Devilish secretary - Chapter 266

Chapter 266: Chapter 266 Overstressed
Lilith didn’t move right away.

She just sat there, watching the man kneeling before her as if he were a ticking clock counting down to his own self-destruction.

She could feel it. That twisted, beautiful madness. It coiled behind his words like smoke in a cracked mirror. It wasn’t rage. It wasn’t drama.

It was something worse, a man quietly deciding to vanish from the inside out.

Lilith reached forward, Her hand slid beneath his chin, raising his face.

Her touch was gentle but her eyes were sharp and cold.

“You think you’re the only one who’s felt unwanted, Human doll?” she said, voice calm, cold as marble. “You think you’re the only one left behind when peace comes knocking?”

He blinked, startled.

“I was a ruler once.” Her voice lowered. “Feared. Worshipped. Hated and when I fell—when I died…not one of them remembered what I did for them.”

Her fingers trailed slowly along his jaw. “You’re not a glitch,” she whispered. “You’re not a shadow.”

She leaned closer, her voice now brushing against his lips.

“You’re mine.”

And the moment she said it, Gray’s eyes widened slightly.

Lilith didn’t blink.

Didn’t back down.

“So listen carefully…” she said, placing his hand over her heartbeat. “If you even think of disappearing—if you try to take yourself and the others into some final blaze of glory—I will drag you back from the ashes myself.”

Her eyes flashed with something old, ancient, terrifying. “And if you dare burn, human doll…” She leaned in, lips brushing his ear—

“Then I’ll burn with you.”

For a moment, he stared at her.

Like a man looking at something holy.

Or cursed.

Or both.

Then he smiled.

Soft. Broken. Grateful.

And then—

he collapsed.

“Human doll!” Lilith caught him as his body slumped forward against her.

His head fell into her lap, eyes closed. His breathing shallow.

A faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

“Human doll?!” she called again, shaking him gently, her heart pounding now.

His pulse was there…steady. But weak.

Something was wrong.

Deeply, dangerously wrong.

She held him tighter, one hand pressing against his heart.

****

Inside Sebastian’s Mind…

Gray’s subconscious

Everything was silent.

No pain. No sound.

Just… white.

Then it cracked.

Like glass breaking slowly across the sky, splitting the emptiness into uneven pieces.

Gray stood there. Alone.

Barefoot on a white floor that stretched into nothing.

His reflection stared up from beneath him, but it was wrong, his eyes were missing.

“Hello?” he called out.

His voice echoed, but no one answered.

He walked.

And with each step, the floor beneath him shifted, turning darker, like ink soaking paper.

“What is this?” he whispered.

That’s when he saw them.

In the distance three shadows sitting at a round table.

One had his arms crossed, eyes cold and sharp—Alexander.

The second one was—Ray.

The third sat back in a dark corner, face half-hidden by shadow—Darkness.

And none of them looked surprised to see him.

“Finally,” Alexander said, standing slowly. “The broken one arrives.”

“Tch. Took you long enough,” Darkness added, his voice low and mocking.

Ray waved lazily, swinging one leg..”Hey Gray! You look… crispy.” He giggled. “Like burnt toast.”

Gray walked forward, fists clenched. “What is this? Why are we all here?”

Alexander sighed. “Because you cracked. And when one of us cracks, we all bleed.”

The table between them split in half, jagged like lightning.

Dark vines grew from the cracks in the floor, wrapping around Gray’s ankles.

“You wanted control,” Darkness said, standing up now, his figure towering. “But you never asked what happens when control turns on itself.”

Gray shook his head..”I just wanted to stay. I wanted to live. I—”

“You wanted to be real,” Alexander interrupted.

“But what if you were only ever the silence between us?”

That broke something in Gray.

“No!” he snapped, his voice raw. “I’m not just a gap. I’m not an emergency switch! I’m—”

Suddenly, the space trembled. The dream cracked further. A distant voice echoed faintly—Lilith’s voice.

“Stay… human doll, please… stay…”

He turned toward it, eyes widening.

“She’s calling you,” Ray said, more serious now. “You can follow that voice back. But you better decide—what part of you is real?”

Gray looked down.

The vines were tightening, pulling. His body was growing heavy, his form flickering.

“If I go back…” he whispered, trembling. “Will I be enough?”

Alexander stared at him.

Ray smiled sadly.

Darkness remained still.

And then, from behind—

a warm touch on his shoulder.

He turned.

Lilith.

Not her real form.

Not her body.

Just a light, shaped like her.

Eyes glowing with fire. Voice steady.

“I don’t care if you’re broken. I don’t care if you’re lost.”

She stepped closer, voice like thunder wrapped in velvet.

“If you’re mine… then come back.”

Gray’s chest shook.

***

“Don’t worry… he was just overstressed,” the doctor said calmly, closing his medical bag with a quiet click.

He offered a reassuring glance to Arthur and Lilith, adding, “He needs rest—physically and emotionally. Make sure he avoids work and any stress. Let him recover naturally.” The room remained still.

Ethan stood quietly near the back, his hands buried in his pockets, his head slightly lowered. Guilt crept up his spine like a cold shadow. He hadn’t expected this. He didn’t know what triggered it, but he had a sick feeling in his chest that this was because of him.

His brother who had always been strong, calm, collected, always making sure things ran perfectly in the company was now lying unconscious because because of him.

It was supposed to be a peaceful picnic, a break for everyone. But instead his responsible, perfect brother ended up collapsing from stress.

Ethan felt crushed. He had never seen his brother like this. Never even considered that Sebastian could fall. He had always been the one holding everything together, while Ethan joked around, ran late, laughed too loudly. He hadn’t realized how much pressure his brother carried alone.

And now that it all came crashing down… he didn’t know how to face him.

“Don’t worry,” Tara said gently. She had changed into a soft pink skirt and simple blouse, one of Ava’s spare outfits, which suited her surprisingly well.

She stood beside Ethan, calm but steady, watching him with understanding.

“It wasn’t your fault. He just needs rest,” she said quietly. Ethan managed a nod, but he still felt the weight of guilt pressing on his chest.

On the other side of the room, Arthur sat next to the bed, one hand resting over the blanket covering Sebastian’s leg. His eyes stayed fixed on his grandson’s face, silent but deeply tense.

Ava and Nova stood close, not sure what to do.

Their boss always seemed so tough—never showing weakness, never slowing down. But now, he looked tired. Stressed, even.

Ava glanced at Nova. Did he really care about things like they did?

Rose stood nearby, hands clasped in front of her, gaze lowered. She didn’t say a word.

And Lilith—Lilith was completely unreadable. She stood next to the bed with a blank expression, her eyes locked on Gray’s unconscious face. She didn’t speak, didn’t cry, didn’t ask questions. But something about her silence was louder than anything else in the room.

She reached forward, slowly brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. The movement was gentle, but her face never softened. After a moment she stepped back, turned, and walked out of the room without a word.

No one followed her. No one dared to. And Ethan stood there, quietly watching her go.