ã€ŠSecond Chance: Not alone? Huh.ã€‹


 A step into the past.

    Have you ever wondered why people choose to commit suicide? The answer that I''ve come up with was simple, yet also incredibly complex at the same time. It''s because they are losers.

    Now, before you take your pitchforks and storm my imaginary castle, let me explain what I meant by that. I really didn''t mean anything negative, only the literal definition of the word.

    They all lost. Part of them lost something or someone so important to them, that such loss was just too much for them to cope. Others lost a struggle against something, be it social, financial, mental or health issues. And the last batch were simply lost on their road of life.

    And here I was, about to lose this game as well. What was my reason? Extreme boredom. Now that was another oversimplification. What I actually felt was that my life is a mess of dull repeating moments, and I was feeling powerless to change anything in any significant way. And it slowly chipped away at my will and want to live. Maybe I should''ve got into therapy, but that would require me to actually want help. And I was too far gone by this point.

    Well, at the very least, I can say that I managed to fuck my life by myself. I can''t even blame it on one bad day, on one stupid mistake. No, oh no, it was a lifetime of wrongs, and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Even if what it ultimately led me to was this feeling of emptiness.

    A gust of chilly night breeze took me out of my grim musings and made me shiver a bit from the cold. Yeah, standing naked on the penthouse balcony in the early spring wasn''t the best idea ever, but, considering circumstances, fear of getting a cold wasn''t high on my priority list.

    I am not sure whom I was even telling all of that. To the heavens above? In vain hope that they will forget everything I''ve done, forgive and accept me? To an unknown entity who, for some unknown reason, took an interest in my life? Huh, I hope you were entertained enough by all this bullshit.

    Whom am I kidding? Obviously, I was talking to myself, trying to justify, at least in my head, my own decision. With a side of getting rid of nervousness and the fear of the unknown. Yeah, no matter how sure I was, some miniscule part of me still wanted to live, cause no matter what, existence beats the opposite alternative.

    I looked downwards, taking in the view of the cityscape. Despite it being three in the morning, the streets were bustling with people. Traffic kept moving. Buildings, billboards, streetlights shone, in the desperate attempt to fight the encroaching darkness. A sound of sirens in the distance ¨C sign of someone dying, or, maybe, getting born. I took all the noise, all the sights in, trying to burn it all in my memory.

    I took a step, rising onto the waist-high barrier of the balcony. Another short step and all of that will end. At last. I looked down. Yeah, a thirty-five stories long flight with a landing onto a hard asphalt will take care of everything. I willed my body to stop shivering. Was it from being cold or nervous? I wasn''t sure myself. And then my body took that last step. Head first, just to be sure.

    As the ground raced towards me, or vice versa, my brain played tricks on me, shoving the treacherous thoughts of ''Will anyone even care?'' onto the front of my consciousness. Huh, is that even a question? Of course someone will! My drinking buddies will gossip for at least a week about why I did something so stupid. My current fuck buddy will cry for about three days, before throwing herself into someone else''s arms. What was her name again? Joan? Jane? Jeanne? Jenny? Fuck if I knew. Honey-kitten-babe number five, and that''s only because I could only remember the last four before her.

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    And, the most important of them all, the unlucky dude who will clean the remains of my sorry ass from the asphalt in the morning. Yeah, sorry bro. Don''t curse me too much, please, I didn''t choose your shift just to make your life worse, I swear.

    With this being the last thought in my head, said part of my body met with hard ground.

    ***

    I had a mother of all headaches. Did one of these fuckers yesterday spike my drink again? When I find out who it was, I will make sure that the bastard will piss blood for a while.

    As Elephant City played the heated match versus Rhino United inside my skull, I managed to open my eyes. Huh, unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. Not exactly a rarity for my lifestyle, but, surprisingly, I was alone here. Shouldn''t the owner of this room be with me right now? What is going on?

    I looked around, looking for something that could possibly help me to remember where the fuck I ended up this time. My hopes were crushed, this thrice damned place was almost empty. No photos, no posters. Not even a TV, for Pete''s sake! Empty walls, a simple queen-sized bed, plain blinders on the window. The only notable thing in this whole room was a closet with a full height mirror. And something in said mirror caught my attention.

    From inside the mirror image, a twenty-some years younger version of myself looked back at me. Same short spiky black hair, same dead fish gaze of brown eyes. A bit shorter stature, a lot less bulky as well. Lack of scars and tattoos that I got on my crooked life path. I looked at the teenage version of myself.

    Wow, this was a good one. I must admit, whoever cooked this prank is one sick bastard. I looked around, trying to spot hidden cameras, or places where my dumb buddies were hiding in, no doubt laughing their asses off right now.

    And then I saw the same twenty-some year old phone model lying on the bedside table. The very same one that I kept as a ''souvenir of better times''. Now that was a thing I haven''t told to anyone else. No reason to, really.

    With shaking hands, less bulky and lacking scars and tattoos, I grabbed the phone, with an oh-so familiar motion I found a power button and the screen came to life, shining the default wallpaper, date, and the time. Well, at least the date was the same as when I fell asleep. With strange trepidation, my muscle memory took care of the PIN locked screen.

    Old app icons met my gaze. Old browser. Outdated messenger. Random trash apps that I was entirely too lazy to actually uninstall all this time. Strangest thing, really, there was an ''unread message'' notification icon on the said messenger. Who was even using it still?

    I shook my head, trying to clear it a bit, and tapped onto the ''Calendar'' app. Yeah, predictably, it was showing me twenty-some years since gone date as well. What was I even thinking? Whoever did all of this won''t miss something that obvious. Hm, or maybe it''s all a dream? Don''t know, don''t care.

    My thoughts went back to the ''unread message'' notification. Well, if there was a place where this prank, dream, whatever this was, could possibly give some sign of crack, it was the messenger. Dead, outdated, long forgotten app that fell out of trend more than a decade ago. You need some real dedication to fake something like that.

    I tapped the icon and slowly scrolled through my twenty-some years old contact list. So many nostalgic names and faces. People whom I forgot, who forgot me. People who will never answer back. My fingers froze over one such contact. Helen. Beautiful face adorned with a smile. So many memories. And now, there was a crack in your prank/dream, bastard. There were unread messages.

    I read all of them a few years back. Cold, stale messages from long forgotten past. And I could be sure, she wouldn''t message me ever again.

    Well, let''s check it once again. Why not? I clicked the icon and opened the chat window. The last message was dated with ''three months ago''. And it was the same as I remembered it.

    Helen: [Hey. Can we talk, please? Just one last time? I won''t bother you again, I swear. Please, just talk to me.]

    I reread the message a few times, tasting it on my tongue. Weighting it in my mind. Once again, why didn''t I answer her back? Ah, right. I was afraid of getting too attached and then getting bored with her for good, so I dumped her beforehand. Or something equally edgy and stupid. If this was a prank or a dream¡­ It won''t hurt anyone if I actually wrote her an answer, right?

    For some reason, I felt incredibly nervous all of a sudden. The blood drummed in my ears, while I wrote a simple reply with wooden fingers. So fucking stupid, I know.

    Me: [hey yourself, wanna go on a date or something?]

    And sent. How cringe. I felt like I just licked a lemon. Of course, there was no instant answer. Fuck you, whoever is watching me right now. I hope you will choke on a dick, you fucktard. Laugh all you want.

    I threw the phone back on the bedside table and decided to check if the kitchen of this apartment was stocked with things I can turn into something edible. And coffee. Or maybe something stronger. God knows I need it right now.

 Fucking animal.

    The kitchen looked about as barren as the room I woke up in. Ancient fridge, microwave and toaster, I''m pretty sure they were around ten years old, at least, by the supposed ''current time''. The coffee machine was an expensive, state-of-the-art model, though. Once again, no posters or photos anywhere. Hell, not even souvenir magnets on the fridge! A small table with a single chair completed the picture. Yep, whoever was living there, had no habit of spending time in the kitchen, except maybe quick breakfast.

    The insides of the fridge met me with another depressing picture. Open carton of milk, way past expiration date of course, few eggs, in whose freshness I believed about as much, as in declaration of everlasting love from women I usually shared the bed with. Mayo, mustard, ketchup. Half-bottle of soy sauce. Two cans of soda. No alcohol, for some reason. Obviously, there were no veggies of any kind either.

    And, once again, every single branded product was in their ''old'' packaging, completed with production and expiration dates conforming to the supposed time period I woke up into.

    I also checked drawers, in a futile hope of finding some pasta, noodles, or rice. Even cup noodles would do. My hopes were, as usual, dead on arrival, since the only thing I found were various seasonings, the same old story with dates, in case I was still not sure about the thoroughness of this prank/dream.

    And as a last sucker punch, the coffee machine was out of beans. And I''ve spotted an empty bag of said beans, a good, expensive blend that I liked, in the trash can. Just my luck, I guess. At the very least, my scavenging attempts discovered an almost empty tin of instant coffee. Cheap garbage for the plebs if you ask my opinion, but not like I had much of a choice.

    I put a kettle on the stove and plopped down onto the sole chair. The headache was almost gone by now, which helped to clear my thinking process. Small miracles. First, time to make sure that this isn''t a dream, not that I really believed in such possibility by now. Pinching my arm didn''t work, neither did counting my fingers. I think this was enough of a confirmation. Chalk it up - not a dream.

    So¡­ a prank? Someone deliberately set up an entire apartment in a certain way, found out my old memorabilia of a smartphone, managed to somehow reproduce old brand products, down to production and expiration dates etched on the packaging. When? Why? Who? For what reason? The only people who could and would do something like that just to mess with my head, at least from those who I can remember out off the top of my head, would just off me in my sleep instead.

    I sighed and cupped my face with my hands. Yes, no matter how much denial I wanted to channel through myself, there was another outlandish enough idea. So¡­ I finally offed myself. And all of this was some sort of my personal purgatory. Sounds equally stupid and probable to my current self, to be frank. I wanted to laugh, but just couldn''t. Yeah. This one certainly sucks.

    And the last possibility. Most outlandish of them all. I really was in the past¡­

    I looked at my hands. Once again, no scars, no tattoos either.

    Assuming this is the truth, what now? Another lifetime of wrongs, living like a fucking animal, only to satisfy my base instincts? Another burnout, with dull emptiness inside? Yeah, sure, sounds fun for a while. This time I managed an empty chuckle.

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    Wait. Fucking hell. My mind raced back to the stupid cringe message I''ve sent to Helen. If this is the past. If it''s not a prank, dream, or my personal purgatory¡­ What if she doesn''t answer back? And what if she does? Fuck. What should I say to her? What can I say to her? And, the most important, what do I want to say to her?

    As I felt my mind going into a negative spiral of shitty thoughts, a boiling kettle caught my attention. Coffee, yes, anything to distract myself. A full spoon, boiling water. No sugar, no milk. Not that I particularly liked my coffee black, but I just was out of pretty much everything at the moment. Stir it a bit to finish the alchemical brew.

    Few moments to let it cool down a little, wary sip of the concoction. Yeah, it tasted like shit. A bit sour, overly bitter taste. But caffeine inside did its job, clearing the last bits of confusion inside my brain.

    With that done, I could proceed with my despair. I knew myself too well by now to understand the simple fact. My shitty character, combined with my even shittier nature, would fuck up any ''plans to change'' that I can come up with. I''ve been trying so many times before. Hah, yes, ''this time for sure'' and ''she is the one''. And every time, about a month into this, something would inevitably happen to drag me back to the starting point.

    "Abandon hope all ye¡­" the sound of my own younger voice was the last straw.

    I took another sip of so-called coffee. Let''s try and think about it in a positive light. At this point of time, I shouldn''t have managed to fuck my life so completely. Yet. Yes, I am a piece of shit, but not everyone knows about this. Yet. And there aren''t many people who want me dead and/or ruined as well. Yet. That should make it a bit easier, I hope. All I need to do is not to mess this life of mine as bad this time around. And perhaps. On some offhand chance. This time around. Try and not go below my bottom line. Again.

    Another sip. I didn''t regret my actions. Nor my choices. And, most definitely, I did not regret being a¡­ bad guy of so many people''s stories. The only thing that did bother me was how boring it all became by the end. So, all I need is to avoid boredom. Oh, so many things to do, so many things to try.

    Or maybe I shall do it in the most spectacular way possible instead?

    I didn''t need the mirror to know what sort of expression I had on my face right now. A crooked smile, more of a feral grin, honestly. In the end, I am, indeed, a fucking animal. At least there were many people who called me that.

    I chugged the remnant coffee in a few gulps, scalding my tongue and throat a bit, feeling the liquid hotness spread through my body. My grin grew even larger. Not without a reason.

    ***

    Anger, hatred and fear equal parts in her eyes. A bit of blood in the corner of her lips.

    "You are not a human. You are a beast. A fucking animal!" biting words, which I ignore. No, I enjoy them. They feed something dark inside of me. She is not a human either, after all. Just a prey.

    I take a step forward, she tries to back away, but it''s a futile struggle. I cornered her already. She won''t be able to run away. But her attempts amuse me, so I will let her try.

    It''s not our first meeting. And it won''t be the last, either. We both know what will happen next. The sound of my laughter fills the scene. She curses at me again.

    In her eyes I see myself. And he grins back at me. Just as I do.

    ***

    Huh. I never bothered to ask her name, did I? Would''ve she even told me?

    Ah, I wanted a smoke. I got the habit at some point later in life. A strange feeling, my body certainly does not want it, but my mind still does. Should I buy some? I need to do groceries anyway, so might as well. Hm, do I even have money? Pretty sure card info should be saved on the phone, but which one is it? What about the PIN?

    Hm. If I guessed right, and it''s my old apartments, there must be an emergency stash of cash somewhere. And if push comes to shove, I can always just play my third most favorite game - ''Mug a thug''. Stroll through the night alleyways, and rob whoever is dumb enough to mistake me for a prey.

    I stood up, rinsed the coffee cup in the sink and went back to the first room where I woke up.

    The image in the closet''s mirror was still the same. The younger version of yours truly. Sliding the door to the side, I checked what was currently available in the clothes department. I usually left the clothes shopping and choices to my current lady, or just shopping assistants. Fashion was never my strong point, why bother with looks when all you need is utility?

    As such, after rummaging a bit through the closet, my choice naturally fell on the pair of sweatpants with flame patterns and a zip-tie black hoodie with red undertones. My inner edgelord squealed in delight. After rummaging some more, I found my hidden cash stash. Enough to live for a month or two in relative comfort, but not enough for some serious spending.

    All that was left was to check my phone. Such a simple thing, really. Just take it in your hands, me, push the power button, enter the right PIN and check if you got any new messages. Easy, right?

 The girl behind the counter.

    And it was, in fact, easy. I just took the phone in my hands. Pushed the power button. Enter the right PIN. No new messages. Not going to lie and say I wasn''t disappointed, but, eh, not like I really thought it would be any different.

    "Life''s a neverending story of disappointment. Who would''ve guessed, huh?" I sighed and put the smartphone into the hoodie''s pocket.

    Hm, should I look for my wallet? My intuition told me it must be lying somewhere in the hallway, right beside the keys. My guess was right on point, of course. Well, not really a surprise, since it was a habit that I wasn''t able to change even twenty years later.

    It was an old-fashioned black leather wallet, well worn-out by now. I used it since I was thirteen? Fourteen, maybe? So, if my math didn''t fail me, for around five years now. I checked the insides. ID, train card, gym membership card, few visit cards from various bars. Two useless pieces of plastic, that I was pretty sure should''ve had quite a bit of money on them, but for the life of me, I couldn''t remember a PIN to either of them. Should I contact the bank and reset it?

    I had a feeling that there was something important, but it just kept eluding me. After some deliberation, I decided to leave this problem to my future self. Heavens above sees, the current-me plate was already full as it is.

    Throwing the wallet into the second pocket of the hoodie, it was the time to put my shoes on and be gone. Oh, hell yes, this was the moment I missed all these years.

    Off-brand, once-upon-a-time white sneakers. Worn enough to be comfortably soft, and long since in the exact shape of my foot. Ideal finishing touch to my current ''lazy bum'' getup. Wearing them once again was pure bliss! Especially so after years of being forced to wear either ''status appropriate'' leather shoes, or some branded trash.

    Smiling wryly at my own rant, I grabbed the keys, closed the apartment''s door behind myself, and went out into the late evening.

    ***

    The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of the year. Maybe I should''ve checked the weather app before going out? As it was now, my hoodie felt a bit too warm to have it zipped all the way, but since I didn''t bother to wear a t-shirt, I couldn''t just unzip it all the way. Damn, what a predicament.

    In the end, I compromised, unzipping it half-way, not enough for some stray overly dutiful police officer to find an excuse and pull me for ''public indecency'', but just enough to actually cool myself to a comfortable level. After some more thinking, I rolled my sleeves up as well. Oh no, my ''lazy bum'' get-up got changed into ''lazy bum who looks for trouble''. The fact I kept my hood pulled down almost to my eye-level made it even worse. Well, local hoodlums should know good enough who I was by now not to find unnecessary problems.

    I lazily strolled through the late evening. Twenty-some years into the past, the city looked, sounded and felt quite different. Not every building around me shone like a lightbulb with advertisements. The sound of traffic also was almost non-existent, though, possibly, it was because of how far this block was from the main streets. The most drastic difference was the air itself. You could smell the difference of twenty years less pollution. It almost made me feel lightheaded. Or maybe I was hungrier than I thought, haha.

    ***

    Local convenience store, open twenty-four/seven, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Here you can buy anything, from contraceptives to clothes to toys for the kids. Wide variety of junk food and cheap alcohol and vice versa.

    The girl behind the counter was a bit on the cute side and also looked bored enough, so I paid a bit of mind to the idea of chatting her up for a quickie in the storeroom. But decided not to, since I would need to visit this place on the regular, and she didn''t seem like the type that would settle for a one-night stand. As such, I just smiled at her and nodded a bit at her customary greeting, and went to what I came here for ¨C groceries.

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    If I still had some inkling of hope that this was some elaborate prank, this place shot it down without mercy. Dates, packaging. Old brands that long since went under, bought out by their rivals and rebranded.

    I honestly felt myself in a foreign country right now ¨C trying to guess what was cheap but quality goods, what was overpriced junk. Quickly giving up on this hopeless endeavor, I just took whatever brand was familiar to me from the future. If it''s still on the market, it couldn''t be that bad, right?

    Two kilos of basmati rice, frozen green beans, a pack of eggs, a carton of milk, and a pack of bread. Some bacon that looked good enough from a first glance. Few cup noodles as an emergency rations. To my despair, the coffee section lacked any actual coffee, so I settled on green tea instead. I really need to search for some online coffee traders and get a hold of good stuff.

    Another glance over the content of my basket, nodding to myself as if I bought all what was on the list. Though, well, my list said ''whatever'' in the first place, ain''t it? And I went to the counter.

    The counter girl, I quickly read the name on her badge - Claire, was busy reading something from her phone. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her invested and a bit upset even. My polite cough took her out of her trance.

    "Ah! Um, I''m sorry," I heard her flustered apology. "I, um, didn''t think that you would pay."

    Now, that was a surprise, indeed.

    "I bet people frequently tell you that you have no filter between brain and mouth, yes?" I said to her, chuckling a bit to show that I took her words in a good tone. She lowered her head and got a bit more flustered. "But I can somewhat understand where you are coming from, so no offense taken."

    I indeed looked like someone looking for trouble.

    The counter girl proceeded to check the things in my basket. From up close, she actually looked cuter by quite a bit. I took another appraising look at Claire, calling her counter girl was burdensome, in front of me.

    A bit older than my current self, in her early-to-mid twenties, I would say between twenty-one and twenty-three. Shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was on the lower average height side. Her head came up to around my shoulder. I wasn''t sure what kind of shoes she was wearing, so it could differ. Hm, my current height was around 183-186 cm(6''0"-6''1") so it puts her around 160-163 cm (5''3"-5''4"). It was hard to accurately judge her actual figure under that disaster of a uniform, but neither her hands nor her face looked either overweight or underweight. If anything, she looked quite fit overall. The idea of chatting her up once again resurfaced in my mind, but the old reasoning still stood strong.

    The silence was a bit awkward, so I decided to joke with this girl a little to relieve my boredom.

    "Well. I planned to do exactly that at first, but pleasant surprise at the fact of how cute counter girl was, made me reconsider," I said in the most cheesy tone possible and even added an exaggerated wink. "So I decided on becoming a regular customer here instead."

    Either she was unused to the attention, or I wasn''t as obvious as intended, but she froze for a moment and even dropped the pack of bread that she was about to check out.

    "I''m sorry. There is someone I like already," she said in a loud tone.

    "And ain''t it one lucky guy. Or maybe a gal?" I teased her with another smile.

    She smiled back, but after a few moments her smile dimmed.

    "It''s that guy from my study group, name''s Daniel. If only he could notice my signals!" Now she sounded quite annoyed. Oh, there was a story, how interesting. I leaned on a counter, showing her that I''m ready to listen, and she can proceed with her rant. Which she did. "Not the most handsome guy around, but he is a very kind person. Always so polite and ready to help. And we have so many things in common! We like the same books, movies, and poetry authors. Even our music tastes are very similar. When I am with him, I feel like I can talk about anything and everything freely. It''s like we are best friends, or maybe even soulmates already."

    Wow, hearing a cute girl telling me about her feelings for another guy was really annoying. Even if I weren''t really interested in her past few nights of passion at the moment. At the same time, this monologue of hers made me think if someone could ever talk about me like this. Yeah, as if. I would be lucky if people weren''t cursing me outright.

    "He just can''t take a hint. I tried everything that came up to my head already, short of throwing myself naked at him. Hell, last time we had a group outing to the beach, I put on that racy black bikini my friend lent me. You know how much reaction that got out of him?" Claire was all but fuming by now. "Zero. I dare to say in the negatives even. For the whole outing. That idiot ignored me and played in the water with other guys."

    I took another look at her. In the heat of the moment, she leaned towards me, so it gave me a better angle to judge her figure. I pencil marked her attractiveness half a point extra. Dude must be either gay or dead not to react to someone like that.

    "Are you sure he ain''t gay?" I voiced my concern.

    "I asked a friend to ask him. And no, he likes girls. And before you ask, he is single as well" was the answer I got.

    "Then he must be blind, or dead, to ignore someone as attractive," was my conclusion.

    She looked at me for a long moment and just laughed it off. Another quarter of a point. Just a point more, and my earlier words about cute counter girl will become the truth.

    "At this point, I''m almost desperate," Claire finished her story with an exasperated expression.

    Then, as if just remembering what her actual job was, she hastily finished checking the remaining products. Right, I was there to shop for food and not to hook up with girls. Well, nothing wrong with having a cake and eating it as well, right?

    "Well, for what it''s worth, I''ll cheer for you," I chuckled. "And if it doesn''t work out, I won''t mind lending you my shoulder."

    She told me the total and I paid with cash, then she packed my things into a plastic bag.

    "Eh, it''s my gift to my future regular customer. And also a thank you for listening to my rant," was her answer, when I mentioned that I didn''t ask nor pay for the bag.

    Waving my hand at her customary farewell, I left the convenience store.

 Crossroad.

    That was a nice little distraction, huh. For no reason at all, I felt lighter, a bit more alive than just a few moments before even. And all it took was a simple human interaction. With no strings attached for a change of pace. The girl was a bit quirky, yes, but who am I to talk about people''s weirdness?

    When was the last time I really listened to another person? Even more so, someone I just met? My memory refused to give me an answer to this question. Long time ago, maybe never even. Perhaps, if I just listened to the people around me more¡­

    A long sequence of ''fucking animal'', ''you won''t die a good death'', ''I regret ever meeting you'' and alike, went through my mind in a quick succession. Yep, not a great plan, haha.

    While thinking about this stupid stuff, I moved my feet at a leisure pace, walking somewhere in the general direction of my apartment building. By now, I was pretty hungry, but the perspective of spending time alone in that barren shithole didn''t appeal to me all that much.

    "I forgot to buy smokes¡­" was the realization I came to fifteen minutes later or so. Eh, what can I do? No choice but to stay healthy for another day.

    I took a look around, and, for a brief moment, wondered where my silent reverie brought me. I wasn''t afraid of losing my way, at least not in this sense, with GPS and phone maps, no. Instead, it was a curious feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The surrounding view was hardly scenic, typical low-mid class apartment blocks. Roads, few trees. Rows of the same looking buildings. Nothing special in any way. Still, something bothered me, and it felt important for no reason.

    I took another look, this time seriously paying attention to every little detail. It was a late Friday evening, slowly changing into Saturday night. There were quite a few passersby: people hurrying to parties, office dwellers returning home late from after job drinking, groups of teenagers looking around for a weed dealer. Few cars on the road, carrying their owners who know where. Once again, nothing special.

    Another look around. This time with extra scrutiny. What could feel fishy in this situation? The group of teenagers? They didn''t seem familiar to me, and, while some of them were acting rowdy, in a typical teenage bravado fashion, they weren''t looking for trouble. Ignoring them.

    A random passerby? Which one in particular? Too many variables.

    Hm, one of the cars. It moved through my field of view for a third time in the last five minutes. And in a different direction every time at that. Am I a target? Not probable. I always had decent relations with the local criminal element. It''s all about mutual benefit. They ignored what I was doing for the most part, I didn''t actively cause trouble on their turf.

    So, there is something going on in the vicinity. Something that is bothering locals, but not urgent and/or important to take immediate action. Now, that is interesting. This evening suddenly stopped looking as boring all of a sudden.

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    I started my stroll again, this time deliberately choosing a slow pace and paying attention to my surroundings, and juggling different possibilities. And then, I finally had seen it. A bit away from the intersection, previously hidden from my sight by the angle. And even if it wasn''t, if I wasn''t looking for every suspicious thing, I would just ignore it.

    There stood a young woman, nothing special per se. She was pretty hot, yes, but it was a Friday night, plenty of hot girls around. From a first glance, she looked like any other nightclub visitor-to-be, waiting for her friends or date to pick her up. Bleached hair. Metric ton of makeup. Short dress. A light jacket draped over the shoulders in case it will be chilly later in the morning. If I just looked her over once, well, maybe twice since she was hot, and then went along with my business, I wouldn''t notice what felt so sketchy about her either.

    Honestly, it was disappointing in a way. She was looking for clients. Approaching drunkards that wobbled their way home. A good idea overall, they were an easy target with all the alcohol in their system, and were easy clients as well. How many of them would be able to even get hard? You just need to charge them upfront.

    Boring. And I just raised my hopes for the possibilities. Hm, wait, if it was just any night worker, locals wouldn''t be alerted. They know them all and have their own cut as well. Someone new to the business? Working without permission? Underage? Police bait?

    As I was getting closer to the intersection, I kept paying attention to the girl. Either today was her unlucky night or she was awful at her job. Well, maybe up close, she was way less hot? So far, the only guy who took the bait, was a way-too-drunk dude, who tried to get handsy with her without any intention of paying, got slapped and was dragged away by his companion.

    Hm, I wonder if she can cook? I wouldn''t mind paying her to cook me a dinner, haha. I looked at my grocery bag where frozen stuff started to melt. Fuck. Seems like I drew a dud here. Should I just go straight home? Still, this strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu kept bothering me.

    It was at this moment when everything just clicked. Sketchy adult worker. Friday evening. Groceries. Boredom. Two stooges loitering a few buildings away from the girl, who kept looking towards her direction way too often to be subtle about it. Everything was checking out.

    You see, it''s all a cute little scheme. The girl serves as a bait and lure drunkards into an alleyway under the guise of¡­ good time. Then two bozos over there follow them and mug the unlucky sod. Last time around, I took this bait, thinking about said good time. I had nothing better to do anyway. What a pleasant surprise it was, when two punching bags walked to me by themselves, eh. After taking care of them in a violent and almost¡­ permanent way, my adrenaline and rage fueled mind registered frozen girl.

    No clue why she didn''t run away while I was busy, but, meh, who cares? I still could remember her terrified expression, her gaze so full of shock, the trembling of her body. The way she shuddered when I moved towards her. I could almost smell her fear, and it awoke something inside of me, something primal. She looked like a prey and was mine to take. And her consent? It was entirely optional¡­

    I overstepped my bottom line that day. Not my proudest moment, I agree. But neither did I truly regret it, to be frank with you. I mean, if there was a way to redo it, correct my mistake, I would. Not because it was wrong, nor because I felt bad for her. Not really, and not from the bottom of my heart. Instead, I would do it to change all the things that this mistake entailed. I crossed my bottom line, I did a thing that had no way back from it. Since that day, something like that became an option, possibility, acceptable outcome. And it, in turn, did cost me dearly.

    But there is no way to turn back time, eh¡­ I froze. Redo all of that. Fix my mistake? This time around, ignore them, forget about everything, don''t even think. One sin less on my Judgement Day. One happier life, not ruined by me. What a great deal, isn''t it?

    A familiar, by now, car of locals drove past me. Wait a minute. These three were working on someone else''s turf, will the gang leave them alone for real? First time around, were they ignored because it was involving me? I saved someone by ruining their life, what a fucking joke. I felt my temples throbbing.

    Figurative and literal, a crossroad was just before me. And I need to make a choice. All I need to do is turn left and go straight back home. Such an easy way out! Not my problem, why should I care? But, deep inside my mind, some treacherous part of my consciousness kept bothering me. Yeah, just ignore everything, it''s what I did the first time around, a load of good it did for me, huh.

 Curious stray.

    Instead of following this train of thoughts, which was dangerously close to an even deeper rabbit hole of ''True nature of time shenanigans I found myself in'', I decided to strip things down to their core and be done once and for all.

    First, whatever happened in the future? Past? Different parallel versions of this world? Whatever. All of that is a moot point. All that happened there already happened and there is no way to change it. End of discussion.

    Second, I did not, in fact, feel any regret about things I''ve done. Only results they led me to. As such, I just need to avoid repeating the same mistakes again. Case closed.

    Third, I need to stop these self-exploratory monologues inside my head. They won''t lead me anywhere, unless I put an actual effort to follow up on them with actions. I slowly exhaled through my nose. This situation was tiresome in so many ways.

    Now to the actual problem at hand. Huh, in fact, what is even an issue here? For me, the only meaningful difference is how boring each choice was.

    I looked towards the chick, not even trying to be discreet this time. The stream of passersby took a time-out, no doubt coinciding with the bus/train schedule, so she was currently fully distracted by her phone. Now was a good time to act, so I hurried my pace a bit.

    "Hey handsome, want to have a good time?" I heard her voicing the most clich¨¦d prostitute impression ever.

    Seems like she was bored playing this role by now and, expecting another failure, didn''t put any effort into that whatsoever.

    "How much?" Well, I wasn''t here to judge her performance.

    Getting an actual response stupefied her for a moment. She stopped looking into the phone and raised her face towards me. Her eyes went wide after seeing who exactly took the bait. Despite my lazy bum getup, I was tall, rather handsome and very in-shape. As a bonus, my current expression wasn''t my usual mask of perpetual boredom, but certified ''a bit of interest in an attractive woman #2'', tested and proven effective through the years of eating soft rice. And it wasn''t even entirely faked.

    "How about three hundred?" She leaned towards me, showing off her cleavage. A bit clumsy, but the view was spectacular, so I forgive her.

    I gave her a once over, and it was more than a fair price for someone of such level. The atrocity she calls her makeup needs to go, and hairstyle could use a touch of stylist as well. She was pretty tall, counting with high-heels just a bit shorter than me. Slim waist, long legs. She looked very lithe, but had curves at all the right places. Her movements were filled with an almost feline grace. A dancer perhaps? The finishing touch was a healthy tan and a lively look in her light-brown eyes. This was prime material for a high-level escort. With the right clientele, she could easily make fifty to a hundred times more per night.

    "What? You think I''m not worth that much?" She put her hand on my chest, coquettishly tracing the lines of my pecs with the tips of her nails.

    "On the contrary," I easily caught her hand and lightly kissed it, "I was astonished at what a steal it was."

    It took a lot of my willpower not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of this whole situation. Lazy bum with a fucking plastic bag full of groceries, seducing party girl in the middle of the street.

    "And what would''ve been the right price?" asked the girl with a hint of interest.

    "Oh, it''s hard to say, since it''s very dependent on the customer," I released her hand. "I, for one, am not someone who would argue about prices being too low."

    I made a gesture with my now free hand, showing my current attire. A wry enough smirk was the finishing touch on my behalf. This small play of mine helped her to escape trance and return to reality. She took her eyes from me for a moment, most likely looking if the bozos were in place and ready.

    "Three hundred it is, then." Her tone changed a bit, just a touch colder, but it was still noticeable. "Shall we get somewhere more¡­ private?"

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    Should I play with her for a little longer? But of course.

    "My apartments are about fifteen minutes away from here," I said in a mock contemplation. "Alternatively, there is a great hotel, where people don''t ask many questions and rent rooms by the hours, but it''s even further away."

    That actually made her panic a bit. Wait, they didn''t think about such a basic possibility? Just wow. Well, what will you do now, my miss adult worker?

    "But it''s so far away!" said my counterpart in a spoiled tone. "Hey, I know that really secluded alleyway nearby~"

    It had a great effect. Especially coupled with the way she hugged my arm, conveniently getting into my personal space while showing off her assets, which her tight-fitting short dress struggled to hide anyway. And they were some impressive assets, I must add. The ''spoiled, with a pinch of needy, naughty girlfriend that is feeling a bit adventurous right now'' guise suited this girl like a fitting glove, making me wonder if this was her actual personality slipping through.

    And it was an effective tactic, as, despite already knowing that it''s just an act, part of me was ready to buy into the illusion.

    "Then lead the way." I told her, letting her pull myself towards the destination.

    My guide put extra sway into her hips, most likely trying to distract me from thinking about our route too much, another great tactic that could absolutely work on someone influenced by alcohol and/or their arousal.

    I allowed her to drag myself through alleyways for the last five minutes, making sure to keep track of our approximate position. The nearly identical backstreets, dark narrow side-roads. A bit of small talk. Textbook example of how to lull someone, to make them lose their awareness enough. The almost hypnotic view of her marvelous backside helped quite a bit as well.

    "We are almost there. Just a bit more," she reassured me.

    If only this path wasn''t so well known to the dark side of myself. The primal beast inside me rattled its cage, smelling familiar prey. Oh, yes, she smelled good, enticing even. I fought back the idea of burying my face into the side of her nape. Now was not the time for that. Not the place, either. And I knew too well what letting myself loose there will ultimately lead to.

    The further we went, the faster her pace was. The more quiet she became. And, most regrettable, her gait returned to the normal level of sway. She took the last sharp turn, leading us into a dead end. I must say, this was a very secluded place indeed.

    My guide finally let my hand go, slowly turning towards me. I followed her gaze and, of course, she looked at someone behind me. Yes, her cheerleading squad was there, I already knew. Dick and Harry. Or was either of them named Tom? These two stooges didn''t bother to hide the sound of their footsteps while tailing us, an amateur mistake.

    They weren''t an issue. But that''s what made them an issue. Paradox.

    They weren''t professionals, that much was obvious. I doubt they were gang affiliated at all, just some small-time thugs. Which meant that if I went overboard with them, it would get police attention. I was twenty-five years in the past, my reputation didn''t have the same sway, my name wasn''t so well known, and my contacts weren''t as numerous. Maybe I should start working on fixing this first? First time around, it took me fifteen years of being a mix of glorified gigolo with muscle-for-hire to get enough starting capital and to get acquainted with the right people.

    Another pang deep inside my head, fuck, what is that thing I can''t remember? Why does it seem important?

    "Hey, fucker. It''s a robbery. Give us all you have on you, and we will let you go. Maybe." I heard a voice from behind.

    I turned my head back, to see which one of the two was talking. This one is clearly a Dick, aptly named for his shaved head. Harry was the second one, sporting a green Mohawk. Fucking wannabes. They should''ve just smacked me up my head from behind, not calling my attention. So, at least one of them wants to impress the miss night worker, an interesting detail. Unimportant.

    Dick was short and stocky, while Harry was long and lanky. I scanned over them to look for important details. No visible gang affiliated tattoos. Small faded scars visible on both faces and hands. The way they held themselves told me everything else I needed to know. Not properly trained, but used to violence. Typical small-time thugs. And, fuck, they were young. Either the same age or a year younger than I am now. Meaning the girl is, most likely, the same age. Potentially underage thugs, so this is the reason why locals kept watching without interfering. Too sketchy for their taste. Could lead to difficult questions.

    "Oi, are you deaf or daft? Give us your wallet, bozo," Harry added his five cents.

    I turned back to the girl. She was looking to the side, avoiding my gaze. Feeling guilty or just didn''t want to bother with someone she won''t ever see again? I smirked, as my expression morphed back to its default bored look.

    "Hey, mind holding this for a few? Pretty please." I shoved my plastic bag into her hands, without waiting for an answer.

    "Hey, bro, look. Someone thinks that he is invincible." Dick.

    "Yep, how about convincing him otherwise?" Harry.

