Villain’s Favorite 222

Chapter 222 Hollow 

Finished 

If Maya were being honest, if George weren’t her brother, she would’ve bolted the second she found out what he did. No question. 

But Liam hadn’t run. Not only had he stayed, he’d made it his personal mission to talk George down every chance he got, like he was trying to move a mountain one conversation at a time. 

Maya didn’t think that was bravery. She thought it was a disorder. 

“I think he’s trying to save you.” Their voices thinned in the night wind. 

That whole time, Liam hadn’t been making conversation. He’d been preaching. Every sentence was designed to pull George from one place to another. 

But saving a villain? That was almost funny. 

“Save me?” George repeated the words with genuine curiosity, turning them over for a moment. “Yeah, no. I don’t need his nonsense.” 

His hand slid from the top of her head down to her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Here’s something you should understand, Maya. Nobody in this world gets to be anyone else’s savior.” 

“I know that.” She grabbed his hand and wrapped her fingers around two of his, holding on tight. “I just don’t understand why you’re so good to him.” 

Maya looked down at the shadows stretching beneath their feet. “Out of all my brothers, you’re the only one who isn’t hard to get close to. You’re the easiest to talk to. Once someone’s in, you’ll put up with almost anything from them.” 

She lifted her head and looked at him straight on. 

“Good feelings, bad feelings, you take it all in. You’re like a hollow reed.” 

George’s steps faltered. 

A hollow reed. 

He looked down at himself, then at her. Was that a compliment or an insult? 

He studied her with renewed interest, a smile tugging at his mouth, curious. “What else?” 

“Toby says you’re someone with really low emotional intelligence. That you don’t think about how your actions affect other people. 

“But I think you just can’t be bothered to care what anyone thinks. You’re completely self-centered. 

“To you, nothing’s worth holding onto. Losing anything is fine.” 

He was like a kite. Cut the string and he’d drift away without looking back, never stopping for anyone. 

George seemed close with everybody, all smiles and easy banter. But back at school, the moment things got real, he’d drawn a gun faster than anyone. 

1/3 

10:15 Tue, May 120 

Chapter 222 Hollow 

Sunny one second, ice the next. Unhinged. 

George shifted his hand back to the top of her head and let a small smile surface. “Solid analysis.” 

“So that’s what I don’t get. Why do you care so much about your friends?” 

Finished 

Maya wanted an answer and she wasn’t going to let it go. She stepped in front of him and blocked his path. 

“What do you mean, why? I’m not actually a hollow reed.” George ruffled his hair, hesitating. He’d never talked about his friends with anyone before. The words came slow, like he was assembling them as he went. “We’ve known each other for three years, Maya.” 

The truth was, once George decided someone mattered, he was a fiercely loyal friend. He paid attention. He remembered what people needed. His methods were just never quite right. 

“I helped him find most of his jobs. Every time I passed through whatever city he was in, I’d sneak away from everyone and go help him out. Set things up for him. But he was never satisfied.” 

George had never learned the right way to be good to someone. His parents hadn’t exactly covered that lesson. 

“Are you really that desperate for friends?” Maya went quiet after hearing all of it. He and Toby were polar opposites. Toby cycled through friends on a daily basis. 

“I could be your friend. I wouldn’t lecture you about it.” 

George paused. 

“Forget it.” He smiled. “I’m really not a normal person.” 

The whole reason he’d brought Maya out to meet Liam was so she could spend time around someone ordinary. His teammates weren’t normal. He wasn’t normal. He didn’t want to be a bad influence on her. 

“Alright, let’s head back. Time for bed. Kids who don’t sleep end up/short forever.” 

The word “short” hit Maya like a physical blow. “That’s the most vicious curse I’ve ever heard!” 

“It’s scientifically proven, dummy.” 

“You’re the dummy.” 

“Sure. I’m the dummy.” 

” 

By the time they got back to the base, it was close to midnight. The place was mostly empty. A few computer screens still glowed, code frozen mid-line, cursors blinking in the silence. 

As the date the system had warned her about drew closer, Maya’s anxiety sharpened. 

She’d identified her biggest limitation. She couldn’t interfere. She couldn’t change anything. 

All she could do was watch and wait. She was too small, too young, too powerless. She couldn’t predict every 

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10:15 Tue, May 12 

This Time I’ll Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter 

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