Dare to Touch Him and See What Happens

When Feder woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, seemingly one of the resort's guest rooms. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his mind, but the splitting headache made it difficult to see straight. Wiping his eyes, he saw his hand stained with blood.

"Dammit, that bastard," Feder growled, realizing that Alex's men had knocked him out.

"Noah… Noah!" Feder called out, staggering to his feet, his mind frantic with worry. But instead of finding Noah, he saw Xavier Dupont, Richa, and Alex sitting on the sofa, their cold eyes fixed on him with an oppressive silence.

But Feder wasn't one to be intimidated. He stood up, yelling at the three of them, "Where's Noah? What did you do to him?"

Xavier Dupont casually lit a cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke before giving a nod to one of his subordinates. The man understood immediately, stepping out to bring Noah into the room. In no time, two of Xavier's men dragged a groggy Noah into the room.

"Noah!" Feder rushed forward, but before he could get close, several guns were already trained on his head, cocked and ready. Feder clenched his fists at his sides, his fury directed at Xavier Dupont. "Xavier Dupont!" he snarled.

Xavier Dupont, lounging on the sofa with one arm draped over the back, took a long drag from his cigarette before calmly ordering, "I don't have the patience of these two. Tell me everything about the food poisoning incident—who was involved, and how it was done. You have five minutes."

Although Xavier was sitting and Feder was standing, it felt as though Xavier was towering over him, looking down with an air of superiority. The oppressive atmosphere was palpable, as if one wrong word from Feder would earn him a bullet to the head.

"And what if I don't?" Feder spat, trembling with rage at the word "report," as if he were some underling of Xavier's.

Xavier didn't respond verbally. Instead, he motioned for his men to bring Noah closer.

"Yes, sir." The two guards holding Noah immediately obeyed, dragging him closer to Xavier.

Noah, still disoriented and blinking in confusion, was utterly baffled by the situation. First, he was knocked out for no reason, and now he was being dragged into this strange room. What on earth was going on? Why were Alex, Richa, and Xavier involved?

Before Noah could make sense of things, he found himself on Xavier Dupont's lap, with Xavier's arm firmly around his waist, blowing smoke into his face.

Noah started coughing violently, both from the smoke and from the shock. *What the hell is going on? Why is Xavier Dupont holding me?* He tried to stand up, but Xavier's grip on his waist was ironclad, keeping him in place.

Xavier's voice was icy as he warned Noah, "If you so much as move, I can't guarantee that your hands and feet will remain intact."

Noah instantly froze, sitting obediently in Xavier's lap, not daring to move. Xavier Dupont was known for keeping his promises.

Noah was in a state of shock, struggling to comprehend the situation. Meanwhile, seeing Xavier Dupont holding Noah in such an intimate manner, Feder completely lost it.

"Xavier Dupont!" he roared, charging at Xavier. But before he could get close, Xavier's men had him pinned face-down on the ground.

"Are you all tired of living? Let me go!" Feder struggled violently, his rage boiling over. But the men holding him down didn't loosen their grip; if anything, they pressed harder.

Feder was on the verge of going berserk, thrashing so violently that it took all four men to keep him subdued. They were sweating bullets trying to hold him down.

"I may not have a habit of touching other people's things, but Noah is quite handsome," Xavier Dupont said suddenly, tilting Noah's chin to inspect him.

Noah immediately held his breath, swallowing hard. *No way! You're not into people like me, are you? Richard is so much better looking; there's no way you'd be interested in a rough guy like me.*

Feder's eyes blazed with fury. "Xavier Dupont, if you touch him, you're dead!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the room, his face turning red with rage.

*Is he stupid? Everyone knows Xavier Dupont is in love with Richard. Does this idiot really think Xavier would be interested in me?* Noah thought, inwardly rolling his eyes at Feder's outburst.

But then Xavier Dupont leaned in closer to Noah's face, lowering his head slightly. Noah blinked in confusion before recoiling in horror, instinctively hugging himself and backing away as much as he could.

*What the hell is going on? This family is full of lunatics!* Noah thought, terrified, glancing at Richa for help. But Richa merely glanced at him briefly before looking away, leaving Noah even more bewildered.

Alex, sitting next to Richa, felt his lips twitch as he tried to comprehend what was happening. What had started as a simple plan to use Noah to pressure Feder had somehow turned into Xavier Dupont's personal sideshow.

"Why are you dragging me into this mess to deal with Feder?" Noah asked in a low, panicked voice, his face slightly flushed—not from Xavier Dupont's proximity, but from sheer embarrassment.

From Feder's perspective, however, Noah's red face seemed to be because he was blushing at Xavier Dupont, driving Feder to the brink of insanity.

Ignoring Feder's outburst, Xavier Dupont calmly explained to Noah, "Because that idiot values you more than his own life. To break him, I have to involve you."

Noah was taken aback by Xavier Dupont's words, thinking he must have misheard. He frowned and asked, "Are you messing with me?"

Xavier Dupont's voice remained cold. "I don't know if I'm messing with you, but if I punched him, he wouldn't make a sound. But if I hit you, he'd fight me to the death."

Noah was skeptical, thinking it was impossible. *Who would believe that crazy guy cares about me that much?*

But as he glanced at Feder, pinned down and struggling furiously, he couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to it.

*Could it be true?* Noah questioned, his eyes narrowing as he studied Feder's desperate expression.

But before he could fully process this, Feder's voice cut through his thoughts. "Are you trying to piss me off? Usually, nothing can hold you back, but now you're just sitting there doing nothing? Are you trying to kill me with rage?"

Feder's frustration was palpable, and it seemed he was on the verge of snapping. But seeing Feder so worked up, Noah couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

*Serves you right for all the times you've pissed me off,* Noah thought, relishing the chance to turn the tables.

Noah suddenly wrapped his arms around Xavier Dupont's neck, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I've been looking for a way to deal with him. If you help me out, I'll play along, but only if you promise to protect me from Feder afterward. Otherwise, he'll kill me when this is over."

Xavier Dupont's brows furrowed in displeasure, but he remained silent, perhaps annoyed by Noah's sudden closeness.

Realizing he might have overstepped, Noah hesitated but didn't release his grip, instead whispering, "Just for a little while. If you push me away now, I'll lose face."

Xavier Dupont didn't respond, but he grudgingly lifted Noah into his arms.

Noah froze, instinctively tightening his hold around Xavier Dupont's neck.

Xavier Dupont's voice dropped to a menacing tone. "Do you really want to lose your hands?"

Noah, feeling completely wronged, whispered back, "You suddenly lifted me up, so of course I grabbed onto you!"

"Are you sure it's me you're used to holding, and not someone else?" Xavier Dupont retorted.

Noah's face flushed with embarrassment, unable to argue back.

*What the hell? I'm the victim here, so why am I the one being scolded?* Noah thought, his expression darkening.

Meanwhile, Feder, seeing Xavier Dupont holding Noah, finally cracked. "Fine, I'll talk! Just let him go."

Xavier Dupont raised an eyebrow, finally getting the response he wanted. He set Noah down and signaled his men to release Feder.

The guards immediately let go, relieved they didn't have to hold him down any longer.

As soon as Feder was free, he scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Noah, pulling him into a tight embrace.

Feder backed into the corner, gasping for breath as he shielded Noah with his body, his eyes still wide with fear. It was as if Xavier Dupont's presence had dredged up memories of his terrifying stepfather, causing Feder to tremble uncontrollably.