    I looked at the duo''s clowning routine. I wasn''t afraid of them in the slightest. Not because I was fearless or brave. Neither I believed in my own invincibility, my scars shattered this notion long ago. Nah, it was a much more simple and grounded reason. Even if I lost, at the worst, they would just beat me up. Nothing I haven''t experienced before. And they won''t kill me. Neither of the two looked like a killer. I won''t spout bullshit about ''feeling killing intent'' or something. It''s all in the eyes. The way someone who killed before is looking at you¡­ it''s just different.

    "So, which one of you two half-brains want to go first? I have a date scheduled later on with both of your moms. Oh, right, they asked to say hi to you two." It was my poor attempt to provoke them into throwing the first punch. I didn''t exactly have a reliable witness anyway, but it''s an old habit.

    Instead of answering me, Dick just threw a slow and telegraphed right punch in the general direction of my head. I dived under, easily avoiding it, and countered with a left lead body hook in an attempt to hit his wide open side. It made full contact, taking out the air out of his system. As well as light out of Dick''s eyes and sending him to la-la land for a while. Without extra heavy injuries, I must add.

    Stopping my automatic reaction of stomping on the back of fucker''s head, to make sure that he won''t be able to continue the fight, and possibly existing, I took a step forward over a fallen body and threw right straight toward Harry''s Adam''s apple. This was another reflex, and I caught myself a bit too late to stop. Luckily, I miscalculated my limb''s length and my punch failed to crush the unlucky bastard''s windpipe completely. Still pretty painful, yes. It supposedly feels as if you were trying to swallow a brick, and it stuck in your throat instead. No wonder the guy fell to his knees, desperately holding his neck. I still heard his pained breath, though, so everything was within acceptable limits.

    Two punches, less than half a minute-long fight. Disappointing. Boring. As expected. No possible charges for ''over the limit self-defense'' though, I''ll take it.

 Lets go on a date

    I was debating about ''looting'' them, but they actually had a witness here. Turning my ''justified self-defense'' into ''robbery'', didn''t sound enticing right now. They also didn''t look all that well-off anyway.

    Right, the girl. I hastily looked around, checking if she decided to bolt away with my groceries. Not that her heels would allow running far away fast enough. She stood in the same spot I left her, completely rooted in place. I could see her eyes darting from Dick lying on the ground to Harry trying to swallow the brick, and, finally, to yours truly. As soon as her gaze met mine, though, she trembled and even tried to back away a bit. Ah, right, my facial expression. I felt my smirk growing a bit.

    With every unhurried step I took towards the girl, she was looking more and more jumpy. Am I really that scary in her eyes? Even though, this time around, there was no blood dripping from my fists? What is her problem? Damn, this girl really was my worst nightmare. Something inside of me desperately craved more of her fear. I shrugged off the empty thoughts. Not this time, fate!

    "Hey, thanks for your help by the way." I said to her and reached out my hand to take back my stuff. She actually shuddered!

    "I''m s-s-sorry. It was all their idea. I just needed money," said the girl with an audible tremble in her voice. "Please, don''t hurt me."

    Wow, that was some remarkable self-snitching. If she just kept her silence, I would''ve had no idea about her involvement in this whole debacle. From an uninformed person perspective, she was just another potential victim here. That''s why I always hated to work with amateurs¡­

    "Listen. I know that in your current state, you won''t really believe me if I just soothed you with empty words," I said to the cowering girl. "So I won''t. Let me put it into perspective. I''m bored. Enough to get involved with a sketchy looking prostitute, who couldn''t even play her role in a convincing way. But, from my point of view, hurting you doesn''t look all that entertaining right now."

    I paused, trying not to laugh at my own lie. My opinion notwithstanding, this load of crap seemingly worked. She looked a bit calmer now, though with this wall of paint marring her face, it was hard to tell for sure.

    "But I''m not a charitable person either. Let''s cut a deal. Entertain me. Do a good job and I will pay you ten times more than what you asked. Fail and¡­ well, nothing really, I will just pay you three hundred, and we will forget we ever met each other. Win-win." I finished with a trademark salesman smile.

    The chick looked at me with a blank gaze, utterly dumbfounded. I guess, whatever she expected to hear, it wasn''t a poorly disguised proposition to actually buy her for a night. Eh, I mean, she is hot, and no one ever called me a good person twice, so it is what it is.

    Waiting for her response, I fished my smartphone from the hoodie''s pocket. Just to look at the time, of course. Oh, and to check the maps to get a route straight home, my frozen stuff was already on the brink. I didn''t pay attention to the messenger, ''no new messages'' by the way, not at all. Fuck.

    "So, where to now? Your place? That hotel you mentioned earlier?" She finally came to a decision.

    I put my phone back into the pocket, and put some thoughts into her question. Not going to lie, sex with someone this attractive should''ve been a very tempting prospect. But, for some reason, it just felt so lacking. I played back our earlier brief interactions. Yeah, I really wasn''t all that hyped about fucking some half-assed hooker impersonation. In fact, even if it was just for a brief moment, I wanted to see more of the ''true'' her. I wanted more of that spoiled girl. Even if it was only my own delusion. Even if it was just a thin-veiled lie. At least it would help me stall my boredom. Temporary as it was.

    "Hm. My place, so I can finally drop this," I said, gesturing towards my groceries. "And get a change of threads. Then somewhere else. Night is so young, let''s go on a date. Hahaha."

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    She looked at me with a strange expression. Well, stranger than usual, fucking war-paint. I almost could read, ''The fuck is this madman talking about?'' in her eyes.

    "On a date?" her unsure question followed.

    "Yes. On a date." I nodded back, as if stating the obvious.

    "As in a date, date? Same date they use to describe a lover''s outing?" Confusion in her tone seemed to grow even larger.

    "Yep. You and me. Random nightclub. Loud music. Overpriced cocktails with silly names. Empty conversations. Maybe some dancing. Perhaps getting mock jealous over some random unlucky bastard paying too much attention to you, and throwing a scene. Sounds fun, right?" I felt my face being stretched by a smile, a genuine one this time, no numbers attached.

    "Why?" She didn''t sound very convinced.

    "Why not?" I shrugged. "I''m bored, and I think you are hot. I''m not in the mood to just use you like a doll, either. And I want to see you dance. Enough reasons for you?"

    I could see her care-o-meter finally exploding, and she just gave up.

    "Fine. Let''s go on your ''date''," she muttered in a defeated tone.

    ***

    It was quiet. There was no common topic to talk about. Neither of us knew much, if anything, about each other. And surrounding scenery wasn''t something to write home about as well. So, here it was, the only natural outcome - the awkward kind of silence. The only sound that broke it was the clicking sound of her heels. At least she didn''t run away. Yet.

    This was a rather surprising outcome, if you ask me. What I was expecting was a barrage of questions, some sort of emotional outburst even. But the girl was keeping her cool much better than I thought. At least outwardly. Whatever was actually going on inside her head, though, only she knew.

    My curiosity won over my indifference, and I glanced back over my shoulder, to see what she was cooking up behind my back. Eh, actual reality was, as usual, the most boring explanation. She was busy with her smartphone. Tapping something, scrolling, silently cursing under her breath now and again. Whatever it was, it wasn''t just casual chatting with someone.

    "Something interesting?" I decided to break the silence at last.

    "Hm?" followed a noncommittal answer.

    "Your phone." I clarified.

    "Ah. Nothing in particular, just looking at nightclubs. Prices, photos, reviews and rumors. Usual stuff," said my date for tonight.

    I slowed my pace, falling back to her side, taking a look at the screen of her phone. It was just what she said, a review of a club, with plenty of photos from the inside.

    "Anything that caught your attention?" I was genuinely curious. While I had a place in mind for tonight, if she was interested in any other club, I wouldn''t mind taking her there instead.

    "I excluded a few places that my usual circle frequents. That would''ve been¡­ one awkward meeting," she grimaced, and I nodded, agreeing with her assessment. "Other than that, not much, to be honest. There is one place where my favorite DJ will play tonight, but it''s pretty popular as it is on a bad day. Too much hassle to get inside."

    "What''s the name of the place?" If my memory was correct, over the last four years, I should''ve gotten pretty well-connected in the club scene. Favors here, relations there. If it was some place I knew, it wouldn''t be that hard to make sure my date will enjoy her night a bit more.

    "''Afterlife''." I heard the reply.

    Huh, what a coincidence. Bella''s place, the very same I had in mind. Didn''t she name it after the bar she saw in some space opera?

    "Won''t be a problem." I assured her.

    For the nth time today, I took my phone from the pocket of my hoodie. PIN. Messenger. No new messages, by the way. Fuck. Scrolling through the contact list. Bella. Open.

    I read the last few messages, trying to remember how long it was since we had a¡­ heated argument about the nature of our relationship last time. The most recent message was a selfie of mostly naked Bella, making out with an equally clothed vaguely familiar girl (Lucy? Lisa? Her new ''assistant'' at the time.) on a beach, with a timestamp of three weeks ago. Three weeks, hm, should be long enough for her to return. I scrolled up a few more times. A week extra since our disagreement. A month total. A bit too soon, but I can work with it.

    To say the least, things between us were fairly complicated. Both of us had issues with commitment at large, and clashing personalities in the questions of who was the dominant side. Sex was fantastic, but the frequency of arguments negated this aspect a lot. Still, at the very least, she was an important client, so I kept in contact with her. She asked for a lot, but the payoff was worth it.

    Me: [sup. mind if I drop by tonight?]

    Bella: [Business?]

    Me: [half-and-half]

    Bella: [Worth?]

    Me: [not a phone talk]

    I waited for her answer. Weird. It didn''t usually take her so long. In questions of business, she was quick to answer, albeit not so wordy. My phone pinged again.

    As an answer, I got another selfie from Bella. She was in her office, fully docked in the usual office suit. White blouse, black pencil skirt, black stockings. She was sitting in her office chair, her desk was full of your normal paperwork. The unusual part was, as usual, hidden in details. The angle, this photo was taken at, revealed what was under her desk. Well, more like, who was under her desk. The same old assistant had her face buried under Bella''s skirt.

    Bitch, please. Couldn''t you just write it with words? I sighed internally. What she meant by this photo, if I still could read her meanings accurately, was: ''I''m still angry at you, but it was just long enough since then to open a dialogue. I''m at my place and will meet you. But I am still angry.'' Yes, she was still angry indeed.

    Me: [gotcha]

    Me: [not alone, so pass a word to the security]

    Me: [cya in an hour or so]

    "And done," I said to my current company. "There won''t be a problem with getting inside."

    The rest of the way was spent having small talk. I mostly just listened, as the girl kept gushing about the DJ, about how good reviews of this place are and how she will brag about this to her friends. You know, for some reason, I didn''t find that annoying or boring at all. It was, in fact, the exact thing I wanted from her. How strange.

 I want more.

    I opened the door to my apartment and let my present company walk in first. Ladies first and all that, of course. This, and I still couldn''t be sure that she won''t bolt away if I leave her alone for a moment.

    I found a light switch and pressed it, illuminating the hallway. Now, in bright light and from a close range, I could evaluate my date for the night once again. Nothing really changed. Still the same very hot body. Still the same atrocity on her face.

    "You know. I will pay you two hundred extra, if you wash off this war paint right now." I finally had enough of this shit. No matter how disappointing her face would look without makeup, it couldn''t be possibly much worse. "And another hundred if you do your hair into a ponytail. No reason, just a personal preference."

    She looked at me with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. I swear, I could hear the creaking of gears turning inside her head. She tried to say something, decided not to, seemingly giving up on trying to make sense of my bullshit.

    "Where is the bathroom?" I heard the pain of the whole world in her question.

    I showed her the right door and went to the kitchen. As a matter of fact, even with such a detour, green beans were still fine. Almost. I hope so.

    Taking my phone out, I checked the taxi availability and estimated times. It was inside an hour or so schedule I gave Bella, so I could relax a bit. After some thinking, I took out both cans of soda out of the fridge. One for me, one as an offering to the God of Paint. Or whatever those tribal markings were devoted to.

    I heard the sound of running water from the bathroom, as well as quiet curses about some ''unreasonable bastard''. Whoever that might be, I wonder.

    I knocked on the bathroom door and asked:

    "Hey. Do you want something to drink? It''s either green tea or Cola, though."

    "Soda will do," was the answer.

    "I will put it on the kitchen table." I said, doing exactly that.

    Afterward, I went to my room for another raid on the closet. There should be some pretty nice threads inside, the providers of my soft rice made sure of that. What I really had doubt about was my ability to do a good job matching it all up. What were current trends, even? Fuck, it was twenty-five years since, I had no idea what current fashion was supposed to be.

    I took off my current attire, leaving only a pair of boxers on, and dived inside the treasure cove. The easy part was pants, A semiformal dark-colored pair, which I immediately put on. A black leather belt was next. Classic foundation, that will work with pretty much whatever else I half-ass.

    With zero desire to play the color games, I fished out a black dress shirt next. Or should I go with a polo instead? Maybe a muscle shirt? That''s why I hate choosing clothes by myself.

    I heard the bathroom door making a clicking sound, and decided that asking the opinion of an involved party will do me good. Anyway, it''s her who needs to like how I look. So, with all three options in hand, my half-naked self went to see the lady I planned to spend the night with.

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    I blinked. Then blinked again. My word. She was pretty. Beautiful even. Not quite stunning. Yet. In a few years, she would be absolutely gorgeous. Fucking hell, I missed out on this because I was too hasty in my first life? What a waste. And, damn, she looked much younger without that strange makeup.

    "Are you even legal?" I blurted out the first thing that came to my head.

    "Yes," she nodded back.

    "Do you have an ID to show at the club entrance?" I still had some doubts.

    "Yes, I have my school ID with me," she caught herself. "I mean, I am eighteen, so everything is fine. It worked at our usual place at least."

    I sighed in relief. The phrase ''Age is just a number'' doesn''t work all that well in the courtroom. As for moral questions of should someone of my age be in contact with someone of her age¡­ I will leave them out of my concern, at least until someone will tell me what age I truly was.

    Am I the forty-three years old has-been, back in the body of an eighteen-year-old youngster? Or am I the said youngster with an extra set of future memories? Someone else altogether, created last Tuesdays, so an unknown being would have fun peeping into my life? Is it all even real? What is reality? Can I check it somehow? Is it even possible? Does it even matter? Yeah. That''s what I call a rabbit hole.

    Shaking off the futile thoughts, the individual, currently identifying as myself, finally remembered the reason he went to the hallway.

    "I need your opinion." I changed the topic, showing her three hangers with shirts. "Which style should I go with?"

    She looked at the hangers. Then at me. And again, this time for a while longer. Feeling her appraising gaze scanning my form, I decided to flex a bit. While not yet at my peak form, my current body still was pretty impressive. I spent a lot of money and effort to make it what it was today. Winning a genetic lottery helped a lot as well. Especially with how bad my food discipline was¡­ I fought back the desire to palm my face.

    "Like what you see?" I wasn''t shy of asking for compliments where I can.

    "Yep," with extra pop of ''p''. "A lot, in fact."

    "I need to be at least this good to match my date tonight." I winked at her. A blatant flattery, yes, but not without a grain of truth. Her pleased smile told me that it was well received. "But let''s go back to the matter of the shirt."

    "Let''s go with a dress shirt. Why blacks, though?" She voiced her opinion after some deliberation.

    "Most of my clothes come in blacks or reds. Such is the taste of women who had chosen them for me," I told her the simple truth.

    "And what about your opinion?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow

    "No opinion. I don''t mind it for the most part, as long as it pleases my company," I shrugged off her question.

    "Does it mean that if I liked, for example, the tackiest neon pink disco shirt, you would wear it?" said my current company, barely holding back laughter.

    "Assuming that I had something like that, and you truly had such a strange taste. Yes, I would." Another shrug.

    She fell silent, clearly trying to imagine me in the tackiest neon pink disco shirt, or whatever other monstrosity she went for in her imagination. Soon after, she finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and started laughing out loud. I liked the sound of it a lot. It made me want to laugh along, to share the moment of merriment with this weird young woman. A wave of coldness went through my mind. And I certainly liked it a lot more than her pained sobs, mixed with curses hurled towards the certain fucking animal that did it all.

    A full three minutes later, she finally got tired of laughing. Her face was red, with tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks. The girl was sitting right on the floor, without a care in the world about showing me her dark green panties this whole time. It wasn''t the sexiest pair of underwear I''ve seen in my life, but they certainly fit the one who was wearing them. She caught my eyes, smirked teasingly and asked:

    "Like what you see?"

    "Yep. And I like it a lot." Easy answer for an easy question.

    I offered her my hand, to help her stand up. She took it with no hesitation. She wasn''t light as a feather, but she didn''t look all that fragile either. Refusing thinking about a woman''s weight for no important reason, I threw away that line of thought.

    "So. Back to shirts," the third attempt to switch the topic to the damned clothes.

    "Okay. Show me what else you got in your closet." She smiled brightly, still holding my hand.

    Ten minutes later, she finally found something, by her own words, interesting enough. It was a burgundy colored silk shirt with black flower ornament woven through it. Well, as I said, as long as she liked it.

    The last detail was a casual watch. Black watch band to go with a belt and shoes, simple silver timepiece that won''t catch unwanted attention.

    Well, what was left is to call a taxi and put on a matching pair of shoes. As much as my soul asked me to put my old sneakers on, something told me that it won''t do me any good. A pair of Oxfords, black to match the belt and watch band, will do for a casual outing. At least they were properly fitted to my feet. Small graces.

    I wonder if Pierre opened his atelier already? I would love to give him a big order. My feet already miss shoes made by him. They were so much more comfortable.

    The next few minutes were spent playing with my phone, looking at our taxi moving on the map. My date was doing last moment light makeup. My fair reasoning of ''You are beautiful enough as it is.'' was met with an ironclad ''Doesn''t mean I don''t want to be even more so.'' Couldn''t really argue with that. Especially after seeing the result.

    I heard my phone ringing, notifying us that our car is ready. I looked at my escort and offered her my hand. Like a proper gentleman. She giggled a bit and took it.

    The night was young. And I looked forward to what will happen next. Even if it was just self-deception. An illusion that I bought in. For once, I had fun. Of a genuine kind. And I wanted more.

 It was so long, my dear.

    The short ride to the club was spent in silence. Of a comfortable kind this time. My date, still latched onto my arm, chatted animatedly with someone on her phone. Not really my business. As for me¡­ I spent this time either looking through the window, or taking in the sights of the currently smiling girl on my side. No heavy thoughts, no contemplation. Just a hazy sense of contentment. A true rarity in my life.

    We reached our destination all too soon, if you ask me. I paid the driver, leaving the change as his tip. It was a bit too much, but I was in a great mood right now and wanted to share the happiness. Or something like that.

    I left the car and, still playing the role of a gentleman escorting his lady, went to open the door for my partner. She took it in stride, having her own fun in this little play, and extended her hand for me to help her out. As I obliged, she hugged my arm instead of just taking it, leaning her full weight onto my side. Hardly an unwelcome feeling, if someone asked my opinion. Even more so when it was coupled with a mischievous smile and dancing sparks in her captivating eyes.

    With a twinge of regret, I broke myself out of the moment and paid attention to my surroundings. A big signboard ''Afterlife'' shone brightly with neon light. The long line towards the entrance was stretching somewhere to the side and out of sight, affirming the notion of this place being popular enough. Two bouncers stood at the doors, doing their best to look imposing, filtering who can and cannot go inside.

    I took a look at the time, still inside the designated schedule, and made a beeline right towards a vaguely familiar bouncer. It was really annoying, not being able to clearly remember the things that were going on in my life. Whoever or whatever sent me here, couldn''t it give me a refresher or something? Except for a few outliers, I had no idea what to expect from people around me. Who knows me? Who should I know? Relations, small promises, deals. Short-term stuff that can very well bite me in the ass if left alone.

    "Fuck no. Not on my shift. It''s you again." The bouncer clearly knew me well enough. Still, rude.

    "I am expected," I said, refusing to pay more attention to him than necessary.

    He reached to his ear-piece, most likely receiving further instructions.

    "Boss lady is waiting for you in her office," he said. "Welcome to our fine establishment. Have a good evening."

    I nodded to him and went inside. As soon as the doors closed behind us, I turned my head towards the girl, who noticeably stiffened as soon as conversation with the bouncer started, and smiled.

    "I said it won''t be an issue," I winked at her.

    She looked at me with a mix of mock exasperation and blame visible on her pretty face, and lightly slapped my shoulder with her free hand. My smile widened a little at her antics.

    As all of the above was taking place, we arrived into the lobby. Nothing special. An attractive hostess was sitting there, waiting to direct new customers to free tables inside. There were two passages leading out of here. The one on the right led straight to a common area, normal VIP area and, judging from the muted sound of music, a dance floor as well. The left one led straight to the VVIP lounges, as well as the staff only zone. Just before the door stood a bored security guy, who got a bit nervous after noticing me looking at him. Eh, am I a problem here?

    The door on the left opened, and an attractive woman dressed in the uniform walked in.

    "Hello and welcome to the ''Afterlife'', dear customers. I am your personal hostess for the evening, my name is Amanda." Her professional smile faltered momentarily after she registered me in her vision. Fan-fucking-tastic. Was I really that bad? Well, to be honest, I never paid all that much attention to reactions of people I deemed as unimportant. What a bother. "Please, follow me."

    Amanda showed us the way in through the left door and toward the staircase, which also was connected to a side entrance for those who wanted to avoid the attention. We went up the stairs to a second floor, where our paths were going to separate for a short period of time.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "I will go and meet with Bella. You can take my date to the usual lounge," I gave instructions to the hostess. Since she knew me, she should know the rest. Then I turned to my escort. "I need to take care of some business. Relax for now and order us something to eat, I''m starving."

    I made a motion to take my hand off, and she readily released it. It''s always good when people can read the mood. I smiled towards her again and, as to not waste more time, went to the third floor.

    The route didn''t change all that much through the years. The same familiar steps led me to Bella''s office. Ah Bella, Bella. How many memories, both good and bad, attached to this magnificent woman. I felt my lips stretching into a wry smile. She was one of the few constants in my life through the years. Never quite a lover, never quite the family member. Client? A bit too distant. Friend? Not exactly. Enemy? Never. Complicated. I shook my head, now was not the time.

    I finally reached the door and knocked. The fact she was expecting me wasn''t an excuse to ignore the basic rules of decorum. Well, I never followed it much anyway, so, without waiting for a response, I went in. The assistant from the photos, with entirely way-too-smug for her own good smile on her face, was on the way out. The fuck is her problem?

    Bella''s office didn''t change all that much as well. Same type of desk, same type of chair. A few different paintings on the walls. Different flooring. The panoramic window instead of the back wall. She changed it to a projector after that one assassination attempt. We both knew who was the one behind it, but they were up too high for us to reach.

    "Hi, Bella. It''s good to see you again." I said in an overly cheerful tone and waved my hand. Partly to get a reaction out of her, partly to hide my own reaction to her younger looks. She will notice anyway. I never could quite hide anything from her eyes. She won''t ask, though, unless I tell her myself.

    "What wind brought you tonight to this poor old woman''s place?" A bait for a compliment, genuine inquiry and a subtle reminder that this time it was me who cheated first.

    "You wound my weak heart, my dear. No kiss? No warm embrace? Not even a proper greeting for a little kid, lost on the road of life?" I answered in kind. The surprise in her eyes. Strange. Ah. Oops. This wasn''t Bella from twenty years in the future. And this wasn''t me from the same time. The current version of myself was supposed to be all about sharp corners and barely held aggression. He wouldn''t play along. Too young, prideful and edgy. Fuck, I felt embarrassed just remembering it.

    "You seem¡­ different." Bella immediately noticed. As expected.

    "Let''s say, things have happened since the last time I''ve seen you." And wasn''t it an understatement? "A whole lot of them, in fact."

    The look in her eyes changed a bit. She seemed sharper, more dangerous even. The work-mode of the one and only Isabella Alvarez. I smiled, shifting into the same mode. Gone were the fake smiles, even boredom stepped into the background. Even the fucking animal inside whimpered and hurriedly hid into its cage. The forty-three-year-old me, one of the best mercenaries you can find for money in this lawless city, took his rightful place on the throne of my consciousness. Eh, I was still the same as always on the inside, of course, it all was me anyway. I saw how Bella went stiff from such change. Yes, this wasn''t MY Bella. Not yet.

    "What are you here for?" was her question.

    I weighed it in my head. How much should I tell her? She already noticed the change in me and going forward it will be even more apparent. Can I tell her the truth? To be frank, if I ever could, it''s her. And also, If anything, wouldn''t this be the most interesting way forward? At least, if she decides to use it against me at some point, it will make my life so much more fun!

    "To apologize. To offer you three pieces of information. One you might find interesting. One that you need. And one that you want." I smiled, it all was the truth indeed. "I will also give you advice you don''t want to hear. But most importantly, I''m here to see you again, my dear. It was so fucking long."

    Last time we met was¡­ five years ago? Twenty years in the future? Haha, what a mess to even think about. I never had a chance to say goodbye either. As usual, we fought just before, only this time there was no chance to make up. A clich¨¦d story as it was, still hurt like hell.

    "So long? It was a month," she noted in a dull tone.

    "For you. For me, it was five years, give or take, without being able to see you. And twenty more before that," I said to the woman in front of me. "Forgive me, I wasn''t there when you needed me the most."

    Bella looked at me in utter astonishment. I looked at her as the expressions of disbelief, astonishment, anger, and sorrow were switching each other in a quick succession. Then, as if she finally came to a decision, her face landed onto a calculating expression. Ever the businesswoman, this one.

    "If, and that''s a big if, I buy your nonsense, what exactly does it mean?" And right to the important questions. That''s my girl, we can always discuss lesser details at a later date, there is a profit to be made now.

    "Eh. Nothing much really. You know me, I didn''t pay a great deal of attention to the unimportant stuff. I know a few important things, of course. But all of it is so far into the future, that it won''t be of any relevance by then. I''m not naive enough to think that history will play the same way again. Even if it did, I plan to change it quite a bit anyway." How boring would it be if everything went the same way? I don''t want to even think about such a possibility. Oof, what a nightmarish thought.

    "But you still have three things you wanted to offer me," my conversation partner, once again, went for important stuff.

    "Don''t forget advice you don''t want to hear," I winked at her. "But I digress. Which one would you like to hear first? Personally, I recommend the one you might be interested in, but the choice is up to you."

    As she was thinking about the possibilities, I idly studied the gorgeous woman before my eyes. Ah, how much I missed her. She was ten years older than me, yes. But not only she managed to keep her looks, she actually aged like a fine wine, becoming even more beautiful with years gone by. Strangest thing, really. I also knew for a fact she didn''t do any plastic surgeries. Just how did she pull it all off? Don''t know and don''t really care either. Hm, wasn''t that woman from Three Families supposed to be like in her seventies as well? Go guess. Life is a strange thing.

    "I think I will take the one I need instead." Bella''s voice took me out of my ramblings.

    "The one you need, huh? Okay, why not," I waved my hand. "Miguel Alvarez, does this name ring any bells?"

 Take care.

    "Where did you learn this name?" Bella hissed in a chilly tone.

    "You told me eighteen years ago? Hm, seven years later?" I shook my head at how complicated it was. "Your younger brother. Deceased at the young age of fifteen. Supposedly looked a lot like me, well, maybe I am looking a lot like him instead. Same thing really. Died in a car accident."

    "Killed. He was killed." I could hear the pain and hatred in her biting words.

    "No. Well, actually yes, but still no. He wasn''t killed. He was nowhere near important for that. Just collateral damage. Nothing more." I caught her wrist, before she managed to slap me. A bit of struggle later, and I had the cursing and screaming woman in my tight embrace. At least she didn''t try to bite me, thank Lord for small graces. "Hey, I haven''t finished yet. He was just collateral damage. The actual target was a higher up that was in a general vicinity. Case was done on such a high level, that you weren''t able to find even hitmen. Let''s not even talk about people who actually paid for this."

    I whispered all of this into her ear, still holding her tight. Knowing her temper, the next part will make her do something actually stupid.

    "So, a few years ago. I was in the middle of headhunting for a new chief of security. You know, the person who will take all the blame in case some operation went side-ways. And there was this one guy, he actually bragged about organizing this hit. I guess he thought thirty years were long enough for it to be a good idea to talk about." I stroked her back, trying to make her feel just a tiny bit better. "He told me everything. Well, everything he knew. The people above put a hit. At the very top. No, he didn''t know who it was. I also asked why you weren''t able to find him. It''s such a simple yet effective method. You see, he was in prison. Serving a two-year sentence for indecent exposure of all things. On the day itself, he was in solitary for a fight. Officially that is. He was the one who pushed the button."

    "Who? Name? Details? Now!" I felt her trembling in my arms.

    "No." But I refused.

    "What the fuck do you mean by no?" she roared.

    "No means no, Bella. If I tell you right now, you will do something stupid. And it will get you killed. Again," I hugged her closer. Feeling her warmth. Inhaling her scent. Ah, I missed her so much. "And I''m really not looking forward to losing you. Again."

    I kissed the top of her head. She was silent, so I continued instead:

    "I will double-check everything. Find the guy. And make sure he won''t waste the air for much longer." I paused, contemplating if I should be telling her this. Eh, why the hell not. "There is a person of a really high standing who will shield me. They did it last time as well. Oh, and here is advice you don''t want to hear: abandon this revenge, it won''t make you any happier, it will only get you killed."

    By now, she just silently cried, her tears freely streaming down her cheeks.

    "If I give up. What is the reason to live any longer?" her forlorn words broke the quiet once again.

    "No idea. Personally, I gave up out of boredom. I lost so much through my life, including the ability to connect to people on a deeper level. By the end, it was an empty, dull existence. Fucked up beyond all repair. By no other person than me. Your reason is no better or worse than mine." I sighed. "At least you can be sure that there will be a person who cares. But I won''t blame you anyway. It''s your choice. As it was mine. I will miss you, though. And it will hurt like a bitch."

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "Can you stay for tonight?" This was a desperate plea for help. I knew this. She knew this as well.

    "No can do. I''m not in the right place myself. I won''t be able to help you," but I refused. "Call your assistant. Cry yourself into a sleep. She will be there for you. Not me. Never me."

    I gave her a bitter smile. And silence fell once more.

    "Hey," she said five, or maybe ten, I wasn''t counting, minutes later. "What is the piece of info that I want?"

    "Oh, this one is much more pleasant. Twenty-one years later, they will actually find a working permanent fix for a second thing you lost in that incident. In fact, it will be ready in just fifteen, but not available to the public for six years more." I told her.

    "Fifteen years. I will be forty-three. Who will even want me then?" I couldn''t believe my ears. This was one blatant bait for a compliment.

    "I can declare, with a certain authority, there is at least one person who will want you at any given age. In ten, fifteen, twenty, or thirty years. You will be as beautiful in his eyes as you are now." This time, my smile was a happy one.

    And another bout of silence fell upon us.

    "Hey. Did it ever work out between us?" Bella asked another question.

    "Nah. I refused to share you. You didn''t want to share me. Coupled with our nature, it just fell apart by itself. Well, we decided to go back to being friends. With plenty of benefits as usual. But still just friends. With a lot of collateral damage in the cutlery population in the process," I answered again.

    It managed to solicit a small chuckle from her.

    "Hey." Did she decide to start all her questions with that? "Why did you tell me all of this? Shouldn''t it be, I don''t know, your biggest secret?"

    "Bella. I knew you for twenty-four years in total. You were the person who managed to stick to me through thick and thin. I won''t bet a broken penny on you keeping your fidelity vows, but, if I had a bomb inside, I would sleep better knowing you have the detonator," I stroked her hair gently. "I hope I managed to get to know you well enough. If, by some off chance, my judgment err, and this new piece of info will somehow make you backstab me. Well¡­ if nothing else, please make it as interesting as possible."

    I kept waiting for another question. Wow, what a great start to the night.

    "Hey." And another one. "What was the third piece of info?"

    "The one you might be interested to hear, yes," I nodded sagely. "This is an actual potential money-making thing I remembered from the future, and it''s short-term enough to actually happen with almost certainty."

    "Oh, sounds interesting," I saw her eyes lit up a bit. "Details. Now."

    "Yes, madam." I would mock bow for more theatrics, but I was still hugging her and really didn''t want to stop doing this yet. "In a half-a-year to a year, the offshoot of a certain pharmaceutical company will go onto the market with a series of cosmetic products. A glorious success, of course. Name is ''Face & Crotch'', don''t ask, I have no clue what''s going on inside the head of a person behind all of this. I mean, they named their main company ''Big Pharma'', they can''t be fully sane. At least, I refuse to believe this. The opportunity itself is pretty simple. This company is listed this time, and they are already in the listings. I don''t need to teach you what to do with this knowledge, yes?"

    "Yes, of course not." I heard her answering this rhetorical question. Bitch. "How much do you want for this piece of info?"

    "Bella, my dear. After everything I said already, you still want to talk about money between us?" I said with a fake hurt. "Five percent of total profit if this is successful. If not, I will owe you a favor instead."

    She nodded, accepting the terms.

    "Hey." Here it goes again. "What are your plans going forward?"

    "No idea whatsoever," I said in a cheerful tone. "Will try to avoid making boring mistakes again. Change some stuff I know will lead to a shit outcome. Just live my life and have as much fun as I can."

    "Can you at least give me an example?" she insisted.

    "Well. Today I met a curious stray. A cute one, indeed. Instead of doing the same thing I did in my first life, I decided to instead see as many things from her as possible. And she delivered so far. So, now, I will go to the lounge, where she is no doubt already bored by all the waiting," I sighed for the umpteenth time today. "Drink a bit with her. Chat and laugh with her. Maybe some dancing as well. I will do my best to buy into the illusion that she is actually interested in me past the money I offered her. Then I will take her home and fuck her silly. As for later, who knows. Ask her for contacts to repeat it all once more? Or maybe not."

    "And you are telling me all of this, after I asked you to stay for the night, and you refused¡­ You know you are one hell of a bastard, yes?" Her glare almost scared me. Yeah, not really.

    "And you wouldn''t have me any different, right?" I said, using the cheesiest tone possible.

    It was her turn to sigh in fake, I hope, annoyance.

    "Okay, I got it. Now shoo, I have important things to do." She waved towards the door, and went to sit in her chair. Her whole attention turned to the paperwork.

    "Um, there is another small issue." After all the things we discussed in the last half of an hour, it really was insignificant. She turned her attention back to me once again and made a sign for me to proceed. "Since I''m twenty-five years back in the past. I, um, forgot the PIN for the card you gave me. Mind resetting it? Or just tell me again if you know."

    This bitch actually snorted at my most urgent problem!

    "Yeah, sure. I will take care of this in a few. Now shoo, you are distracting me." And once again a shooing gesture.

    I decided not to provoke her anymore. She held my money hostage! Well, technically it was her money¡­ Eh, am I a bad guy here, actually? Nah, no way. Right? Right?

    As I approached the door and was about to leave. I turned toward the beautiful woman once again.

    "Hey, Bella, it was great to see you once again. I really missed you. Take care." I told her in quick succession and left.

 Dance the night away!

    A part of me screamed for myself to go back and comfort Bella. Part of me wanted to run away into the sunset while screaming. But the whole was hungry, tired and wanted nothing more than to get some rest. For fuck''s sake, this man already died today, give him a moment to catch a breath. But this lovely day just kept on giving, eh.

    I felt even more exhausted after this not-so-short conversation with Bella. Damn woman, everything is always so intense with her. Well, at least she is too stubborn to admit defeat and ''let them win''. Still, I could tell that those news shook her a lot, even if she put a strong front by the end.

    Well, my further involvement can only make things worse in this case, so all I can do is hope for the best. If not¡­ Well, I will take it as a sign to make this second round into the most spectacular train wreck possible.

    But enough of the grim things. I still have a date to attend.

    ***

    The short walk towards the lounge was uneventful. Small miracles. I took the time to rearrange my state of mind, being a killjoy won''t do me any good, and went inside.

    It was a typical lounge room. Muted lights. Toned down colors. And, on top of all of that, every such room was fully soundproofed from within and without. Ideal place for an informal meeting.

    The interior was also pretty standard. A big table, very comfortable sofas around said table. Few bean bags in the corner for more options. Big TV mounted unto the wall. Impressive built-in sound system, for those who wish for a more ''club'' ambience. Color wise, this particular room was done in a mix of blacks and reds. Bella''s choice. Something about ''This is your personal room, so it should look like it''. Who cares?

    One of the walls was transparent, in a one-way mirror way, and currently gave an excellent view onto the dance floor below. Alternatively, It could also be turned opaque for a more intimate atmosphere inside.

    My companion nested on one of the sofas, opting to take off her heels for more comfort. Currently, she was looking into the aforementioned window, while absentmindedly nibbling on something from an assorted appetizers plate on the table. It seems like my meeting with Bella took a longer period of time than I thought, since said plate was almost empty.

    "You look tired." Seems like my appearance didn''t slip by her attention.

    "Feel the same way as well." I sighed and plopped down onto the sofa across from my companion. My date decided against asking more, and just nodded back.

