from Apollo.

"Sigi!" I whispered with worry. I couldn't believe that he was being so defiant to the God of clones! He could have gotten killed for it!

Apollo simply smirked and chuckled at him.

"I know who you are, Siegfried Thor," Apollo's voice replied to Sigi's defiant aura with a dark, ominous voice. My blood felt like ice. I was freaking out.

If Apollo knew who Sigi really was... Oh, dear.

"Amanita's former bouncer," he went on while looking down on Sigi. "A hockey team enforcer. You're also a runaway. You had been working at the farm which used to be your family's and fled right after an unknown attacker murdered all the clones who had enslaved you since you were seven years old, and later that same culprit committed arson on the property. You weren't involved apparently. I wonder about the timing, though."

Apollo's voice felt like a threat. I was appalled to see how deeply he had investigated Sigi's life on account of his involvement with me. I gulped.

"But now you're safe and sound here, in Thalis. And currently, work as a forklift driver," Apollo added after a sigh uttered with fake concern, "and you've become Daphne's boyfriend only a few days ago."

A brief moment of awkward silence ensued while both men battled against each other with their glaring.

"You're no match for me, young man. Daphne will choose me over you," Apollo concluded triumphantly.