Unwanted Girl Spoiled By Billionaire - Chapter 284: Chapter 284

Brandon's words exploded in Noelle's mind like a bomb.
Her eyes shrank, and she instantly turned to look at him, her face pale with shock.
"Surprised?" Brandon's palm caressed her cheek gently, his voice soft but laced with chilling coldness. "Noelle, I've noticed you've been getting more and more disobedient lately. What's this? You don't follow the lab's orders anymore?"
"I..." Noelle's throat tightened. She couldn't get the words out.
Orders were absolute. She had always known that.
But why... why was Brandon ordering her to kill Damon?
Damon was her brother. He had just defended her. Why now? She couldn't understand it at all.
Torn and confused, Noelle suddenly slapped his hand away, stumbling a step back. Her eyes trembled with desperation as she pleaded, "Brandon, please don't do this. Did Damon do something to upset you? If so, I'll apologize on his behalf. Just don't hurt him. Please, don't make me do this."
Brandon's smile vanished.
His pale lips pressed together as he stared at her, stepping forward. "Noelle, are you defying my command?"
"I..."
"The lab's orders are absolute, aren't they?"
"Yes."
Every word struck like a hammer to her chest.
Noelle lowered her head, lost in a chaotic storm of thoughts. The lab's mission mattered—but Damon mattered too. He was family.
She shook her head furiously, trying to hold onto her reason. "But, Brandon—"
"No 'but,'" he cut her off coldly.
His emerald eyes dimmed, growing icy as he repeated in a low voice, "Noelle. I order you—kill Damon."
"Brandon..."
Noelle looked panicked, overwhelmed. Her feet didn't move. She couldn't bring herself to obey.
She was clearly fighting back—desperately resisting the pull to obey.
His command echoed in her mind, clawing at her will, but Noelle forced herself to stand still, heart racing, breath shallow. Sweat formed on her brow. She could feel it—her body was begging to move, but her mind screamed no.
She was trying to override a command hardwired into her very being.
Brandon watched her struggle with eerie calm, as if everything was going according to plan.
Then, he let out a soft, cold chuckle and pulled something from his coat pocket—a silver, oval-shaped device. Sleek, metallic, glinting under the light. It looked identical in material to Noelle's communication necklace.
The second she saw it, dread gripped her. She somehow knew—this object was dangerous.
"Do you know," Brandon said softly, "why the lab never feared releasing you all into the world? Why they never worried about betrayal?"
Noelle was pale as paper. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
Brandon didn't wait for a response. "Because before releasing you, the lab implanted something in your mind—a mental imprint for absolute obedience. A permanent, unbreakable command."
"Brandon!" Noelle's voice broke, almost a scream.
He didn't flinch. Staring straight into her eyes, he lifted the device to his lips and said calmly, "Noelle."
The sound hit her like a physical blow. Her body jolted.
It was as if something reached deep inside her and began to unravel her will. Logic, emotion, reason—everything began to fade beneath the growing tide of primal obedience.
"No, Brandon... please..." Noelle choked out, panicked.
She lunged forward, trying to snatch the device from his hand.
But Brandon was faster.
Before she could even reach him, his voice came again—low and clear. "Now. Kill Damon."
This time, the effect was immediate.
It felt like her mind shattered.
A crushing force pressed down on her, and her thoughts were drowned in it. Her instincts—those trained, unnatural instincts—took over. Her body no longer listened to her.
Noelle gasped for air. She knew what was happening, knew what she was being made to do, but she couldn't stop it.
Her body turned on its own. Slowly, unwillingly, she began walking toward Damon.
No... no, stop... please stop...
She screamed internally, but her feet kept moving.
She was fully aware—but she couldn't control herself.
It was like watching her own downfall in slow motion.
"Noelle?" Damon noticed her approaching. Still thinking about the call he'd just had with Leia, he frowned.
She probably heard that, he thought. Her hearing's sharp.
Even though he had nothing to hide, he felt compelled to explain. "Don't misunderstand—I didn't call Leia. She called me. It's her birthday too, and I just said a few words. I didn't agree to anything."
Noelle said nothing. Her breath grew shorter.
The lighting was dim, and at first, Damon didn't sense anything wrong. But as she got closer, he took a good look—and froze.
Her forehead was slick with sweat. Her complexion ghostly pale. Her breath shallow.
"Noelle?" Alarmed, he stepped closer and grabbed her hand. "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"
Still no response.
He tightened his grip and tried to lead her back inside. "It's freezing. Let's go back in. I'll call a doctor."
But she wouldn't budge.
She stood rooted to the ground, unmovable.
"What's going on?" Damon frowned. "You can't walk? Then I'll carry you."
He turned slightly, preparing to bend down.
But then—
"Damon..." It was barely a whisper, like a breath caught in the wind. But it was enough.
He straightened up, looking into her eyes. "What is it, Noelle?"
Her gaze flickered across his face, and for a moment, she looked as if she were about to cry.
And then, in a voice trembling with desperation, she forced the words out—her last act of will.
"Run!"
The word cut through the air like a blade.
But before Damon could react— Pain. Searing, blinding pain erupted in his chest.
He staggered, confused, as he slowly lowered his gaze—and saw the hilt of a knife protruding from his chest. A small blade, no wider than a finger, but the entire length had pierced straight through him.
Blood blossomed across his shirt.
And Noelle—her eyes wide, her face frozen in horror—stood in front of him... holding the handle.
The knife she hadn't even meant to draw.