    I pushed the button to call our attendant. What was her name again? Right, Amelia. She showed up in a minute or so, I gave her my order and she left again. Good, at least I can get something to eat at last.

    "Are you sure you are okay? We can always go back to your place if you are beat," asked my escort with a concern in her voice.

    "In a physical sense, I''m fine. Just need a bit of time to readjust my state of mind. Talks went¡­ heavier than I hoped they would." I said, reclining back onto the sofa and closing my eyes. "If anything, I need something to take my mind off this stuff. And dancing the night away with a pretty lady sounds like a great way to do just that."

    "Oh, then, should this pretty lady help you relax a bit more?" This phrase of hers made me open my eyes and look back at her with interest. "Nothing much, just a lap pillow. Not to brag, but I have stellar reviews from people who had the chance to experience such service."

    This was a surprisingly innocent offer. A kind I wasn''t used to getting. Not going to lie, I was surprised.

    Taking my moment of silence as a hesitation, she shifted her sitting position a bit and patted her thighs. The whole time, on her pretty face, there was a captivating smile, part mischievous, part teasing and part seductive. And this smile reached well into her eyes. Another thing I wasn''t used to. And it suited her a lot. Well, the version of her that I made myself to believe in.

    "Sure." Not like I was going to reject it anyway.

    I stood up and went around the table. The smile on my date''s beautiful face got a bit wider as I did so, or maybe my eyes just started to play tricks on me. Without much fuss, I laid on the sofa and rested my head on her lap. A few moments later, to adjust our position to a more comfortable one, I took a deep breath in, slowly exhaled and closed my eyes.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The combination of warmth, the supple yet firm texture of her thighs, and her scent made me drift away a bit. And then she also started playing with my hair. Light, gentle touches. Just enough to help me relax a bit further, while not distracting enough to bring my focus to the feeling. Caught inside the moment, she even started humming softly. Yeah, I could see the reason for stellar reviews. My own will be a five-star one as well.

    Too bad that ten minutes later, my rest was interrupted by Amber bringing in food. Hunger won over weariness, and I decided to eat my first meal in this new life.

    "Not exactly sure if this was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about the date in the nightclub, but this has something to it as well," she said all of a sudden.

    "I agree. On both counts," I joked back. "Well, let me finish the food, and we can go downstairs. I am still eager to see you dance."

    "Oh, I will show you how I can dance." There was a promise in her voice. "And then you can have your ''mock jealousy play'', beating unlucky guys for ogling me."

    She laughed a bit at her own joke. Instead of laughing along, I leaned into her personal space, close enough that our noses were almost touching, caught her gaze and said:

    "I''m not sure about ''mock'' part at this point." I said with all seriousness of my ''work'' mask. "Your lap pillow was too good to share with anyone else. I want it all to myself now."

    I kept staring into her eyes. Such a captivating pair she had here. Almost bewitching, enthralling the stupid beast who dared to look into the deep. And they were so alive, so expressive. So easy to read. Surprise, a bit of worry, a lot of curiosity, a pinch of guilt, and, dare I say, anticipation?

    A wave of coldness. Two faces overlapping. They look so similar, yet so very different. I see myself in her eyes. And he smiles warmly. Just as I do.

    A pinging sound of a new message on my phone brought me out of trance. I guess Bella sent the card info. Will check later.

    The girl before me stood frozen still. Half-lidded eyes, slightly parted lips. Did she think I was going to kiss her? I was tempted, yes, but it''s not the time. Yet. I want to see more of her before that.

    "So. Ready to go downstairs?" I said to her in an amused tone.

    From the side, it looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it at the last moment. Instead, she opted to stick out her tongue at me playfully and hugged my arm.

    "Then show the way, my lord. Your pretty lady is ready to dance the night away!"

    ***

    The dance floor met us with a scene of utter chaos. The cacophony of lights, colors, sounds and, most of all, people. People that were having fun. Dancing, drinking, chatting. Some, of the more brave or shameless kind, however you want to look at it, were even making out. All of that, drowning in the constant flashing of lights and rhythmic sound of music. The kind that makes your body move on its own.

    I threw another glance at my present company. And, yet another time, she showed me a new side of her. She was already taken in by the atmosphere, eager to charge into the crowd of dancing people. She caught my gaze and smiled, tugging my arm, making me move along. Rhythm already got a hold of her, making her follow it with each step. Hesitation was gone from her eyes, so was guilt, and even surprise hid away. The gaze of her light-brown orbs showed only anticipation, amusement, and¡­ promise of something.

    I never really liked dancing all that much. The years of body coordination training, as well as quite a bit of experience with a few classic dance routines for social routes, all of that helped me to confidently dance along with my partner. Usually.

    And now was not the case. My current date was born to dance. Or at least it seemed this way to me. It was in her movements, in every gesture, even in her smile and look. Anything and everything went in according to the rhythm. The most I was able to do is let her dance around my frame, holding her when she needed me to. And I enjoyed every moment of it.

    The way she moved, the way she brushed against me. Every little expression and smile. Small gestures here and there. It was almost hypnotic in a way. All I could see was her. And, my word, she liked the attention. As she twirled in my hands, there was more and more of that¡­ promise in her eyes. She made me hold her closer and closer as well. Temptress.

    And here came a moment. Still fully inside the moment, she leaned into my side, almost brushing her lips against my ear and whispered:

    "How about hitting the bar. I''m parched."

    Oh fuck me, this was a revenge if I ever saw one. I laughed and gestured in agreement.

    ***

    By some miracle, the bar counter had few empty spots and, after I very politely asked a person to kindly fuck off before I smash his teeth in, there were even two adjusted seats. I signaled the bartender to come over and, as usual with staff of this establishment, he hastened to do exactly that with a wary expression.

    We made our orders, my dancing partner got herself a cocktail, something-sunrise or was it a sunset? Don''t know, don''t care. And I, being the straight drinks kind of guy, got myself a few shots of rum to get some buzz in and a non-alcoholic mojito to quench the thirst and slowly drink alongside my company.

    A few minutes later, our conversation fell into the same rhythm as on the way to my place. I kept my silence, only giving short answers when prompted, while she was gushing about everything and anything. Her lamenting speech about leaving her phone back in the lounge and not being able to take photos of the DJ, cocktails and/or dance floor in general made me snicker a bit. At some point, I lost the thread of conversation altogether and just listened to the sound of her voice, while taking in the sights of how beautiful she actually was.

    The sound of her voice asking me something finally brought me out of my daydreaming.

    "Did my chattering finally bore you?" She asked, and I shook my head in denial.

    "Sorry, I got distracted by how beautiful you are," I apologized. "Care to repeat the question?"

    "I was asking if you wanted to taste my cocktail," said the lady of my night.

    That got me thinking. The thing looked somewhat tasty, and I couldn''t remember if I drank it before. Especially since in the last few years I was getting wasted just to run away from the reality of my continuous existence. So, after a short contemplation, I nodded and leaned forward to catch the straw. But it wasn''t her plan.

    Instead, she took a mouthful of the drink and caught my lips, feeding me. Our first kiss tasted like orange juice, grenadine syrup and a hint of tequila. And it was entirely too short for my taste. The girl broke away first, giggling impishly. I suppose this was the second part of her revenge. What a cute little plan.

    "You know, I didn''t quite get the taste," I said a few moments later.

    "Too bad that I''m all out of it now." The temptress beside me answered, slowly and demonstratively finishing the last bit of the drink.

    "I wasn''t talking about cocktail." My hands seized her by the waist, bringing her to my lap. I used my right hand to get the stray strand of hair away from her face, and leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes and reciprocated.

    This time it was a much deeper and longer one. Leaving both of us a bit short of breath, and, judging by the look in her eyes, wanting more.

    "Hey, you up for another round of dancing?" I changed the topic, giving us both a bit of time to cool down.

    Of course, she was.

 And who am I to decline?

    The rest of the night went by in pretty much the same way. Dancing, drinking, talking, and having fun in general. Sadly, I didn''t get to play out the mock jealousy routine. Maybe for the better. Not even I could tell how ''mock'' it really would''ve been right now, she really did get me good with her lap pillow. This was an interesting feeling, one that I haven''t felt in¡­ at least five years. Most likely much longer.

    I was sitting alone at the table we occupied a short while ago, waiting for my date to return after refreshing herself. Atmosphere in the club started to shift. I looked at the time, and it was close to four in the morning. The DJ, who long since finished his original set, now was playing relaxing tunes. Even the stroboscope slowed down. This change brought a bout of melancholy with it, for the fact that a great night was on its way to the end. I had a lot of fun tonight. A lot more than I thought was possible.

    "Hey, handsome, why the long face?" I heard an unfamiliar voice. I looked up from my drink and saw the owner of said voice. She was fairly attractive, if a bit plain. Long black hair. Average height. Decent figure. Smart usage of makeup and clothes to bring maximum out of what she had. I would rate her as a seven out of ten, enough to buy her a drink and, maybe, spend the night with. Well, not tonight.

    "Not interested." I said and brought my gaze back to the drink. Being hit on was a nostalgic feeling, it really dropped by a lot after I got a few facial scars.

    "Why so cold? How about a dance first, and then we can get to know each other a bit closer?" I could tell that she was quite tipsy, hence the liquid courage speaking right now. She put her hand on my shoulder, and I was about to shake it off when¡­

    "Oi. Hands off from my man, bitch." I heard my lady''s voice, hurrying to save her gentlemen in a jeopardy.

    "Should''ve guessed that all the good ones are already taken," the brunette scoffed, before taking her hand from my shoulder and leaving.

    I looked at my date, she met my gaze. We both stared at each other for a moment, before I started laughing. She shrugged and took her seat next to me.

    "Hmm. This fake jealousy shtick is pretty fun, in fact," she said. "Um, I didn''t overstep or something, right? I mean, if you wanted a threesome¡­"

    I interrupted her immersion-breaking words with a kiss.

    "A reward kiss to a great heroine, who saved me from a witch," I said. " As for the matter of threesome. All of my attention is already booked tonight."

    This time it was her turn to look into my eyes. Not sure what she was searching for, but whatever she found made her smile and nuzzle into my side. She was soft, warm and smelled so good¡­ The feeling of her hand on my leg brought me back from my momentary lapse.

    "Hey¡­ I had enough dancing for tonight," she whispered into my ear, the tone of her voice bringing a shiver down my spine. "How about we move along with our schedule?"

    To punctuate that, she lightly nibbled on my ear. I smiled at that, and put my hand on her knee, slowly moving it upward towards the hem of her dress. I felt a hot sign into my ear and felt her parting her legs a bit, so I could move my hand a bit more easily.

    "Hey, stop teasing me." I heard her saying in a naughty tone, after my hand stopped just before reaching her panties. Again. Her pretty face was a sight to behold right now. Flushed cheeks. Quickened breath. She was even chewing on her lower lip to stifle a moan. Her eyes were full of heat. What a lewd face. I liked it. A lot.

    I felt her squirm a bit, trying to move my hand closer to the final destination. Yeah, I guess that''s a pretty clear signal that it''s time for the next event of today''s itinerary.

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    "My place or hotel?" I whispered into her ear, still caressing her inner thigh without touching anything over the line.

    "Mmm. Your place," she moaned back, still trying to make me cross that final line.

    "I think you need a moment to cool down. Want me to bring our stuff here, or would you rather go with me?" I asked, taking my hand away.

    "Not in the mood to stay here all alone," my date told me, with a certain amount of blame clear in her tone.

    ***

    The trip to the lounge to take our stuff lacked any interesting events. Except the new card and a note from Bella with ''Our date'' written in it. The day we first met, the anniversary of her brother''s death. Well, an obvious hint for me at what the new PIN was. And a reminder to think about her when I use it. Not exactly a subtle way, but that''s so Bella.

    My current date and I were currently outside, waiting for a taxi to arrive. My phone was actually dead right now, I guess the yesterday-me didn''t charge it for a while, and I wasn''t in a state to pay attention earlier.

    I was half of a mind to start making out with my companion to kill time, but was entirely unsure if I could stop myself from taking her to the alleyway in such a case. Very tempting, yes, but I could endure for a bit longer and not cut corners.

    Luckily, our carriage came fast enough for me not to lose myself. I must praise the driver, the guy looked us once over in the rearview mirror, winked at me and kept his eyes straight on the road for the rest of the way.

    To be frank, I wouldn''t have noticed either way, cause all of my attention went to the girl of my interest, who was currently fully snuggled into my side. A short contemplation later, my right hand went back to its place under the hem of her dress, eliciting a shiver and a stifled moan out of the beauty in my arms. This time I didn''t stop on the brink, though, going all the way to the moist cloth. Yeah, she was wet already. Not quite drenched, but the ride should be long enough to fix this.

    My fingers started slowly tracing up and down the moist patch on her underwear, making my lady of the night subconsciously spread her legs wider. She hid her face into my neck, hot breath tickling me a bit. I felt her shivering every time my hand brushed against her clitoris through the cloth.

    "I. Mmm. Hate you. Mmm. So mm-much. Right now." I heard her saying a few minutes later, when she finally understood that I had all the intention in the world to keep her firmly on the edge, without giving her rest nor giving her a release. By now, she started kissing my neck to stop herself from moaning aloud.

    And that''s how our taxi ride back to my place went, as I kept the same steady pace, switching between caressing her thighs when she came too close to release, or, on the contrary, focusing on her clitoris when she was about to calm herself down.

    ***

    As soon as we entered the apartment building and found ourselves in relative seclusion, she threw herself at me, trying to suffocate me with a kiss. Just as I got into the mood, she broke away, stuck out her tongue at me and ran up the stairs while giggling mischievously. I shook my head and followed her.

    But it wasn''t the end of this temptress'' revenge upon me. To torture my poor self even further, she lifted her dress a bit, just enough to show me the tantalizing sight of her immaculate posterior barely covered by the dark green panties. And she put enough extra sway in each of her steps to fully enthrall me. Pretty sure I would''ve followed her wherever she would lead me to at this moment. And all of it while keeping herself just out of my hand''s reach!

    The ascent to the third floor never felt so long, yet so short at the same time. At the last step, she turned around to face me, still holding her dress up and smiling radiantly. I took another step up, and she took another step back. And again. And again. She looked right into my eyes. A challenge and an invitation, what an enticing combo.

    We continued our little game of cat and mouse, until she found herself against the wall, still looking straight at me. Daring me to take this last step. Inviting me to take it.

    Still, we better get inside first. Before someone overly curious decided to go out and check what were all those noises just outside their doors. I fished my keys out of the pocket and gestured toward the door, and she reluctantly nodded.

    I opened the door and went inside, flicking the light switch in the process and taking off my shoes. My companion followed right behind me. I helped her to take off her jacket and a pair of high-heels. That''s how far my self-discipline was able to take me, before my lust overtook my sanity.

    It started with a deep, hungry kiss. The one that was fully reciprocated with equal hunger. My hands went behind her back, quickly locating the zipper of her dress, liberating her form from it, leaving her in a matching pair of dark green bra and panties. It wasn''t some sort of over the top lingerie, far from it. Strangely innocent yet sexy at the same time, it looked incredibly enticing on her tanned, lithe body.

    We continuously kissed our way to the bedroom, stopping once in a while to catch a breath and for her to unbutton my shirt, which I threw somewhere as soon as she finished. A few quick motions later, my pair of pants followed it on the journey, leaving me in a pair of boxers. Naked appreciation of my body, clear in her eyes, gave my ego a sizable boost.

    My own gaze mirrored the same emotions after she took off her front-hooked bra. Not the biggest pair I''ve ever seen, but they had an advantage in perkiness and shape. And they were plenty big, mind you. Around Double D, I would hazard a guess. And there was still room to grow. Her areola and nipples were a bit darker than her skin-tone. Oh, and they were already hard, indicating that I wasn''t the only one excited here.

    At this point, we reached the bed already. I broke the kiss, pushing my lady of the night onto the sheets, and reached my hands to pull off the last piece of clothes left on her. After it was done, I was once again dumbfounded for a brief moment at how beautiful she was. She wasn''t shy at all, fully enjoying my appreciative look at her. Not that there was anything about her to feel embarrassed.

    Another ego boost from pleased surprise on her face once I took my boxers off. I was long since hard as a rock, not at all surprising with a sight like that before me. I scanned her form once again, absentmindedly noting that the carpet doesn''t match the drapes, as the accurately trimmed patch of her pubic hair was of reddish-brown color. She evidently noticed my gaze and spread her legs apart in a clear welcome.

    And who was I to decline?

 The most important question.

    I woke up, feeling strangely cold for some reason. Not like freezing to death kind of cold, no. Just chilled enough to feel bothered. My organism clearly wanted to sleep for a while longer, but discomfort wasn''t about to let me do just that. What time is it even?

    A moment later, I failed to find my phone in its usual place on the bedside table. Strange. I opened my eyes, blinking repeatedly to clear my vision. The room was almost dark. Blinders were doing a good job, keeping light from going inside. Oh. Right. I was still in the past. When I was falling asleep yesterday, a part of me was half-expecting to either wake up in a hospital, in my older body, or not wake up at all.

    Now to what made me wake up. I looked downwards and discovered that someone stole my blanket. Most likely culprit was quietly snoring on my left. My best guess about what happened would be next. At some point of the night, she found it too hot to sleep under the same blanket, a typical story for people not used to sleeping together with someone else. Then, at another point, she got a bit too cold without a blanket and decided to take the whole thing for herself. Another typical story, only for those who are used to sleeping with someone. Afterward, she found the blanket cocoon a bit too warm and kicked half of the blanket off, exposing herself.

    "Note to myself, buy a second blanket." I chuckled silently.

    The glimpses of last night flashed through my mind''s eyes. The feeling of her skin, soft, smooth and warm. The look in her enchanting eyes, passion, joy, lust, euphoria. Even her taste, the sweetness of the kiss, the slightly salty taste of her skin. Sweet smell of her perfume. The wet, warm tightness of her insides. All small reactions on her pretty face. Feeling of her arms around my neck and back. The sound of her moans in my ears. It was a magical experience, so hard to put into the proper words.

    And now, when the magic of the moment went away, all that was left was a single foreboding question. How much of it was just an illusion I forced myself to believe in?

    I shook my head, trying to shoo away my usual skeptical realism, bordering nihilism in the worst moments. Does it really change anything for me, be it real or fake, if in the end I enjoyed it and wanted more? For as long as my interest holds, I wasn''t averse to pay for this illusion to last longer. But what if¡­

    I needed something to distract myself, and what is better to clear your head than a good old routine. Good old jog will help me sort my thoughts. Or at least to ignore it for a while.

    ***

    About an hour later, I found myself in a curious situation. I had no idea whatsoever where my jog brought me to. My phone was dead, so I left it back at my place, along with my keys and wallet. Not the brightest idea ever, yes.

    I was currently somewhere inside the park. The one I stumbled upon on my run. In the spur of the moment, it felt like a great decision to go inside. At least it beats running through the same streets, I thought.

    Wasn''t so great right now, though. In my absentminded state, I quickly lost my way inside the unfamiliar park and, without the usual convenience of the phone with GPS map, had no idea where I should go.

    The rare passersby were, for the most part, other joggers. At nine in the morning on Saturday! Well, or more like ten by now, but still. Weirdos. Either way, there weren''t all that many people here right now. I spent at least fifteen minutes trying to get someone''s attention to ask for directions, before I lucked upon an acquaintance.

    Well, calling her that was a bit of a stretch. A cashier from the convenience store, hm, Claire or something, right? The cute, but quirky girl with no brain-to-mouth filter and relationship problems. No idea if she recognized me or not, but, either way, she was kind enough to help a stranger and took the time to give me directions. I thanked her and we both went our separate ways.

    Huh, what a coincidence. Also, in her sportswear, she looked pretty hot. Chalking up another half a point to her attractiveness in my mind, I ran towards my apartment.

    ***

    And so, I was back after about two hours in total. To be honest, it wouldn''t be all that surprising for me to find an empty apartment, with a distinct lack of my last night company and an empty wallet. But today appeared to be about as weird as yesterday, since it wasn''t the case.

    Instead, my wallet was still in place and full, and her jacket and high-heels were also in place. In addition, I could hear music playing in the kitchen, accompanied by the smell of cooked eggs and bacon.

    I took my running shoes off and went to check what was going on. The sight that met me there was half-part outlandish and half-part enticing. And wholly interesting.

    The girl stood with her side turned towards me, holding her phone in one hand and a bacon-egg sandwich in the other. She was reading, or maybe watching, something on the screen, periodically taking a bite from the sandwich. All of this while her body was slightly moving along with the rhythm of the music. She looked so relaxed and carefree. Almost¡­ happy?

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    Finally noticing my presence, she turned her face to me and smiled.

    "Welcome back. I didn''t know when you would return, so I decided to make myself breakfast first," the beauty in front of me said in a cheerful tone. "Want me to make some for you as well?"

    Looks like she took a shower, while I was away. Or so it seems, from the way her hair appeared wet. Or by the fact she was wearing one of my old t-shirts and the way it was currently clinging to her figure. Since it was one of the old ones, it looked like a really short dress on her tall frame. And she clearly didn''t wear any underwear right now, making my eyes wander.

    "Yeah, sure," I agreed. "Sounds great to me."

    She nodded, acknowledging my words, and turned to open the fridge to get ingredients.

    "Take your time. I need a shower after my jog." I continued, holding down the gulp after she bent over and her make-shift dress pulled up, giving me a confirmation of the lack of panties. "Maybe a cold one."

    "Or, perhaps, we can continue what we were doing last night?" A moment later, she spread her legs a bit wider, bent a bit deeper and even arched her back to make her posture look as enticing as possible. She also turned her head back towards me, with a half-teasing, half-passionate look in her eyes.

    "Maybe. But later," I shrugged. "For now, it''s shower time and then breakfast."

    One contrast shower later, I was sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. It was simple sunny-side eggs with bacon and toast, a bit too lightly seasoned for my taste. I wasn''t complaining, though, since she had no way to learn my preferences beforehand. The fact that it was cooked for me by a beautiful girl made it quite a bit more appetizing. If only I had proper coffee to accompany this breakfast. Well, not like we can have everything we wish for. Green tea it was then.

    The said beauty was currently sitting on the windowsill, slowly sipping the instant coffee from her cup, still doing something on her phone. Whatever it was, she had fun with it. At least judging by the small smile adorning her lips.

    I was eating slowly, almost too slowly, as if stalling for time. The next conversation will break the illusion for good, and a part of me really wasn''t looking forward to it. Another bite, wash it down with green tea. How stupid.

    "Hey." I started, without taking my eyes from the plate before me. "Would you prefer cash or transfer?"

    "Huh?" was an answer I got. "What do you mean?"

    "Your payment." I put the fork down and looked at her. "Would you rather get it in cash, or should I transfer it to an account of your choice?"

    I looked at how her smile slowly faded, replaced first by the surprised frown, and after a while by an expression of vague disappointment. A curious reaction.

    "Ah, right, payment." She bit her lip. "Yes. Of course. It was a job. Just a job¡­"

    The end of her phrase was muttered so softly that I couldn''t hear it clearly.

    "Though, if you want the cash, we need to visit the bank first. I don''t have thirty grand on hand," I continued regardless.

    "Thirty grand?!" she sounded surprised.

    "Well, yeah. Our arrangement was three hundred per hour. Let''s say it was around ten hours. So, three thousand in total," I counted aloud. "The deal was that I''d pay tenfold if you do a good job. And it was a damn fine one."

    For some reason, it didn''t look like she was all that happy to hear my words.

    "Can I take part in cash and part transfer?" her voice did sound a bit empty.

    "Sure," I nodded in agreement. "Now that we took this out of the way, there is another thing I would like to talk about. Well, more like another deal I would like to propose."

    I paused my words, waiting for her to say something. She chose to keep silent instead, so I continued.

    "It was the best night I had since¡­" I paused again, trying to remember exactly when. My memory drew a blank. "Since forever. And I want more of this illusion. And I''m ready to pay for it."

    This sounded even weirder after being put into the words. Still no sound from the girl. Well, yeah, I would''ve been weirded out by now as well.

    "My proposal is simple. You name the price, and I will pay it monthly for you to become what is, essentially, my mistress."

    "What is the catch?" I finally heard her saying something.

    "Hm? I don''t quite understand the question," I was genuinely curious.

    "My usual rate is three hundred per date. Then along came the most handsome guy I''ve ever seen, and paid a hundred times the amount for the best experience in my life," she fired in a rapid succession. "And now he is telling me that he is ready to pay again, so he can show me even more good times. What is the catch?"

    What a weird girl, was my only thought. But it was a good and very timely question.

    "There are a number of them, of course," I smiled with my best salesman smile. "For example, I am already involved with a number of women and, knowing my nature, this number can change at any given moment. Another one would be the fact that, while I''m currently interested in you, it can change at any given moment as well. There are also a few things that I would prefer to keep from telling you, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn''t ask unnecessary questions."

    She fell into a deep contemplation. And I wasn''t about to hurry her, either. The better she thinks about it right now, the less future problems are here for me.

    "I," she finally started about fifteen minutes later. "Agree to give it a try. What are the other conditions?"

    "Eh. Nothing much, to be honest. You won''t take any other ''work'' for the time of our contract. You will make sure to be available when I ask you to. In case you have external circumstances, please tell me beforehand. And if, at some point, you decide that you want out of our arrangement, please tell me in advance as well," I told her. "As for my side of things. I will take care of your financial needs, that much is obvious. You can always ask me for help as well. I can take care of quite a wide range of things. As for the specifics, we can always work them out in the process."

    "You know, for some reason, it sounds a lot like you want to rent a girlfriend," she said with a chuckle.

    "Rent a girlfriend? Sounds like a great way to get cucked instead." I joked back. Then my demeanor changed, and I proceeded with a severe tone. "Though, if you decide that cucking me is a great idea, I will kill the both of you. And it''s not a joke or an empty threat."

    Those words were left lingering in the air for a long moment. Some things are better said upfront. If she decided that our arrangement isn''t interesting enough anymore, I wouldn''t really stop her. But hiding the fact and, essentially, betraying my trust was a bottom line for me.

    "Ten grand. That''s how much I ask. A bit more than I would get if I decided to "work" every day." I heard her saying after a moment of silence. "It''s more than I need either way. And if I need extra, I can just ask you directly, no?"

    "Huh? Sure," I easily agreed. "As I said before, I''m not one to complain about prices being too low."

    I heard her laughing at my stupid joke. Honestly, it sounded more than a bit strained in my ears, as if she just needed a release after going through a stressful situation.

    "Hey," she called out to get my attention. "So, now that I''m your, eh, mistress? What does it really change?"

    It was a great question indeed. And I had no idea whatsoever how to answer it.

    "Nothing really? And absolutely everything at the same time." Yup, this came out just about as paradoxical as I felt currently.

    "And how am I supposed to behave now?" Another strange question that I had no idea how to answer.

    "However you feel like. Aside from the baseline conditions, all I really want from you is, well, you," I tried to put my erratic thoughts into words. "I want to see more of you. So show me exactly that. Whatever this entails."

    "You know. Whatever I was expecting yesterday, agreeing to play a stand in for an acquaintance in that harebrained scheme of theirs, this situation definitely wasn''t the first possibility that could come to my mind," my conversation partner said while smiling wryly. "But I am strangely glad that my past self agreed."

    And once again I got myself mesmerized by the look in her eyes. Yet another new mix, as usual unexpected and not making much sense for me. Content, relief and happiness. How? Why? For what reason? Don''t know. And don''t really care all that much, either. But there was one thing that I really wanted to know.

    "Can you tell me what''s your name?" I voiced the most important question.

 One complicated thing.

    ¡°My name is Olivia. Olivia Torres, to be precise.¡± She said with a smile. A moment later, she continued. ¡°What about yours?¡±

    Huh... My name. That¡¯s one complicated thing.

    My grandfather was hellbent on naming me Tian, to commemorate his ancestor. And it was a name that I was, as of right now, recorded by in the clan tree. Hm, I wonder if there was a way to capitalize on this info? Not like I could just go and meet the head of one of the Three Families. This thought made me wonder if even Bella had contacts high enough to do that. Otherwise, it was a useless piece of knowledge, to put it simply.

    My father, the black sheep of the family, was hellbent on naming me however else possible, except the above. Preferably something western and ambitious. In the end, he settled on Michael, after reading somewhere that it was supposed to mean ''who is like God''. As for my family name, he used my mother¡¯s, or so I was told. Roah. Michael Roah, the current name in my ID.

    On a side note, I heard that my grandmother wanted to name me Shinji, so I would be a genuine person. Considering everything, maybe they should¡¯ve gone with her suggestion in the end.

    And, of course, this piece of information landed into my hands too late to be of any real use in my first round. Except using the names as a throw-away pseudonyms for one-night stands and jobs of certain kind. Huh. Now that I think, weren¡¯t there more people who knew me as Shinji or Tian, than Michael Roah? Don¡¯t even want to think about all the proper fake IDs I was using half of the time.

    So¡­ which one should I tell her? What a dilemma. Should I decide it by coin toss?

    While I was agonizing over something so absolutely worthless, Olivia gave me a helping hand.

    ¡°You know. If you really don¡¯t want to tell me, I can always just call you honey.¡± She sounded a little dejected, reading too much into my silence. ¡°I will most likely default to it anyway. But not having a name to cry out while having sex was very annoying.¡±

    Huh. This was an interesting argument. I imagined her misnaming me in the middle of the deed¡­

    ¡°Michael,¡± I said after my inner cringe subsided a bit. ¡°Michael Roah. Nice to meet you, Olivia.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Honey.¡± I heard the voice from above. She actually decided to call me that, go guess why.

    I made a noncommittal sound, acknowledging that I was listening. My current state would have only been described as peaceful meditation. Almost nirvana, or something very close to it. By all accounts, I wasn¡¯t doing anything special. Just a simple lap pillow. But, for some reason, I had no grim musings, no double guessing my current actions or thoughts. Only pure bliss, comfort and content. A long forgotten feeling for me, happiness. Not even I could say what exactly made me feel like this. The act itself? The person? Something else altogether?

    ¡°Can I take some pictures with you?¡± Said the beauty, whose lap I was currently occupying.

    ¡°Why?¡± I willed a part of myself out of the daydreaming state to say this.

    ¡°I want to show off my new boyfriend to my friends. Um. I mean¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment, most likely thinking if she should continue or not.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I decided to interrupt her. ¡°Do you want me to do something specific? If you desire to flex upon them, I should have some pretty great stuff for exactly that purpose in my closet. If it¡¯s not enough, give me some time. I will ask around to organize some props.¡±

    I put some thought into her request. Huh, I am looking a bit too young for the proper ''status'' angle here, should I go with ''kitsch'' or ''casual but classy''?

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡± Olivia asked, as if she couldn¡¯t quite believe her ears.

    ¡°Why should I? As long as you adhere to the conditions, it¡¯s of no consequence to me if you wish to treat me like your boyfriend, lover, sugar daddy, or whatever else,¡± I assured her. ¡°If anything, being treated like a boyfriend by someone like you sounds like a good time to me.¡±

    My pillow moved slightly, and a moment after, I felt a touch of soft lips upon mine. The kiss wasn¡¯t a deep one of passion and lust, more of a quick peck, accompanied by a soft melodious giggle. Another addition to the growing collection of pleasant surprises from this beauty. The first one was followed by a second, then by a third. Damn tease.

    Another light kiss made me open my eyes. Well, here goes my zen. The first thing I saw were a pair of already familiar light-brown orbs right in front of me. Followed by a brilliant smile on a pretty face. Olivia noticed my stare immediately, and mischief in her own gaze doubled. Without breaking eye contact, she slowly lowered her face for another kiss. This time a deeper one.

    A few more of those later, and what started as a light tease grew into a full-blown make out session. One thing followed another, and I found myself on top of this pretty girl. My old t-shirt, her makeshift dress, long since turned into a great likeness of a scarf, showing me her gorgeous body in its full glory. I broke the kiss and took a good clear look at her form.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Now, when I was fully sober and not as influenced by sheer lust, it was a great chance to learn even more about the object of my current interest. I was really looking forward to discovering all the places that will make her tick. How sensitive she actually was? What about her neck, back, arms, legs, body, breasts? So many new things to experiment with.

    ***

    This didn¡¯t make sense to me. Like at all. For someone in her line of work, especially coupled with how much she apparently liked sex, she was¡­ too inexperienced.

    Olivia had a very, for the lack of better word, sinful body. Very accepting and very sensitive to the caress. Be it her neck, arms or stomach, a few light touches was all that needed to get a positive reaction out of her. At the same time, it was as if her body didn¡¯t know how to properly respond to such a stimulus.

    Well, at least her breasts were a clear exception out of this weird rule, or it would¡¯ve been just sad. Both big and extremely sensitive, it didn¡¯t take me much time at all to get her to climax from working on them exclusively.

    What really made me sad is the look of surprise painted on her face when my exploratory journey around her body took me to her nether regions. Well, I know she is young, but for fucking sake, were all her partners bloody barbarians or what?

    Her reaction to my tongue was a sight to behold, though. After a few initial awkward moments when she tried to close her thighs together at the new feeling she wasn¡¯t used to, that is. By the end of the session, Olivia was arching her back in ecstasy, while clinging to my head for dear life with her hands and thighs. Oh, and this girl wasn¡¯t shy to be very vocal about how good it felt, either.

    The last detail was how noticeably she froze for a moment, when my finger not so accidentally brushed against her back entrance.

    I looked at a slightly trembling mess of a woman before me. A much more enticing trembling mess than I¡¯ve gotten used to, the first time around. Heh, at the very least, even if I won¡¯t wake up tomorrow, this change was already good enough.

    I took off the t-shirt and a pair of boxers I put on after the shower. A few moments later, my arms moved towards Olivia. I turned her on her stomach, and using a pillow, angled her body in a way that her booty faced upward. She was absolutely drenched, and from last night I learned that we were extremely compatible size wise. Holding her hips and ignoring her weak protests, that sounded a lot like ''Hey, wait, I¡¯m too sensitive right now.'', I put my relevant parts against hers.

    She had her solo fun, and now it¡¯s time for some jolly cooperation.

    ***

    ¡°You are a brute,¡± The attractive lady who was currently using my chest as a pillow voiced her complaint.

    ¡°You loved every moment of it,¡± I chuckled. ¡°If you don¡¯t remember, we can ask neighbors. You haven¡¯t quite kept your voice down, either.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed with a tone full of content. ¡°I certainly did.¡±

    I felt her nuzzling back into my pecs, while my hand played with her hair. It was another moment of full relaxation, a thing still so very alien to me. There were no things that required my immediate attention, no people to meet, no jobs to be done. Exact moment that I hated so much just two days ago. A moment that would need me to fight off my boredom. To run away from my demons. But right now, right there¡­ A miracle, no less.

    The room, once again, was almost dark. The bits of light that managed to find their way through the blinders were already dim. Hm, how long were we at it? No idea. Thinking about the passage of time made me aware of how hungry I was, a light breakfast was nowhere near enough to feed me for the whole day.

    ¡°Want to order some food?¡± I asked Olivia. ¡°Or, if you wish, we can go out somewhere instead.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, nah. Too lazy to go somewhere.¡± was her answer. ¡°Let¡¯s order something. How does Chinese sound?¡±

    I put some thought into her words.

    ¡°Why not. Any good places you know?¡± Once again, twenty-five years, no clue if the places I know were even opened already.

    ¡°Yeah, there is one place opened by the family of a friend. Not sure if they will deliver it here, though.¡± Ah, right, I was currently living in the middle of nowhere. Should I move to another apartment? Guess another thing for future me to look for.

    ¡°Offer to pay extra, usually works,¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Okay.¡± She made a motion to move towards her phone, but quickly gave up. ¡°Mind if I do this in five¡­ ten¡­ fifteen minutes? Too comfortable to move.¡±

    I laughed and messed with her hair a bit, she joined in after a moment. And another moment of cozy quiet followed.

    ¡°Honey.¡± I heard her voice a few minutes later, after I made an acknowledging sound, she proceeded. ¡°Will you mind if I decorate this place a bit?¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± was all I could say. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Dunno. It¡¯s just that this place looks so empty. I would like a bit more stuff here, if I plan to stay here frequently.¡± Olivia made a vague gesture to show how empty the room was. ¡°Um, I mean, if it won¡¯t interfere with you, of course¡­¡±

    She once again sounded very insecure for a moment here. Only this time, I wasn¡¯t all that hurried to disprove her worry. On one hand, the perspective of her staying here frequently looked a lot more enticing than I thought. On the other, though, won¡¯t things go awry if I decided to get another woman here, while Olivia decided to visit out of nowhere? After a bit of contemplation, I came to a temporary solution.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Try not to go overboard, though, there is a possibility I will be moving to a better place soon,¡± I started. ¡°As for the second half of your question. To be honest with you, after some things happened yesterday, I¡¯m currently seeing only one other woman, and she prefers our meetings to be on her territory.¡±

    It was a partial truth. Or, more precisely, the version of the truth I would ever be ready to tell her. I had no idea if there were other women in my current life, except Bella, that is. The only way I could ever learn about them is for them to contact me first¡­ Contact¡­ Fuck. My phone was still lying in the hallway, dead as the older-me¡¯s hopes and dreams.

