Chapter 959 - 957-Cat Fight[2].

But the data didn’t lie: Austin was perfection, a puzzle she needed to solve, to possess through knowledge if nothing else. And now, these women were laying bare what she’d tried to bury. Her mind raced through scenarios, calculating probabilities of conflict, of alliances broken.

"Claim?" Sabrina echoed, her voice cool and measured. "That’s an interesting word, Marlene. But let’s be logical here. Austin isn’t some artefact to be claimed. Though..." She trailed off, her gaze lingering on the arena. "One can’t deny his appeal. Physically, intellectually—it’s all data points adding up to something exceptional. Recording it? Purely for analysis, of course." But even she heard the hollowness in her excuse, the way her voice softened on his name.

Olivia laughed. "Analysis? Please. You’re all drooling like schoolgirls. Catherine, with your little fantasies—I don’t think I haven’t noticed how you light up around him. Like he’s your long-lost husband or something. And Carmel? Sweet, innocent Carmel, blushing like a tomato. What, finally, realising men are more than just friends?" She turned her glare to Sabrina. "And you, princess, with your ’data.’ We all know that’s code for something else."

Catherine’s smile faltered for a split second, her eyes hardening. The mention of husband struck a nerve, stirring the yandere fire within. She leaned in, her voice a velvet threat. "Jealousy again, Olivia? Projecting much? I’ve known Austin in certain more intimate ways than most of you. We’ve shared... moments. Real ones. Not whatever delusions you’re harbouring." She glanced at the others, her words a subtle probe. "But if we’re being honest, it seems like we’re all here for the same reason. Admiring the same man. Question is, what are we going to do about it?"

Carmel’s eyes widened, the realisation dawning like a cold dawn. They all wanted him. Not just as a friend, an ally—but as theirs. The thought made her stomach twist. Carmelia’s voice, urging:

’Speak up. Stake your claim.’

"I... I care about him," Carmel admitted, her voice gaining strength. "More than as a friend should. And if that means I have to fight for it..." She trailed off, her gaze meeting Olivia’s with unexpected fire.

Marlene’s light smile turned into a grin, feral and challenging. "Fight? Now that’s interesting. As Queen-to-be, I’m not one to back down from a challenge. Austin’s strength calls to mine. If anyone’s claiming him, it’s me." Her words hung heavy, the possessiveness raw now, no longer veiled.

Sabrina adjusted herself, a nervous habit masking her growing obsession. "This is escalating unnecessarily. But if we’re discussing hypotheticals... knowledge is power. I know more about him than any of you. That gives me an edge." Her tone was analytical, but her flushed cheeks betrayed the deeper want.

Olivia stood abruptly, her aura flaring subtly, the corruption whispering temptations of violence. But she held back—for now. "You all think you have a shot? Dream on. He’s mine—has been for longer than you know." The admission slipped out, fueled by rage, and she regretted it instantly. But the damage was done. The room crackled with tension, eyes locking in silent battles, each woman realising the others were rivals in a war for Austin’s heart.

The fight in the arena began, but up here, the real battle was just igniting—words like daggers, jealousy like poison, obsession weaving its web. It was subtle at first, barbs hidden in smiles, but the undercurrent pulled them toward something more explosive. Olivia sat back down, seething, her mind already plotting. They didn’t know the half of it. But soon, they’d learn.

As the blows landed below, the verbal sparring continued in hushed tones.

"You’re delusional if you think he’d choose a control freak like you, Marlene," Olivia muttered, her eyes never leaving the arena.

Marlene chuckled. "And you’d suffocate him with your clinginess. He needs someone who can match his power, not hover like a shadow."

Catherine interjected smoothly. "Power? Please. He needs stability, a family. Not some sea witch’s temper or an elf’s cold calculations."

Sabrina bristled. "Cold? At least I understand him. You all see a body; I see the man—the enigma."

Carmel, emboldened, added, "You don’t get it. He’s kind, pure. He deserves someone who won’t manipulate him."

"Manipulate him?" Olivia echoed, her voice laced with mock surprise, leaning forward as if to inspect a curious specimen. "Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Carmel. The girl who’s been batting her lashes at her ’best friend’ like some lost puppy. What, you think your sweet act fools anyone? You’re the one twisting friendly ties into something twisted. He pities you—that’s all. Not love. Pity."

