I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 89 Adam Being Scared

"remind me again why we're bringing them along?" stephen asked irritated.

"because she's our only way to access the restricted theta area," julius replied with a tired sigh.

"yeah, but why the hell are her two friends tagging along?!" stephen's glare shifted pointedly toward luke and agatha.

"w–we can't just leave irisdina by herself!" agatha stuttered, rushing to defend herself. "besides, we were already hanging out together..." her words trailed off as she latched onto the excuse, hoping it sounded convincing.

in truth, the real reason was far less noble. agatha and luke were eager to spend time with the world order operatives, an elite group whose company was a rare privilege. curiosity about their mission didn't hurt either.

stephen clicked his tongue at her answer.

"over here!" irisdina's clear voice rang she raised her hand to flag down a sleek car gliding toward them. everyone's attention turned to the road.

the vehicle was a showstopper—the latest model, all sharp lines and understated luxury. adam immediately recognized it; it was the same car he had dodged the day he first met irisdina.

the car screeched to a halt, and the driver stepped out. sure enough, it was bastian, the same man from that memorable encounter.

"milady," bastian greeted irisdina with a polite bow before acknowledging the rest of the group. his gaze lingered momentarily on luna-evelyn. while her breathtaking beauty was undeniably catching, there was something about her face that stirred a vague familiarity in him.

"we need to head to long street—the apartment complex construction site," irisdina said. "these are my friends, and i want to show them how it's coming along."

"of course, milady," bastian replied. "but the car only seats six passengers..."

the vehicle, as luxurious as it was, featured three rows: the driver's seat and front passenger, a middle row for three, and a smaller rear row for two.

before anyone could respond, agatha and luke quickly slipped into the second row without hesitation. obviously irisdina was going to be among the passengers.

her gaze swept over the remaining group—the four members of the world order and adam.

"i brought my bike," stephen offered reluctantly. "i can take someone with me."

before his words fully registered, julius and ophelia had already climbed into the back row, claiming the final two seats.

"hey!" stephen growled, glaring at his teammates.

they avoided his eyes, their expressions sheepish. both julius and ophelia shared an unspoken agreement: entrusting stephen with another passenger, given his temper, wasn't a risk they were willing to take.

stephen's gaze shifted to the two remaining individuals who were silent: luna-evelyn and adam.

out of all the reactions, adam's expression stung the most. his impassive face held a quiet a harsh silent message that screamed, 'i would rather walk than ride with you.'

adam had good reasons for his reluctance. as the weakest among the antagonists, his careful nature dictated his every move. the last thing he wanted was to get into an accident—especially not with someone as short-tempered as stephen. their tenuous relationship made the possibility of an argument during the ride dangerously plausible, no matter how slim the odds. adam would have preferred the car, assuming luna-evelyn would choose the same for propriety's sake.

to his dismay, luna-evelyn had no such concerns. crowded spaces made her uneasy, and the car, no matter how luxurious, felt stifling. she would rather take the bike.

unaware of her preference, adam reluctantly stepped forward. he was willing to take the bike—but only under one condition.

-vrooooom!

before he could finish, luna-evelyn accelerated sharply, the bike surging forward to catch up with the car already moving ahead.

"—don't exceed the speed limit..." adam's voice trailed off as he instinctively grabbed the side handles, his heart pounding in his chest.

continue your adventure at empire

the bike's seat emitted faint mechanical sounds as the machine adjusted its balance and speed. adam felt his breathing quicken, panic bubbling beneath the surface.

"this is not my thing," he muttered under his breath, fighting the urge to switch to the skillset of an antagonist known for bike stunts. it would be reckless and unnecessary.

he closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. "calm down. this is just... another experiment. heart rate... elevated... breathing... rapid... typical fight-or-flight response. deep breaths... in... and... out... slow and steady. just like in the lab... controlled variables... predictable outcomes..."

"..."

luna-evelyn caught snippets of his murmuring and raised a brow. she hadn't expected him to be so uneasy by a simple bike ride.

"wait... dizziness... vestibular system... adapting to the motion..." adam continued, his voice almost robotic as he clung to his self-reassurance.

fearing he might genuinely pass out if the ride continued at this pace, luna-evelyn decided to slow the bike down.

unfortunately, the bike's high-performance design caught her off guard. instead of decelerating smoothly, the front wheel lifted slightly off the ground in an unintended 'stoppie'.

adam, who had just managed to regulate his breathing, froze in shock. his eyes widened, and instinct took over. without thinking, he wrapped his arms tightly around luna-evelyn's waist, holding on for dear life.

"...!" luna-evelyn's breath hitched at the sudden contact.

the bike stabilized moments later, but the unexpected closeness between them lingered.

"..."

"..."

"i... i apologize," adam finally spoke up. "sudden deceleration can sometimes cause... unpredictable shifts in the center of gravity. i acted instinctively to maintain stability."

"it's my fault," lunevy said. "i may have miscalculated the braking distance."

"of course. i understand. these high-performance machines require a certain level of... finesse," adam replied to reassure her.

though he said he wasn't willing to let go of luna-evelyn's waist.

"do you need to rest?" luna-evelyn asked with a faint awkwardness.

the sensation of adam's arms securely wrapped around her waist was starting to feel... odd. she wasn't accustomed to such closeness, especially with a man. however, there was something disarming about his touch—free of malice or ulterior motives. his demeanor radiated nothing but innocence, leaving her with no valid reason to push him away.

"no, i'm fine. please, continue," adam replied earnestly, completely oblivious to luna-evelyn's unspoken plea for him to at least loosen his grip.

his denseness only added to her discomfort, but she said nothing. instead, she focused on the road ahead, doing her best to ignore the growing heat in her cheeks as they sped toward their destination.