    I felt Olivia freezing a bit in my arms. Well, I wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe she could easily accept me having someone else without any reaction. As for the actual reason for her jealousy, let¡¯s leave it for some distant future. Future me, don¡¯t blame myself too much.

    ¡°Can you tell me about her?¡± I heard an unexpected question.

 I shouldve lied instead.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± I decided to double-check.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Olivia whispered. ¡°But at the same time, I am really curious. In a morbid kind of way.¡±

    Hm, couldn¡¯t say I understand it all that much, but it¡¯s her choice anyway. Then again, where do I even start with Bella?

    ¡°Where do I even start?¡± I repeated, this time aloud. ¡°Anything in particular you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Something. Anything. I don¡¯t know!¡± I could hear frustration in her voice. ¡°Is she beautiful? You know, if we are supposed to, erm, share a man, she better look at least as good as I am!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. She is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Bloody gorgeous. In my subjective ranking, there is only one other woman who is above her in the pure looks department. And believe me, I¡¯ve seen a lot of them.¡± I ignored the already familiar pang of the feeling that I¡¯m forgetting something important and continued. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t make such a face. You aren¡¯t quite on par yet, but in a few years you should have a fighting chance. Probably.¡±

    Another pause to gather my thoughts.

    ¡°Her name is Bella. Isabella Alvarez. She is a stubborn, hotheaded, adulterous bitch of a woman. Seriously, I heard people calling her cold and unfeeling, but I call bullshit,¡± I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s always so intense with her, like playing with a fire. One moment it looks so beautiful, dancing in front of your eyes, and the next moment you are in the middle of an inferno. I¡¯ve burned myself so many times already, yet every last bit of my being looking forward to doing it all over again.¡±

    I sensed the girl in my arms stiffen a bit more. From our current position, I couldn¡¯t see what kind of expression she had on her face. Anyway, something told me it wasn¡¯t all that pleasant.

    ¡°Sounds like she is someone special to you,¡± bitter words left her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah. Very much so. Without her, my world would¡¯ve been a much, much worse place.¡± A series of memories from the last five years went through my mind in a quick succession. ¡°I would gladly trade my life for hers, if there was a chance.¡±

    ¡°Why not just be with her then? If she is oh-so beautiful, wonderful and important to you?¡± Even more bitterness in her tone.

    ¡°Because I can¡¯t. Not with her. Not with anyone else. Do you think I never tried before? Six months, a year maximum.¡± A few more flashbacks. Faces. Names. Pain. Disappointment. Boredom. ¡°Then I lose interest. Or find someone who is more interesting. And it all goes right back to the starting point.¡±

    ¡°And where am I in this cycle of yours?¡± I heard another whisper.

    ¡°Right at the starting point. Someone new that occupied my whole attention. You are interesting. I want to see more of you. Expressions. Voices. Your smell. Your taste. What makes you tick, what makes you smile?¡± I felt a smile on my face. Just thinking about this made my boredom go away. ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t lying, last night was the best I had for a long while. And today, everything considered, was even better. At this very moment, I would like nothing more than just honestly forget about everything and just enjoy my time with you. For a while. Not thinking about how much of your, or mine, act is genuine and how much is just that, an acting. Not worrying about the moment when I lose my interest in you.¡±

    I took a moment to catch my breath. Just imagining it. Going on dates, lazing around in a bed, maybe doing something stupid once in a while. With lots of passion in between, of course. What a great picture.

    ¡°But I just can¡¯t. Even if I could, there is always Bella.¡± A hollow sounding chuckle left my lips. ¡°And then there is a reality of me and my shitty nature.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the mood any longer, for food or anything else.¡± An uncertain amount of time later, Olivia finally replied.

    She left my embrace, leaving an empty feeling in her place. I was watching how she changed back into her clothes, while keeping my silence, as there was nothing much for me to say anymore.

    ¡°Hey. About my payment,¡± she said a few minutes later. ¡°How much can you give me in cash right now?¡±

    ¡°Hm. About five grand,¡± I did mental math. ¡°Give or take a few hundred.¡±

    ¡°I will take three,¡± she said after thinking for a moment.

    Currently, the girl was busy redoing the whole of her war-paint.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°OK. My wallet is in the hallway,¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Nah, I want you to hand the cash to me by yourself.¡± Her request didn¡¯t make much sense to me, but okay.

    ¡°Fine,¡± I shrugged again.

    I did as she asked, and then she left. Without saying farewell. And as the apartment door closed behind her back, I felt as my boredom slowly creeped back, filling the now vacant place.

    I took my phone, absentmindedly noting that we didn¡¯t exchange contacts, and went back to the room to finally charge it. A part of me wondered if she would return for the rest of the money I owed her. Not likely.

    Ah. Empty, silent, dark room. Barren walls, no photos, no posters either. Not even a fucking TV. The only notable thing in this place still was only a big closet with a full-height mirror.

    From inside the mirror image, a twenty-something-years younger version of myself, less bulky, without noticeable scars or tattoos, looked back at me with a familiar dead fish gaze of a dull pair of brown eyes.

    I connected the charger¡¯s cable to my phone and powered it up. My head was empty for the most part. Excluding a stray thought of ''I should¡¯ve just told a lie instead. As usual.'' going on repeat. Hindsight is always twenty/twenty, me. What did I even expect here?

    I looked at the time, nine p.m., and tapped on the messenger app, noting that it has a ''new message'' icon on it. Eh, right, I got one yesterday. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t from Helen, my message still sat there unread. Huh, it was only a day, but it annoyed me this much. How bad should it have felt for her? A whole year without even ''read'' status. No wonder she didn¡¯t want to have anything in common with me.

    Next, I¡¯ve seen a message from Bella. As usual, it was another photo. An empty bottle of red wine and a peace sign. A single word message again:

    Bella: [Alive]

    Well, that¡¯s all I needed to know. So, everything was alright.

    I was sitting on my bed and slowly scrolling through my messages. Few party invitations, male names. Work? Buddies? No clue. Replied to every one with ''My bad, busy.'' just to be polite. A few, from a first glance, female contacts asked if I was free. Same answer for the same reason. I should ask Bella to give me a rundown on who is who, she usually kept tabs on me anyway.

    A strange message from an unknown number got my attention next.

    @^%#&^$: [You stood me up.]

    @^%#&^$: [Again.]

    @^%#&^$: [You better have a good excuse ready.]

    Huh, another client maybe? Someone I made plans beforehand, but didn¡¯t attend for some reason. And it wasn¡¯t the first time. Unknown number as well, did I delete the contact recently? No fucking idea whatsoever. I tapped the ''ignore'' option on the contact and put the phone down on the bedside table.

    What should I do now? Sleep wasn¡¯t an option, and I was pretty hungry. Food it is then. Twenty minutes later, a full plate of egg bacon fried rice with green beans stood in front of me. Yeah, not much else could¡¯ve been done with the things I had in my fridge.

    Now what? What a cursed question. Should I go and take a walk, looking for trouble again? Not in the mood. Should I stay here, in this barren hellhole? Even worse. Something purely physical and routine enough to take my mind off. My mind courteously provided me with an answer. My wallet had a Gym membership card, why not take the opportunity to check it out? Maybe chat up some bored fitness chick as well.

    I checked my phone, and it was almost fully charged by now. Checking the name on the card and a quick search later, I got a location for the closest one. A few minutes later to get my clothes ready, with a bit extra to try and find some earbuds or headphones, I was ready.

    Familiar hoodie, sweatpants and an old pair of sneakers. A change of clothes for actual work out, which paradoxically was looking fancier than my street wear. Who cares either way? I checked the map once again, fifteen minutes of a leisure walk to the place. I put my earbuds in and messed a bit with a music app, random daily playlist, let''s see what kind of shit my younger self listened to.

    ***

    It was a medium-sized gym of a medium-sized franchise. They were open twenty-four/seven and had a decent amount of equipment. As a bonus, it was just fifteen minutes of walking distance away from my apartment building. Hence, why my choice fell upon this particular gym in the first place. At least, that is my current theory. No idea why my younger self chose it.

    The receptionist spared me exactly one glance, before, most likely, deciding that I am beneath her attention for more than purely work purposes. Screw you too, bitch. She was mildly attractive, but I wasn¡¯t anywhere near desperate enough to not be turned off by her attitude.

    After getting my membership checked and receiving a changing room key later, I changed into a work-out set of clothes. Afterward, I wandered around a bit, trying to get a mental map of the place. Cardio zone. Functional training area/CrossFit. Free weights and resistance machines. Gotcha. A few studios for group fitness and a small boxing gym-style area, outfitted with sandbags and even a ring, completed the picture.

    It was ten odd p.m. on Saturday, a pretty weird time to get a workout done. So, except for a few other weirdos like myself, this place looked pretty deserted right now. Good for me.

    I finished my warm-up, completed with a stretching routine. I wasn¡¯t as flexible currently as my future self would like, another thing for me to work on. Now to the actual work-out. Yadda yadda, twenty-five years, no idea about my current limits, nor status of micro traumas. Not even when and what I was last working on. A moderate overall it is, then, to check aforementioned things.

    After about an hour, I completed the last set, and was currently finishing documenting all the results. Curse you younger me, couldn¡¯t you do the same?

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I heard a female voice getting through the sound of music in my ears. And finally noticed that someone was shaking my shoulder. I took my eyes from the phone screen and turned to the person who was trying to get my attention.

 Not this time, fate.

    Oh, my. Wasn¡¯t it my new favorite counter girl? Hm, Claire, right? A hero to the lost joggers. What a coincidence, indeed. I pulled out one of my earbuds and nodded at the young woman to indicate my attention.

    ¡°Ah, sorry to disturb you, but you didn¡¯t react after I called you a few times.¡± She apologized with a short bow. How polite. I smiled in response and waved my hand, dismissing her concern. ¡°Um, so, if you don¡¯t mind, can I ask you to spot me?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly decline the heroine who saved this lost lamb this morning. Thank you, by the way, I was about to give up all hope.¡±

    I watched as her facial expression changed from surprise, to one of bewilderment, to a frown, to a realization. People that I was meeting lately were so expressive, how curious.

    ¡°Oh!¡± was her short answer. ¡°So that¡¯s why you looked a bit familiar. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m awful at remembering people.¡±

    ¡°No big deal, I have a terrible memory for people as well,¡± I chuckled wryly, and shook my head. ¡°Unless I find them interesting, that is. Surprisingly enough, the quirky but cute cashier girl in the local convenience store left quite an impression on me, or so it seems.¡±

    While Claire, hmm, I¡¯m almost sure it was Claire, went through another series of interesting expressions, I took another good look at her. Damn, she¡¯s packing! My earlier guess at her height still stood strong, now that I¡¯ve seen her wearing footwear without heels. And the tank top and yoga pants combo, that left her midriff exposed, didn¡¯t do much to hide how stacked she was, both top and bottom. As another interesting detail, she was very fit, evidently so from the defined muscle lines of her biceps and almost visible abs, which only added to her lively sporty-girl charm.

    ¡°Oh, you also got a haircut,¡± I finally noticed that instead of being shoulder-length, her hair now only reached down to her chin. ¡°Hm, the shorter hair really suits you better. In my opinion, of course.¡±

    Surprisingly, that got a strange reaction out of her. A mix of frustration and shyness. I guess she liked the compliment, but the person who said it was the wrong one. Most likely that guy, Dale or whatever, failed to notice. Eh, tough luck.

    ¡°Um, thank you,¡± she said a bit later. ¡°And, um, are you hitting on me?¡±

    ¡°My bad. It¡¯s a bit of a habit of mine, especially when I¡¯m interacting with someone attractive,¡± I apologized with a shrug. ¡°If you find it uncomfortable, I will stop. It wasn¡¯t my intention to make things awkward.¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, I, um¡­¡± muttered the flustered girl. ¡°It¡¯s just that I am a bit dense with this kind of stuff. And my friends keep telling me that I¡¯m acting too friendly with people, which sometimes leads to awkward misunderstandings. I haven''t found your words offensive or, erm, exactly¡­ unwelcomed, but I¡¯m sorry there is already someone I like.¡±

    ¡°Fair,¡± I nodded. ¡°I will try to tone it down, but can¡¯t promise anything.¡±

    I gave her an exaggerated wink to punctuate my words. She sighed and shook her head at my antics.

    ¡°So, what did you need me to spot you for?¡± I changed the topic back to the starting point.

    ***

    Since the gym was effectively empty, and the few people who were there except the two of us didn¡¯t look exactly fit enough to spot her if need be, I offered to stick by for the rest of her work-out. Claire, definitely that was her name, tried to decline at first, but quickly agreed after I told her it¡¯s not a big deal and I had nothing better to do anyway. I left unsaid my nefarious motivation of doing this to appreciate her scantily clad form, but no harm, no foul, right?

    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s why I am here on Saturday evening. Ugh, am I cursed or something? Like really, I finally got him to agree to spend a night out with me, but at the last minute he canceled because of force majeure.¡± I quietly listened to the complaints of the counter girl. A part of me wondered what was wrong with that David guy. Another part of my being was desperately trying not to laugh at the sheer absurdness of her stories.

    And the third one, the biggest part of me, the darkest one as well, was thinking about how easy it would be to use all of that against this young woman. A call to Bella, asking her to find out more about the dude. With the resulting info, it won¡¯t be hard to find just the right pro to seduce the guy. Then swoop in myself at the right timing to offer my shoulder for crying purposes to this overly friendly and a bit too naive girl. Sweet words, just the right attitude and enough alcohol later, she would be an easy notch on my belt. How boring.

    ¡°You know, if I wasn¡¯t sure you would decline,¡± I started. ¡°I would offer to continue this evening in a pub nearby. A great place, really. The owner is a great cook as well.¡±

    ¡°Um, are you hitting on me again?¡± followed the question.

    ¡°Hm. Nah, not really. I just found your company pleasant enough and have nothing better to do,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Frankly, you don¡¯t seem like a type for a one-night-stand, and my love life is complicated as it is. So, just a late dinner between two, hm, acquaintances?¡±

    Hm, the pub I mentioned was a really great place. I scoured my memories to remember all the relevant info. It should be already opened, considering that a few years later the guy bragged about it being ten years anniversary. I took my phone and tapped on the browser, deciding to double-check. A quick search was enough for me to find the place, and it was indeed open and not so far away. Not the worst place for a dinner alone, either, I guess.

    ¡°I agree.¡± I heard something strange.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry, can you repeat?¡± I asked for confirmation. For a moment there I heard her agreeing, go guess why.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I said I agree,¡± repeated Claire. ¡°A late dinner between two acquaintances who both have nothing better to do, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I easily confirmed. ¡°Ugh, can¡¯t believe I would ever say these words, but you really should have more awareness. Especially when someone as suspicious as myself invites someone as hot as you to a drinking place alone late into the evening.¡±

    She laughed my warning off, and I could only shake my head in exasperation. Guess it was my fate to encounter peculiar people.

    ***

    A quick shower and a change of clothes later, I was standing in the lobby, waiting for my dinner partner. Ah, right, just in case, I looked through my contact list for the contact info of the place¡¯s owner. To my surprise, my attempts were actually fruitful, and I already was acquainted with the guy. A quick phone call later, and a table for two was booked. I wasn¡¯t all that worried about them being full, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.

    About five minutes later, the counter girl caught up with me, wearing a pair of light blue lean jeans and a light gray hoodie with a print of some band. The name looked a bit familiar to me, but I couldn¡¯t quite place where or how. A pair of simple white sneakers was her choice of footwear. Not the kind of monstrosity I was wearing, of course.

    ¡°Do you want to take a walk or should I call for a taxi?¡± I asked the girl before me.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty beat, so let¡¯s take a taxi,¡± was her answer.

    I nodded and proceeded to do just that. There were quite a few free cars nearby, so the wait time wasn¡¯t too long. I looked at the clock, it was already Sunday technically, just past midnight.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to my current company. ¡°Why did you agree?¡±

    ¡°I just found your company pleasant enough and have nothing better to do,¡± she parroted my earlier words. Noticing my skeptical expression, she graced me with further explanation. ¡°No, really. This and sheer curiosity. You are an enigma to me. I never met anyone quite like this before. You don¡¯t push too far with your compliments, but don¡¯t shy away from giving them away either. As much as your eyes wander all over me, you still talk to my face. I am pretty dense with this stuff, but I¡¯m not blind.¡±

    That was an answer I wasn¡¯t expecting. Huh, I guess this girl ain¡¯t just cute and quirky.

    ¡°You know, if my relationships weren¡¯t such a mess already, I would pour all of my efforts into making you mine.¡± I told all of this looking straight into her eyes, absentmindedly noting that they have the same color as mine. ¡°Alas.¡±

    ¡°Want to talk about this? I mean, you heard my complaints, let me return a favor,¡± she said.

    ¡°I guess, why not?¡± And I started telling the young woman I barely knew about my problems.

    ***

    ¡°¡­and that¡¯s how I ended up alone in the gym. But then I met my savior again and here we are,¡± I finished my story.

    We were sitting in a pub. Hm, a typical ''Irish pub''. Lots of wooden furniture, sport symbolic and plaques with alcohol brands everywhere, muted lights. Menu consisting of a long list of alcoholic beverages, a few mainstays, various shareables, sliders and side dishes.

    ¡°Yeesh, you haven¡¯t exaggerated when you said it was a mess.¡± My dinner companion voiced her opinion, and I could hear that she was a bit tipsy already.

    ¡°Thank you very much for your feedback, it¡¯s invaluable to us,¡± I responded with as much sarcasm in my voice as possible.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s exchange contacts!¡± Yeah, she was definitely tipsy.

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Uuu, so I would be able to complain to you about Daniel.¡± She pointed her index finger up. ¡°And ask for updates on your soap opera, of course.¡±

    I sighed, but then again, why not?

    ¡°Sure.¡± I told her my number, and a moment later got a call from her.

    ¡°Hey, what is your name?¡± she asked after a bit.

    That got me thinking.

    ¡°Tian.¡± Maybe I wasn¡¯t as sober as I was thinking, either. Eh, who cares? ¡°My grandpa was hellbent on naming me after his ancestor or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, unusual name,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Claire, by the way,¡±

    Huh, so I managed to remember her name correctly, what a surprise indeed.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen it on your uniform badge back in the store.¡± I noted, and saved her number in the contact list. ''Counter Girl''. Because I can.

    ¡°So you really pay attention, eh?¡± Maybe I should stop her from ordering more alcohol?

    ¡°Well, it was in a quite prominent place and the counter girl was cute enough for a double-take, you know.¡± I smirked. She tried to call for a waitress and I proceeded upon my previous thought. ¡°You really should slow down on alcohol.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a big girl,¡± she patted her impressive chest, indeed she was big. ¡°I know my limits!¡±

    ***

    She. Did. Not. I looked at a completely wasted young woman across the table and sighed. And what am I supposed to do now? I checked her phone, but, of course, it was locked. Now my options were truly exhausted. Neither did I know where she lived, nor had any way to contact someone who could tell me.

    ¡°Hey, Claire.¡± I shook her shoulder. No reaction. Fuck.

    Well, leaving her here wasn¡¯t an option I was ready to take. No matter how much of a bastard people called me. So, my pretty drunk brain decided on the only option that was left. My place it was then.

    I signaled to the waitress and paid the tab, then called another taxi.

    ***

    The driver of a taxi was another weirdo. Just my luck. He looked at us in the rearview mirror, smirked at me and even showed a thumb up. Then focused his gaze on the road. Hm, d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    ***

    I took my and Claire¡¯s shoes off. Hm, should I undress her or not? On one hand, she would undoubtedly sleep better with no outerwear, but on the other, leaving her clothes intact would be a great alibi if she decided to accuse me of something the next day.

    Deciding to compromise, I tried to take off her hoodie. Oh. Definitely OH! This weird young woman didn¡¯t wear anything under. Thanks for the treat. Fighting back a dull sense of regret, I pulled the hoodie back down. Deciding not to play with my fate, I decided against even touching her jeans.

    A part of me screamed in agony, demanding to strip her naked and take her right here, right now. She was far from ugly, and I wasn¡¯t a eunuch or an anime protagonist¡­ But no, not this time either, fate.

    I threw the drunk body of an attractive woman onto the bed and took off my own clothes. After a bit of contemplation, I scoured my closet and found a pair of pajama shorts. Just in case.

    I laid down and closed my eyes. Of course, I was lying on the bed, no way I would sleep on the floor. The last thought in my brain was that I really need a second blanket.

 Good Guy.

    This time I woke up because it was too hot instead. Ugh. I tried to kick the blanket off, but my efforts made it cling to me even worse. Maybe this was a nightmare? Hot and heavy, hm, yes, pretty damn weighty, blanket that clings to your body, and you can¡¯t do anything to get it off?

    Hm, but this blanket was pretty soft, all things considered. Comfortable even. Ugh. If only it wasn¡¯t so needlessly warm. I tried to push it away once more, but it still refused to move. How is it even possible?

    Argh. So bright. Well, not exactly, but coupled with the hangover, the not wholly dark room looked almost blinding. A couple of minutes of blinking and adjusting later, I was finally able to see again. Oh. Fuck.

    Hm, that explained a lot. And brought so many more questions. The thing that was playing the role of my blanket, the heavy but soft and comfortable thing, how to put it¡­ Well, it was Claire, who was currently drooling on top of my chest, while hugging me like a koala. God bless my past self for deciding not to remove her clothes, this would¡¯ve been a helluva lot more complicated to explain otherwise.

    I gave another try to push her off me, and it failed marvelously. Instead of getting off, the girl just frowned in her sleep and hugged me even tighter. I guess we were stuck like this until her eventual wake-up. Not the worst perspective, to be honest.

    I closed my eyes back, got myself into a more comfortable position, and tried to get some extra shut-eye for a while longer.

    Yeah, as if. Despite the hoodie being in the way, I could feel the squishy soft feeling on top of my own bare skin, and this was very distracting. Another thing was an issue where to put my hands, so I would be comfortable, yet it wouldn¡¯t be weird at the same time.

    I opened my eyes back. Fuck. Why did I even care? And wasn¡¯t this the weirdest part? I really did care, for some reason. I sighed and shook my head.

    Trying to distract myself from thinking too much, I turned my gaze to my blanket. Her sleeping face looked sloppy, even a bit silly. But she looked very relaxed, and her natural cuteness shined at this moment. Only now did I pay enough attention to notice the lack of makeup. Her current look was just a baseline, and, though there wasn''t anything that required it, there was a room for improvement. Another point of weirdness to that Damien guy, fuck was wrong with him? A girl like that vied for his attention, and he ignored her. Poor thing. I caught myself right before my hand reached out to pat her head. But. Eh. Why the hell not?

    While her bed-hair looked a bit spiky, it was very soft to touch. On a side note, while, most likely, just my illusion, I was almost sure she just leaned into more pats. Eh, well, this was just the right distraction for my still tired brain, so I will just go on with that. Let¡¯s hope she won¡¯t bite my head off for touching her hair, though. Not all women liked it, especially from someone they barely knew.

    ***

    And so I drifted away. Once more it was a state of contentment, joy, and relaxation. It felt a lot different from the time I had that lap pillow from Olivia, but very much alike at the same time. I just listened to Claire¡¯s relaxed breath and played with her hair. Huh, I guess that¡¯s the difference, the roles were now opposite.

    After a while, I heard her breathing pattern change and felt how the young woman on top of me momentarily froze. Hm, after a moment she did relax back. Surprise, surprise. Well, time to wake up, I guess.

    ¡°Rise and shine, sleepyhead,¡± I said and took my hand off her head.

    ¡°Pat me more,¡± objected my blanket.

    ¡°Sorry. What?¡± I was surprised.

    ¡°I said. Pat. Me. More.¡± Her spoiled tone was cute enough, so I chose to oblige.

    ¡°You know, whatever reaction I was expecting,¡± I said, after a few minutes. ¡°This definitely wasn¡¯t on my list.¡±

    ¡°What? Should I scream at you, curse and, maybe, try to hit you or something? You warned me right away to be more aware of you. Then you tried, on multiple occasions, to stop me from drinking more. Which I evidently refused to listen to. And now I woke up, still fully clothed. As for our current position, my friend told me many times that I¡¯m very clingy in my sleep¡­¡± So far, she sounded pretty logical. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be nearly as calm if something actually happened, though.¡±

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    ¡°Fair.¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Um, another thing¡­¡± She started a bit later. ¡°I understand why you left my jeans on, but did you try to take off my hoodie, perchance?¡±

    ¡°Um. Yes. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I decided to tell the truth. Yeah, right, a lot of good being honest did for me lately, but for some reason telling a lie here just felt wrong. ¡°And thanks for the treat. The view was absolutely breathtaking.¡±

    I felt her arms around me tighten even more, as well as her face trying to bury itself deeper into my pecs. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to open my eyes. It was just like I thought, Claire played her best impression of ostrich, while blushing right up to her ears. Cute.

    For the next fifteen minutes or so, we played a strange game. She refused to answer any of my calls with anything more than ''Hmph''. The craziest part of it was that for the whole duration I kept stroking her head. And all of my attempts to stop and take my hand off were met with her catching my hand and placing it back.

    It all ended when I finally remembered that there was absolutely no reason for me to actually try to coax her.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I called out. ¡°You know, the fact you seem to have given me a ¡®Good Guy¡¯ card already, really grinds on my nerves.¡±

    I put my free hand unto the small of her back. One quick fluid motion later, and our position was reversed. Now I was looming over the still hugging me young woman, whose eyes looked at me like a deer into headlights right now.

    ¡°I warned you a few times already, especially with the story of my mess of a love life,¡± I continued. ¡°I am not a good person by any kind of measure, but you seem to ignore it. Ah, ah, ah. That won¡¯t do.¡±

    From the small of her back, my hand found its way under her hoodie and now slowly creeped upward, exposing more and more of her skin with every passing moment. I looked into her eyes, watching how the realization and dread slowly filled her gaze. And a faint hint of something else, not quite as easy to read.

    ¡°I am not gay, nor am I blind or dead,¡± I whispered it right into her ear, eliciting a shiver out of her. ¡°I find it perfectly fine to play within the boundaries you set, but don¡¯t expect me not to push them once in a while if there is an opportunity. Just because I choose not to, doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t.¡±

    The hoodie was pulled almost up to her chest, fully exposing her flat stomach and the slim waist. I wasn¡¯t about to pull it any further, though. I was here with a lesson to teach and a point to make, not to force myself upon her.

    As such, I brought my hand to her face, cupping her chin and tracing her lovely lips with my thumb. All the while, she kept her eyes firmly locked upon mine, staring unblinkingly, like a mouse at the hungry snake before it.

    ¡°Whatever should I do with you? Oh, right, I know just the thing¡­¡± I left the words to linger for a while. ¡°What would you like for breakfast? I must say my fridge is pretty empty, so choices aren¡¯t that abundant. Eggs, milk, cereal, bread, cheese. Take your pick.¡±

    Ah, the look on her face was absolutely priceless.

    ***

    I left Claire alone, giving her some much-needed space to calm down, and now was in the middle of cooking an omelet with cheese for myself. With plenty of spices, of course. Two pieces of bread were in the toaster as a side. And a kettle of water was in the middle of being heated up for my favorite beverage as of late. Green tea. Fuck. I really need to buy some proper coffee.

    ¡°Tian,¡± I heard the voice from behind. And ignored it, who the heck was Tian anyway, and why was someone looking for him in my kitchen? But the voice repeated itself. ¡°Tian.¡±

    Ah, right, my brain finally caught up. Wasn¡¯t that the name I introduced myself to her? Should I correct it? Maybe later.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I voiced at last.

    ¡°Mind if I use your shower?¡± I heard something unexpected. Once again. Was my first life so one-sided that things kept surprising me this time around?

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± I decided to tease her a bit more. ¡°Have you already forgotten my lesson?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I will forget it soon,¡± Claire said in a strange tone. ¡°I, um, just decided to trust in your decision to respect my boundaries enough.¡±

    I turned my head to look at her for a moment. She looked really hot and bothered right now, and not in an angry kind of way. Huh, did I randomly manage to push just the right buttons with her? I did act like one of these CEO novel male leads there, didn¡¯t I? How did I know? My last fuck buddy read them on the regular.

    ¡°Hm. Sure.¡± I turned my attention back to the pan. Just in time, as well, since the omelet almost got burned. ¡°Do you want a change of clothes? I doubt there are pants that would fit you lengthwise, but some of my old t-shirts should be just the right size.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks. I, um, think I would rather not,¡± she declined.

    ¡°Up to you,¡± I concluded.

    I finished my breakfast preparations, while listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom. Hm, have I put the towel back yesterday? No idea. I didn¡¯t want to disturb her right now, and if it wasn¡¯t there, she would just call out anyway. With this thought, I turned my attention back to the food.

    Just as my behind touched the chair, I heard the doorbell ringing. Huh, who might it be?

 Certainly isnt dull.

    I cursed once more at the confusion my jumbled up memory caused me. For all I knew, it could¡¯ve been just some sort of delivery that the younger me ordered a few days ago. Or, perhaps, an angry client or a workmate that I missed a meeting with for no apparent reason. Fuck me sideways, this was so annoying.

    I stood up and went to open the door, praying that this will be something quick enough and my food won¡¯t have time to go cold. Please, I needed just one boring, uneventful day.

    ¡°Morning. I, like, well¡­¡± I heard a familiar voice. ¡°I had some time to cool down and get some thinking done. Erm, I don¡¯t know what to say. Um. Am I still welcomed here?¡±

    Before my frozen self stood Olivia. She looked great in the outfit of her choice - a black slash neck pullover and a red mini skirt that reached to the middle of her thighs. That is, if you ignore details. Like slightly bloodshot eyes, or poorly disguised bags under them and really awkward smile, that failed to reach said eyes. Her body language was also all over the place, she appeared nervous, lost and her movements were lacking usual self-confidence and grace.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not welcomed, um¡­¡± Her awkward smile dimmed even more with every word, and I could hear her voice shaking a bit. ¡°I¡­ I will just go away already, okay?¡±

    My hand moved before my brain could fully decipher what I just heard, catching the shoulder of Olivia, who was already turning to bolt away. It was still a mystery for me as to what was going on here, but I definitely didn¡¯t want her to leave.

    ¡°It seems like we need to talk,¡± I sighed. ¡°Come in. I was just about to have breakfast, want some as well?¡±

    My words had a noticeable effect on the girl. Nervous tension left her body and the smile finally was able to reach her eyes.

    ¡°Um, I remembered how empty your fridge was yesterday and brought some steamed buns from the Chinese place I told you about.¡± She raised a hand with a plastic bag that I previously somehow missed in my observation. Inside the bag were quite a few food containers. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure about which fillings you like, as well as the amount I should take, so I bought all they had on hand.¡±

    ¡°I knew I liked you for a reason.¡± I smiled and took the bag out of her hand and took a step to the side to let her in. Olivia responded with her own smile and went inside. Only to halt in her step. I followed her gaze, trying to understand what just happened.

    Right. There, right beside my own pair, stood Claire¡¯s white sneakers. Way too small and feminine to mistake for anything that could belong to me. But, of course, it was not the end. I hate you so much, fate.

    ¡°Hey, Tian. Seems like I need to take your offer, after all.¡± I heard Claire, who, right at this very moment, exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her upper body. Whatever happened to her hoodie? A mystery.

    ¡°I was away for a few hours. A single night...¡± groaned Olivia. ¡°Well, at least she is hot.¡±

    Bloody hell. I wanted a smoke. And coffee. And, perhaps, to yell at the top of my lungs how done I was with all the bullshit.

    On the other hand, it certainly wasn¡¯t dull.

    ***

    One awkward explanation and introduction later, I was quietly munching on the steamed bun, great stuff by the way, and slowly sipping my green tea.

    Everything went surprisingly uneventful. But then again, neither of the two had any real reason to be jealous. And didn¡¯t that thought sour my mood! Well, not really.

    Speaking of the girls. The second-worst outcome actually happened. They hit it off really well and now were sitting together on the windowsill, gossiping about one thing or another. Something about relationship problems and what type was worse. Dense motherfuckers who couldn¡¯t take a hint even to save their lives. Or sharp bastards who could read you too easily, but still choose to play dense whenever it was to their liking. No idea why they were glancing this way while talking about the latter. None whatsoever.

    The two of them, merrily laughing together, were a sight for the sore eyes. Brilliant smiles, bright eyes, beautiful features, all of that, and much more, made my eyes and thoughts wander around quite a bit.

    Olivia got back, at least outwardly, to her usual cheery self that I liked so much. As for Claire¡­ She managed to somehow get her hoodie wet, and it was currently drying. As a temporary replacement, I found her one of my old t-shirts, judging by the size, from around two years back. It had a print of the same band as her hoodie, and was much too small for my current frame. Actually, it was pretty tight, especially around the chest area, even for her, but she refused to switch it for another one. Something about ''limited edition''. My offer to give it to her was met with an overjoyed squeal and a tight hug. The following flustered meltdown at my reminder about important lessons added even more to my amusement. Totally a worthy price tag for an old t-shirt.

    ***

    Few hours later. The hoodie was finally dried enough for Claire to wear it again, so she took that as her cue to leave. Without taking off her new t-shirt, of course.

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    ¡°Is she another one of yours? A person of interest, I mean.¡± Olivia asked, after I closed the front door.

    ¡°I can¡¯t deny the future possibility, but not right now,¡± I told her the truth.

    ¡°Did you really not sleep with her?¡± And another question.

    ¡°Correction. I slept with her. It¡¯s just that there was no sex involved.¡± And my answer. ¡°Hey, before you ask another question. How about we get a bit more comfortable first? I bet it will be a long talk.¡±

    She nodded and we went to the bedroom. Olivia sat on the bed and patted her thighs, inviting me to rest my head. While it was a good sign, I decided against taking the offer and sat down facing her instead. This was an important moment, at least it felt to me like that. And I wanted all the advantages here, including the ability to read her expressions and body language.

    Noticing my actions, and reading something only she knows from them, led to the return of her earlier anxiety. All of my experience told me to feed more into it, to throw her out of balance, to ultimately capitalize on my opponent¡¯s mental weakness. Except, was there an opponent this time?

    ¡°Olivia. With everything that happened earlier, I forgot to say an important thing,¡± I broke the silence first. ¡°Glad to see you again.¡±

    And, once again, those simple words of mine were effective to fight this anxiety off.

    ¡°Hey, Michael. Or is it Tian?¡± Of course, she did notice. And was smart enough not to ask this question until there were only two of us. Now that I think, for the whole day she opted to call me honey. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Both are my names. Michael Roah is what my father named me officially, it¡¯s a name that is in my official ID. And it¡¯s a name I am used to associating with myself,¡± I interrupted her to clarify this point. ¡°Tian is a bit more¡­ complicated. It¡¯s also my name, or at least what my grandfather used to write me under into the family tree. For a period of time I used it as a throw-away for one-night stands, and yesterday I was a bit too drunk and slipped into habit.¡±

    Another positive reaction. I couldn¡¯t be sure why, but this point was important for her.

    ¡°Michael.¡± I could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°I am really curious about one thing. Why do you keep telling the truth? Wouldn¡¯t it be much easier to just lie your way through? I''m pretty sure you could.¡±

    This question really threw me off for a moment here. Why, indeed?

    ¡°Because it¡¯s boring,¡± was my simple answer. ¡°Always telling people what they want to hear. Or what I need them to hear to get a certain reaction. Both of those tend to show me a one-sided picture of a person. Skewed by the way I influence them.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡± No, she certainly did not.

    ¡°To put it simply, I am interested in seeing as many different sides of you as possible. Hence, I am telling the truth to get a genuine reaction out of you,¡± I smiled. ¡°The results are a mixed bag so far, but at least it¡¯s something new.¡±

    Silence. I was waiting for the reaction, and my conversation partner was busy thinking about something.

    "Hey. Can I just tell you the truth as well?" Seems like Olivia finally got to some conclusion.

    "Of course," I nodded.

    "Hm, this isn''t as easy as I thought." She said after a moment of trying to find the right words. "I think it won''t be a surprise for you, but I have a multitude of reasons for¡­all of this."

    I nodded again, deciding against interrupting her

    "It may be hard to believe, but one of them is that I really like you. Simple as that. You are everything I ever dreamed about in a boyfriend. Tall, fit, handsome, and rich. You know how to push all my buttons with such ease! And don''t make me start talking about the sex. Um, I¡¯m not a stranger to sex and I really like it. It''s fun, it''s pleasant. But you showed just how limited my perspective was before. You made me feel so wanted, so beautiful. Almost¡­ loved."

