NOVEL NEXT Chapter 140: Confrontation
Silas hesitated, then gave a slow nod. He stayed close to her as they started walking out together.
But just as they reached the edge of the area, a sharp voice rang out behind them.
"What are you two doing here?"
Both Ivy and Silas stopped at once. They turned around quickly, and their faces changed the moment they saw who it was.
General Daniel's boots struck the ground as he came closer. His sharp eyes locked on their joined hands, and his jaw tightened.
It looked like he wanted to cut their hands apart with just his glare. His expression stayed cold, but most of his anger was directed at Ivy.
Ivy felt his gaze pressing down on her. She froze, staring at the man in front of her. Her chest grew heavy.
'So it really is him… the same man from before… the one who cursed me after Silas's death. The one who said I was doomed to suffer. Maybe he was right, because my whole last life was nothing but suffering.'
Her hand slipped away from Silas's. She lowered her eyes, but inside her thoughts spun wildly.
'I cannot hate him. He only wanted to protect his son. Maybe he always knew I would bring nothing but pain. Maybe that is why he hated me.'
Silas frowned at his father, anger flickering in his eyes, but General Daniel ignored him. He kept his piercing gaze fixed on Ivy.
"What are you doing here?" General Daniel demanded. His voice was heavy with authority.
"Are you completely foolish? This place is isolated. Even if no zombies are around right now, do you want to die here? Or is this one of your tricks? Did the Ravencroft family send you to lure my son into danger?"
"Father!" Silas burst out, his voice sharp with anger.
"You cannot say such things. She is not like that. If you are only here to insult her, then it would be better for you to leave right now."
General Daniel's face darkened. He looked at his son like he was a stranger. His voice grew harsher.
"You are blind, Silas. You do not even see the danger in front of you. If you refuse to listen to me as a father, then I will order you as a commander. You will leave right now."
Silas gritted his teeth.
'Why is it always like this? Why can he never trust me? Why does he always hate her?' He opened his mouth to argue, but his father's order came like a whip.
"If you do not leave within ten seconds, you will run one hundred laps around the compound."
Silas stiffened, ready to shout back, but Ivy touched his arm and gave a small shake of her head. "It's fine… go," she whispered.
That simple motion made General Daniel's fury explode.
His voice thundered, "And who are you to order my son around?" He turned his sharp eyes on Ivy, his face tight with anger.
Then he drew in a slow breath, trying to keep control. "I will speak with you. Alone."
Silas instantly stepped forward.
"No. If you insult her or force her to break up with me, then I swear I will walk out of the military and never come back."
The words hit like a hammer. General Daniel's face turned red with fury. His finger pointed at Silas, trembling with rage. "You dare!"
But Silas only looked at him with calm defiance.
General Daniel's teeth clenched so hard it looked like his jaw might crack.
"Good. If that is how you want to act, then fine. Two hundred laps. Let us see if your pride can carry you that far."
Silas stayed silent, his body stiff.
Ivy's heart burned. She stepped in front of Silas, her eyes sharp as she glared at General Daniel.
"You cannot punish him like that. He has done nothing wrong."
The older man's gaze narrowed into a slit. "He suffers because of you. Everything is because of you."
For a moment, the air froze. Then Silas's voice came out cold and firm.
"Do not blame her for your cruelty. Do not dump all of your bitterness on her. If you want to punish someone, punish me. Leave my girlfriend out of this."
Ivy's and General Daniel's eyes widened in shock.
General Daniel repeated the word slowly, as if testing it on his tongue. "Girlfriend?" His sharp eyes turned to Ivy.
"You… are my son's girlfriend?"
Ivy froze, her lips parting slightly, but before she could even give an answer, General Daniel suddenly laughed.
It was not a laugh filled with joy. It was sharp and cutting, like a knife.
"I understand now," he said.
"You must have been scared out of your wits by the apocalypse. So you decided to cling onto a golden thigh. You knew you could not survive on your own, so you chose my son to hide behind. I have never seen a poisonous girl like you."
Silas's fists clenched at his sides. His face went pale with fury. But before he could speak, Ivy raised her hand gently, stopping him.
Her eyes grew cold, and she looked at General Daniel with a calm expression.
"General Daniel," Ivy said softly but clearly. "I genuinely apologize for all the things I have done wrong to Silas in the past years."
Her words stunned both men.
General Daniel chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "At least you have some self-awareness."
But Ivy did not let him continue. She straightened her back and stepped forward. Her eyes locked onto his, unflinching.
"It might look like I am with Silas because of the apocalypse, but it is not like that."
General Daniel blinked. For a moment, surprise flickered in his sharp gaze. The Ivy he remembered was timid, always lowering her head, never daring to look him in the eye.
But the Ivy before him now was different. She had courage in her voice, and her eyes did not waver.
'She is not the same girl I thought I knew,' he admitted in his heart, though he refused to show it.