Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 161: Power, Control, and a Slap of Truth

Chandler kicked Number Four hard in the knee. Pain shot through him. He jumped up right away.

"Aww! My leg... it's broken!" Number Four grabbed his leg and hopped in place on one foot.

First, his ankle had been hit. Now his knee almost snapped. Cold sweat ran down his face. His features twisted in pain.

Mariella let out a cold laugh. She stepped forward and kicked him down. Then she pressed the barrel of her rifle against his forehead.

"D-Don't shoot!" Number Four's voice shook, almost crying. "Ms. Townsend, I'll tell you anything. Please don't kill me!"

"When did you turn Number Ten?" Mariella asked, surprised. She had barely seen the two of them talk before.

As far as she knew, Number Ten spent more time with Number Eight and Number Nine.

With a gun to his head, Number Four didn't dare lie. "I... I just chatted with her on WhatsApp sometimes. Flirted a little. Sent her small gifts now and then... I broke up with my girlfriend and stayed single. Sometimes I just wanted a woman. She seemed easy."

Mariella was so angry she laughed. Then she kicked him again. "You really know how to pick them, huh?"

...

Just then, as Mariella hit and scolded Number Four, Number Ten suddenly spoke up. "This is between him and me. If you're mad, take it out on me. Don't just bully him!"

Mariella turned around. She laughed again, even colder this time. "Oh? Are you putting on some loyal love story now?"

"What's wrong with love? Someone like you wouldn't understand it at all!" Number Ten snapped. It sounded like she had been holding this anger in for a long time. "If it weren't for your stupid rule, I wouldn't have broken up with my ex! And if we hadn't broken up, he wouldn't have gotten a new girlfriend so fast! He once said he would only marry me."

But promises don't last. When love meets reality, it melts fast—like snow under the sun. Gone in seconds.

She had planned it all. Work one year, make good money, then go back and marry him. But he couldn't even wait a month before finding someone new.

Mariella understood right away. "So you hate me because of this," she said. "When I hired you, the contract was clear. You had to be single. I didn't trick you. If you couldn't let go of your ex, why take the job? I paid way above market rate for bodyguards who met my rules. You didn't qualify, but you still took the job. And now you're acting like the victim?"

Number Ten had no answer. She was shut down completely. But she refused to lose. A second later, she found another angle. "You don't allow us to date," she shot back, "but what about you? Aren't you involved with Captain Zimmer? You call him whenever you feel like it or make excuses to drag him out and fool around with you—"

Smack! Mariella moved fast and struck Number Ten's face, cutting her off.

She gave a cold smile and raised her brow. "So what?" she said. "I'm the boss. That's the difference. Don't like it? Too bad. You're not the boss."

Number Ten choked on her words. She wanted to argue, but nothing came out.

Yeah, that was the truth. Mariella hired her. She could use her position to make her bodyguards sleep with her.

Chandler was rendered speechless.

At this rate, he was never going to clear his name. People would always think he'd slept his way up.

Mariella glanced at him with a smile. She looked pretty pleased with the outcome.

From now on, the time she was "fooling around with him" would only get longer and more frequent.

Letting rumors like that spread wasn't a bad thing. At least no one would question why she stayed close to him.

Chandler caught the hint right away. He pressed his lips helplessly, then turned his head aside with a proud little huff.

Matthew lowered his gaze. Under the light, there was a faint hurt in his expression.

He didn't really believe the rumors that Mariella had used her position to sleep with Chandler. But just now, he had seen the way they looked at each other.

If there was nothing between them, he couldn't believe that either.

Everything happened tonight finally shattered the last bit of hope he had.

Matthew could only keep telling himself that he had never been good enough for her. Chandler suited her better.

He knew a little psychology. He tried to convince himself again and again, almost like self-hypnosis, forcing himself to accept it.

But it still hurt.

Suddenly, Number Ten snapped. She turned on Number Six and cursed, "Why do you keep pointing that trashy gun at me? Trying to show off?"

Number Six paused for a second, but he didn't lower the gun. His voice stayed cold. "You're dangerous. I need to keep an eye on you."

His leg injury hadn't healed yet, so he couldn't go out on missions with the team. But guarding a traitor? That was easy.

Number Ten shot him a hard glare, then turned to Mariella, clearly upset. "You left a gun in his room," she said angrily. "But in mine, you only left some food. What, you think I'm some stray dog?"