    She fell into silent reminisce, with a light smile adorning her lips. After a few moments, she continued, her smile dimming.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not the only reason. You see, I want to believe that I got my life plan figured pretty well. I will graduate from a mid-tier university, find myself some sort of ¡®personal assistant¡¯ or ¡®secretary¡¯ job for someone rich enough. All I really want is an easy, comfortable life, free of worries, free of responsibilities. And your offer was a dream come true for me. A few fairly uncomplicated conditions to follow, and I¡¯m set for life. It was supposed to be such an easy yes.¡± She squinted her eyes, as if imagining something wonderful. ¡°Except it wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t at all. When you were talking about that special woman of yours, I became so damn jealous! And then you told me that at some point you will just leave me behind, as if it was inevitable. As if there is no chance whatsoever for you to see me as someone unique.¡±

    For the umpteenth time in the last few days, I found myself utterly dumbfounded. My whole mind was frantically calculating what I can/should/want to say in response. But Olivia didn¡¯t give me a chance.

    ¡°I spent the whole night thinking about everything. You. Me. Your offer and conditions. My unexpected jealousy. I haven''t caught a wink of sleep, you know.¡± She chuckled softly. ¡°Hey, honey, I will agree to your offer in full, if you accept two conditions of my own.¡±

    This actually gave my overheated brain a moment of respite. Good, negotiating was a lot less stressful than sorting out feelings and emotions. Wish I had some time to simply relax and decompress. It became harder and harder for me to feign normalcy here.

    ¡°Let me hear them first,¡± a noncommittal response that indicated interest.

    ¡°Oh. They are very straightforward. First, when you lose interest in me, I want you to give me a chance to get it back. Don¡¯t just ghost on me, okay?¡± I nodded, that was an easy one. ¡°And the second one is even less complicated. If you want me to share you with someone, make sure that they are up to a certain standard!¡±

    What the fuck. I looked at Olivia, searching for the signs that it was a joke. But her whole appearance was dead serious.

    ¡°You heard me. If you agree to these two things, I will agree to all your conditions. I will accept and share you with whoever you want. Hell, I will even help you to build your harem.¡±

    Huh, didn¡¯t I hear words like that before? What was my answer then? Ah, right. I ran away.

    What the actual fuck. I felt my outer mask giving another crack. Screw it. I gave up, letting myself react like I truly felt at the moment. I laughed my ass off.

 Im better!

    I quickly caught myself up. This was supposed to be an emotionally charged moment or something. For a normal person, that is.

    ¡°Ah. My bad. My bad. The absurdity of the last few days finally caught up to me.¡± I apologized hastily, before Olivia could once again read too much into my reaction. ¡°Of course, I agree. There is absolutely no reason for me not to. Even if I have absolutely no idea why you would even bring the gathering of a harem.¡±

    ¡°Um, isn¡¯t this what you are trying to do?¡± It was her time to be bewildered.

    ¡°Not really? While I met a few women who were fine with me having other women, with some even encouraging it, they were pretty rare. I don¡¯t think there were two in a row, like ever.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Even if there were, it¡¯s quite possible for me to just lose interest in one when I meet another.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ I thought¡­ Your conditions¡­¡± She groaned. ¡°You know what? Fuck it! Do it or don¡¯t, I¡¯m in either way.¡±

    I looked at the beautiful girl in front of me, her eyes full of resolve. Or in resignation, it was quite hard to judge which one exactly, not with her mixed body language.

    ¡°Happy to have you, then.¡± I emphasized the notion with a gentle kiss, which was met with an eager response. A few moments later and I was lying on top of my new¡­ mistress? Lover? Girlfriend-for-rent? Eh, who really cares about titles? Not me.

    What I did care about right now were a number of things. The feeling of the kiss. The look in Olivia¡¯s eyes. The warmth of her skin. The smell of her perfume. The wet feeling my hand reported back after sneaking under her skirt, indicating she was just as excited as myself. And, most of all, a surprising discovery of how much a part of me was relieved that I won¡¯t need to part with all of this, at least not yet.

    A shudder went through the body of the girl in my arms, as she arched her back and broke our kiss to moan loudly. My introspective thoughts could wait for a while. There were more important things to do right now.

    ***

    Some time later. It was already evening. Sadly, Olivia chose not to stay for the night this time, and we were currently in the hallway.

    ¡°I have school tomorrow, Monday and everything. And I didn¡¯t bring my uniform with me today.¡± I heard her voicing the reason. Hm, I pictured her wearing a school uniform. There was something really sinful and exciting in such an image. As if reading my mind, she continued. ¡°How about I wear it next time?¡±

    The sheer amount of promise that was contained in her smile made me think about going for a few more rounds.

    ¡°Or you can bring enough of your stuff over here, so you would be able to stay whenever you want,¡± I replied. ¡°I could get used to your company. First, I need to buy a second blanket, though.¡±

    ¡°Would that be okay? I mean¡­¡± Here was her insecure side once again.

    ¡°I think you really misinterpreted my words back then. For as long as my interest in you holds, you are an incredibly special person in my eyes,¡± I reached my hand and stroked her cheek. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t guarantee it won¡¯t change, but currently there are less than a handful of people who can make me consider them over you.¡±

    ¡°Uuu, here you go again with your thrice damned truth.¡± She stuck her tongue at me. ¡°You could just lie nicely there for extra brownie points.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I nodded. ¡°But it would¡¯ve backfired at some point and I would lose even more points from that.¡±

    She giggled a bit at my answer, and nuzzled into my hand still cupping her cheek. And I did the only logical thing in this situation, leaned in for another kiss. Not too deep this time, since it would definitely devolve into another bout of passion otherwise.

    ¡°Hey, honey,¡± Olivia said, after we finished our kiss. ¡°Is there a way for me to make you believe that I didn¡¯t lie about liking you?¡±

    Huh, so she noticed. Well, not really a surprise, so far, she proved to have a knack for observation. Then I thought about her question.

    ¡°You know, as they say, a lie repeated enough times becomes the new truth. Don¡¯t take it the wrong way, but it doesn¡¯t matter for me at large.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If it is important to you, just act with these intentions in mind. And, who knows, maybe I will have no other choice but to accept this as a matter of fact.¡±

    She looked at me for a long moment and then reluctantly nodded.

    ¡°Well, I am, in fact, looking forward to such a day,¡± I continued. ¡°I really am. It would be much more interesting than the alternative.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ***

    And I was all alone once more. Luckily, or maybe not so much, there was no time for me to fall back into my usual state of boredom.

    As soon as I returned to the bedroom, contemplating if I should go for another walk, my phone rang, signaling the arrival of a new message. Considering my expansive contact list, most of the contacts were put by me into a silent mode, bar a few exceptions. This, and unknown numbers. Which meant one of the two possibilities. It was a message from someone important. Or a fucking spam.

    Bella: [Mood.]

    Attached to her usual one-word message was another new selfie. With her wavy shoulder-length chestnut hair flowed freely, on the windowsill sat Bella, leaning sideways on the glass and staring somewhere into the distance beyond. She was wearing her usual choice of nightwear, a transparent red silk nightgown with apparent lack of any underwear underneath.

    Deciding that texting with her is only ever an option for a business talk, I tapped a video call button. After a few beeps, she picked up. The screen of my phone showed me her beautiful visage, well, above the neck only, with the way she angled her camera. A bit disappointing, but I was glad to see her anyway.

    ¡°Hello, my dear. How are you doing this fine evening?¡± I greeted her in a deliberately cheery manner.

    ¡°You really changed over the years,¡± was her dull answer. ¡°You actually called me first. And video call at that! Have you wanted to see me naked so much?¡±

    ¡°But of course. Your beauty was in the list of things I missed the most about you. Right after the sound of your voice and warmth of your embrace.¡± I replied, fighting back a painful memory. ¡°So, I decided to choose two out of three instead of just one.¡±

    ¡°Or you could''ve had all three, but someone chose a stray over me. Hmph.¡± She demonstratively looked the other way from the camera. Her profile was just as pretty as the front, so I won¡¯t complain.

    ¡°You know how my nature works, my dear. And even then, it was a hard choice. But I had to make it,¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°Misery likes the company, and the two of us being together at that moment could possibly lead to something drastic.¡±

    ¡°So, how was she?¡± I could hear a bit of jealousy in her tone. She obviously didn¡¯t want to hear the answer.

    ¡°Absolutely incredible.¡± But since she called me a bastard previously, how

    could I disappoint her with no answer? ¡°Would you like to hear the detailed report?¡±

    ¡°I would rather not,¡± was her sharp answer.

    ¡°Too bad, it¡¯s not really a choice. I really need a second perspective here, and you are the only person whose opinion I trust enough for that,¡± I said.

    ***

    I finished retelling her about the last three days of the absurdity I call my life.

    ¡°So, let me put it straight. The woman you wanted to see again for many years is ignoring your message. The random cashier girl from the local convenience store is a bombshell you slept with, yet somehow managed not to fuck her while doing so. And the stray you picked up out of sheer spite for the concept of destiny is okay with you building a harem. Did I miss something?¡± Bella¡¯s voice sounded very exhausted. Oh, and she was currently rubbing her temples, as if my story caused her a migraine.

    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s more or less it,¡± was all I could answer.

    ¡°Yeah, at least something didn¡¯t change at all. You still manage to find the most impossible situations to stick yourself into.¡± She said in resignation, and palmed her face.

    ¡°No idea what you are talking about. I plead the fifth,¡± I tried to joke my way out.

    But it fell flat. No surprise here. The stunning woman on the other side of the screen was in a deep contemplation about something.

    ¡°Hey, Michael. Can you answer me straight?¡± Bella finally said, almost ten minutes later. ¡°Without playing around. Just yes or no.¡±

    ¡°Ask away.¡± If I decided to stick to telling the truth, I can as well go all the way.

    Bella¡¯s black eyes peered into mine, trying to, and most likely succeeding as usual, to read what¡¯s on my mind. Finally, after finding something, or maybe failing to do so instead, she started talking.

    ¡°It¡¯s about your words back then. About second loss and time,¡± her words were a bit evasive, in case some third party could hear it. ¡°Did you mean what you said?¡±

    Huh. And here I was thinking she would ask something hard to answer!

    ¡°Yes. In five, in ten, in fifteen. In twenty. And in thirty. You are, and you will be one of the most beautiful women I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± I said, putting as much conviction into my voice as I could. It was the truth I believed in, no matter which mask. And even without any. ¡°And, once again, yes. If you gave me a chance, I will be glad to be there for you¡­ As much as my nature would let me.¡±

    ¡°This Friday, take your stray¡­¡± Bella started.

    ¡°Olivia. Her name is Olivia.¡± But I interrupted

    ¡°... take Olivia to my club and introduce us. I want to meet her,¡± she finished.

    ¡°OK,¡± I agreed.

    ¡°Huh, just like that? No questions asked?¡± Bella voiced her surprise.

    ¡°My dear, I already chose to put my trust in you,¡± I nodded. ¡°You will tell me when you are ready.¡±

    Following the tradition of the last three days, next came a surprise. Bella stood up and stretched out her hand, she was holding the phone with. After a bit of angling, she took a pose, showing off her incredible figure. The see-through nightgown was spectacularly failing its job to hide anything and instead adding to the overall level of how gorgeous Bella looked at the moment. As a finishing touch, she licked the fingers of her free hand and then brought them down her whole body towards her nether regions. Damn tease.

    ¡°No matter how good she is,¡± she smirked. ¡°I¡¯m better! Good night¡­ Dear.¡±

    And the call disconnected, leaving me feeling both elated that our talk went so well, and incredibly frustrated at the feeling of being blue-balled at the same time.

 Her side of the story.

    Private airport. Lounge. In the luxurious black armchair sat a young woman currently wearing a white dress with violet undertones. She was tall and slim, and yet had more than enough curves required to have a so-called hourglass figure. Her long straight honey blonde hair reached all the way to the small of her back. Her classically beautiful facial features were marred by boredom, as her clear blue eyes staring into the cup of black tea on the desk in front of her.

    She was beautiful. Yes, this was an objective fact, and she knew that. Long since desensitized by the attention garnered from both males and females, she still wasn¡¯t blind to all pairs of eyes that followed her wherever she went. Yet, the only pair she wanted to do that, haven¡¯t paid any attention to her for a bit more than a year already.

    A familiar ringing sound of a messenger took her out of her reverie. Unhurriedly, she took her smartphone into her hands and unlocked it. Of course, it wasn¡¯t him. She knew that wouldn¡¯t happen, still a small part of her still hoped for a miracle. Every time.

    She quickly read the message, a short one from one of her college friends. A simple ¡®good luck¡¯ and ¡®hope your vacation will go uneventful¡¯. After a moment of consideration, she replied with a smile emoji.

    And once more, she was left staring into the screen of her smartphone. Messenger. Once more, a part of her wanted to check, based on an entirely unfounded hope, if he finally decided to read her messages or not. Of course, he didn¡¯t, that much she was sure of. But¡­ What if?

    Her finger froze over the familiar contact. It was over a year since he ghosted her, but she still couldn¡¯t find it in herself to, no, not even delete, but even rename it. A simple ¡®Darling¡¯. It was still there.

    Against her better judgment, she tapped on this icon. Yes, her most recent message, sent three months ago, nor any other messages since a year prior, were read. Nothing unexpected, but the pang of familiar pain was still there.

    Oh, she tried to forget him, alright. She threw herself into becoming the best version possible. Exercising, proper nutritional meal plan, beauty routines. She doubled her effort in studying as well. Heck, she even started a business. Her grandpa helped, yes, but the original idea and actual day to day management was all on her. If she couldn¡¯t get him out of her head, then she could do her best to make sure he will regret his decision.

    At some point, her grandpa decided to ¡®help¡¯ her in his own way, and started introducing ¡®upstanding young gentlemen¡¯ to her. All of them were from a ¡®good family¡¯, had ¡®illustrious prospects¡¯, were ¡®cream of the crop¡¯, and were so obscenely boring in her eyes, it wasn¡¯t even funny. Neither of them managed to keep her attention even for a whole date.

    Still, it worked somewhat. Everything, coupled with the passage of time, took the edge from her¡­ addiction. If, at first, she spent every free moment waiting for that ¡®read¡¯ status, nowadays, it became just a daily ritual. Well, twice a day. In the morning, just after waking up, and in the evening, just before bed.

    ¡°You, again with a smartphone,¡± she heard her grandpa''s voice. Then a big calloused hand took away the said piece of tech. She tried to protest, but her grandpa continued. ¡°Should I remind you what our deal was? No contacts with the outside world for the duration of this trip.¡±

    ¡°But it hasn''t even started yet!¡± Even to herself, her excuse sounded pathetic.

    ¡°Denied. The only reason we aren¡¯t on the plane yet is that you forgot your baggage,¡± she could tell that her grandpa wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Now I will take your toy away and turn it off until we return.¡±

    He didn¡¯t hesitate to do just that, yet, just as the phone OS asked for a confirmation, the messenger pinged once more. She couldn¡¯t help herself, but reached her hand to the phone, only to see how her grandpa, without even an ounce of hesitation, switched it off.

    ¡°But grandpa¡­¡± she¡­ whined, yes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®grandpa¡¯ me, young lady.¡± His expression and tone was stern. A moment later it softened noticeably, the grumpy old man always had a soft spot for his only granddaughter. ¡°You know I¡¯m doing it for your own good. You notified everyone that you will be out for three weeks, so they know better than to write something important at the last moment.¡±

    That¡­ sounded logical. The only person she didn¡¯t tell was him. Not like that would¡¯ve changed anything anyway, right? As if it could¡¯ve been his message. Especially knowing his habits. It was a Friday evening, for Heaven¡¯s sake. After a short sigh, she concluded that it was infinitely close to zero.

    ¡°You are right. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized.

    Her grandpa was, almost, always right. She needed this vacation, and, even if she was feeling curious right now, it will be just three weeks anyway¡­

    ***

    The vacation itself was a godsend. At least this was how she currently felt. The blue sky, warm sand, and calm ocean helped immensely with her stress relief. The only problem was a withdrawal she felt from not being able to adhere to her daily ritual.

    Well, another issue was the lack of distractions. While she definitely needed some rest time, without being busy non-stop, her mind kept returning to thinking about him. It was unhealthy, and she knew that, yet this was her reality.

    The time was a great healer, the wise people knew their stuff. Now, a year later, she could finally reflect upon what exactly went wrong. And, to her surprise, the analysis returned her a very weird result. Nothing went wrong, everything was going just fine, until her darling just left¡­ So, this line of questioning was useless. Next.

    She decided to start from the beginning this time.

    ***

    Their meeting was¡­ unusual, to say the least. At one of the social events, which her grandpa sent her¡­ to socialize, she noticed an odd pair of guests. Thirty-something woman, together with a man, more like a boy, that looked even younger than herself. Mother and son? Pair of siblings? She decided to keep her attention on the pair through the evening, not like she had anything better to do.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Around half-way through the event, she felt even more confused. The pair clearly was anything but normal. The boy¡¯s hands held his partner in a¡­ not-so-family-friendly places, never too overtly, but always risky enough for the older woman to have a slight blush on her face. So, a pair of lovers? Eh, true love knows no bounds, she decided to stick to this phrase. Nodding to herself, as if she uncovered a hard puzzle, she lost her interest.

    Only to become even more puzzled at the next event she attended. A different woman, same boy, similar dynamic. The boy pushed the older woman, who was blushing and giving in to his advances. The same scene happened at the next one as well. And the one after that. The boy, younger than her, kept changing women every time. Even more curious, the women who she had seen with him previously, kept looking at the current couple with poorly hidden envy and jealousy.

    That got her curiosity going. She knew those women, not personally, no. But, at least, she heard or read about them. Some even made it to the ¡®List of important people worth memorizing¡¯ she got from her grandpa. But she had no idea who the boy was. And nobody she asked knew him either. A mystery! How curious.

    Then, a few events later, she noticed that the boy wasn¡¯t there any longer. Neither did he attend the next one. When he failed to show up the third time in a row, one thing became apparent, much to her surprise. All this time, even though her grandpa stopped pushing her to attend, she still did, and the only reason for that being her curiosity toward this mysterious youth.

    Which made her feel puzzled once more. They never interacted, yet, out of everyone she ever met, this person, somehow, managed to get most of her attention? She shook her head helplessly

    The mystery gradually faded from her memory, as she progressively lost the feeling of interest. But the image of the boy refused to do so. When she asked her grandpa, he laughed and said that it¡¯s normal for young people to have moments of fleeting passion, and it will go away with time. It was a novel feeling to her, everywhere she went, she was trying to find this boy.

    After that talk with grandpa, she stopped attending the events, focusing on more productive uses for her time. Like attending the college, another new addition to that mysterious activity her grandpa designated as socialization.

    A year went by, and she was completely fed up with this socialization. Every guy she met wanted to get into her panties, frequently doing stupid stuff or spinning tall tales to do so. Every girl had ulterior motives as well. Some of them were chasing clout, some wanted to be near the center of attention, and some were as bad as boys. She shuddered, remembering a few examples. If not worse. And so, completely disappointed in people, she just kept going with the flow of things.

    Until, one day, one of her¡­ close, ish, acquaintances came, begging her to be a plus one for something called mixer. From the explanation, she understood that it was a blind group date, and, obviously, she instantly decided to refuse. Only for the girl to double her efforts, promising that she only needed to be there at the very beginning, and that she could leave at any point afterward. If anything, she said, all girls would be glad if she decided to do so, since it would give them more chances to score. Reluctantly, she agreed.

    She kept this a secret from grandpa, since she was almost certain he could very well end up with a stroke from being too angry. She even persuaded her bodyguards to do so as well, her puppy eyes worked a miracle, even on females. Deciding that she can, at the very least, put a minimal amount of effort into her appearance, not that she needed that, she did minimal makeup and chose a decent outfit for the occasion.

    She felt instant regret, after four girls started looking at her with blame, as all five guys forgot about basic human decency and decided to continuously stare at her. She quickly excused herself, and went outside to call her driver. As she was exiting the caf¨¦, she, lost in her thoughts, ran into someone. As she was about to apologize, she heard a voice.

    ¡°Hm, have we met previously?¡± How many times did she hear this pickup line? The next line will be, ¡®Right, I¡¯ve seen you in my dreams.¡¯ ¡°Ah, you are that kooky girl, who kept staring at me and my clients. Did no one ever tell you it¡¯s rude to do so?¡±

    Her mind halted. She? A weird girl who kept staring at someone? Who does he think he is? She raised her eyes, ready to tell him off, only to recognize the speaker. It was that boy, um, more like a man now. In those one and a half years, he got taller, wider, and his smile became even more roguish.

    ¡°Lady, I know I am handsome, but you don¡¯t need to stare like that.¡± The audacity! ¡°So, are you going in or out?¡±

    ¡°The mixer I got dragged into was a complete disaster, so I¡¯m on my way out.¡± She answered in unnecessary details, not quite understanding why she did so. ¡°Guys kept staring at me as if they had never seen a woman before. Girls were pissed at me for hogging all the attention.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± She felt his gaze slide down her figure, as if evaluating a piece of art, or meat. She couldn¡¯t quite decide which one it was. ¡°Understandable, you are easily in the top three women I¡¯ve ever seen, and that¡¯s a pretty wide collection. Hm, I have some time to kill and lack company, what about you?¡±

    At least he was direct with his advances. Still, she decided that it was her chance to finally solve the mystery, and, with said mystery gone, grow over the enigma that was that boy.

    ¡°We have that in common, I suppose,¡± she said.

    ¡°Well, good luck with your own search then, lady.¡± And brushing past her, he went inside the caf¨¦.

    ¡°Hey, wait.¡± She couldn¡¯t help herself but to call out.

    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Followed the question. What was she even doing?

    ¡°Since we both have time and lack company, why won¡¯t we help each other out?¡± She praised herself for her quick thinking.

    ¡°Nah, I doubt you can help me with my search, lady,¡± he still refused her.

    The gears in her head froze. He refused her. He. Refused her. Refused. Her. That shouldn¡¯t be possible. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Feeling the urge to prove him wrong, whatever it took, she continued her attempts.

    ¡°How do you know? I am a very helpful person to know.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe herself. Using her status just like that, for such petty reasons.

    ¡°Lady, I have no idea what type of game you are playing, but I will play along just this once. Tell me, how exactly are you going to help me with my search for a one-night stand?¡± He questioned her, an expression of complete exasperation on his face.

    She halted. What was wrong with him? How could he just say it outright. To her, no less.

    ¡°Yeah, exactly what I said,¡± he continued. ¡°Not only you won¡¯t be able to help, your presence will have the opposite effect. I doubt someone within my standards would have enough bravery to approach me, or even respond to my advances, facing such adversity.¡±

    Hearing his words, her feelings became even more mixed. This was a clear rejection, yet it sounded like a compliment. And, worst of all, she liked it. Curse her ¡®fleeting passion¡¯. Then, her brain finally registered one word she heard at the very beginning. Client.

    ¡°Look, I just want to ask a few questions. And I will pay for your time.¡± She felt utterly defeated while speaking those words.

    ¡°Huh, should¡¯ve just said so from the start.¡± His reply made her want to slap him. ¡°So, have a name to go with a pretty face?¡±

    ¡°Helen.¡± She answered, once more feeling ashamed for liking the compliment. ¡°Just Helen.¡±

    ¡°Eh, sure, Just Helen. Nice to meet you. My name is Michael Roah,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°But you can call me darling.¡±

    As if she ever will. Hmph.

    ***

    She felt her face burn from shame. How naive she was. How little did she know¡­

 A day in life.

    This time, there was nothing special about me waking up. Strangely disappointing in a way. And even a bit lonely¡­ Nah, not really.

    After a bit of contemplating, I decided to act up on my Saturday observation, and get myself back into optimal, for my standards, shape. As they say: ¡®The best time to start was yesterday. Second-best is right now.¡¯

    A short cold shower later, I got myself into sportswear and went for a run. This time with the phone in case I get myself lost again.

    ***

    My jog went by without anything special happening. Were my prayers finally heard? I bloody hope so!

    Oh, I also spotted a coffee shop on the way back, and they had my favorite blend. Goodness gracious, just what kind of horrors are waiting for me later today?

    ***

    Back at my apartment. With how empty it was, I had plenty of space for a stretching routine and some simple calisthenics.

    Kind of boring, but getting into a habit is important, what could I do?

    ***

    Contrast shower later, I finished my simple breakfast and was currently enjoying the first proper coffee in three days.

    I was in a great mood for doing absolutely nothing today, and after the nonstop chaos of the weekend, it was just what I needed.

    A ping of the new message got my attention. Hm, actually, I should read some backlog messages to get a bit of understanding who is who, shouldn¡¯t I?

    The message was from Bella. No text at all this time. Just another NSFW picture. Totally naked beauty stood in front of the mirror with a phone and used one finger to fully block every ¡®interesting¡¯ part. Damn tease. The smirk on her face said it all, this bitch was in a good mood after hearing my words and wanted to remind me of how superb she was, while being petty enough to blue ball me out of jealousy.

    I sent her a full height picture of myself as an answer, showing in full my reaction to her message. Eh, she wasn¡¯t the only one who had things to show off.

    ***

    I was lazing around on the bed and reading a book on my phone. An old classic about a noble who was bored by wasting his life in endless high society parties, mingling with people who didn¡¯t care about him past superficial level, and he, in his turn, didn¡¯t care about them either.

    Another ping of a new message got me out of thinking about our similarities and differences. This time it was from someone I didn¡¯t expect to receive anything from at all.

    Counter Girl: [Boooooring!]

    Me: [???]

    Claire sent a picture. Goddamn, why can¡¯t they just use words properly? She was slumped on a wooden desk with a notebook full of random doodles in front of her. The young woman had an incredibly bored look on her face, and held a pencil between her upper lip and nose.

    Me: [F]

    Counter Girl: [Oof.]

    Counter Girl: [I¡¯m bored.]

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Counter Girl: [Chat with me.]

    Me: [no]

    Counter Girl: [Oi!]

    Counter Girl: [What are you doing right now?]

    Me: [reading]

    Me: [but someone keeps interrupting me]

    Counter Girl: [You actually can read?]

    Counter Girl: [Color me surprised!]

    Counter Girl: [What are you reading?]

    Counter Girl: [Sports magazine?]

    Counter Girl: [Porn?]

    What the hell? Her filter malfunctioned once again, or so it seems.

    Me: [old classic]

    Counter Girl: [Oh!]

    Counter Girl: [Is it interesting?]

    Counter Girl: [What is it about?]

    Deciding that I won¡¯t be able to continue my reading until I appease her boredom. Well, chatting with her was far from an unpleasant pastime. So, I retold her a synopsis and a bit of my own impression about the plot and characters. Then our conversation went to the books in general. Then to another topic.

    Soon enough, I forgot about the book altogether.

    ***

    More time went by. It was around half past five in the afternoon when my doorbell rang. Not going to lie, there was quite a bit of hope in me at who exactly it could be. Deciding not to waste time, I went to open the door.

    My hopes actually came true, what an unusual feeling. Before me stood Olivia with a blinding smile on her face. She was dressed in what I can only describe as a standard school uniform. White shirt, a tie, a dark red blazer over her shoulders. Same color simple skirt that she did roll up to appear quite short. Black knee-high socks and simple leather shoes completed the picture. I couldn¡¯t call this outfit all that fashionable, but Olivia was beautiful enough to make it work.

    She also brought a suitcase, the kind you usually see in the airports, with her. Oh, I looked forward to seeing her dressed in different styles. And I looked even more to take them off her afterward.

    I caught her gaze and smiled, reaching out for a hug.

    ¡°Welcome back, Olivia.¡± I said to my girlfriend-for-rent.

    Her smile became even brighter.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± She said and jumped into my arms.

    ***

    It was late evening and after checking the empty fridge, the person of my current interest and I decided to go for a walk and to buy some actual food. Naturally, our choice fell on the familiar convenience store.

    Claire was manning the counter again and actually smiled brightly after recognizing the two of us. We responded in kind and went to fill our basket. I absentmindedly looked at cheerful Olivia, who was choosing her favorite brands, since I had no particular preferences. It was another new side of her. How many I¡¯ve already seen? How much more there is? I really looked forward to learning this.

    After we took everything on the combined list, ¡®Whatever¡¯ of mine and ¡®Something¡¯ of hers, our way laid to the counter. This time, Claire decided to first check everything out, but gradually the two girls started a conversation, while completely and naturally excluding yours truly. What the heck. As much as I liked the sound of their voices as well as the animated expressions on the pretty faces, I was a bit bored here!

    My attention drifted to the near-register shelf of last moment merchandise. Bubble gum. Candies. Razors. Contraceptives.

    Talking about the latter. Huh, I should buy some more, my stash was running out. Bless ''Big Pharma'' for their innovations in the field!

    I mean, one day they just appeared out of nowhere with a hundred percent effective oral contraceptives for both sexes without any side effects. Of course, nobody believed in their claims at first, but after extensive tests it actually appeared to be the real news. Coupled with another product of theirs, that effectively ended humanity¡¯s problem known as STD, including AIDS and HIV, and a bit later the cure for the common cold, they quickly cornered a large chunk of the pharmaceutical market.

    And it was only the beginning. Even twenty years later, they came up with new miracle cures every year or two. Cancer, dementia, infertility. You name it, they most likely have a product to cure it. And much cheaper than any other concurrent¡¯s alternatives. How does all of it work? Bite me, no idea whatsoever. Most people just accepted that it does, end of the story.

    I grabbed a few packs of the wonder drug, ¡®One a day, put the baby boom away¡¯, my word, what the heck is wrong with their CEO¡¯s naming sense? I would love to meet them at least once to ask exactly that. And put it before Claire, who, for some reason, blushed after I did that. Weird girl.

 Another day of life.

    I woke up to a long forgotten sound. The sound of the alarm clock. It caught me off guard, and I spent a long moment trying to understand what was going on. The feeling of the movement in my arms brought me back to the reality of the situation.

    Ah, right, Olivia had school today as well. I heard a quiet yawn and opened my eyes to see a very sleepy-looking beauty futilely trying to blink the sleep away. The sight was equal parts funny and cute.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± I said with a smile.

    ¡°Uuu¡­ morning, honey,¡± Olivia voiced, fighting back another yawn. ¡°Ugh, I want to sleep more.¡±

    Reluctantly, she left my embrace and turned off the alarm. After a moment of staring at the time, she did some lazy stretches. Hm, she was pretty flexible overall, but maybe I should get her into a proper exercising habit as well? A matter for future consideration.

    I also stood up, doing my own little warm up. My run and other routines can wait for now. I better give my attention to Olivia.

    ¡°Want me to make you breakfast?¡± I asked my mistress.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Seems like she was out of it still. ¡°Oh, yeah, if you don¡¯t mind, sure.¡±

    ¡°What would you like? Albeit, the choice is still limited. Bread, milk, eggs, cheese. Or cereal,¡± I listed the menu. ¡°But I finally got my hands on the proper coffee beans!¡±

    ¡°Cereal it is, then.¡± Olivia voiced her choice and went to take a shower. Fighting back an idea to join her, I went to the kitchen instead.

    The morning was slow, but it felt really nice for no apparent reason.

    ***

    I was currently on my run. Since there was no established route yet, I found myself in a familiar park again. It was quite empty and tree-filled scenery beat the urban concrete streets hands down.

    Out of the side alley, right ahead of me, emerged a familiar figure. What I meant by that is that one glance at the shapely glutes of said figure was enough for me to recognize Claire. Ugh.

    Changing my pace a bit, I caught up to the figure and fell into step with her. A surprised glance later, she smiled and nodded as a greeting. I nodded back, and we just kept running in silence.

    ***

    Stretches and calisthenics. Contrast shower. Boring but important routine.

    ***

    As I was slowly enjoying my coffee, Bella sent another selfie. I guess she wanted to establish the habit as well?

    The angle this temptress chose for this picture showed that she was fully naked, lying on her stomach, propping herself on the elbow just enough to show off her impressive cleavage and kicking her feet in the air. Her smooth back, without a single blemish in sight, was fully visible all the way down, where she arched it just enough to show off her pear-shaped posterior. The last detail that caught my attention was a small black piece of lace that was hanging from one of her feet. Clearly an underwear, either what she was planning to wear today¡­ or freshly taken off.

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    The familiar smirk was there on her pretty face. Damn tease. I sighed and took a response picture. The toast with my coffee cup and a bulge in my boxers.

    ***

    Looks like lectures bored Claire once more, judging by the fact she messaged me again around the same time as yesterday. Today was her turn to entertain me, though, and she was currently complaining about Dalton being his usual dense motherfucker self. And it was grinding on my nerves for some strange reason.

    After she finished her tirade, I wrote to her about Olivia¡¯s harem initiative and Bella¡¯s strange response. A bit complaining about Helen still ignoring my message as well. Eh, kind of petty move on my part to be honest, but she started it first, and she asked for updates on my soap opera.

    ***

    Today, Olivia came more than an hour earlier. I guess the difference in schedule as well as her coming here straight without going home. Was that okay? Don¡¯t know and don¡¯t really care. I was happy to see her. And I wasn¡¯t about to start asking questions. If she wanted me to know, she would tell me.

    After she freshened herself up and got changed into more comfortable clothes, I offered to go shopping. I still wanted a second blanket. As well as some other necessities that were currently lacking.

    I felt a bit of dread after seeing Olivia¡¯s eyes lit up. But her smile was brilliant enough for this feeling to be worth it.

    ***

    In the end, my apartment got a little less barren. TV, a few random paintings, a colorful carpet, two beanbags. As well as a bigger table and two new chairs for the kitchen. I don¡¯t even count various small doodads and a few personal items like a matching pair of cups.

    I felt a bit exhausted mentally from all the choosing, but Olivia was clearly pleased, so all was good. For whatever reason, I really liked seeing her happy. Truly weird thing for me.

    ***

    Feeling tired from all the shopping, we decided on ordering a take-out for our dinner. The Chinese food from that place she told me about on Saturday.

    ¡°Honey, um, it¡¯s about my request from way back, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± I still couldn¡¯t understand why this nine-out-of-ten girl had these moments of crippling insecurity. ¡°Can you pick me up tomorrow after school?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I instantly agreed. ¡°How much do you want to show off?¡±

    ¡°Eh? There are different levels?¡± Olivia sounded a bit surprised.

    ¡°Well, I can drop by in my usual ''lazy bum'' getup if you don¡¯t care.¡± I joked, and got a bit of amusement out of her paled face. ¡°Or I can clean up to a degree of your choice.¡±

    ¡°Um, what about going all out?¡± I heard a bit of curiosity in her tone.

    ¡°Hm, not sure if I can pull off the Three Families young master impression on such a short notice, but your average rich second generation is well within my abilities,¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Branded casual clothes, a show-off timepiece and a decently priced car.¡±

    ¡°Huh, you have a car?¡± Olivia asked.

    ¡°Actually, no, but I know quite a few people who would gladly let me borrow theirs.¡± I left unsaid that most of them would let me do so indefinitely, albeit asking for at least a night of my time in exchange. ¡°Speaking of such people. I kind of forgot to tell you, but Bella asked me to introduce the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Do you think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± Judging by her tone, she was pretty unsure.

    ¡°Hm, personally, I trust Bella. She won¡¯t harm you, if that¡¯s what you are worried about.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And, well, if I ever would think about building a harem, for whatever reason, Bella is the one you really can¡¯t avoid.¡±

    Olivia fell into a deep thought, yet it took only a moment before she came to a decision.

    ¡°When?¡± her words were full of resolve.

    ¡°This Friday evening at her club,¡± I told her.

    She nodded, acknowledging the information.

    ¡°You know, no matter how your actual meeting will end up, I¡¯m really looking forward to another night of dancing with you,¡± I added with a smile.

    She sighed and made a gesture for me to lean closer, and I obliged. This kiss tasted like green tea.

 Everyday life.

    Somehow the second blanket didn¡¯t help. Today I woke up once again because of the cold. Just how did it happen? My best guess was that Olivia kicked her own blanket in her sleep, got cold, and stole mine. Oof. Well, at least it was amusing.

    I checked the time, and it was about thirty minutes before the alarm. Deciding to get a bit more nap time in, I spooned my resident messy sleeper, enjoying the scent of her shampoo, and closed my eyes again.

    ***

    Breakfast. Once again made by me, since I found a peculiar sense of delight in the process and the result. A lot of extra ¡®why not¡¯ included.

    ***

    Routine. My daily run. Stretches and calisthenics. Contrast shower. Breakfast. Cup of coffee. Nudes of the day from Bella.

    This time she was taking a bath. And it seems like her mood was better than in the previous two. As usual with those selfies, the gorgeous woman was fully naked, only this time she decided not to blue ball me at all. Her bare upper body was out of the water, showing off the full glory of her impressive assets. One of her arms was holding the phone, but the other one was submerged under the water and was currently between her legs. The water was a bit murky from the bath salts, yet I was familiar enough with her body to easily picture it in detail.

    Her face was quite flushed, half from the hot bath, half from the easily seen lust in her bewitching eyes. And that teasing smirk on her lips¡­

    Oh right, I had actual business with her, what a great timing. My finger darted to the video call button. It took exactly one beep for her to pick up.

    ¡°Greetings, my dear. I see you are enjoying yourself this fine morning.¡± I took in the sight of her in motion. She noticed my gaze, but instead of playing shy, Bella angled the camera, so I could see even better. I could hear the quiet splashes of water with every movement of her hand, as well as deep breaths. All the while, her gaze never left my eyes, deriving additional pleasure from my naked appreciation of her form.

