The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 273 Karl’s mine. Hands off

As night fell, the silver-grey sports car rolled to a stop at the base of a remote mountain in Northriver.

Staring at his phone’s GPS, Samuel sighed and muttered, "If I had Karl’s number, I could’ve tracked him, too. Don’t keep saying the Hacker God’s no match for ShadowWing. Back in the day, before ShadowWing even showed up, didn’t you look up to the Hacker God yourself?"

That part was technically true. Brandon had admired the Hacker God once. Not that he’d ever admit it.

He scoffed. "Please, the Hacker God was overrated. Nothing worth idolizing."

Samuel slammed the car door and slung his backpack on. "Just say you worshipped him. No need to act shy. Whatever."

Brandon didn’t bother arguing. He adjusted his backpack and looked up at the towering mountain, the top still smothered in thick snow.

"We should’ve come earlier during daylight. Who knows what beasts might come out here."

Throwing Samuel a sidelong glance, Brandon started hiking up.

Even though it was early spring, the snow hadn’t budged much. It still swallowed half their calves, and the icy crust only made the climb trickier.

Halfway up the slope, Samuel grinned. "Seems pretty chill. No danger at all."

Right as he finished speaking, a faint rustling came from underneath the snow.

Brandon’s brows tightened. "Uh-oh. I think those are sorcery worms."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Duh! This is Cursed Mountain!" Brandon grabbed Samuel and took off downhill. But the rustling only got louder, like something was creeping right up behind them.

Samuel glanced back—his pupils dilated fast. "Oh heck no! That’s a whole swarm of those black monsters! I’m losing it!"

Just then, he spotted one clinging to the back of his hand. The sharp pain came instantly. "Sh*t! It bites!"

He smacked it dead.

But the smell of blood only stirred them up more. The swarm surged like a black tide rushing down the slope. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Samuel ran like mad, but the horde was relentless. In seconds, they were crawling up his legs.

"Dammit! I’m not even married yet, no kids either! These freaks are here to ruin my future!"

Just when despair hit its peak, a sorcery worm with shimmering silver wings circled above his head, then swooped away.

In the blink of an eye, the whole swarm retreated, pouring back up the mountain.

Samuel gasped for air, eyes wide. "Wait... they’re gone?"

Brandon, panting hard, nodded. "Looks like it.""Damn, another one biting me!" Samuel smacked a sorcery worm crawling up his arm. "These damn things hurt like hell!"

Crunching steps broke the silence. Under the cold, pale moonlight, the silhouette of a tall and lean man emerged, followed by a girl whose laughter was as clear and bright as wind chimes.

"If Megan hadn’t pinged my phone location, I’d have no clue you guys came here," Karl smirked. "If I hadn’t shown up, you two would be bones by morning."

Samuel waved his bitten hand around, wincing. "Karl, the worms bit me! It’s killing me, man!"

Karl just chuckled, "No biggie, maybe you’ll just need to lose the hand."

Samuel’s face fell. "Come on, man! I code for a living! There’s gotta be a fix, right?"

Karl shrugged casually, "There is one... but—"

The girl suddenly bounded beside him. "But you gotta ask me!"

She stared at Samuel and Brandon with sparkly eyes. "Whoa, you two are super hot! Karl, they’re gorgeous!"

Karl yanked her back by the collar of her hoodie. "Luna, stop fangirling."

She giggled, throwing her arms around Karl’s waist. "No one’s hotter than my Karl. You’re the only one for me."

Samuel forgot his pain for a second, staring dumbfounded at the scene. "Wait... You’re seriously out here flirting? No wonder you weren’t rushing back! Tristan’s coughing up blood over there, and you’re out here romancing? Oh, right—he’s your love rival. If he’s dead, you get your shot."

"I’m married," Karl said flatly. "This is my wife, Luna Ford."

Brandon caught on fast and clamped a hand over Samuel’s mouth. "Dude, maybe zip it for once? Can she help him?"

Karl raised an eyebrow and gave a playful shrug. "That’s up to Luna."

He looked down at her. "So, what do you say?"

Luna blinked dramatically. "He doesn’t even like you. So nope. I don’t care how cute he is—let that bite go bad and rot his arm off. He can turn into a pretty skeleton."

Samuel stood frozen, wind blowing through the silence for a few seconds, then he marched forward and threw an arm around Karl’s shoulders. "I knew you’d come for us! Didn’t I say someone would come?"

"Cut the crap, we’re not buddies. Get your grubby hands off me."

"Come on, we’re tight—right?"

Luna swatted Samuel’s arm off. "Karl’s mine. Hands off, you pig!"