Chapter 3

Theo paused momentarily before raising his head, his deep eyes filled with disbelief. "The color of the pearl depends on the merfolk's mood."

I touched my belly and said slowly, "I don't care. If you don't cry, I'll release your baby into the sea."

His expression changed abruptly.

Three minutes later, I stared in astonishment at the notorious villain who was feared outside. His eyes were red as pearls dropped with a pattering sound. The pale pink pearls rolled around on the plate, sounding particularly pleasant.

The system suddenly made a ding.

[The villain's corruption level has dropped to 85%.]

I happily picked up a pearl. This task was simple. If this continued, I was afraid I would make Theo a sweet and naive merman who only cried pearls.

However, just when I thought I was sure to succeed, Melody came. She was dressed in a plain white dress and stood at the villa entrance with red eyes, looking pitiful. "Theo, please save my father... He's been caught. Only you can find him..." Her voice choked up.

I stood in the doorway, sneering, "Get Reagan to help."

Melody bit her lip, and tears came streaming down her face even faster. "He doesn't have those kinds of connections..."

I paused before realizing it. The male lead was always an optimistic, righteous, and domineering CEO, while the villain was sinister and ruthless. Thus, the first person Melody thought of was always Theo, with his bloodstained hands, when she needed someone to do her dirty bidding.

I glanced back at Theo standing at the corner of the stairs. He stood there quietly, his eyes unfathomable, while he held the slippers I had just kicked off.

A sudden surge of anger welled up inside me. "You're not allowed to go!"

Melody bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "Since Elle won't allow it, forget it..."

She looked pitiful as she turned to leave.

Just as she was about to step out the door, Theo suddenly said, "Wait."

I watched as he knelt, gently put my slippers back on, and even adjusted their position. Then, this bastard actually got up and followed Melody!

"Theo!" I grabbed a slipper and smashed it on the back of his head. "Don't come back if you go!"

The slipper hit my target, making a crisp smack.

He paused and did not turn around. He just rubbed the spot where he had been hit and continued walking.

I was so angry that I almost threw the other slipper at him as well.

...

At 3:00 am, I checked my phone for the 28th time. The screen was still completely black.

Suddenly, the system notification popped up with a beep.

[Warning! Villain's corruption level has increased by 12%. Current value: 97%.]

I sat upright, nearly straining my back. "What? I've been carrying his baby like a hen, working myself to the bone. I only managed to reduce his corruption level by 15%. He went out with the female lead for one night, and it increased by 12 points?"

The system added quietly, "To be precise, it’s only been four hours and 38 minutes."

"What? Did Melody use him as ransom for the kidnappers?" I sneered, touching my belly.

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine came from outside the window.

I darted to the window and saw Theo's car slowly drive into the front yard, its headlights casting two hazy streaks of light in the rain.

What angered me even more was that he was carrying something in his hand when he got out of the car. The packaging had Moonlit Sea's logo printed on it.