    ¡°Do you need¡­ mmm¡­ something? Or did you call me¡­ mmm¡­  Just for the show?¡± She tried, and failed, to keep her voice level.

    ¡°Of course it was for the business. But it can wait,¡± I said. ¡°I know how much you enjoy having an audience. Go ahead, show me everything¡­¡±

    Her smirk said it all.

    ***

    In the end, I informed Bella of Olivia¡¯s agreement to meet her on Friday. And asked her if I can borrow one of her less expensive cars. After I informed her about the reason, Bella just chuckled and agreed.

    Sadly, her schedule for the day couldn¡¯t fit a proper meeting with me, so Bella sent one of her bodyguards to deliver me the keys and the car itself. Exactly what I needed here. A mid-range priced, for a luxury car that is, sport coupe.

    Getting the car price as a baseline for other parts of my masquerade, I started scouring the closet. Better get input from Olivia regarding the details. It would be embarrassing for both of us if she suddenly wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize the car, for example.

    After finishing the preparations, and getting the result approved by the related party, I found myself in the need to kill a few extra hours. After pondering for a moment, my choice fell onto hitting the gym. Routine. Routine again.

    ***

    There was nothing special about my gym visit. Except running into Claire again after I finished my own workout, but time constraints limited possible interactions to a brief exchange of pleasantries. A pity, but what could I do?

    ***

    Seems like fate was still out there, all too happy to mess with my plans. Because of getting stuck in the traffic, I really cut it close here. A glance at the clock informed me about how close exactly. It was two minutes past the meeting time. Fuck. I hate being late.

    I parked the car in the parking lot and went outside, looking around and trying to spot Olivia. The scenery outside the school gates were pretty busy at this hour, as a steady stream of teens was pouring outside. Small groups were walking towards the nearest bus/train stations. Few were riding their bicycles, or even scooters. There was also quite the number of cars waiting in the parking lot.

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    One of them caught my attention. To be more precise, the professional-me. The unassuming black budget sedan. Nothing in particular from a first glance. But details¡­ It was all in detail. Run-flat tires. A slightly lower clearance than it should be for an empty car like this one.

    But the most sure give-away was the driver. Standing right beside the car in question was an Asian lady, just as unassuming as the car itself. Average height, boring office lady attire, minimal makeup. Slightly above average looking face, that could smoothen the interactions if needed, but not pretty enough to remember details in an hour at max. The two things that made my professional-mask senses tingle were her shoes and the way her eyes kept scanning around. I could¡¯ve been wrong, of course, but I¡¯ve seen this particular model of shoes one too many times while mingling on the¡­ extra side of the law. As for scanning around, it was a bad habit of VIP bodyguards, especially those who lacked experience and/or got the job for meeting other criteria. Resembling a client enough to play the role of a distant relative, for example. The woman caught me staring at her and tensed for a moment. I smiled and nodded. Eh, if it was really a matter of VIP, my appearance here would get under scrutiny either way, and this way I can at least have some fun teasing the jumpy girl.

    I shifted my attention back to the matter of searching for my girlfriend-apparent. Oh, there she was, walking with a colorful group. Olivia aside, there was a bimbo gal, a try-hard bitch, and a shorty with twin-pigtails. Hm, the latter one looked very familiar, and not because she was an Asian. Where could I have seen her?

    Olivia spotting me and waving to get my attention took me out of my memory trip. I smiled and waved back, eliciting a varied reaction out of the group. Olivia smiled blindingly. Bimbo gal was mildly surprised. The bitch tried to play it cool, but her amateurish mask failed to keep out disbelief and envy. The weirdest reaction award went to shorty, though. She glared at me. And it was a very familiar glare indeed. For a moment, her figure overlapped with another one, from the future. Black hair gathered in two buns, a mature figure wearing cheongsam with confidence and rocking it marvelously. Not that much taller, though. And glare, full of cold hatred, bordering the rage. Nah, no way, what possibly could she be doing in a normal school? But then, that would explain the strange sedan and, on second thought, the driver indeed resembled this girl quite a bit.

    Olivia said her farewells to the girls, and almost jogged towards me, throwing herself into my arms. Of course, I caught her in a tight embrace, spun her around and gave her a light kiss.

    ¡°Is this enough?¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you introduced us?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Um. I kind of forgot here,¡± she muttered. ¡°I was so happy after seeing you.¡±

    Her words made my heart skip a bit¡­ not really. But it was close enough, not going to lie. So, I kissed her again, this time deeper. After a moment, she broke the kiss and giggled happily. This expression suited her so much that it caught me flatfooted for another instant. I shook my head and opened the passenger door for her. Ever the gentlemen. Meh. After closing the door after the beauty took her place, I went around the car to my own seat. But I briefly stopped to check my phone. Well, it was just an excuse to check out what the pig-tailed brunette was doing at the moment. Fuck. Just as I thought, she was moving towards the aforementioned sedan.

    I sat behind the wheel and adjusted the rearview mirror for a bit, still tracing the movement of the shorty.

    ¡°Did Su caught your interest?¡± Olivia, in her usual manner, somehow managed to read my actions.

    ¡°That Su¡­ is indeed a very interesting girl. Just not in the way you are thinking,¡± I answered.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± She didn¡¯t quite believe me, though.

    ¡°Olivia.¡± I leaned in for another kiss and whispered instead. ¡°If, more like when, she will start asking you about me, you can tell her everything you know, except one thing. Don¡¯t ever mention the name Tian.¡±

    ¡°Is this the ¡®Don¡¯t ask too many questions¡¯ part?¡± Olivia quickly caught on.

    ¡°You know, I really like your ability to read the mood.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± And the beauty stuck her tongue at me. Which I caught with my own, and it devolved into a deep kiss.

    ***

    I was focussed on the road and absentmindedly listened to Olivia¡¯s cheerful story about her day. The humorous blunder of her classmate. The complaints about the amount of homework. A way too strict teacher.

    Hm, now that I think, all we did together, except the shopping trip yesterday, was lazing around or sex. Not that I complain about either of the two, obviously.

    ¡°Hey, want to stop somewhere else, before we go home?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Are you inviting me on a date?¡± she replied with her own question.

    ¡°Hm. Yes. Something like that. I thought that all we do together is either lazing around or having sex,¡± I voiced my thoughts. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not complaining. Far from it. Just, I don¡¯t know, a change of pace?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Well, there is really a lot of homework I need to finish for tomorrow, so how about some fancy place for early dinner?¡± Olivia said. ¡°One of my classmates bragged about her boyfriend taking her to a newly opened bakery, so I kind of wanted to visit it as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Just give me the address,¡± I shrugged. ¡°You are a bit underdressed for the fancy places I had in mind. And I don¡¯t want to even think how long it will take you to choose a proper dress for the occasion.¡±

    She lightly slapped my shoulder at my joke. And then burst out laughing.

    The impromptu date was a huge success. Olivia was absolutely elated, judging by the amount of photo she had taken through our dinner. And how eager she was in bed afterward. As for me, I had fun watching her happy face. Well, pastries were tasty as well.

 Boring life.

    I woke up. Just woke up. A quick check of time on my phone told me it¡¯s fifteen minutes before the alarm. Great. Enough time for some lazy cuddling.

    ***

    Sound of alarm. Good morning kiss. Cooking breakfast for her, while my mistress took a morning shower. A happy honeymoon routine.

    ***

    Jogging through the park. I established the route at last.

    Stretches. Calisthenics. Breakfast. Coffee. The daily picture from Bella.

    She wrote to me last night about going out of town for a day. The picture said it all. Lifted pencil skirt, pulled down pair of red lace panties. Bella looked a bit irritated, busy and kind of tired. She took it in the hotel bathroom, most likely at the last moment before going out. It lacked a bit of her usual charm, but was a sight to see nonetheless.

    I sent her a photo of the coffee cup back.

    ***

    I was reading through the chat history of my contact list, when I got the message that really soured my mood.

    Olivia: [Honey, can¡¯t come over today]

    Olivia: [Family stuff]

    Me: [OK.]

    Me: [will you be free for tomorrow?]

    Olivia: [I hope]

    ***

    Lazing around alone sucked. I felt my boredom raising its ugly head again.

    Me: [hey, Counter Girl]

    Me: [I¡¯m bored, chat with me]

    Counter Girl: [Sry.]

    Counter Girl: [Busy.]

    Crap.

    ***

    I was bored. So fucking bored. Should I go for another walk? It was already dark outside. I checked the time. Huh, somehow it was past ten p.m. Maybe getting some early sleep is a better idea? A part of me really didn¡¯t want to find unnecessary trouble right now. The part that liked to relax on Olivia¡¯s lap. The part which enjoyed just talking to Claire. The one that wanted to connect with Bella more.

    Sleep it was, then.

    ***

    It would¡¯ve been much more climactic if I woke up from having a nightmare. Heavens know I had enough stuff in my memory for a lifetime worth of those. But reality was, as usual, much more mundane. The thing that took me out of dreamland was my bladder, which was about to burst.

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    Afterward, I just let myself fall into routine. Cold shower. Going out for a jog. Stretches. Contrast shower. Breakfast. Cup of coffee. Waiting for the daily dose of Bella.

    I took another sip of my coffee. Mmm, nice. What should I do today to make myself busy? Going to the gym will kill a few hours, sure, but then what? Oh, right.

    Me: [you still up for the evening?]

    I slowly sipped my coffee, waiting for the answer. No response from Olivia. In fact, the message wasn¡¯t even read. Well, shit. I felt more disappointed by this fact than expected. The wave of negativity washed over. Welcome boredom, my old friend.

    My phone pinged with the arrival of the new message. Yet another photo from my dear club owner. Bella was in bed with a sleepy look on her face, her body was fully covered by the thin sheets. Very thin sheets. Only that and my intimate knowledge with her habit of sleeping naked gave this photo a potential status of the NSFW picture. The caption summarized it nicely.

    Bella: [Lazy.]

    I weighed down a few possibilities, and pressed the button for video call.

    ¡°Here for another show?¡± I heard the tired but still pleasant to my ears voice.

    ¡°Good morning to you too, my dear. How are you today?¡± I greeted her.

    ¡°Tired. Glad to be back already. A bit irritated at the guy who asks stupid questions.¡± She sighed. Whoever that guy was, I wonder. ¡°Dear, do you have something urgent, or can it wait for a few more hours? I really want to sleep a bit longer.¡±

    I looked at how she stifled down the yawn.

    ¡°Hm, it¡¯s not particularly urgent per se,¡± I shrugged. ¡° I decompressed enough through these last few days to function again, and there are a few things I really need to discuss with you. Also, well, I really want to meet you face to face again. So, do you have some spare time today?¡±

    ¡°Oh, just to meet and talk?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s a good starting point. As for anything else, who knows? I would love a warm embrace as well, but it¡¯s up to you,¡± I told her half-jokingly.

    ¡°Mmm. My schedule is pretty free until Monday¡­¡± Bella let the words linger, mulling over something. ¡°As for anything else, it will depend on your behavior.¡±

    ¡°Is that a yes?¡± I decided to make sure.

    ¡°It is, indeed,¡± she smirked.

    ¡°See you soon then,¡± I answered with my own smile. ¡°My dear.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait for long. Dear.¡± And the call was cut off.

    ***

    Bella knew me well enough, so I didn¡¯t bother choosing any fancy outfit. A trusty pair of sweatpants and a hoodie would do just fine. With a pained heart, I chose a different pair of sneakers, though. Black and red. My color scheme according to her.

    I took my keys and double-checked if I hadn¡¯t forgotten to bring my wallet and/or phone. Everything in place. Well, I was good to go. I closed the door behind myself, walked down the stairs and went outside. Now, all that left for me was to remember where the heck did I parked the car yesterday

    I found it quick enough, thank you past me for finding a spot close enough. But there was another unexpected thing waiting for my poor self. A scantily clad girl, maybe a young woman, with a heavy makeup on her face, was animatedly talking to someone over the phone, while leaning on the hood of my car.

    My habit of evaluating women took over, and I did a quick once over. Eh. The result was ¡®lacking out of ten¡¯. She certainly was quite attractive, yes, it¡¯s just that in comparison to either of the three women I had recent interactions with, she felt lacking.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to the young woman.

    She turned her head towards me, spared me the briefest moment of her attention, and turned back to the phone.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I repeated myself.

    ¡°Piss off, don¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy?¡± How rude of her.

    ¡°Sure, whatever you say, lady.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Now, would you kindly get the hell away from my car? I¡¯m in a kind of a hurry.¡±

    Without waiting for a response from the dumbfounded girl, I took out the keys, opened the door, sat behind the steering wheel, and started the car. I made sure that she got away, and drove off.

    I took out the phone and put Bella¡¯s address into the navigator. She really liked her condo and used it frequently even twenty years later. I knew the way there by heart. Even if I was drunk or injured. But the city itself was different right now, and I wasn¡¯t used to it yet. So better be safe than get lost and be late.

 I want you in my life.

    After a relatively short drive, I found myself in the front of Bella¡¯s apartment building. One of those luxury skyscraper ones, where she owned the top two floors. The penthouse was for her personal use, while the floor directly below housed her personal team of bodyguards.

    I pressed the button on the intercom.

    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I said and looked into the camera.

    The foyer door opened, and I proceeded to the elevator. I entered the floor number, as well as the required password, into the panel and the cabin started moving upward. Hm, to be honest, I felt a bit impatient to meet Bella again. A really strange feeling I was entirely too unfamiliar with.

    The elevator with its passenger, me, arrived at the designated floor. Yet another door barred my way. I pushed the button of another intercom and looked towards the camera. A brief moment later, I heard the clicking sound of the opening lock.

    I pulled the door and walked in. And the first thing that came into my field of view was the vision of an effectively naked Bella. Oh, of course there was a short silk bathrobe draped over her shoulders, but it didn¡¯t do much to hide her gorgeous form.

    She knew me very well, and I, arguably, knew her even better. This was a clear provocation and open invitation. But, to be honest, right that moment I couldn¡¯t care less. My rationale just broke after seeing her. Bella was here. Right in front of my eyes. So beautiful. So close. And so¡­ alive.

    I pinned her to the wall, seizing her lips in a hungry kiss, my hands already dancing across her body. Exploring, touching, caressing. Trying to confirm the reality of what was happening. The familiar curves, the smooth feeling of the skin. The warmth of her embrace I missed so much.

    My hand finally found its way between Bella¡¯s legs, and, my word, she was so wet. Why wouldn¡¯t she be? It was a part of our usual game. We fought, now we were making up, and it would devolve into a madness of passion and lust. Maybe with a sprinkle of the fight for who is the dominant one this time in the cycle.

    I gathered all of my leftover willpower, and broke the kiss, causing Bella to let out a guttural sound in protest. I took off my hoodie, then pants and boxers, without breaking eye contact. Bella stared at me with a mix of curiosity at my actions, anticipation, and a lot of heat.

    There was a lot I wanted to say. There was a lot I would like to hear from her. But it wasn¡¯t the time. Yet.

    I lifted her bridal style, eliciting a surprised yelp from the stunning woman, and carried her over to the bedroom. The general layout of the condo was still the same as ever. On the way there, our kiss resumed, even more passionate than before.

    As I approached the bed, my last vestiges of self-control started to leave me again. I threw Bella on the bed, and she looked up at me with a challenge. And lust.

    Usually, I would¡¯ve left her a leeway, a fair chance to compete. But not this time. Some sort of gut feeling told me that I needed to win, and overwhelmingly at that. It was never all that important before, why now? Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care either.

    ***

    ¡°That was totally unfair!¡± I heard a voice from below.

    ¡°Mmm. Sure.¡± I easily agreed.

    ¡°Even I, myself, wasn¡¯t aware of half of these spots,¡± Bella complained again.

    ¡°Yeah, I had a lot of time and practice to find them,¡± I confirmed.

    I felt incredibly relaxed at the moment. I won by a landslide. Even though it took me a few hours to make this stubborn bitch to finally give in. I looked down, at the very miffed looking Bella, who was currently blowing me. Maybe I could''ve bought her mock displeasure, if not for the content, almost happy look in her eyes.

    I reached my hand and took the loose strand of hair from her face.

    ¡°Dear,¡± I called out.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I got an answer.

    ¡°You know, there is something I wanted to say to you for a long time. The last time around, I never got the chance to say those words. I spent a long time thinking about it over and over. And it was one of the very few regrets I¡¯ve ever had,¡± I told her. ¡° And now I¡¯m not even sure if I should say it, to be frank. So, I''ll let you decide if you want to hear it.¡±

    I looked at Bella, who tilted her head, thinking it over. Then she nodded.

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    ¡°You know me very well. And I know you even better,¡± I looked into her eyes. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, coming from someone like me. I want you in my life. One way or another. And, maybe, I could even learn how to love you.¡±

    I watched as a tear rolled down her cheek as she froze still. I kept my silence, waiting for her response.

    Her response was simple. Bella lurched upward, latching onto me in a crushing hug, burying her face into my chest. I felt her tears dropping onto my pecs, while she whispered a long string of something that did sound like ¡®yes¡¯.

    I gently caressed her back, not knowing what to say, and even if there was something for me to say at all. It was a spur of the moment decision, and I admittedly didn¡¯t put much thought into the aftermath. It wasn¡¯t as if I would do a full turnaround in my ways. There is also the matter of Olivia. Fuck.

    A ping of a new message took me out of my train of thoughts. Hm, when did I bring my phone over? I reached out my free hand to grab it and took a look.

    The new message was spam. But there were a few missed ones from Olivia, dated to a few hours earlier.

    Olivia: [Oof]

    Olivia: [It was P.E.]

    Olivia: [Yes, still down for it]

    Olivia: [Can¡¯t wait]

    Fuck my life.

    ***

    ¡°Seems like you got awfully quiet all of a sudden, dear.¡± Bella¡¯s voice tore the silence of the room.

    We were currently lying in the full bathtub, the same one she performed for me in previously. It was huge. Even with the both of us already in, there was enough space for a few extra people.

    ¡°Ugh. I just felt like I said a bit too much already,¡± I answered, only half joking. ¡°Those words earlier...¡±

    ¡°If you dare to apologize for them. Or say that you didn¡¯t really mean them,¡± Bella interrupted me. ¡°I will be seriously angry.¡±

    ¡°Um. No. I meant them one hundred percent,¡± I assured her. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ they weren¡¯t meant for you. Ugh, that came out wrong. They were meant for you, but not the current you, if you get what I mean.¡±

    I sighed, trying to find the right words. All my masks returned blank to my inner question of ¡®What should I say next¡¯. Still, I continued.

    ¡°Yet, at the same time, I really wanted you to hear them.¡± Why was that so unnecessarily complicated? ¡°Bella, my dear, I really want you in my life. Yet, we already tried exactly that. And¡­¡±

    Bella turned her head, grabbed me by the neck and kissed me, interrupting my speech. A few moments later, much too soon in my opinion, it ended.

    ¡°You talk too fucking much, dear.¡± She sized me with a searing gaze. ¡°I might not have had as much time to get to know you as well as my future self. But, by now, I am well aware what kind of bastard you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so¡­¡± I tried to apologize, but Bella didn¡¯t give me a chance.

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, I haven¡¯t finished yet,¡± she said. ¡°You know, I kind of assumed that this was the case, with you always coming back to my side and everything, but... Ugh, I felt so happy to finally hear you putting it into the proper words.¡±

    She leaned her head onto my shoulder, and let out a content sigh.

    ¡°Hey, Michael. Will you keep coming back to me?¡± She asked.

    ¡°As long as I am welcomed by your side.¡± And I answered.

    I felt her nuzzling into my side, her wet hair tickling my neck. I extended my hand and hugged her waist, bringing her even closer.

    ¡°I spent this week playing around with that insane idea that your stray¡­ What''s her name again? Hm, Olivia, right?¡± I confirmed and she continued her words. ¡°That insane idea Olivia proposed. The poly one.¡±

    ¡°Eh, I already told you that we sort of tried this, and you weren¡¯t all that thrilled to share me,¡± I added my five cents.

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t be! I want you all to myself, stupid.¡± She splashed a bit of water into my face. ¡°But that won¡¯t work, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it most likely won¡¯t.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°You see, I always loved kids. And I really want to have one myself. Scratch that, I want YOUR kid.¡± Those words came out of nowhere and struck something inside of me. ¡°But I will need to wait for at least fifteen years for that. And, life is a bitch, you should know. What if, by that time, your interest will lead you to a person who will make you forget about me? Someone like that one girl you couldn¡¯t forget for twenty-five years.¡±

    I opened my mouth to deny the possibility, but closed it without uttering a sound. Chance was always there.

    ¡°And so I was thinking under what kind of conditions I could tolerate this kind of arrangement.¡± She paused again, most likely gathering her thoughts. ¡°We both know that I am attracted to women. And, well, you were never all that against a good show either.¡±

    ¡°Um, as I said, I wasn¡¯t all that thrilled about sharing you either,¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s two very different things. Enjoying the show put on for me by two hot women, and looking at my woman cheating on me with another girl.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ What if it¡¯s not cheating? I mean, if all involved people are in the same relationship, can it be considered cheating?¡± I heard her question, and, huh, that made some sense. Of a twisted kind, yes, but still.

    ¡°No idea. If you want a definitive answer, we would need to give it a try first.¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°And we can just do exactly that. Try. If it doesn¡¯t work, things can just be the same as they are now,¡± Bella said. ¡°And, if it works out somehow. If, hm, by some miracle, it will be something lasting and harmonious enough¡­ I would be able to make my wait much easier by taking care of your other kids.¡±

    By the end of her phrase, her voice was barely audible. I hugged her even closer, and kissed the top of her head.

    ¡°Yeah, sounds great to me.¡± I didn¡¯t really mean those words. But, at the same time, not like there were any downsides for me, eh.

 See you later, my dear.

    I looked at the time. It was two o''clock already. We were having lunch at this moment. Bella called one of the bodyguards and sent him to her favorite place. I just left the choice to her, not like she wasn¡¯t aware of my taste.

    ¡°Dear, what was the thing you actually wanted to talk about?¡± I heard her question.

    ¡°I wanted to ask if you have connections in the top hierarchy of the Long clan,¡± I said.

    ¡°How high are we talking about?¡± she asked another question.

    ¡°As high as possible. The very top. Someone who will be able to organize a meeting with either Clan Head or his wife.¡± I told Bella after a moment of extra consideration. ¡°Anything below that is too risky.¡±

    ¡°No. This is above my reach,¡± was her answer. ¡°Do I want to know why you need that?¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡± I replied with my own question. ¡°If you do, I don¡¯t mind telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Mmm. Tempting, but no. The less I know, the better I will sleep.¡± Smart girl.

    A few minutes were spent in silence, disturbed only by the sound of the cutlery. So, it was a useless piece of knowledge in the end. Hm, a certain pig-tailed Su crossed my mind. Hm, it¡¯s a bit of a risk, but if it¡¯s indeed who I was thinking it was¡­

    ¡°Bella, my dear, can you find me information about the Su clan''s first young lady? The daughter of the current clan head. Nothing extraordinary. Just general access info will do. Hm, just a photo will do, actually.¡± I asked my¡­ whoever she actually was for me¡­ the special woman.

    ¡°Sure. Will be done by the evening.¡± I liked her no nonsense attitude. ¡°Related?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She can give me an in with a person of high enough standing whom I can trust. Maybe.¡± I explained.

    Bella looked surprised that I actually did that, but her eyes told me that she really appreciated the trust.

    And once again a silence and sounds of the cutlery. A comfortable silence, there was no need for useless chatter between the two of us. Or at least it was the case for me. The inner workings of a woman''s mind were a mystery beyond my understanding, even after all these years.

    My phone rang, as I received a quick series of new messages. I looked at Bella, with the silent question if she minded me checking it out or not. It was the time between the two of us, and she was special enough for me to give her that kind of advantage. The gorgeous woman across from me nodded, and I didn¡¯t miss another round of appreciation in her gaze.

    Olivia: [Honey]

    Olivia: [If you don¡¯t mind]

    Olivia; [Can you meet me after school again?]

    I tilted my head. Not going to lie, that was a very difficult thing to decide right now. On one hand, Olivia was the focus of my current interest, and I really wanted to see her. On the other hand, I was with Bella, and she was just as important to me.

    ¡°Something important?¡± My current company read me with ease.

    ¡°Olivia is asking me to meet her after school,¡± I told her the truth.

    ¡°And this is enough to make you think so hard, dear?¡± I could see a bit of mockery in her smile.

    ¡°You see, my dear, I¡¯m absolutely torn. I really want to spend some time with her.¡± I could see her smile falter a bit. ¡°But my time with you is just as important.¡±

    ¡°Oh, woe is me, a poor old woman whose man decided to run away to his mistress.¡± What a vixen. Such theatrics. A moment later, she snorted. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen your current expression. Go and spend some time with the girl. Just remember that I am always waiting.¡±

    I felt absolutely fucking lost at the moment. What the hell, Bella?

    ¡°What the hell, Bella?¡± I repeated aloud. ¡°Are you, like, really sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m jealous as all hell right now! What a stupid question. Dear,¡± she snapped. ¡°But I decided to practice what I preach. I told you to give it a try, so why not do that right away?¡±

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    I palmed my face and started massaging the bridge of my nose. So, the workdays were a fake calm to lull me into a false sense of security. The chaos was just starting. I felt my mask giving another crack, as my lips morphed into a grin. I looked at the time, and remembered Olivia¡¯s school schedule. There were about two more hours before I needed to be there.

    ¡°My dear Bella,¡± I started. ¡°I won our little competition, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, well, yes?¡± It was her turn to be lost.

    ¡°And you were fully ready for my visit today, right?¡± My voice was sweet as a honey.

    ¡°Eh, sure. But I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Yeah, she was lost. Indeed.

    ¡°You know the rules, Bella.¡± My grin widened a bit more. ¡°I want to claim my prize.¡±

    She tried to say something, but I didn¡¯t really listen. Sex with Olivia was great and all, but she was surprisingly inexperienced, so it was a bit too¡­ vanilla. But Bella, oh, she was long since accustomed to me and my tastes.

    I stood up and she followed. I turned her around and pinned her to a wall, she didn¡¯t resist. Oh no, she already put her hands on the wall, bending over, arching her back and moving her feet apart to a comfortable distance. I scooped a bit of her natural lube and spread it over my already hard member.

    ¡°Bella, my dear,¡± I whispered into her ear, and she shuddered from excitement. ¡°I¡¯m so looking forward to falling for you.¡±

    I let my lust go.

    ***

    Yet another shower. I closed my eyes, letting the water stream down my face.

    ¡°I hate you.¡± I heard the weak complaint from nearby. Of course, I wasn¡¯t alone in the shower.

    ¡°Hard to believe after everything I just heard from you.¡± Bella loved every moment of it, and was very vocal about that. Even if she herself would never agree with this statement.

    ¡°Ugh. You actually went all out.¡± She patted her posterior, which, most likely, was feeling quite sore at the moment. ¡°I feel lucky you were on a time limit here.¡±

    ¡°I had you in my arms, of course I couldn¡¯t hold myself back.¡± And wasn¡¯t it the truth?

    ¡°Go away already.¡± I caught her into my embrace, proceeding into a deep, passionate kiss, instead.

    ***

    I was about to actually leave when Bella stopped me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are planning to go dressed like this?¡± She made a gesture towards my attire. Hm, sweatpants and hoodie, nothing wrong, right? ¡°Of course you do. Dear, how many times have I told you about your dressing habits?¡±

    Hm, she didn¡¯t stop telling me that even twenty years later. Only after she¡­ disappeared from my life did I change it to something more¡­ appropriate.

    ¡°Well, I planned to go to my apartment and change into something better, but¡­ You know. I got distracted here,¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Luckily for you, I have enough of your outfits stored in my closet. If my man.¡± She put her hands akimbo, as if daring me to say something. But I had no retort here. If anything, I actually liked the sound of it quite a bit. ¡°If my man is going to show off, he must go all out!¡±

    Ah, another one of Bella¡¯s moods. I just let myself go with the flow. She knew well enough not to push too far, and I was comfortable to let her have control in the no stakes situations like this one.

    Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed into something Bella deemed as ¡®passable¡¯. Black and red, of course. And was currently holding the keys from one of her most prized possessions. One of those limited amount in the world exclusive sport cars. Huh, the first time around, she never let me borrow this one. I looked at her with a gaze full of questions.

    ¡°Just bring it tonight to the club. I know you will take a taxi back afterward, so my people will take care of it.¡± Well, it was certainly an answer, but not for the questions I actually had. ¡°Now, go away. Don¡¯t make her wait.¡±

    I sighed and leaned in for another kiss, before opening the driver¡¯s door and getting inside the car.

    ¡°See you later, my dear,¡± I said my farewells.

    ¡°See you later, dear,¡± she answered in kind. ¡°And remember, I am waiting for you.¡±

    ***

    At first, I was thinking about making it a surprise, but then I saw the navigator screen full of red lines. Bloody hell, where did all those people crawl out from? While waiting for a traffic light, I decided to send a message to Olivia.

    Me: [on my way]

    Me: [traffic is an ass]

    Olivia: [Honey!]

    Olivia: [We got out earlier today]

    Olivia: [Teacher got sick or something]

    Olivia: [Substitute couldn¡¯t be arsed to work hard on a Friday]

    Olivia: [So she cut it short]

    Olivia: [Um, should I wait for you?]

    Huh, well, fuck? I looked at the green light, but the car ahead wasn¡¯t about to move any time soon. I glanced at the navigator screen again. ¡®ETA fifteen minutes¡­ seventeen minutes¡­ twenty minutes¡¯. Ugh. I weighed an idea to leave the car right here and just walk, but Bella would skin me alive if I actually did that.

    Me: [if you know any cozy coffee place nearby]

    Me: [take your friends there]

    Me: [my treat of course]

    I heard the horn sound from behind. Oh, while I was typing this, the car ahead moved the whole twenty meters! ¡®ETA: twenty-five minutes¡¯. Crap.

 Connoisseur.

    I was half an hour late. Thirty whole minutes. I knew that my hatred for cars wasn¡¯t baseless. Well, hate is a bit too strong of a word, more like general dislike? I understood the overall usefulness and the status aspect of it, of course. But driving them for fun? No way.

    I could drive at a decent enough level, obviously, but I just preferred to leave the process to someone else. A trained professional who will be able to take me and mine out of the heat while on a¡­ ¡®Job¡¯. An AI or a driver for day to day moving around, or when I¡¯m wasted. To a woman of mine, and quite a few of them were even thankful for my apparent readiness to relinquish that degree of control to their hands.

    I finally arrived at the address that Olivia sent me earlier. The non-franchise caf¨¦, that really looked quite cozy through the window. Warm colors, muted lights. Comfy looking seats. Hm, if the coffee was up to par, this would be a nice place to chill at sometimes.

    ¡°Welcome.¡± A handsome guy in a fitted uniform greeted me. Considering that most of the customers here were women, a great choice indeed. ¡°Would you like a table, or would you rather get your order to go?¡±

    ¡°I will join the already present company,¡± I gave him my response.

    ¡°Understood. Have a pleasant evening, sir.¡± I nodded at those words and went deeper inside the establishment.

    The atmosphere inside was actually even better than what I imagined by looking from the outside. The smell of fresh coffee, with an extra of spices and something sweet, coupled with a relaxing jazzy tune, sadly not a live performance, brought my mind into a pleasantly relaxed state. Overall, this was a great choice on Olivia¡¯s behalf. Enough to show off, but not over the top to be considered going out of the way to do so.

    Speaking of my current interest. I looked around and found where she, and her friends, were sitting. A corner table, by the window on the opposite side from the one I was looking through previously.

    The four girls were busy talking about something. Another interesting new side of Olivia, she looked a lot more carefree than when she was together with me. That made me a bit sad, but then, nothing unexpected really.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to get their attention. ¡°Sorry for being late. Traffic was an absolute disaster today.¡±

    ¡°Honey!¡± Olivia jumped into my arms, and I gave her a light peck on the lips as a greeting. Successfully reading the mood once again, she didn¡¯t try to deepen the kiss and, instead, continued in a spoiled tone. ¡°I was starting to think you won¡¯t show up at all.¡±

    ¡°My bad, my bad,¡± I apologized. ¡°Next time I will just aim to arrive an hour earlier, maybe then I will be on time.¡±

    ¡°You better be!¡± The beauty in front of me said in an angry tone, even glaring at me for a better effect. But a moment later, she just snorted and nuzzled deeper into my embrace. ¡°I¡¯m happy you found the time for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to be there. It¡¯s always a pleasure to see you,¡± I said, while stroking her back.

    From the corner of my eye, I glanced toward the trio sitting behind the table. Bimbo was looking at us with a mild interest, while bitch made a good enough attempt to hide her displeasure. The strangest reaction, once more, was from the shorty. For no apparent reason, she just glared at me, yet again. The fuck did I do to you, girl?

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I said, patting her back to get her attention. ¡°How about you introduce me to your friends?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Um. Right.¡± Muttered flustered girl. Then she turned towards her friends, without leaving my embrace, and continued. ¡°This is Michael Roah. And he is, um¡­¡±

    ¡°Her boyfriend.¡± I smiled, watching with amusement how Olivia¡¯s smile just brightened a bit. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

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    I paused for a moment, leaving my words as a cue that it¡¯s their turn.

    ¡°Heya. I am Satomi Tanaka,¡± said the bimbo. ¡°My friends usually call me Mimi. You can call me whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it tiresome to always play this role?¡± I nodded towards her introduction, and asked the only question that came to my mind after seeing the mismatch between her attitude, body language and eyes. She looked at me with a clear surprise, but seemingly didn¡¯t take offense.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t we all playing some sort of role? I like this one quite a bit, in fact. So, no, I don¡¯t find it tiresome,¡± was her reply.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Satomi. I will try to actually remember your name.¡± I smiled towards the¡­ eccentric girl, and got a laugh as an answer.

    Next, I turned my head towards the bitch.

    ¡°Patricia Jones.¡± She tried to sound classy, but all I could hear was an empty arrogance.

    I got a better look at her. Dirty blonde shoulder-length hair that was adequately styled. Her eyebrows actually were of the same color, so there was a decent chance it was her natural hair color. Pretty face with good makeup. If I recall correctly, she was a bit taller than Olivia. Her skin was a bit too pale. Coupled with her face and arms being a bit too thin. Most likely a strict diet to keep her weight under control. Her chest wasn¡¯t all that big either, but her figure was well-balanced overall.

    ¡°Hey. If you don¡¯t mind answering. How much is your rate per hour?¡± My question was a bit rude, yes, but I was curious.

    ¡°Four hundred.¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interested?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, not really. Just an empty curiosity,¡± I shook my head. ¡°You know, there is a difference between being a cold beauty and a bitch, and you really don¡¯t act like the former. If you dial down the overdone attitude, there are plenty of people who will be ready to pay two to three times more for your service. Hm, I can even recommend you to a guy or two like that, if you please them enough, word of mouth will carry you into the big leagues. Who knows, maybe someone will be interested enough to keep you as their mistress.¡±

    Her mask broke. Astonishment, disbelief and a fair bit of anger were painted all over her face. Satomi laughed once more, while Olivia went stiff in my arms.

    ¡°You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff.¡± I heard a new voice.

    ¡°I am a bit of a connoisseur myself. If you know what I mean.¡± I turned my head to answer the shorty.

    ¡°Lin Su. Or Su Lin in the western tradition,¡± she introduced herself.

    ¡°Charmed.¡± I just smiled.

    A moment of silence. All four of the girls looked at me, as if waiting for me to continue. But I was quiet.

    ¡°Oi,¡± I heard the bitch calling out. ¡°What the fuck. What is this difference in treatment?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± I was a bit surprised at the change in her speech pattern and behavior. ¡°There is nothing in particular that I find weird about that girl. What, should I insult her about being short or something?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Pat, he really got you there,¡± said Satomi through barely held giggles.

    ¡°Stuff it, Mimi.¡± This was an answer she got. Then the blonde turned towards me again. ¡°Hey, Liv¡¯s boyfriend, was my mask really so obvious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Your face is a much too expressive for what you tried to portray,¡± I explained. ¡°And, if there is something people in the big leagues hate with passion, it¡¯s fake things. Though, if they were shown a glimpse of truth they liked, they would pay a lot just to keep the illusion going.¡±

    ¡°Any other advice, mister connoisseur?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Hm. Stand up and give me a spin.¡± P¡­ Patricia did as I asked, and I did another once over of her. The second time only confirmed the accuracy of my previous assessment. ¡°You have a pretty face, and both your makeup and hairstyle works nicely for you. I would recommend stopping dieting so hard and instead focus on exercising, as you look a bit unhealthy as you are now, but that¡¯s my personal taste, there are people who would dig your current look more. As for clothes, no idea, ask someone who has better taste and actually has seen you wearing something other than a school uniform.¡±

    ¡°So, um, about those recommendations?¡± And another question from the blonde.