Carmel’s face flushed deeper, not just from embarrassment but from a surging anger she’d rarely allowed herself to feel. Carmelia’s voice roared in her mind:

’Don’t let her belittle you. Fight back!

’

Her hands clenched into fists in her lap, nails digging into her palms. All her life, she’d been the overlooked one, the fractured soul pieced together by Austin’s kindness. But now, with these vultures circling, she couldn’t stay silent. "Pity? You’re wrong, Olivia. He cares about me—really cares. Not like whatever sneaky game you’re playing. I’ve seen how you look at him when you think no one’s watching. Like you own him. But you don’t. No one owns him."

Sabrina’s fingers twitched. Sabrina’s ears flinched. It wasn’t visible unless someone knew how to read elves.

"Right," Marlene murmured. "Why do you think Olivia’s so hostile? She’s terrified someone might actually take him."

Olivia let out a laugh, but it was brittle, cracking at the edges.

"You are all delusional," she hissed. "Austin isn’t some toy for your fantasies. He’s mine."

There it was. Again. Clearer. Rawer. The word slipped out too quickly this time — she didn’t even try to hide it.

Mine.

Catherine’s lashes lowered, predator’s interest flaring. "Yours?"

Marlene tilted her head. "Based on what?"

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "Possession is a bold claim without evidence."

Carmel swallowed around the lump in her throat. "What do you mean he’s yours?"

Olivia froze. Just a fraction. Then she stood — the chair legs screeching against stone with that high, scraping wail that cut through the room. Her aura flared harder. The room temperature seemed to dip as corruption swirled under her skin like ink in clear water.

"You think you can compete with me?" she exhaled in laughter, avoiding the question, but it was hollow. "You think your fantasies mean anything compared to what he and I have? I’ve been by his side longer than you know. I’ve seen him at his lowest. I’ve held his hand through the darkest night of his soul. I’m the one who—"

She bit the sentence off like she’d almost revealed too much. But the others caught that too. That hesitation. That implication there was something more secret, something intimate.

Carmel stood.

Not with the same presence. But she stood.

"No," Carmel said. Her voice wavered at first — but she held the line. "You’re not the only one who’s seen him at his lowest. I’ve been there too."

Olivia’s head snapped toward her. "You don’t even understand him."

"And you do?" Carmel fired back. "You want him because it makes you feel chosen. I want him because I love him."

Dead silence. That word hung like the blade of a guillotine. Catherine’s breath hitched. Marlene’s smile slowly faded. Sabrina blinked, stunned for one heartbeat, then her mind rapidly recalibrated around that new data point.

"So we’re admitting it now," Catherine murmured. "We’re rivals."

Catherine stood, her aura flaring protectively. "Enough! This is getting out of hand!"

But Carmel, fueled by her inner voice, pushed forward, accidentally bumping into Sabrina as she tried to intervene. Sabrina stumbled, her body askew, and in a rare loss of composure, she shoved back. "Watch it!"

The room descended into minor chaos—shoves, grabs, and yelps as bodies collided in the confined space. Chairs scraped against the floor, a table overturned with a crash, and artefacts clattered to the ground. The verbal war had spilt into physical jostling, not a full brawl yet, but enough to disturb the viewing room entirely. Gasps and curses filled the air, the women’s faces contorted in jealousy-fueled rage.

Security artefacts hummed to life, sensing the disturbance, but for the moment, the women were locked in their scuffle, each driven by the burning need to claim Austin as their own. The fight below raged on, but up here, the real storm was brewing, teetering on the edge of something irreversible, and just as everything was about to blow up, the ringing of the safety system sounded out, the pressures from the girls vanishing and protecting the private space.

"Guess, we have to cool down", Marlene spoke, her eyes glittering. The safety systems had shut down their connections to power; thus, right now, they can’t go any further than this, not that they want to. Slowly yet silently, all of them took seats again, their focus being pulled back by the shouting of the crowd and not wanting to miss any more moments of Austin’s fight.

But make no mistake, things had only just begun.