Villain’s Favorite 73

Chapter 73 Diamonds and the Things She Won’t Ask For 

Raymond hesitated as he said it. 

Famhed 

He hadn’t been in touch with that crowd in ages. Whatever chaos his former colleagues were stirring up had nothing to do with him anymore. 

Ever since he became a father, Raymond had turned into a full-time corporate drone. One job a month. That was his routine. 

Ran out of money, went out, took a job, came back. 

At the front entry, Raymond and Wendy were murmuring about something under their breath. 

Across the room, Maya sat on the rug, flipping through a magazine again and again. 

Toby watched her for a second, bit the inside of his lip, then took a couple of steps over and dropped into a crouch beside her. 

“Hey.” His voice was low. 

Maya looked up. He sounded awkward. Like he was trying something for the first time. “Do you like diamonds? I’ve got a bunch in my collection.” 

Kids their age didn’t care about jewelry. But shiny, pretty things? That was different. 

Toby had always liked hoarding useless, colorful diamonds. 

Maybe she would too. 

“Diamonds?” Maya thought for two seconds. “They don’t really do anything. I don’t need them.” 

“Not everything has to be useful,” Toby said, eyes narrowing slightly. “If I like something, I want it. Doesn’t matter if it’s useful or not. You think too much for a kid.” 

He leaned in a little closer. “All you need to answer is whether you like it. And whether you want it.” 

Most of the time, Toby just liked poking at her for fun. But when he actually tried to have a real conversation, he was surprisingly good at it. 

Maya answered honestly. “I like them. I want them.” 

They might be useless, but anyone would be happy getting something that pretty. 

“Good.” He finally looked satisfied. “I’ll go get them.” 

He’d actually prepared them a while ago. Just didn’t know how to give them to her. 

When Toby liked someone, his instinct was to give them things. It didn’t matter if they needed it. He just liked giving. 

When Alfred was younger, Toby used to dump piles of random collectibles on him all the time. 

SAT 

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12:53 Sat, May 2 

Chapter 23 Diamonds and the Things She Won’t Ask For 

Most of it ended up shoved in storage somewhere. Or lost during one of their moves. 

89 

Just like that, Maya ended up with a whole box of stunning diamonds. She picked out a pink one and held in up to the light, turning it back and forth. 

Her eyes lit up. “This is so pretty.” 

She started counting them. How many stones. How many colors. 

Toby watched her, amused. The way she focused, seriously counting diamonds like it mattered, was… of cute. 

kind 

The longer he looked, the more something clicked. Maya didn’t really have any obvious hobbies. Other than liking food a bit more than usual, her days were simple. Building blocks. Watching cartoons. This house, from a kid’s perspective, was more than comfortable. And yet she never asked for anything. That wasn’t a good sign. 

Toby decided to fix that. “If you ever want something, just tell me.” 

She looked up at him. His eyes were pitch black, but for once there was no sarcasm in them. Just something calm. Almost soft. 

“You really don’t have any hobbies, Maya.” 

He was serious now. He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Everyone in the house had picked up on it. 

She was so well-behaved it almost felt like she had no wants of her own. He didn’t like that. 

“Hobbies?” Maya blinked, hugging the box of gems. “Are they that important? I’m happy with my life right now. Being alive is already pretty great.” 

Toby went quiet. 

That sounded worse. 

What the hell did that orphanage do to her? 

He immediately assumed she’d been bullied so badly it warped her expectations into something this… bare minimum. 

“So that’s how you think, huh?” 

Not a single word of their conversation had gone unheard. 

Raymond stepped forward, shrugging off his coat. For once, he looked genuinely thoughtful. “Why would you think like that?” 

Being alive already pretty great? 

That didn’t sit right at all. 

Maya hadn’t expected the entire family to be listening in. 

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12:53 Sat, May 2 

Chapter 73 Diamonds and the Things She Won’t Ask For 

She shrank a little and threw out the first excuse that came to mind. “Because… where I came from. people died pretty easily. So I feel like just staying alive is already good enough.” 

Simple. Almost childlike. 

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Raymond said, clearly not buying it. 

He played along anyway, smiling as he scooped her up from the floor. “But if you’re worried about safety, how about I give you your seventh birthday present early? Call it… extra peace of mind.” 

As he lifted her, she caught that faint, lingering scent of gunpowder on him again. 

She brushed past the sharp smell like she was used to it, tilting her head as she asked, “What is it?” 

Raymond carried her straight into the bedroom. He shut the door behind them and opened a drawer. 

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SAY 

12:53 Sat, May 2 

This Time, Ill Be the Villain’s Favorite Daughter

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