    ¡°I will ask around if someone looks for¡­ a more permanent arrangement,¡± I replied. ¡°While the thing I said before would work as well, not many people would settle on the known ¡®paid escort¡¯. And the circles above are pretty tightly woven.¡±

    ¡°Thanks in advance,¡± Patricia said. The blonde stared at me intently for a few moments, and then shifted her gaze toward Olivia, who was still frozen in my embrace. ¡°Liv, where the hell did you find this guy?¡±

    ¡°Um, do you remember Camilla asking a week ago for someone to substitute her in some shady business?¡± Olivia started her story.

 Three things about her.

    ¡°...and then we danced the night away.¡± Olivia finished her story and other girls started to ask her more questions.

    I just kept my silence, sipping down the cappuccino. The place actually had a decent variety of quality coffee, so I definitely would like to visit here again a few times.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m so envious,¡± the blonde one said. ¡°So you got a mister tall, rich and handsome, who is also a total stud and incredibly attentive in and out of the bedroom. Are you flexing upon us, huh?¡±

    ¡°So what if I am?¡± Olivia stuck her tongue in retort.

    ¡°Oh, put a sock in it, wench.¡± Patricia sighed in defeat, while Satomi giggled all the way at their mock fight. The shorty still kept her silence and slowly sipped on her tea. ¡°Hey, bestie, you remember that my cake day is next week, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, yes?¡± Her words caught my girlfriend-apparent off guard.

    ¡°Let me borrow him for a night, pretty pleeeease? You can even watch, if you are into that kind of stuff. Or you can join in¡­¡± That caught me off guard. What the hell?

    ¡°What the fuck, Pat?¡± Olivia voiced my thoughts. ¡°You should¡¯ve asked me in private, how can I just answer you when he is right here?¡±

    I felt a throbbing headache. Ah yes, my life was an embodiment of Chaos now. How could I forget?

    ¡°Um, ladies. Not to rain on your parade, but, indeed, I am still here, and I can hear you very well,¡± I said with a sigh, massaging the bridge of my nose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Patricia, you are certainly very attractive, but I have no real interest in sleeping with you as of now. And, Olivia, don¡¯t just go and pimp me out to your friends. Shame on you both.¡±

    The two of them had enough conscience to lower their eyes, even though both pairs were full of mischief. Satomi, the eccentric bimbo, just laughed again at my apparent misfortune. I sighed. The pig-tailed girl continued to sipping her tea.

    ***

    At some point, I was naturally excluded from the conversation of four close female friends. Well, I was here as a plus one anyway. Can¡¯t say the topics of their discussion were all that interesting to me, either. Matters of school, mutual friend¡¯s relationship drama, TV drama that is trendy right now. Yet, once more, a huge part of my being was intrigued to see all the new sides Olivia had shown through this short outing.

    ¡°I think we bored our male friend over there.¡± An unexpected voice interrupted their talk about the most recent episode¡¯s cliffhanger, and brought me out of my inner monologue. ¡°Now that I think about it, we heard the story from Olivia¡¯s perspective, but now I am curious about the other side of the coin.¡±

    The Su girl looked at me with a weird smile, not quite reaching her eyes. Was she up to something? Was this supposed to trip me up somehow?

    The duo on my left, the¡­ gal and blonde, now looked at me with an interest as well.

    ¡°Ask away, and I will do my best to answer.¡± I shrugged, gulping down the leftover coffee in my cup. Not like I had something to hide anyway.

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but I am also interested,¡± said the most beautiful of them. ¡°And here is my question. What was the first thing that came to your mind when you first saw me?¡±

    ¡°Past the obvious ¡®Oh, she¡¯s hot¡¯?¡± A nod. ¡°Then it would be, ¡®I wonder if she can cook¡¯.¡±

    All four of them stared at me with looks of varying shade of incredulity.

    ¡°For real?¡± I heard my mistress asking in disbelief.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I chuckled a bit. ¡°I was walking from the convenience store with groceries and felt pretty hungry. You caught my attention, and I thought paying you to cook my dinner would be amusing.¡±

    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know what to feel right now,¡± said Olivia.

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    ¡°You aren¡¯t alone in that, Liv.¡± Patricia extended her hand over the table to pat Olivia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Okay, so now it¡¯s my turn. My question is more on a mercantile side. Mister connoisseur, I would like to hear your expert opinion on how much would be the right price for my bestie.¡±

    Another pretty straightforward one to answer.

    ¡°My expert opinion on this subject has changed a few times already. She asked for three hundred, and I thought it was a total steal. My first appraisal was five times more than that. Based on her body and the way she moved alone, not even her warpaint could bring down the overall score.¡± I chuckled at both Olivia and Satomi looking offended at my dis of their makeup of choice. ¡°By the next morning, I was pretty confident that ten times the initial price would be a steal as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and how much would it be right now?¡± A followup question from the blonde.

    ¡°And after a week I spent with her, now it''s simply ¡®However much she would ask¡¯.¡± I smiled.

    Patricia whistled, Olivia blushed for some reason, Satomi gave me a mini ovation, and the shorty looked a bit lost.

    "It¡¯s not much of a question, but name three things you like about our Olivia.¡± Satomi was next.

    ¡°Easy. There is her body, her face, and her personality. Next,¡± I joked.

    ¡°Boo! You are cheating.¡± Mimi stood up, pointing her index finger at me. I guess she was thinking it would be intimidating or something. ¡°Name three more!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± I shook my head and raised my hands in a mock defeat. What should I start with? I looked at Olivia, who looked back at me very expectantly. ¡°Well, the first one is a bit of a clich¨¦, but I really like her eyes. So full of life, so expressive. I can¡¯t help myself, but be mesmerized by them every time our gaze meets.¡±

    Like right now. Olivia¡¯s eyes were full of joy, passion and, my old friend, promise. A captivating mix for someone like me. A wolf whistle came from the direction of Patricia, as she theatrically fanned herself with a hand.

    ¡°Hm, the second one is actually a mix of the first three I named, huh. I love the way she dances.¡± I closed my eyes momentarily, reliving the memory. ¡°She is already more than beautiful enough as her everyday self, but when I saw her on a dance floor, moving, breathing, living alongside the rhythm¡­ Yeah, absolutely breathtaking.¡±

    ¡°So you only like her physical attributes? How boring,¡± the Su girl voiced her worthless opinion.

    ¡°Oh, I really appreciate her physical attributes. She is bloody gorgeous,¡± I nodded sagely. ¡°But, the thing I like the most about her is something simple, really. It¡¯s the fact of how relaxed I feel when we are together. Just pure bliss. Unadulterated happiness and joy. No worries, no bad thoughts, nothing. Just her. Me. Us.¡±

    ¡°Wow. No hesitation whatsoever to say something so embarrassing, I wish my boyfriend could be so confident,¡± said the eccentric one.

    ¡°Hey, Liv. I''m starting to doubt if I was joking about my birthday present from you,¡± Patricia said in a weird tone.

    ¡°Pat, if I didn¡¯t love you so much, I would think about stabbing you right now. Stay away from my man, you thieving cat,¡± flushed Olivia hissed something strange as well.

    I looked right into the shorty¡¯s eyes, daring her to say something else. She bit her lower lip and shifted her eyes away from my gaze.

    ***

    Atmosphere at our table changed noticeably. Both Satomi and Patricia were deep in their phones, while the pig-tailed girl was deep inside her own head. Olivia kept stealing glances towards me, each being more heated than the previous one. Guess it was time to cut the evening short.

    My phone rang with another new message sound.

    Bella: [11?]

    I looked at the time. It was just past seven in the afternoon. I did a quick mental count of how much time was required for the road. Then added approximate time needed for Olivia to change into something more appropriate for the night. Deciding to play it safe, while also giving her some downtime to properly rest, I wrote an answer.

    Me: [how about 11:30?]

    Bella: [Sure.]

    I raised my eyes from the phone and called out to the girl of my interest.

    ¡°Olivia, I think it¡¯s time for us to leave.¡± She looked at me for a moment and nodded. Then I continued, addressing other girls. ¡°While it was nice to meet all of you, we have something else planned for our night. And I want my date to rest before another night of dancing.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Nice to meet you as well, have fun with your night out,¡± Patricia was first to react. ¡°Hey, bestie, cya.¡±

    Satomi just smiled and waved her hand, still fully immersed in the chat with whoever it was on her phone. While Su girl nodded absentmindedly, still not quite there yet.

    ¡°If you want to stay here for a bit longer, you can order something right now, before I will ask to check us out.¡± I said it was my treat, didn¡¯t I? ¡°Otherwise, do any of you need a taxi?¡±

    All three refused. Both Satomi and Patricia had their next destination a walking distance away from here, while shorty said that someone would get her with their own car.

    I paid the bill, we said our goodbyes and left. Oops, I forgot to show off the car. Well, who cares?

 Thats why I hate driving.

    Rush hour hasn¡¯t fully subsided yet. But at least we were moving, albeit slowly.

    ¡°Honey, thank you so much for today,¡± my passenger said.

    ¡°Eh, you are welcome. I had a lot of fun as well,¡± I replied. ¡°Your friends are¡­ certainly a unique bunch.¡±

    ¡°That they are,¡± she snorted. ¡°Funny that you are the one saying this, though.¡±

    ¡°I am indeed a weirdo,¡± I easily agreed.

    It was quiet again for a few minutes.

    ¡°About what Patricia said¡­¡± unexpected words left the mouth of my present company.

    ¡°I took it for what it was, a joke.¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Um, I mean, aren¡¯t you interested at least a bit?¡± She didn¡¯t give up.

    ¡°Not really? If you weren¡¯t in the picture, I wouldn¡¯t mind sleeping with her a few times. That¡¯s all,¡± was my answer. ¡°Let me make it clear. I find her attractive enough for a night of passion, but have no interest in her except the fact she is your friend.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± she tried to say something else.

    ¡°No buts,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Olivia, I repeat myself. I am not interested in her proposition, whether it was serious or a joke.¡±

    Another period of silence.

    ¡°Um, theoretically?, if I said that, um, I would like to give it a go. What would you say then? In theory, of course,¡± my mistress dropped another bomb upon me.

    ¡°I would agree, under the clear-cut condition, that it would be a one-and-done event. I would be pretty angry to discover you two hooking up behind my back later on.¡± Heavens, see, I had enough experiences like that with Bella.

    ¡°So, theoretically speaking¡­¡± Fucking hell.

    ¡°Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, Olivia. If you want to watch me nail your best friend, or want to join in as she offered, just say so. Choose a date, and I will do so.¡± I had enough. ¡°Otherwise, if you''re just feeling curious and want a threesome with someone, no matter who it is, let¡¯s just ask Bella. She won¡¯t say no and has a lot of experience with this stuff. Well, she is also much hotter than Patricia will ever be.¡±

    ¡°I call bullshit. You are just biased.¡± You don¡¯t just¡­

    We were stuck in the traffic once again, so I took my phone and quickly scrolled the contact list towards Bella. Open chat, scrolling a little up, the selfie from Wednesday.

    ¡°Here. This is Bella. In full glory,¡± I gave my phone to Olivia. She took it in her hand and looked at the screen.

    ¡°Wow¡­ Um¡­ Just wow,¡± was all she could say. ¡°Um, honey, you won¡¯t mind if I think about it for a while?¡±

    ¡°Of course, take your time,¡± I nodded. ¡°If anything, I would prefer to keep you all to myself. But if it¡¯s something you want to try, I would be much more comfortable if the third one was her.¡±

    And another bout of silence. I kept myself focussed on the road until the soft moaning sound broke my concentration completely. I glanced toward Olivia, and the absurdity of my second life hit me over once again.

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    It was a sight to behold. Still looking at the screen of my phone, with her eyes half-lidded, my strange girlfriend was biting her lower lip, trembling lightly. She sunk deep into the passenger seat, effectively lying down already, with her legs being wide apart. Her skirt rolled up, showing her white-and-green vertical striped panties. One of her hands was slowly tracing the already visible moist patch between her legs. She felt my gaze, and slowly turned her face toward me and smiled seductively.

    ¡°I was really in the mood after all the things you said earlier. Honey, can you touch me, please?¡± Her smile widened a bit. ¡°Do you want me to take off my panties, or maybe just pull it down a bit?¡±

    Deep inside my mindscape, all of my masks switched one after another, trying, and failing, to cope with the absurd reality. But then¡­ wasn¡¯t this different enough from the first round? Just as I wanted. Yes. I felt the crack in my mask widen even more.

    I looked into the expectant eyes of the girl in the passenger seat. She relished in my attention, in the lust that my gaze was no doubt full of. I saw myself in her eyes. He smirked wryly, shaking his head, giving up trying to find the answer in the past. He never saw her like this. His loss.

    ¡°Wait until we get home.¡± She whined a bit, but listened to me.

    Haa, that¡¯s why I hate driving. If only this car had an autopilot¡­

    ***

    ¡°Honey, how do you think I would look wearing this one?¡± This question brought me back to reality.

    Olivia held a really short yellow dress in front of herself. Hm, honestly I had no clue why she was asking me, of all people, about the choice of clothes. Yet, I wasn¡¯t dense enough to say it out loud. There definitely was a reason, even if for the life of me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find it. And even if there was no reason at all, it¡¯s still better to just play along.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± I gave her a short answer.

    ¡°You said the same thing about the last three as well!¡± What sort of landmine did I step on this time? Women.

    ¡°Because you actually look incredible in pretty much everything. I really have a hard time imagining clothes that could make you look bad,¡± I told her my true opinion. This, and the fact I didn¡¯t know what to say otherwise.

    Olivia frowned and glared at me intently for a moment, then her expression turned into one of joy and she smiled.

    ¡°Flatterer.¡± The beauty in front of my eyes stuck her tongue out playfully. ¡°And flattery will get you everywhere.¡±

    And she turned back to the closet, most likely looking for another piece. I looked at the clock, quarter past ten already, and fought back a sigh. My mistress was doing this for the last hour, give or take, and, judging by the fact she was still naked, there was no actual progress. Can¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t enjoying the show she was putting on, though.

    ¡°What about this one?¡± The strangely modest light gray woven turtleneck dress with long sleeves. It was quite long and there wasn¡¯t much of a d¨¦collet¨¦ even, except for a small rectangle of a¡­ boob window, for the lack of a better term.

    ¡°Try it on and give me a spin.¡± I was quite honestly done already, and this one just so happened to be there at the right time.

    Olivia shrugged and did just that. Oh. Oh, indeed. Despite being modest at the first glance, it actually stuck to her figure like a second skin. In addition, it showed off much of her bare back as well. Yes, I certainly liked this one a lot.

    ¡°So, how does it look?¡± There was mischief in my girlfriend¡¯s tone.

    ¡°It looks like I should thank the heavens for my color scheme. Red and black will come quite handy,¡± I answered in a mock dire tone. ¡°With all those idiots, I will be forced to hospitalize tonight for ogling you too much.¡±

    ¡°So, this is the one?¡± Her smile shone like the sun.

    ¡°It is, indeed.¡± I nodded.

    I gave her another once over and Olivia, fully aware of my wandering eyes, struck a seductive pose. For a moment there I was seriously considering limiting our club outing to my personal lounge, but, eh, I was itching for a bit of a fight, to be honest. My horrible nature wasn¡¯t limited to just sexual stuff.

    ¡°Hey, honey, maybe I should go without underwear? What do you think?¡± The expression on the pretty face of my personal temptress was positively impish.

    ¡°I think not.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Because I enjoy taking them off you myself, of course,¡± I told her the simple truth.

    Olivia giggled and, putting extra sway into her hips with each step, went to do her makeup. Fucking finally.

 The most interesting choice.

    It was eleven o¡¯clock when we finally were ready to go. Looking at the final result, though, I couldn¡¯t complain at all. I offered my hand to Olivia, and she took it with a smile, hugging it.

    As we approached the car, I felt a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. A girl, or maybe a young woman, in a skimpy outfit and a thick makeup, was animatedly talking into her phone, while leaning onto the hood of my vehicle. My habit of evaluating women kicked in, returning an interesting score of ¡®lacking out of ten¡¯ back. Weird, haven¡¯t I seen someone like that recently?

    A short contemplation later, I came to a decision that it doesn¡¯t matter on the grand scale of things. There already was a beauty by my side, and we had places to be.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to the girl.

    Seems like my voice startled her out, since she shuddered a bit and, I swear, muttered something that sounded like ¡®Fuck, not again.¡¯ Then the ¡®lacking out of ten¡¯-girl turned her face towards me, pausing for a moment before smiling, albeit I could read a calculating look in her eyes. A moment later she registered Olivia, who was still hugging my arm, in her sight and the smile disappeared.

    ¡°Would you kindly vacate the premises of my car, please?¡± I said, trying to shake away the feeling that this entire scene was really familiar to me for no particular reason. ¡°We are on a tight schedule.¡±

    ¡°Um, of course. Sorry to disturb you.¡± The girl said, turned away and left.

    I opened the door for Olivia to get inside, trying to ignore the weird expression on her face, then went around the car and sat behind the steering wheel, and started the engine. After checking the mirrors, I drove away.

    My passenger still looked at me as if she didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Well, not exactly, but it was close enough.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked after a while.

    ¡°You know who that girl was?¡± I got a question back.

    ¡°No idea,¡± I said honestly.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Olivia looked surprised. ¡°She is, like, one of the most trendy bloggers right now.¡±

    Huh. Ah, that explains the awkward way she held her phone. But, eh, never had a particular interest in that side of the entertainment industry. Though, one of my drinking buddies, back in the first round, had a hobby of bedding female streamers as a sport. Usually rolling in with a huge donation and asking for private contact. The majority refused, of course, but at least a few every month agreed. A truly strange fetish that dude had, but it¡¯s not my place to kink shame someone.

    ¡°Um, okay?¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Ugh. Can¡¯t you be, like, more hyped about this or something?¡± my girlfriend shook her head in exasperation. ¡°Wait. One of my classmates, a huge fan of this girl, said that today her stream got video bombed. Now that I think, it was almost the same situation, with her doing a video using an expensive car as a background, except it was some lazy bum, or so he said.¡±

    Oh. That explains the d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    ¡°No. You don¡¯t say,¡± she facepalmed. ¡°Lazy bum with an expensive car. Same place. Same person. It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Um. Guilty as charged?¡± I shrugged again.

    ¡°Hey, honey, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a waste?¡± She asked another weird question.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I had zero clues about what she was talking about.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Well, I mean, she is pretty cute.¡± She sounded so much like Bella right now that I almost turned my head just to make sure.

    ¡°Hm, dunno. For me, her evaluation score fell short in comparison,¡± I said with a sigh mixed in.

    ¡°Oh? Compared to whom?¡± I heard an interest in her question.

    ¡°To you, of course,¡± I stated the obvious.

    The flattery worked just fine. Until it didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Huh. And what about the morning?¡± I knew it was a trap question. And, obviously enough, I knew the right answer. But a part of me still wanted to stick to telling the truth. Fuck.

    ¡°And in the morning, I was in a bad mood, since someone was ignoring my messages.¡± I threw a glance at her. ¡°Also, I needed to talk about a few things with Bella. In person. Not going to lie, there was more to that than just talking. And the girl fell short compared to her.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. And here comes the truth I really could live without knowing of. Damn, and now I¡¯m jealous again.¡± I could see her frowning in the rearview mirror. ¡°But I must agree. Compared to her, the girl certainly lacks a fair bit.¡±

    The rest of the short ride was spent in silence.

    ***

    Instead of going to the main entrance, I drove the car to Bella''s personal garage. The guard, manning the shift there, recognized the vehicle immediately, and came to an easy conclusion that whoever was important enough for the boss lady to give her precious little baby to, was also important enough to have access to this part of the club.

    I found a marked spot, left specifically for this car, and parked it there. My eyes glanced at my watch, checking the time. Eleven twenty. There was just enough time left for a leisure walk to Bella¡¯s office.

    A part of me found entertainment in my little gentlemen''s play pretend. As such, I went around the car and opened the door for Olivia, offering her my hand in the process. My pretty lady took the offered appendage with an absentminded smile, still deep in her head, and I led her on our way.

    ¡°Hey, honey, what do you think this meeting will be all about?¡± Said my mistress, as we were walking through the mostly empty VIP parking lot toward the entrance leading to the lounges.

    ¡°A week ago, my best guess would¡¯ve been some sort of power play from Bella¡¯s side to drive you away,¡± I said after a bit of thinking. ¡°But after recent revelations about the two women in my life, I honestly won¡¯t be surprised if she will simply try to seduce you.¡±

    Olivia halted in place, and I stopped myself half step.

    ¡°Huh?¡± With some sadistic delight, I was watching the myriad of emotions flashing through her eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    I sighed and looked at the watch again.

    ¡°Would you mind if we discuss it while we¡¯re walking?¡± I asked and got a nod as an answer. ¡°Sorry, I just hate being late.¡±

    And I gave her a short version of what conclusion Bella and I got to earlier today.

    ***

    ¡°So, when did you plan to tell me all of that?¡± asked Olivia.

    ¡°Ideally? Never,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Realistically? In a few months, when my wish to monopolize you at every given moment would subside a bit. And even then, if you had no natural inclination, I still most likely wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You are one hell of a weird guy, honey.¡± My girlfriend shook her head.

    ¡°Tell me something I didn¡¯t know already.¡± I shrugged her rude words off.

    We were climbing the last flight of stairs at the moment. Still on time, by the way. About half-way, Olivia stepped over one extra step and stood right in front of me. The mix of feelings and emotions in her gaze was changing non-stop, like a kaleidoscope, making it impossible to get an accurate reading.

    ¡°Michael.¡± She called my name in a serious tone. ¡°What do you think I should do? About all of this stuff you just told me about, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Up to you.¡± There was no hesitation in my voice. ¡°Can¡¯t say this whole idea doesn''t sound enticing, but, to be frank, I doubt it will work out in the end.¡±

    ¡°But you still want to try?¡± my mistress voiced another question.

    ¡°Well, I kind of already agreed to, I guess.¡± I shrugged once more.

    ¡°No, I mean, do you want it? You, personally.¡± She looked straight into my eyes while asking this one.

    Those words made me fall into deep thought. Did ¡®I¡¯ really want it? Did I really ¡®want¡¯ it?

    ¡°Yes. I would like to give it a try.¡± I nodded my head, finally coming to a conclusion. ¡°In the end, this feels like the most interesting choice.¡±

 Good girl Olivia.

    A quick glance toward my watch confirmed that, surprisingly enough, we were still on time. Noticing my actions, Olivia lowered her face down and slowly exhaled, most likely forcing herself to decide on something. For a moment, I wished for an ability to read other people''s minds, though that probably would''ve made my life even more boring than it already was.

    ¡°I understand,¡± my mistress said after a moment, raising her face back to look at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡± I opened my mouth, ready to accept Olivia¡¯s offer, but caught myself instead. Whatever decision my mistress came to, it wasn¡¯t one she was one hundred percent sure of, or, at the very least, it made her feel quite conflicted. Not really all that unexpected, I guess. And, all things considered, it was more than acceptable in my books. From what I could guess, immediate concerns were alleviated, boring, unnecessary drama avoided, and I got the desired outcome. Yet, I knew all too well what this will lead to if left alone. I just never really cared before. Eh, if I planned to change things this time around, it won¡¯t hurt to do this at least once, right? ¡°Let¡¯s talk some more instead.¡±

    ¡°What is there to talk about?¡± Her eyes still reflected the same impossible mix of ever-changing emotions as before.

    ¡°Well, we can start with you telling me what exactly bothers you so much right now.¡± I paused, looking for the right words. ¡°Look, whatever it is, just avoiding the issue and trying to play it off won¡¯t work. It will backfire one way or another, if not right now, then at some point in the future.¡±

    ¡°Do you really not understand, or is this the part where you¡¯re playing dumb on purpose again?¡± The kaleidoscope inside her eyes started moving once more as she glared at me.

    ¡°I can make a guess, of course. And the result will be, most likely, pretty accurate,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But I would never know for sure unless you tell me yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ am jealous. I¡¯m feeling anxious and insecure. And, most of all, I have no idea what am I supposed to even think right now,¡± I finally heard Olivia speaking, just as every possible way this situation could go south played in quick succession inside my head.

    Huh, so my guess was accurate for the most part. Still, this was only half of what I wanted to hear. What was left unsaid was the actual important stuff.

    ¡°Hm. And what are the reasons behind all of that?¡± Another exception to my typical routine. Getting actual answers, instead of trying to piece it all by myself, wasn¡¯t as interesting.

    ¡°So you are messing around¡­ Should have guessed,¡± said my mistress with a mix of blame and exasperation in her voice. ¡°But¡­ Fine. Since we are having this conversation anyway, I can entertain you for a bit more.¡±

    Olivia once more lowered her face, cutting off my ability to read her expression. Now I could only keep my silence, giving her an opportunity to gather her thoughts and put them into words.

    ¡°You want to know the reason I¡¯m jealous? Here I go, listen well. A week ago, when I proposed the same thing, you all but laughed it off. But after one conversation with that special woman of yours, you are now suddenly interested.¡± She scoffed. ¡°Are you really? Or is it just you''re playing along with her whims? And here comes my anxiety. What should I do if that¡¯s what is going on? What if she tells I¡¯m not up to her liking? Then what?¡±

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    And, yet again, she raised her face and stared right into my eyes. I looked right back into her gaze. The chaos subsided slightly, leaving behind a simpler, albeit still not quite pleasant, mix of emotions. Uncertainty, anxiety, and apprehension were easy to pick even with a cursory glance.

    ¡°This whole situation could very well be the most important decision in my life. Quite frankly, I¡¯m lost. I don¡¯t know what I should do. I don¡¯t know what I want to do. And I want someone to tell me that the choice I decided on is the correct one.¡± Her voice became quieter with every spoken word, turning into a barely audible whisper by the end. Anticipating my most likely reaction, she continued, her tone returning to normal. ¡°And before you shrug it off with ¡®Just show me more of you¡¯ again, this is exactly that. This is a big part of me. Olivia, the little girl scared of doing the wrong thing. Who wishes for someone to pat her head occasionally and tell her she is a good girl. And, maybe, even praise her for doing great. So, honey, what do you want me to do? Just tell me, please, I really need to know.¡±

    To my surprise, every single mask had an answer ready. Each with a clearly defined course of action, pros, cons, outcomes, and¡­ time limits. Boring. If I was satisfied with something like that, I wouldn¡¯t even bother to have this conversation in the first place. Which left me with a single choice: I needed to clearly choose the path by myself. So be it.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m saying this upfront. No, I¡¯m not messing with you. There is one last thing I need to know.¡± I said, barely holding back a deep sigh. After receiving a confirmation nod from Olivia, I continued. ¡°What is your current decision?¡±

    ¡°My decision is still the same as it was a week ago. It¡¯s nowhere nearly as easy to actually follow through on my words, but, as long as you want it, I¡¯m ready to make the compromise,¡± my mistress said in a confident tone. ¡°There is a wide range of actual reasoning at play, but at this point I neither want to discuss it, nor think you will truly believe me, anyway.¡±

    I repeated her words inside my mind, weighing them in, pondering on possibilities. There was a lot to unpack here, something for the future me to worry about.

    I took a deep breath, slowly exhaling, stalling for more time to come to an accord. It was definitely a new path, one that I couldn¡¯t predict the result for, at least not with certainty. Isn¡¯t this what I wanted from this second life of mine?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I need extra time to turn my thoughts into something coherent.¡± I glanced toward my watch, ten minutes short of midnight, but being late was the least of my current concerns. ¡°My full answer concerns all three of us anyway, and there are some business-related things I need to discuss with Bella first. I can try to give you a short version right now, though.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± was the reply I got. ¡°Give me the short version, then.¡±

    ¡°As I briefly mentioned, there is a lot on my mind regarding this¡­ arrangement,¡± I voiced my thoughts. ¡°Yet, I repeat myself. Yes. I would like to give it a try. Because it is the most interesting choice.¡±

    ***

    A short silent walk later, the two of us stood in front of the door to Bella¡¯s office. Heavens, I felt tired. Now that I think about it, last week wasn¡¯t that different, but at least I was spent on the way out, not before even going in. I guess having to actually make decisions for myself, instead of going with the flow or just playing a predetermined role, was pretty exhausting. Who could''ve thought, huh?

    I shook my head, chasing away a potential self-exploratory monologue, and threw a glance toward Olivia. She, after noticing my gaze, just shrugged. I raised an eyebrow at that. She rolled her eyes and nodded. I gave the door a brief knock and, as usual, went inside without waiting for a response.

    ¡°¡­ now, just do me a favor. Take a big step back.¡± Bella was occupied with talking to someone over the phone. She stood with her back turned to the entrance, so I couldn¡¯t judge her current mood in full, but her body language told me she was on the verge of exploding. ¡°And literally. Fuck. Your. Own. Face. Fuckface.¡±

 Introductions.

    After roaring this, my special woman ended the call, and stared at her smartphone for a moment, most likely considering if she should smash it into the wall or not. Ah, so it was one of the two things: negotiations went wrong, or one of her subordinates seriously screwed up. I heard a quiet gasp from beside me.

    ¡°As I said before, it¡¯s always very intense with her,¡± I told Olivia.

    The sound of my voice brought Bella back out of her musings over the fate of the poor piece of tech held in her hands. She slowly exhaled and threw the phone on the table, where it safely landed in the pile of paperwork.

    ¡°You are finally here. I started to think you decided to skip on me.¡± Bella¡¯s words contained enough sarcasm to make a lesser man flinch. Fortunately, I was long since used to dealing with her and just smiled back. ¡°And this must be your stray. You haven¡¯t exaggerated. A cute one, indeed.¡±

    ¡°Good evening to you as well, dear,¡± I gave her my greetings, while Olivia opted for an awkward wave. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can we deal with the business part of this meeting first? While not terribly urgent, it could very well be time-sensitive.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Bella replied, switching to her work mode. After a few moments of rummaging through documents covering her desk, she found the folder. Not going to lie, I was expecting something digital, but analogue worked just fine as well. ¡°Here, this is what you asked for.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I voiced my gratitude.

    I quickly scanned through the document inside. Date of birth, name, some official public records. Single photo. Bare-bones information wise, but this was enough. My gaze stopped at the picture. So, it was her after all. Huh, this actually explained a lot. And confirmed my conjecture.

    ¡°Will that be enough?¡± asked Bella.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied. ¡°I will need your help on Sunday. Clean up your schedule. In addition, we will need someone with decent lock picking skills, and a pair of trustworthy muscle for manual labor. Literally, they will be needed to move furniture and, possibly, break a wall or two. I guess a driver who will double as a lookout wouldn¡¯t hurt as well.¡±

    I caught myself as my tone started to slip into a commanding one. Oops, hard to break the habit that was so ingrained.

    ¡°And what will you need me for?¡± Seems like Bella decided not to make an issue out of this.

    ¡°To be my driver and a sight for sore eyes,¡± I joked. ¡°Jokes aside, I will definitely need your advice, and it¡¯s not something that could be discussed over the phone.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± was her curt answer.

    And that¡¯s why I always loved to work with professionals. Now to the second part of the problem. I turned my head to Olivia, who had a weird expression on her face. As if she couldn¡¯t decide if she was even supposed to be here. Understandable.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I called out to get her attention. ¡°Will you be able to organize a meeting with Su Lin for me?¡±

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    ¡°Um, I think so?¡± The girl of my current interest didn¡¯t sound very confident. ¡°I mean, Su is usually pretty busy with helping in her family store, but I should be able to if she is free.¡±

    ¡°Hm, Sunday evening would be the most ideal, but, if not possible, can I count on you to create an opportunity for me when I''ll pick you after school on Monday?¡± The sooner I would meet Su, the sooner she would be able to pass over my message to that woman.

    ¡°I will try, but as I said, she is usually busy, so no guarantee,¡± responded Olivia.

    ¡°Well, thanks in advance then,¡± I said, fighting back the urge to sigh.

    And with that out of the way, the less complicated part of today¡¯s meeting was finished. For no apparent reason, I felt a burning desire to run away right now, but that would be the least interesting way to continue forward, wouldn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time for actual introductions.¡± A bit more time for me to think. ¡°This is Bella, Isabella Alvarez. She is a lot of things, including, but not limited to, being one of, or maybe even the most important people in my life.¡±

    ¡°Um, nice to meet you.¡± Olivia¡¯s tone still held quite a bit of hesitation in it. Can¡¯t really blame the girl.

    ¡°And this is Olivia Torres. The holder of my current interest. And I must say, my interest in her grows day by day,¡± I continued with introductions.

    ¡°Charmed.¡± I could see a glint of appreciation in Bella¡¯s eyes, as well as a hint of her trademark smirk on her lips. Huh, I guess Olivia was up in her strike zone. Can¡¯t blame this one either.

    I wanted to laugh. How am I even supposed to put this jumbled mess in my head into the proper words?

    ¡°Today was a day full of revelations for myself,¡± I finally decided to break the silence before it became awkward. ¡°I learned something new about the two of you, while becoming aware of a¡­ new possibility, a different path forward. And all of that threw me for a loop. I am¡­ not quite sure what to make with all of this information. But¡­¡±

    I took a moment to catch my breath, doubling it as an opportunity to read the reactions from the two of them. Bella had raised her eyebrow, curiosity clear in her expression, while Olivia tensed a bit, her body leaning forward in a wary expectation.

    ¡°But I have no idea where to even start.¡± I wasn¡¯t quite sure what sort of expression was currently on my face. Which mask was currently in charge of it? Was there even one? What a mess. ¡°Yet, I was made aware that I can¡¯t just shirk telling the two of you my apparent position about our¡­ possible arrangement. This, and also that some things should be said clearly.¡±

    Another brief pause to catch my breath and gather my thoughts.

    ¡°Which is another can of worms in itself, since I couldn¡¯t be bothered to do so previously.¡± I sketched the wry smile on my face, reinforcing it with a shrug. Heavens, this was a lot more complicated to do consciously. ¡°Eh, I suppose it¡¯s best to start by saying thank you. I appreciate your willingness to, at the very least, try to reach the compromise on my behalf. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do the same.¡±

    And another pause. Deep breath in, slow exhale out. Why am I stalling?

    ¡°This is one of the basic concerns that I have. I could be very territorial with such things, and that isn¡¯t limited to just males, either. Bella should know. I drove away quite the number of her side chicks through the years.¡± The bitch had enough conscience to at least look guilty. Ha, as if. ¡°And I have my doubts about how exactly I would react to the resulting relationship between the two of you as well.¡±

    Seems like the two of them simply decided on letting me ramble without interruption. That was convenient, even if I wouldn¡¯t really mind one way or another. I fought back another sigh. Since when did I even get this habit? Another attempt to delay the inevitable.

    At last, I made up my mind. If nothing else, I owed both Bella and Olivia at least this much. And then I finally started talking.

 Screw you too, fate.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to stop beating around the bush, ain¡¯t it?¡± I muttered softly, those words were meant to myself, anyway. ¡°Let me get something obvious out of the way. I don¡¯t think it would surprise either of you, but I am a textbook definition of a greedy, selfish, fickle bastard. Which leads us to a logical conclusion. Yes, of course, I want to give this arrangement a try. As for the outcome, obviously enough, I would like for it to ultimately work. There are no downsides for me, bar the chance of some misguided jealousy on my part.¡±

    Woah, what a shock. All of my masks not only had a ready solution for the situation, but it was the same solution as well. On second thought, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising. After all, it was truly a simple solution ¨C just shut up.

    ¡°There is a big part of me that is very much like an adrenaline junkie. Except for me, the thrill isn¡¯t limited to something risky. Pretty much anything to stall out my boredom will do. The longer I am bored, though, the more extreme things become acceptable. I guess it¡¯s not that different from any other junkie in the middle of their search for the next hit.¡± I continued against my better judgment. Another glance at my audience. Neither seemed to be overly surprised, even if I highly doubted Olivia could really measure the true scope of what I meant by ¡®extreme¡¯. Not that it was her fault. ¡°And so¡­ I¡¯m fucking thrilled with this possibility. It, quite possible, opens up a different path. Something new. Something I can¡¯t predict the ultimate result of, at least not yet. Ultimately, I can¡¯t even be sure how exactly I, myself, would act.¡±

    Maybe it even could help me to achieve some resemblance of control over my shitty nature. Not that I would say this out loud.

    ¡°But even this isn¡¯t the full answer yet,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Sadly, from now on, since I am aware of the chance it can work, it became a possibility I no longer can just ignore. What a mess.¡±

    Yeah, I could totally see my nature becoming even more of an issue instead. As a wise man once said: ¡®One is enough. Once there are two, there could as well be all of them.¡¯ I forced myself not to laugh at this stray thought. It was harder and harder to keep myself in control.

    ¡°Ah, there are so many things to consider. For example, could this arrangement even work for someone like me? You know, once I meet someone interesting enough, what will happen?¡±

    There was a matter with Helen, whose response I was still waiting for. Hm, even Claire, even if not yet set in stone, garnered enough of my attention to be a concern from this point of view.

