Novels by Anoushka

The Abbot’s brows furrowed slightly. After thinking it over, he couldn’t recall any notable figures connected to Omega Villa.He had lived in the temple for many years and knew very little about the outside world.Looking at Hudson’s calm smile, he instinctively assumed the young man was bluffing. He glared at him and said coldly,“You’d better start talking. Where is the Brown family’s daughter?”Hudson didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said,“You’re looking for the Brown family’s daughter because you want the dragon-shaped jade pendant… right?”“Do you know where it is?”Abbot's expression shifted instantly. His eyes locked onto Hudson.Ever since they’d lost track of their target twenty years ago, the dragon-shaped jade pendant had vanished along with him.Now this young man was bringing it up on his own. That meant he’d either seen it… or knew exactly where it was.The Abbot quietly took a breath, suppressing the excitement rising in his chest. His face turned serious.“Young ma

The man Hudson held in his grip had a red mole right in the center of his forehead. His eyes were cold and indifferent, with no intention of talking.“Didn’t want to explain? When you fall into my hands, that’s not up to you.”Hudson let out a faint sneer. He bent down, grabbed the other injured man, and dragged both of them toward the basement.As Ivory and Ellie stepped out to follow, Hudson stopped them.“What happens next is going to get bloody. Don’t come down.”The two women immediately froze, then quietly turned back inside.After entering the basement, Hudson tossed one of the men into a corner. From inside his coat, he took out a roll of silver needles.He walked over to the man he had questioned earlier and began inserting the needles one by one.Soon, eighteen silver needles were embedded into different pressure points across the man’s body.“This technique is called the Eighteen Ghost Needles,” Hudson said calmly. “Even ghosts would talk under this… let alone you.”He pull

Memories needed the right kind of trigger.Hudson knew he hadn’t been that young back then. He must have known who his parents were. If he could just recover those lost memories, many questions about his past could finally be answered.Before, Ellie had mentioned that she used to call him “Brother Willie,” which meant they must have spent time together when they were younger.Ellie thought for a moment before speaking.“It’s been so long… I don’t remember everything clearly.”“It’s okay,” Hudson said gently. “Just tell me whatever you do remember.”He didn’t have much hope that this would restore his memory, but there was no harm in trying.Ellie began to recall what she could.She said that one day, her father suddenly told the family he had to go out to handle something. The next day, he came back to their home in Northern California carrying Hudson, who was covered in blood.At the time, the Brown family had asked whose child he was. But Ellie’s father refused to say much. He only

Jessa looked at Hudson coldly.“You had just arrived the day before. The very next day, those people tracked you down, and without a word, you started killing!”Her voice trembled with anger.“You walked away alive and fine, but so many people in the Brown family died because of you. Do you think I shouldn’t resent you?”Faced with her accusation, Hudson nodded sincerely.“It really was my fault. The disaster that hit the Brown family… it was connected to me. That’s why I’ve been looking for you since I came back. I want to make amends.”He paused, then added firmly,“From now on, you’ll have my protection. Anyone who dares to bully you, I’ll make sure they regret it.”“Hmph.”Jessa snorted in disdain.“You’re the Brown family’s disaster. As long as you’re around, nothing good will ever happen. Just leave. Ellie and I don’t need your protection, we can take care of ourselves. As long as you don’t come bothering us.”Her words made Hudson’s face darken.Yes, what happened to the Brown

After signaling for her daughter to be ready, Jessa turned around and opened the door.The moment it swung open, she struck without hesitation. Her hand shot forward and clamped tightly around Hudson’s throat.Before acting, Jessa had already prepared herself for resistance. She expected a struggle, maybe even a desperate fight. Instead, Hudson didn’t move at all. He didn’t dodge. He didn’t block. He simply let her grab him.Jessa froze.She hadn’t expected it to be this easy. Still, she didn’t allow herself to think too much. Her expression hardened as she turned sharply toward Nathan and the others behind Hudson.“Back off,” she shouted coldly. “All of you. One more step and I’ll snap his neck.”Nathan didn’t move.Neither did the members of the Blue Tiger Crew.It wasn’t arrogance. It was a certainty. Even if Hudson stood perfectly still, this woman couldn’t hurt him.“Hudson… why?” Ellie stepped forward, her eyes red as she looked at him.Hudson was just about to speak when Jessa

As soon as Hudson arrived at his place, Nathan showed up right after him, carrying a thick stack of documents.The information had clearly been gathered as fast as possible.Hudson took the file, skimmed through it rapidly, then slowly exhaled after finishing the last page.At that moment, he was completely certain.Ellie was the little girl who had survived the Brown family massacre.“Boss,” Nathan asked carefully as he stood nearby, “is there something wrong with this employee?”“I remember you met her before. You even seemed to have a good impression of her.”Hudson shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with her.”Then his tone hardened slightly. “But keep this investigation to yourself. Don’t let anyone else know.”The impatience in his chest made him want to rush straight to Ellie’s home and question her mother about what had happened back then.But it was already late at night. Showing up unannounced at that hour would only raise suspicion.In the end, Hudson forced himself to

