[Chapter 247: Wouldn't Be So Bad]
Daniel cut the steak in his hand and said indifferently, "Not only will you leave your mark, but you'll also become the highest-earning person in the industry someday."
Taylor was stunned for a moment, then giggled. "Mr. Cross, your words are more effective than a psychiatrist's placebo."
That afternoon, the three of them went to the Walk of Fame. Taylor dragged Daniel to take photos in front of each star marker one by one.
...
By the time they got back to the Beverly Hills Hotel, it was already nine o'clock at night.
After a full day of sightseeing, Taylor took a shower and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Daniel was still sitting on the single sofa by the bed, casually flipping through a magazine he had pulled from the hotel bookshelf. The pages were filled with pictures of various beautiful women.
Only a dim desk lamp was on in the room. The light was faint, and the only sound was the soft turning of magazine pages.
...
At one o'clock in the morning, Chris's figure materialized in the air. She looked at Taylor, peacefully asleep like a little pig, then at Daniel.
"Master, are you really not planning on having a late-night snack?" she asked.
Daniel put down the magazine and replied indifferently, "You're talking more and more nonsense."
...
Late at night, a muffled knocking sounded -- soft but insistent, as if tapping straight on the heart.
Taylor opened her eyes and found herself still lying in the hotel bed. The room was dark; she glanced to the side and saw Mr. Cross slumped in the single sofa, breathing evenly -- seemingly fast asleep.
The knocking continued.
Taylor stepped off the bed barefoot and quietly crept to the door. Through the peephole, she saw her father, Scott.
His face was lined with anxiety. He kept glancing back down the hallway, one hand pressed tightly against the door panel.
Taylor opened the door a crack and whispered, "Dad? Why are you here?"
"Quick, Taylor, pack your things and come with me!" Scott grabbed her wrist, his voice low and trembling with unbearable fear.
Taylor was stunned. "Where? Mr. Cross is still here..."
"Don't mention that fraud!" Scott's expression suddenly grew sinister. He lunged forward, speaking rapidly. "I just got a call from a friend in Los Angeles. That Daniel Cross isn't a Master Exorcist at all! He's an extremely dangerous pervert! He uses the guise of exorcism to control many Hollywood actresses... Scarlett Johansson, Amanda Seyfried... they all have improper relationships with him!"
Taylor's fingers tightened on the doorknob.
"He's here just to make a move on you once you fall asleep!" Scott pointed into the room. "Look, he's pretending to sleep right now to lower your guard! Come with me, the police are downstairs!"
Taylor glanced back at Daniel on the sofa. Moonlight cast a cold, sharp profile, exuding a reassuring steadiness.
"But... he saved me," Taylor hesitated, "and he said he has a girlfriend."
"That's a lie!" Scott growled. "How could a man like him be satisfied with just a few women? Your popularity is rising -- how could a greedy beast like him possibly let you go? Quick, Taylor, come with me!"
As he spoke, Scott forcefully pulled at Taylor's arm.
Just as she was about to be dragged out, she stopped.
Not only did she refuse to leave, but she also shook off her father's hand and stepped back inside.
Scott was stunned, a shadow of gloom crossing his eyes. "Taylor, what are you doing?"
Taylor looked up, her youthful confusion replaced by near-stubborn resolve. "I'm not leaving."
"Are you crazy? Didn't you hear me? He's going to hurt you!"
"I heard you." Taylor smoothed the hem of her nightgown, her voice cold. "If Mr. Cross really is the pervert you say he is... if he's conquered the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Amanda Seyfried..." She paused, a strange smile curling at the corners of her mouth. "Then letting him set his sights on me wouldn't be so bad after all."
Scott froze. "You... what did you say?"
His voice was hoarse, as if broken glass was caught in his throat.
"I said, if he wants me, then let him have me." Taylor met her father's eyes. "Compared to that invisible monster, I'd much rather deal with Mr. Cross."
In the silent hallway, the air seemed to freeze.
Scott's face twitched violently, his anxious, angry expression tearing apart like a ripped piece of paper.
"Heh... hehehe..."
A dry, distorted laugh escaped him.
He slowly raised his head, mouth stretched impossibly wide. The skin cracked from tension, revealing bright red granulation underneath.
"Then... you should just... die!"
Suddenly, Scott's hands spread wide, his ten fingers like withered claws, grabbing tightly at Taylor's neck.
A fierce suffocating pressure hit her instantly.
Taylor opened her mouth wide but couldn't make a sound. Her vision blurred, bleeding red.
Just as she felt herself losing consciousness...
"Wake up!"
A loud voice, charged with mysterious power, exploded inside her mind. The sound, like thunder from the very heavens, shattered all the illusions.
Taylor snapped her eyes open.
There was no hallway. No Scott.
She was still lying on the large hotel bed. Daniel stood beside her, a finger pressing to the center of her forehead.
A stream of warm magical energy poured steadily into her.
"Mr. Cross..."
Taylor released her hands, gasping for breath, looking at Daniel in shock as tears welled up and fell.
Daniel withdrew his hand, his expression colder than usual.
"This thing certainly knows how to use what it's learned. It even wove in the fact that I like finding girlfriends."
Taylor slumped back against the headboard, her nightgown soaked with cold sweat and clinging to her thin back.
She panted heavily, eyes sweeping Daniel's cold face.
But the words from the illusion echoed involuntarily in her mind.
"Letting him set his sights on me wouldn't be so bad after all..."
Thinking that, Taylor's face burned bright red, the blush creeping all the way to her ears.
The shame overshadowed the relief of her narrow escape, making her unable to meet Daniel's gaze.
"That... that was an illusion." Taylor lowered her head, voice barely above a whisper. "Just now... I didn't know what I was saying."
Daniel smiled. "That wasn't you. It was just a trap it wove. Lie down and get some sleep."
Taylor obediently lay back under the covers. Under the gentle flow of the Soul-Soothing Seal's power, her tense nerves finally relaxed.
A moment later, her breathing evened out.
After confirming she had fallen into a deep sleep, Daniel gave a cold snort. "You've seen enough. Come out."
Pink mist gathered beside the bed, and Chris manifested her form.
She sat cross-legged in the air, swirling a glass of red wine from somewhere unknown, laughing so hard she trembled.
"Oh my, Master, I truly admire you." Chris took a sip of wine, eyes mischievous. "I went to great lengths to amplify your charm... hoping you'd run wild among those ripe peaches in Hollywood. I didn't expect you'd tease this kind of undeveloped little green apple."
*****
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