Chapter 260 The True First Personality
Two hours had passed since Ambrose arrived in Luminous City, and there was still no sign of Scarlett. Too much could happen in two hours, and he didn't dare let his mind wander down those dark paths, the waiting was an agony.
He had personally reviewed the traffic surveillance footage. The vehicle that had taken Scarlett was a semi-old van.
There were no fewer than a few thousand such vans in Luminous City. At every monitored intersection, identical vehicles with different license plates appeared. The last plate they traced led them to a van that had been parked in the bustling downtown district all night, never moving.
The plates had been cloned.
Ambrose called Ruben, instructing him to contact the Luminous City police force and initiate a grid search.
Vaughn, uneasy, had called several times. Upon learning Scarlett was missing, he too had pulled his internal strings, getting the Luminous City military involved in the search.
An operation of this scale, involving so many factions, was unprecedented.
Ulysses, hidden away in his mountainside villa, received the news swiftly. He stood by the study window, phone in hand, the cool glass a stark contrast to the tension coiling in his gut.
"Help me stall them until tomorrow morning. I appreciate it," he said into the phone.
"I'll delay as much as I can," the voice on the other end replied, "but with three different parties mobilized, I doubt we can hold out until morning. Ulysses, is it really worth antagonizing so many people for one woman?"
Ulysses's voice was placid. "There won't be any trouble. She's merely a guest here, seeking refuge from a man who's pursuing her. I'm just offering her a little hospitality."
Hearing this, the person on the other end had nothing more to say. If Ulysses himself insisted there would be no trouble, further argument was pointless.
After ending the call, Ulysses stepped out of the study and walked to the door of the room where Scarlett was resting. He knocked.
"Ambrose has three separate forces searching for you," he said as she opened the door. "It seems he's quite anxious."
Scarlett stood in the doorway, her gaze cold as she looked at Ulysses. "I agreed to stay here for one night. If I'm found before then, what does that have to do with me? Or are you planning to go back on your word and withhold the evidence from four years ago?"
Ulysses had rescued her and brought her here, revealing the one thing that could compel her cooperation: proof that Octavia had orchestrated her downfall four years prior. She had seen the files just moments ago; they were genuine.
He had proposed a simple trade: spend one night in his villa, and the evidence was hers.
Although she knew Ulysses was mentally unstable, he was currently in the persona that was infatuated with her, the one that was unlikely to cause her harm. She had agreed.
A smile touched Ulysses's lips. "I will certainly give you what I promised. I'm just curious—when Ambrose finds out you've spent all this time here with me, and he begins to question our innocence, what do you plan to do?"
Scarlett's expression remained impassive. "That has nothing to do with you."
The implication was clear: once he handed over the evidence, her affairs were none of his concern.
Yet, his question confirmed her suspicion. The reason he wanted her to stay the night was purely to provoke Ambrose.
The second personality of Ulysses still viewed Ambrose as an enemy. Some things never changed.
Ulysses braced a hand against the doorframe, his eyes fixed on Scarlett. After a long moment, he said, "I have feelings for you. I won't hurt you, but I also don't want anyone else to hurt you."
The sudden declaration made Scarlett's brow twitch. She had intended to feign ignorance for as long as he left the subject unspoken, but he had brought it into the open.
How was she supposed to respond without agitating him? If she triggered a shift in his personality, not only would the evidence be lost, but her own safety would no longer be guaranteed.
A headache was beginning to form behind her eyes. She chose her words carefully. "That's unexpected. But as you know, I'm a divorced woman with a child. Why would you do this?"
Ulysses didn't see the revulsion or disgust he'd half-expected in her eyes, and the knot of tension in his chest slowly loosened. He dropped his hand from the doorframe. "Do you know why I developed dissociative identity disorder?" He asked softly.
Scarlett had no desire to know. "That's your private business, I shouldn't—"
"It was the night you were set up, four years ago," Ulysses interrupted, his voice cutting through her polite refusal.
His back rested against the doorframe now, his expression shadowed with a bleak memory. "That night, I was powerless to save you. I wanted nothing more than to strangle Octavia, but I couldn't. I didn't have the power to resist them."
"I swore I would make them pay. After all, I've endured for so many years, I couldn't let it all be for nothing. So, I split. A second personality emerged, one who was obedient to Octavia and her father, who earned their trust, who eventually took the position of CEO at the Mitchell Group."
Scarlett's eyes widened in disbelief. Had he fractured then? Because of her? And the personality that liked her was his original self, while the one who had grown close to Indigo and his daughter was the second? She never could have imagined it.
Ulysses saw her shock and gave a faint, humorless laugh. "Surprising, isn't it?"
"For these four years, I became that other person. It was only when he learned that Indigo and his daughter planned to discard him that the shock of it all forced the first personality—me—to resurface."
The "he" in his story referred to his alter. He had created a second self, one who had suppressed all revulsion for the Mitchell family to climb to the center of their power, only to be shattered by their betrayal, which in turn brought the original Ulysses back. It felt like listening to a story from a fantasy novel.
"Scarlett, I can help you find evidence of the Mitchell family's crimes," Ulysses said suddenly, pulling her from her stunned silence.
She was at a loss for words, her lips trembling slightly before she managed a refusal.
"You don't have to do that." A deep unease settled over her.
His condition was linked to her, and while she knew she wasn't responsible for something that happened without her knowledge, a pang of guilt still twisted in her conscience.
"When I was little," Ulysses said, his voice softer now, "everyone used to bully me. You were the only one who stood up and warned them away."
Scarlett froze, searching her memory. She couldn't recall the specific incident, but she knew that as a child, she had possessed a fierce sense of justice. Right or wrong, she couldn't stand to see the weak being tormented.
One of Ulysses's men hurried over, whispering something in his ear for a few moments before departing. When Ulysses looked back at Scarlett, his eyes were clear and sharp. "Ambrose must have traced you here. You should prepare to leave."
Scarlett frowned. The night wasn't over. Would he still give her the evidence?
As if reading her thoughts, Ulysses pulled a USB drive from his pocket and stepped forward, holding it out to her. "Here it is."
Scarlett took it without hesitation. At this moment, regardless of the circumstances, obtaining the proof was the most important thing.
"Thank you," she said, the words feeling both necessary and inadequate.
A small smile played on Ulysses's lips. "To hear you say that, in this lifetime, makes it all worthwhile." He no longer wanted to hide in the shadows; he wanted to stand by her side, to help her accomplish her goals, to prove, at the very least, that he was more useful than Ambrose. "What I told you just now was sincere. I will get Indigo's criminal evidence for you."
Clutching the small drive, Scarlett considered his words for a second before replying firmly, "Ulysses, no matter what you do, I can't give you the response you're looking for." It was better to be clear now, to avoid a tangled mess later.
"I know," he said, his voice even. "I'm doing this only to show you that I am not your enemy. And for me, the Mitchell family… they are a nightmare."
On the road down the mountain, she encountered the car sent to meet her. Ambrose was inside.
The moment her vehicle stopped and she stepped out, he was there, his face etched with exhaustion.
He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight embrace.