After hanging up, Michael stood by the window, staring at the sky as it slowly brightened over Los Angeles. His gaze was deep, unreadable.Morpheus.A name taken from myth, and from film, a guide who offered mortals the chance to see the truth behind the illusion of the Matrix.Was Ashley giving him the chance to see the truth? Or pushing him to become part of the system itself?Before Michael could dwell on the thought, his phone began vibrating nonstop.Notifications flooded the screen, news alerts, social media mentions, breaking headlines.The details of the “Rainy Night Butcher” case had been leaked to the media, distorted, exaggerated, sensationalized.According to the reports, the police had been powerless… until a mysterious expert stepped in. A man who studied criminals by portraying them. A man who could read minds. A man who set the perfect trap and drove the killer into a dead end.The articles never used Michael’s full name.They referred to him only as “Famous Actor Mr.

Michael answered the phone but said nothing at first.“Are you okay?” Ashley’s voice came through the line. She sounded tired, bone-deep tired, and there were complicated emotions underneath that she couldn’t quite hide.“I’m fine,” Michael replied evenly. No emotion. No ripples.There was a brief silence on the other end.“William… lost his mind,” Ashley said quietly. “In the interrogation room, he refused to say anything. He just kept repeating one sentence.”She paused.“Director… how was my acting?”Michael’s expression didn’t change.He had expected that outcome.When a man’s faith is shattered by the very god he worships, madness is the only place left to go.“We searched his apartment,” Ashley continued, her tone growing more serious. “One entire wall was covered with your photos. Movie posters. Detailed analysis reports of every role you’ve ever played. He worshipped you like a god.”Michael listened in silence.“We also found a list,” she said.“Seven names. Cynthia was only

Cynthia’s heart clenched. In that instant, she understood.The gesture Michael had made to her while she was tied to the chair, the look he gave her, had not been encouragement. He hadn’t been trying to comfort her or save her.He had been using her.She, the chair, even the criminal, just props in his script. Tools he had calculated and positioned with chilling precision to reach his objective.That realization frightened her more than the knife William had pressed to her throat.She struggled to her feet, stepping forward. She wanted to ask him what everything that had just happened meant to him.But after only one step, her body froze when she met Michael’s eyes.Cold. Bottomless.She instinctively took half a step back.That man made her feel a deeper fear than death itself.“All personnel clear the scene. Lock down every entrance and exit!” Ashley’s voice crackled over the radio, sharp and commanding.She strode down the concrete steps of the abandoned Los Angeles subway platform

Cynthia caught the signal.For a split second, everything around her blurred, the walls, the scattered books, the cold industrial space they were trapped in. Dawn’s garbled voice still rang in her ears, but fear had already taken hold. Her eyes, wet with panic, suddenly flared with a desperate, determined light.She moved.Summoning every ounce of strength she had been holding back, Cynthia released it all at once.The sharp crash exploded through the abandoned maintenance platform beneath the old California rail yard. She kicked her feet back violently, throwing her weight into the chair behind her as she fell in a reckless, desperate motion.The wooden chair screeched harshly against the rough concrete before slamming onto the ground.The noise was loud, loud enough to snap William’s attention instantly.It was pure instinct. His head turned toward the sound before his mind could even process what was happening.In that razor-thin instant, Michael moved. He didn’t lean back. He didn

“Michael, have you forgotten? This isn’t about being great!”William stepped forward excitedly, waving his arms as he completely slipped into the role of a director intoxicated by his own vision.“This is new life! It’s the new life that comes after ‘purification’!” he shouted, voice rising with fervor. “You’re giving her rebirth! Not some vague idea of greatness!”He launched into his interpretation of the scene, words pouring out in a frantic rush, saliva spraying as he spoke.“Look, your eyes should be softer, more compassionate. You’re not killing her. You’re pitying her!” William insisted. “You feel sorry for her, trapped in this filthy world, so you free her with your own hands!”The more he talked, the more worked up he became, until he was convinced that Michael’s performance still wasn’t right.In a few quick steps, he closed the distance between them, so close that Michael could smell the sharp mix of sweat and machine oil clinging to William’s clothes.William had completel

“Michael,” William said, his voice suddenly rising with manic excitement, “the first four were nothing more than appetizers.”He spread his arms wide, his posture exaggerated and theatrical, like a conductor stepping onto the stage before a grand performance.“Now comes the real finale, your true graduation play.”His burning gaze locked onto Michael.“Please, take your seat, my protagonist.” He pointed to the empty chair opposite Cynthia. “Let us recreate the most classic scene from The Joker’s Monologue.”His voice was thick with temptation, every word carefully chosen to strike Michael’s nerves.“The protagonist persuades the final ‘sinner’ to willingly accept ‘purification.’”William’s eyes shifted to Cynthia. She was bound tightly to the chair, trembling so hard that the ropes creaked. Terror filled her wide eyes as tears streamed down her face. William looked at her with a warped kind of pity.“And she,” he said softly, “is the last, and most innocent, sacrifice in our grand dr