    ¡°Yet, the actual worst thing is a simple fact. Everything I just said is a fundamental part of me. Something that I can''t change about myself, no matter how hard I try, and, believe me, I¡¯ve tried my whole life.¡± At this point, I couldn¡¯t even try to sketch a proper expression on my face. I briefly wondered if it reflected my current inner turmoil? Honestly, I didn¡¯t care. ¡°That said, it¡¯s not like I seek your understanding, much less acceptance. It¡¯s not even a topic for a discussion. It is what it is, I informed you, and I¡¯m not even sure why I did that. Maybe I wanted you to know? Perhaps I wanted to get it out? Or, most likely, it''s just the most interesting way forward. Take it however you want.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I closed my eyes, slowly inhaling and exhaling, trying, and failing, to calm myself down. I felt an animal grin stretching my lips. Not good.

    ¡°Well, now I will leave you two to do your own talking. As much as I am interested in the result, if you can¡¯t do at least this much without my interference, this whole thing is doomed to fail anyway,¡± I stated the fact.

    Olivia and Bella didn¡¯t bother to voice their answer, currently deep into their thoughts. I was in no condition to even make an accurate evaluation of the possibilities, either.

    Whatever.

    ¡°If either of you decide to join me for the night, I will be down in the bar. Just give me a bit of time alone, please.¡± I said, walking towards the door. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s a bit awkward, but, Bella, see you on Sunday. And Olivia, I still count on you for that meeting with Su Lin.¡±

    Finishing my words, I waved my hand and closed the door behind myself.

    ***

    For the second week in a row, I felt completely spent after leaving this door. Even thinking was hard right now. I wanted a smoke, still haven''t bought any by the way, and a drink. Maybe a fight would be nice as well. That sounded like the plan to me: get some booze in, then look for trouble.

    Would either of the two women I left in the office join me? No idea. Ah, here it comes, my spiral of self-doubt. I could be almost sure that Bella won¡¯t break all ties after this fiasco, but Olivia, on the other hand¡­ Eh, why was she even an issue here? Wasn¡¯t she just another pretty face on my crooked road of life? Was it about this weird relaxing effect she had on me? I knew I shouldn''t have gotten used to it. Fuck.

    As my mind pondered upon those complex mysteries, my feet dragged me all the way to the first floor. Bella knew her stuff. Even if the club wasn¡¯t her primary business, she still did a miraculous job of managing it, or, at the very least, hiring the right people to do that. So, as usual on Friday, it was packed.

    Ignoring the lights, music, atmosphere, and all that crap, I pushed my way through the crowd of dancing people, aiming in the general direction of a bar counter. I did it in a deliberately rude way, hoping inside that some hothead would get his britches in a twist and I will have an excuse for some violence. My hopes were dashed. I couldn¡¯t be sure whether my luck was just that bad, or people didn¡¯t want to deal with a guy like me, but nobody took the bait. Screw you too, fate.

    After reaching my destination, and politely asking someone to kindly fuck off, which still didn¡¯t lead to the desired outcome, crap, I felt myself lost for a brief moment, trying to choose what to drink. In the end, I opted to order ¡®the usual¡¯ from a bartender, who clearly recognized me. After downing whatever it was, and repeating my order twice more, I finally got some of that pleasant buzzing feeling inside my head. Strangely, this actually helped to clear my thoughts as well. Go and guess why.

    Opting not to get too drunk, yet, just in case, I got a low-alcohol long drink and scanned the club interior, marking, with long since polished precision, possible targets. I wasn¡¯t in the right mood for a one-night stand hunting, but interfering with other people doing exactly that could lead to a conflict. I felt my, still present, animal smirk growing wider.

 Long story.

    From a first glance, there were three interesting enough marks. First, an all-female company, most likely celebrating something. Young, above average looking girls. Upper-middle class upbringing, nothing too extravagant, but nothing subpar either. There was a good chance that one of them would feel adventurous enough later in the evening. A long-term game, and, once again, I wasn¡¯t looking for the one-night stand itself, so it wasn¡¯t what I was looking for.

    The second one was an attractive woman in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. I would rate her seven-and-half out of ten. And she was already flirting with a dude. They weren¡¯t together, both clearly trying to feel each other''s intentions right now, so at the first glance it looked like I got a ¡®winner¡¯ of tonight¡¯s lottery. After some more observation, though, it felt like another dud. The guy really looked like a slippery type to me, and, by extension, would most likely just bail out if there was a fight-or-flight situation. Eh, lucky him, I guess.

    The third one, though¡­ that was a prime target. A young woman sitting all alone behind the table, served for two, and slowly getting herself drunk. Date-gone-wrong, or, maybe, recent break up? She felt vaguely familiar, but, with the whole time shenanigans and my spotty memory, it could¡¯ve been anyone. Still, who could this be? Too bad that she was sitting at an angle to my current position and I couldn¡¯t quite see her face. Short, somewhere between chin and shoulder-length, brown hair, styled meticulously. Dark gray dress, which left her shoulders and arms bare. I couldn¡¯t exactly judge the length of the dress, but it definitely didn¡¯t quite reach her knees at max. Whoever this girl wanted to impress was one hell of a lucky guy, or maybe a gal. And one hell of a stupid one as well.

    I decided to keep my watch for now, waiting for someone to approach the girl first. Nobody wanted to volunteer, though, or so it seemed. Well, there was always a possibility that she, herself, was here as a catfish to lure some loser to leave with her. And so, I just kept looking, scanning for more marks time and again. After about five minutes of my observation, finally something happened. Ugh.

    The whole time, all this girl had done was staring at her smartphone, as if waiting for it to ring, while playing with a crumpled napkin. Until her phone¡¯s screen lit up all of a sudden, startling the girl and making her drop the napkin onto the floor. Which she bent to pick up. I almost felt ashamed here for a moment after finally recognizing Claire. Yes, I once again recognized her with just one glance at her shapely glutes. What could be said? The counter girl had a really nice butt.

    I cupped my face with a hand, massaging the bridge of my nose. Bloody hell. The third mark was also a dud. Then again, with Claire, if that was her after all, inside the picture, a change of plans was feasible. Just leaving her alone didn¡¯t sit well with me, for more than one reason, and, technically, it won¡¯t need to be a one-night stand either¡­

    I brought my attention back to the girl. Whatever she received on her phone, it was either not what she was waiting for, or was otherwise unpleasant. At least judging by her slumped shoulders. I had a hunch that what''s-his-name dude she likes was involved somehow. Shrugging off my own thoughts, I left my place by the bar counter and went to join my acquaintance in her misery.

    It was, in fact, Claire. I noted the light, expertly done, makeup, which brought her natural good looks onto another level. Not that many people would even notice her face, considering how much d¨¦collet¨¦ her dress showed off. The girl, in her turn, didn¡¯t pay me any attention all the way until I plopped onto the seat across the table from her.

    ¡°Um, sorry, I already have someone I like, and that seat is already reserved,¡± Claire said absentmindedly.

    ¡°Whatever you say, Counter Girl,¡± I joked back. ¡°When this guy will decide to show up at last, I will vacate the premises. Though I have some serious questions that I would like to ask him.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    That got her to tear her gaze from the screen and finally take a look at me.

    ¡°Um, Tian?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I replied. Oh, right, I still haven¡¯t fixed this misunderstanding.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Had a hard time recognizing you in something that isn¡¯t hoodie and sweatpants.¡± She evidently was at least a bit tipsy already. ¡°You clean up rather nicely. Who could have guessed?¡±

    ¡°I will take this as a compliment, thank you very much,¡± I ignored her broken filter. ¡°You, yourself, look positively fabulous. Though, judging by your expression, it didn¡¯t quite work as well as you hoped?¡±

    ¡°You can say that,¡± Claire sighed.

    ¡°I feel there is a story here,¡± I voiced my curiosity. ¡°So, can you tell me how exactly a beautiful girl like you ended up drinking in the nightclub all alone? Depending on your answer, I might, or might have not, be forced to hunt a certain dense motherfucker down.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not Daniel¡¯s fault. His boss called him and asked him to man an emergency shift.¡± The girl across the table was quick to defend that prick.

    ¡°Was it before or after you met here?¡± I questioned a bit more.

    ¡°Ten minutes or so in,¡± she answered.

    Was that cock-sniffer truly fucking blind? Or is he just a moron? I couldn¡¯t believe my ears.

    ¡°Sorry, my mind refused to comprehend the sheer stupidity of that guy,¡± I apologized. ¡°I hope I''m misunderstanding something here, so how about you tell me the whole story first?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Claire drawled with a hint of reluctance in her tone. It was clear she wanted to talk, but, for some elusive reason, hesitated.

    ¡°Good thing that I am fresh out of things to do this fine night, then,¡± I half-joked.

    ¡°Why would you even want to hear it in the first place?¡± a question from the counter girl followed.

    ¡°Part curiosity, part boredom, part trying to understand the alien logic that guy operates under,¡± I replied. ¡°I mean, leaving a girl like you all alone in the nightclub¡­ after actually seeing how good she looks. Nah, still can¡¯t wrap my head around it, no matter how much I try.¡±

    I truly couldn¡¯t. Even if it was an emergency, basic human decency, something that I kind of lacked all things considered, dictated to at least send your date back home safely.

    ¡°Are you hitting on me?¡± Again with that question.

    ¡°Not quite there, yet.¡± Slightly different answer.

    ¡°Yet?¡± Raised brow.

    ¡°Yet.¡± Nod.

    ¡°Even though you know I have someone I like already?¡± Another question.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t stop me.¡± Reply.

    ¡°But something does?¡± More of stating a fact than a question.

    ¡°Many things.¡± I answered anyway. ¡±Not finding you attractive, both in appearance and in personality, isn¡¯t one of them.¡±

    Momentary pause. Staredown.

    ¡°Would you mind if we change the topic?¡± Claire broke it first.

    ¡°Well, how about you tell me your story, then?¡± I didn¡¯t mind.

    ¡°Fine.¡± I won.

    As a matter of fact, her story was indeed long. And not that original. Only her animated style of storytelling, as well as the unrelated tangents she went on a few times, kept me entertained through it. Wouldn¡¯t work if she wasn¡¯t as cute, though.

 Storytelling event.

    ¡°So, if I got it right,¡± I decided to confirm my understanding. ¡°You organized a group outing in this club, yet everyone, except this Daryl guy, were onto your plan, and found random excuses to leave you two alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Claire.

    ¡°You two met here on time,¡± I continued my inquiry, ¡°And the third one, the girl who works here, led you inside, only to also bail out under false pretense?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed again.

    ¡°Ten minutes later. Ten minutes of being alone with a very attractive girl in the packed nightclub. This Daren dude got a phone call from, allegedly, his boss and left to, allegedly, man an emergency shift instead.¡± I felt my left eye twitch. ¡°Leaving said very, and I emphasize this again, very attractive girl alone in the nightclub?¡±

    ¡°Um, yes?¡± She sounded less confused than I felt.

    ¡°Claire, did he at least offer to send you home?¡± Twitching became a bit stronger.

    ¡°No? He said that there is a chance he would return a bit later, so I decided to wait for him.¡± I swear¡­

    For everything that is holy. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. Well, I actually could, but only under two assumptions. Either that Daichi guy had an IQ of a mildly stale piece of bread. Or he was into cuckoldry. Or both.

    ¡°I give up. His logic is beyond mere mortals like myself.¡± Screw it.

    ¡°Eh, why are you so agitated? What is the worst thing that could''ve happened?¡± Maybe I underestimated how tipsy she was.

    ¡°How about you drinking yourself into a blackout and then waking up in a random hotel room after being thoroughly taken advantage of? That¡¯s if you were lucky. You don¡¯t want to even think about alternatives,¡± I spat the answer.

    With a bit of schadenfreude mixed in, I watched how the silly girl across the table blanched at the implications. A few seconds later, she made a gesture toward the waitress, calling for another cocktail. Or, at least, that was my best guess.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I called out. ¡°I think you had more than enough already.¡±

    ¡°I am a big girl, I know my limits,¡± she patted her impressive bosom. The sheer audacity of this wench¡­

    ¡°Had you already forgotten what happened the last time you said those words to me?¡± I felt my eye twitch once more.

    ¡°Even more so! You are already here, so nothing bad will happen to me anyway.¡± How in the seven hells did she come to this conclusion?

    I snorted. Was there a ¡®good guy¡¯ written somewhere on my face? This damned Counter Girl¡­

    ¡°You know what, Claire?¡± I called out, an animal grin back on my face. ¡°Now I am really tempted to screw you, just out of spite for labeling me as a good guy.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t?¡± After losing some color from her face, the girl across the table half-pleaded, half-asked.

    ¡°Ha, sure. I am not desperate enough to do something like that.¡± I would prefer to do that when she was in full control of her faculties. Her reactions would be, at the very least, half the fun. ¡°But, since I can¡¯t just let you slander me like that, if you end up drunk again tonight, to make the lesson stick a bit better, I will take off your dress. Don¡¯t worry, I will leave your underwear on.¡±

    ¡°Um, thanks?¡± Her lost expression was seriously cute. At this very moment, the waitress put a cocktail before Claire. ¡°So, now that we discussed the conditions, can I continue?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± I grabbed the cocktail and downed the whole thing in a few large gulps, without even bothering to actually taste it. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for you to sober up a bit, and then we can join the dancing crowd. The night just started, it would be such a shame if you drank yourself under the table before having at least some fun.¡±

    I met her gaze with my own, daring her to say something. After all, she had an option to leave right now. I would make sure she reached her home safely, of course.

    ¡°Now that I think,¡± my tentative date for the night started a few moments later. ¡°Why are you even here? Alone, I mean.¡±

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    Oh. Fuck.

    ¡°Well, since you told me your story, I guess it¡¯s my turn?¡± I shook my head, trying to brush off the negative thoughts. ¡°Do you remember my story about how complicated my love life is?¡±

    A nod was my answer.

    ¡°Well, after today, it will either become even more so,¡± I chuckled at my optimism. ¡°Or will naturally untangle itself.¡±

    And I started telling the young woman I barely knew about my problems. Once more.

    ***

    My story was significantly shorter. And I avoided the random tangents as well. My storytelling talent was severely lacking, though, judging by the blank expression on Claire''s face.

    ¡°Um, now I kind of understand your earlier words about alien logic¡­¡± she finally gave me her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s like, I certainly hear what you are saying, but it doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡±

    After contemplating her words for a little while, the best answer I came with was a simple shrug. I understood where she came from, but, since my logic made perfect sense to me, her point was moot.

    ¡°Hey, I have a question,¡± Claire continued. ¡°If I decided to leave right now, what would you do?¡±

    ¡°Praise you for having at least some common sense, and making sure that you would reach your home safely?¡± I shrugged again.

    ¡°And now you are making even less sense to me!¡± she groaned. ¡°If it¡¯s all some sort of evil scheme to get into my pants, can¡¯t you at least act like it is?¡±

    I definitely underestimated how tipsy Claire was. Or maybe she was a notch less naive than I thought?

    ¡°Eh, I already told you ¨C so far, I¡¯m fine with playing within the boundaries you set,¡± I shrugged for the third time in the span of this short conversation. ¡°Though, as long as you won¡¯t say to me straight, without using some flimsy excuses, that you want me to stop, I will push for every advantage you would let me get away¡­¡±

    I wasn¡¯t able to finish my speech since, following what, as of late, became sort of a tradition, the chaos of my life threw me another curveball. Whoever said that history loves repeating itself, was a helluva smart person. I couldn''t find it in myself to even feel surprised, to be honest. Maybe it''s time to re-evaluate my expectations?

    ¡°I knew better than to expect something different, considering that we let you leave alone,¡± the familiar voice rang. ¡°But still, this has to be some kind of record. What, it was an hour or so? You really work fast, honey.¡±

    The familiar voice was followed by the familiar feeling of warmth as Olivia slid into the seat by my side, demonstratively leaning most of her weight onto my side. I turned my head to take a look at her. Olivia had the fakest fucking smile I¡¯ve ever seen.

    ¡°So how about you introduce us?¡± continued my girlfriend.

    ¡°You need to ask Bella for some lessons on both the power plays and fake smiles.¡± I told her, while having an incredibly strong feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°Jokes aside, you already know each other. That¡¯s Claire.¡±

    Said girl, who until this moment was watching the proceedings with curiosity, gave a stiff wave.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Olivia sounded equal parts surprised and incredulous. ¡°Woah, you really know how to choose them, honey.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± I nodded sagely.

    ¡°So, um, how about you tell me what exactly happened here?¡± asked my mistress. ¡°And while you are at it, how about getting some food? After all this stress, I¡¯m starving.¡±

    That made me chuckle. Goddamn, this night was slowly morphing into a storytelling event.

    ***

    ¡°Only you, honey. Only you.¡± This wench had the gall to laugh at my expense. ¡°On the other hand, what¡¯s wrong with that dick weasel? I mean, leaving a pretty girl alone like that, without even offering to send her home¡­ What a dick move.¡±

    ¡°Um, he isn¡¯t that bad¡­ Usually.¡± Of course, the counter girl still defended that Dara guy. Truly, love is blind. ¡°And nothing happened anyway¡­¡±

    I shook my head in resignation and put my hand on Olivia¡¯s knee, giving her a light squeeze to indicate my understanding and support. There was a lot I would love to say to the bitch boy. Should I double my efforts in seducing Claire just to spite him? But then again, maybe he was into that. Oof.

    ¡°You do you, girl,¡± sighed Olivia. ¡°Well, since we are in the club already, there is nothing better than a night of dancing to cheer you up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea¡­¡± drawled Claire. ¡°I, um, don¡¯t want to be a nuisance and get in the way of your date.¡±

    ¡°Who said you are a nuisance?¡± Another question from Olivia. ¡°Why would you even think like that?¡±

    After a few moments of watching how Claire was struggling to find an answer, I decided to give her a helping hand. And, maybe, pour some oil into the proverbial fire.

    ¡°Considering that, just before you appeared, we were talking about me having a nefarious plan to get into her pants, my best guess would be that she is feeling self-conscious right now,¡± I dropped the bomb.

    After hearing my words, Claire winced. Bullseye. On second thought, was that really a good idea? Eh, even if it wasn¡¯t, it¡¯s already too late.

    ¡°And do you really have something like that, honey?¡± Olivia raised her brow at my guess.

    ¡°Take a good look at her and ask yourself¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Yeah, stupid question,¡± said Olivia after giving Claire a once over. ¡°Of course you do.¡±

    ¡°And you are fine with that?!¡± Seems like our little exchange made the counter girl finally snap.

    ¡°Can¡¯t exactly say I am happy, but it¡¯s not the end of the world either,¡± replied Olivia with a shrug.

 I dont understand you.

    ¡°But why?¡± Counter girl wasn''t satisfied with Olivia''s answer.

    ¡°Why what?¡± My girlfriend asked back. ¡°Why am I fine after knowing that he has other women beside me? Why am I fine with him having plans to bed, or something beyond that, even more girls? Perhaps, are you curious why I don''t see you, in particular, as a nuisance?¡±

    Not going to lie, I was feeling pretty interested as well. About the answers and questions alike.

    ¡°Um¡­ All three, I guess,¡± drawled Claire after a minute or so. ¡°I don¡¯t want to come off as being nosey, but¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel puzzled by your reaction. Hell, I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact his stories were true¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie about something like that?¡± I didn¡¯t know how to feel about her words. ¡°From my experience, it¡¯s much easier to score if you tell people what they want to hear. Who, in their right mind, would tell a girl that he is stuck with two other girls already, while the third one is still in the air?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe what sort of bullshit stupid men spout, trying to get some attention from an attractive girl, honey,¡± Olivia interjected, while Claire just nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I was genuinely shocked here. ¡°Like what? Give me an example.¡±

    ¡°One time, a dude tried to get my best friend¡¯s number, and told her that he is a young master from the direct line of one of the Three Families,¡± said the counter girl.

    ¡°Oh, which one? Kouzuki or Long?¡± I asked, fighting back a smile.

    ¡°Smith,¡± Claire replied.

    I lost it. Bloody hell. I cackled like a madman, imagining what sort of expression would¡¯ve been on Helen¡¯s face, after hearing that she has a long-lost brother. A moment later, the volume of my laughter doubled, as I imagined her grandfather trying to explain himself to her.

    ¡°Ah, that was a good one, indeed,¡± I wheezed, still not quite done with my moment of levity.

    ¡°You know, my friend had the same reaction. Well, maybe a tad bit tamer. Not sure why, though,¡± the girl on the other side of the table noted.

    ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m pretty sure it''s publicly available information, but still recommend not to repeat what I¡¯m about to say on every corner,¡± I decided to enlighten her. Olivia also had a hint of interest in her eyes, so why not? ¡°Direct bloodline of Smiths currently is down to just two people. Heiress, and believe me, you wouldn¡¯t mistake her for a man, and Clan Head, who is a grumpy old geezer.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± both girls synchronized there for a second.

    ¡°Oh, indeed,¡± I wasn''t sure what else to add.

    Just like that, the conversation died down, leaving behind an awkward silence.

    ¡°So, about the three questions¡­¡± I decided to change the topic back.

    ¡°Honey?¡± Olivia questioned.

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    ¡°What? I would love to hear your answers,¡± I replied.

    I left my desire to see Claire''s reactions unspoken. Nefarious plans and all that.

    ¡°Would you really?¡± Followed another question from my girlfriend.

    ¡°Of course I would,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Olivia, I said it many times. I''m always happy to learn more about you.¡±

    For my words, I got rewarded by a quick kiss on the cheek. Not a bad trade, if someone asked me.

    ¡°Um, I''m still feeling curious as well¡­¡± Counter girl said, while having a strange expression on her pretty face. Too bad I wasn¡¯t quite able to decipher it.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Olivia gave up. ¡°Which one should I start with?¡±

    All three questions were of equal interest to me, so I left the actual choice to Claire. It was her question in the first place. Counter girl dived somewhere deep into her head, leaving our table in, if you can call it like that in the middle of a nightclub, a moment of quiet.

    ¡°I feel like it would be the best if you go through them in order,¡± Claire voiced her decision at last.

    ¡°Hm, the first one was about him having multiple women, right?¡± Olivia asked for a reminder.

    ¡°Um, something like that, yes,¡± the girl on the other side of the table confirmed.

    ¡°You know, there are a multitude of reasons for that, but most of them are very personal, with some being hard to understand and/or believe in, even to myself. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for me to even speak them aloud. No offense, Claire, but I just don¡¯t know you well enough to tell you the whole story of my life right now,¡± said my mistress, receiving an unsure nod from the girl she addressed. Then she turned her beautiful face towards me and proceeded with her talk. ¡°Honey, if you want to hear the full version, I will tell you later. Better yet, as you said before, I will simply act with it in mind. All the way until you won¡¯t have a choice but to actually believe me.¡±

    I gave her thigh, where I kept my hand all this time by the way, a reassuring squeeze.

    ¡°Now that I actually think about that, all three questions are interconnected. Answering one leads to the answers for the other two as well,¡± the girl by my side continued her speech. ¡°Ignoring all the personal stuff I just mentioned, what is left is a very basic concept. I¡¯m being realistic. To put it into plain words, honey is the best option I have right now, and, most likely, will be the best option I will ever come across.¡±

    Claire tried to say something, but Olivia raised her hand to show she was not yet done talking.

    ¡°He is tall, fit, handsome, rich, well-connected, incredible in bed, and knows how to make me feel, if not loved, then at the very least cared for. I can¡¯t speak for everyone, but in my own dating experience, he is a few heads above every guy I¡¯ve ever met. He isn¡¯t perfect, yes. But nobody is. I don¡¯t see the line of princes, who are just waiting to scoop me into their arms and carry me off into the sunset, either.¡± My mistress chuckled a bit at her own words. ¡°And here we go. I can¡¯t say that sharing him with other women isn¡¯t a big deal, but that¡¯s not an instant dealbreaker to me. It¡¯s something I can, at the very least, work around and make a compromise. Because the pros outweigh the cons. Does this make me a materialistic girl? Sure. But that¡¯s who I am.¡±

    ¡°Not going to lie, I have no idea what to think about your words, but it¡¯s not my place to judge you in any way either,¡± Claire reacted. Olivia took a break to catch her breath and take a sip of cocktail. ¡°But¡­ Tian, are you fine with what she said?¡±

    ¡°Frankly, I would¡¯ve been disappointed if she tried to spin a tall tale about falling in love with me at first glance, and now loving me so much that she is fine to share me with whoever else.¡± I replied. ¡°On the other hand, it¡¯s not like I got attracted to her for some deep reason, either. I liked her looks enough to take my shot. She found me valuable enough to respond positively. It is what it is. As for anything else? Words are cheap, time and actions would tell.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand you,¡± concluded the counter girl.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t understand why you continue chasing the guy who clearly isn¡¯t into you,¡± I shrugged for¡­ whichever time it was tonight. ¡°For fairness¡¯ sake, I don¡¯t understand how and why that dude manages to ignore you, either.¡±

 Moot point.

    ¡°Are you hitting on me? Of all the possible moments to do that, you choose now?¡± Claire voiced her astonishment.

    ¡°Dunno. Did it work? If yes, then of course I did,¡± I smiled back.

    Just as another stare-down between me and Claire was about to begin, Olivia¡¯s well-timed cough caught our attention.

    ¡°Should I continue, or would you rather keep on flirting?¡± my girlfriend intervened. Huh, so some of Bella¡¯s attitude rubbed off on her already. Though, it was like seeing a small kitten imitating a tigress, so I found her jealous act cute instead.

    ¡°Of course you should continue. We can resume our flirting later,¡± I answered her question, while Claire was nodding along with my words.

    ¡°Actually, as I said before, the first answer leads to the second answer,¡± Olivia said, ignoring my words. ¡°We have already established that I am realistic in my expectations. Which means that I am naturally fine with honey adding even more women.¡±

    Her words didn¡¯t make sense to me, but I decided against interrupting.

    ¡°That¡¯s what was my first conclusion I came to. And what I even said to him,¡± my mistress carried on. ¡°And that was a total lie. Of course, I wasn¡¯t fine. Of course, I wanted him all to myself. And I wholeheartedly believed that I would be able to just say one thing, but do another. All I needed to do, I thought, would¡¯ve been making him like me the most, and gradually push away other bitches.¡±

    I weighed her words in my mind. That made a lot of sense to me, actually. This reaction is what I expected to come out of her idea, right from the get go.

    ¡°But something changed?¡± Claire caught on.

    ¡°Yeah, I met his second woman. Oh, she isn¡¯t second to me, but more about that later,¡± Olivia responded. ¡°It was a true eye-opener. And a very humbling experience. For the first time in my life, I met a woman who was that much above my level in every way, whether in her looks, demeanor, or status. Just her presence alone cowed me instantly. And she is a competitor. With a humongous head start at that.¡±

    My girlfriend let out a sigh and took another sip of her cocktail. Both Claire and I were waiting for what would come next.

    ¡°And yet, even a woman like that can¡¯t get him all to herself¡­¡± Olivia lamented. ¡°You know what is the worst part? She is his special woman, yet she is still the second one in his rankings. Which means that, somewhere out there, there is a number one. I dread ever meeting her. I feel my insecurities creeping up just thinking about that.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say here, not going to lie. So, instead, I opted to give her thigh another encouraging squeeze, which resulted in a quick smile, as well as her leaning even more into my side.

    ¡°But I digress. Sorry,¡± the girl by my side apologized. ¡°So, the biggest hurdle of ¡®accepting the fact I wouldn¡¯t be the only one for him¡¯ had already passed, and now I have three options. The first one is to just leave, which isn¡¯t an option I¡¯m willing to take, at least not right now. The second one is to start a fight, which, hopefully, would end up with me as the ultimate winner. Um, this one is a lot more complicated, and I¡¯m pretty sure honey will just walk away by himself, saying something like ¡®Screw this boring drama¡¯.¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s what I would¡¯ve done exactly, indeed,¡± I interjected.

    ¡°Yeah, which means that option number two is a no-go. It¡¯s a lose-lose situation. And this leads to the third one. I can put in effort and try to get as much happiness from this arrangement as possible.¡± Olivia said this with a small hopeful smile on her face, and I lost myself in how absolutely stunning she was looking at this moment. ¡°Um, the actual answer is this. I don¡¯t want to leave. I don¡¯t believe in my chances to win the fight, either. So, I choose to coexist. Simple as that.¡±

    ¡°Co-exist?¡± the counter girl questioned.

    ¡°Yep. At the very minimum, it should be about tolerating each other¡¯s existence. Ideally, some kind of friendship or companionship. Who knows, really, how it would work,¡± my girlfriend replied.

    I tried to picture something like that in my head and¡­ failed. That was too good to be true, came a whisper from the dark depths of my existence. Ways and ways too good. But¡­ if I learned something from my life, it was that chance is always there. Yeah, bad things had a much higher probability, in my experience that is¡­ but my predictions failed many times this last week.

    I cut off the existential thoughts, since they were causing the pleasant buzz in my head to wear off much quicker. Should I get a few extra shots? I checked my watch, it was one-thirty a.m. Not yet the time for me to get wasted.

    ¡°Honey?¡± I heard Olivia calling me.

    ¡°Mm?¡± I acknowledged hearing it.

    ¡°Do you have anything to add, or should I proceed to the last question?¡± my girlfriend asked me.

    ¡°Nah. Nothing really,¡± I replied. ¡°Unless you want me to pat your head and praise you for making the right choice?¡±

    That clearly caught Olivia off guard, if only for a moment. In her enchanting eyes, wide open in surprise and staring right into mine, I was able to see how a wave of joy, mixed with a lot of mischief, overtook every other emotion inside. Her supple lips parted into a brilliant smile as she inclined her head, so it would be easier to reach with my hand. Since my mistress decided to respond positively to my joke, I couldn¡¯t just disappoint her, no? In the end, she really did everything right. So far.

    ¡°You are doing great, Olivia.¡± I said while lightly stroking her hair, trying not to mess it too much. She squinted her eyes like a pleased cat and leaned into my hand, still smiling brightly.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Claire, once again, had that strange expression on her face. It felt familiar for some reason, and yet, for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t put my finger on what exactly it was. A part of me wanted to simply ask her, but that would derail our conversation again, and I was curious to hear what Olivia had to say.

    ¡°And now I definitely feel like a third-wheel,¡± groaned the counter girl after about a minute or so.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to make you feel left out,¡± I apologized with a smile and a cheesy wink. ¡°Would you like to get some head pats as well?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± Claire responded. ¡°That would mess up my hair.¡±

    And, once more, this wasn''t a no. With that thought, I found myself staring right into the eyes of the girl across the table. Only to meet with her own gaze.

    ¡°And they are at it again,¡± I heard a defeated sigh from my side. ¡°Hey, maybe it¡¯s time to hit the dance floor? Personally, I think the third question is kind of moot at this point.¡±

 Stay.

    I gave Claire another smile, and broke off the eye-contact, turning my head towards Olivia. Her smile looked a bit strained. No shit, Sherlock, I would¡¯ve been long since livid from jealousy if I were in her place.

    I took my hand from her head and slid it down to her waist, hugging her tighter into my side. My second hand caught her chin, tilting her face a bit upward. And then I gave her a deep, greedy kiss.

    After an initial moment of surprise, my mistress threw her arms around my neck, responding to my kiss with passion. Mmm, seems like she had the same cocktail as last week. Grenadine syrup, orange juice and a hint of tequila. Something Sunrise. Or was it a Sunset?

    The kiss itself wasn¡¯t all that long, but, judging by how noticeably more cheerful the expression on the beautiful face of my girlfriend became, it was the right course of action.

    Maybe it wasn''t an optimal choice in this situation, but my priorities were straightforward. Obviously, alleviating Olivia''s insecurities was more important than whatever was going on between Claire and me.

    ¡°Um, should I leave?¡± asked the counter girl.

    ¡°Do you want to?¡± I met her words with a question of my own.

    ¡°I¡­ am not sure,¡± she answered.

    ¡°You know, Claire, you are sending really mixed signals here.¡± I shook my head. ¡°How about we make it much simpler? I think it should be pretty obvious what I want from you. So, all that is left is a question. What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Ha, mixed signals! A bit rich coming from you, don''t you think?¡± Claire responded to my words with a chuckle. ¡°I mean, every time I feel like the logic behind your behavior finally makes sense to me, you change the way you act!¡±

    Olivia, who was currently happily clinging to my arm, kept her silence while watching our exchange with interest.

    ¡°Eh? Haven¡¯t I already told you?¡± I shook my head, trying to fight back the genuine confusion. ¡°Everything I¡¯m doing is a part of my nefarious plan. I just keep adjusting my actions according to the situation, my own circumstances, and also new things I learn about you.¡±

    Claire just stared at me, as if waiting for a more in-depth explanation. Why do people tend to be so complicated?

    ¡°Fine, since you still think that my signals are mixed, I will stop beating around the bush and explain it to you in detail,¡± I said, my voice laced with the irritation I felt inside. ¡°I want to fuck you. Simple as that. So, I went for the easiest way to accomplish such a goal: getting you drunk and taking advantage of you afterward. Granted, you did your hardest to play along with the whole thing. The problem is, I found the idea to be so incredibly lacking at the time that I ultimately decided not to. For the most part, because of my own set of moral principles, lacking as they are, but in no small way due to feeling curious to see your reaction.¡±

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    I paused briefly to catch my breath and to take a sip of my almost empty cocktail. Bloody hell, with all the endless talking, this night felt so long at the moment.

    ¡°Your actual reactions from that point onward were a Christmas Tree of mixed signals. I can cook an explanation on why you played along with my obvious scheme. The guy keeps ignoring you, you want to feel the attention, and, maybe, a wee bit of revenge mixed in. Been there, done that. You won¡¯t believe how many girls slept with me for that exact reason.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure myself, I lost count long ago. ¡°But keeping close contact with me, especially after learning I have multiple relationships going on, just doesn¡¯t make much sense, however I think about that. Even now, you are still sitting here with me and one of my girlfriends, instead of taking my previous offer to send you home safely. All the while repeating that you already have someone you like.¡±

    I reached my hand to my glass, only to find it empty. Damn. Olivia just finished hers as well. Just my luck, I guess.

    ¡°So, enlighten me on this, oh Counter Girl. What the hell do you want from me?¡± I finished my speech with pathos.

    Claire lowered her gaze, as if finding her drink incredibly interesting all of a sudden. Deciding to give her time to think through whatever was going through her head, I made a gesture to a server to come over. While giving our orders to a briefly arrived waitress, I again played around with the idea of simply getting wasted, but I already promised Olivia a night of dancing regardless of how tonight would go, haven¡¯t I?

    ¡°Hey, honey, why are you making this so overly complicated?¡± my mistress suddenly said. ¡°The poor girl already told you that she isn¡¯t sure, and you made yourself clear enough, I think. How about postponing the hard stuff for now and just focusing on the important stuff right now? Let¡¯s dance! You promised!¡±

    Olivia¡¯s upbeat words, coupled with a light pinch I felt on my arm, still hugged by her, took my mind off this track. She was right. Leaving hard stuff for later was the best course of action right now. The girl across the table also raised her eyes from her glass.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I nodded. ¡°Claire, I will give you one more out. Just to make sure that I interpret your signals properly, well, as far as it is possible. With conditions that we already discussed previously, still in power, do you want to stay with us for the night? Or would you rather prefer for me to send you home?¡±

    There was a bit of a wordplay in my question, but this wouldn¡¯t be much of an evil scheme otherwise, right?

    ¡°Stay.¡± I heard her voice

    What an interesting answer that was for my future self to think about.

    ***

    Once more, I decided to let Olivia lead on the dance floor, and that was a great decision, indeed. It started with me dancing with Olivia. Then my girlfriend managed to gradually include Claire in our dance. Which really helped to break the ice left after the last conversation.

    Dancing, talking, drinking. More dancing than anything else. With either of the girls. With both of them at the same time. Or just watching how they danced together. That¡¯s how the rest of the night went. Pretty uneventful, all things considered.

    Until, eventually, the counter girl, either making good on her words from much earlier, or just being carried away by the atmosphere, finally blacked out, drunk. Good thing that by this point we changed our resting location to my personal lounge.

    I still double-checked her smartphone, locked for good, before exchanging glances with pretty tipsy herself, Olivia. Receiving only a simple shrug back, I gave up and called a taxi. Claire consented explicitly to my conditions earlier, so I decided to follow on my promise as well.

    I absentmindedly checked the ETA for the taxi, and noticed a new message icon on my phone.

 Call me by my name.

    Bella: [Busy. Work. Hate you. See you on Sunday.]

    Wow, how surprisingly wordy of her. Well, I guess asking her to free the whole day out with her schedule definitely could make her pretty busy.

    Me: [work hard, my dear. I will make sure to have enough fun for the both of us]

    And sent. I imagined her smiling, weary of my sense of humor, or lack of thereof, and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle myself.

    ***

    The taxi driver looked a bit familiar to me. Maybe it was his appearance, since taxi drivers were wearing the same uniform. Perhaps I met the dude already in this or the previous run. But, much more likely, it was the way he looked at the three of us in the rearview mirror, caught my own gaze, smiled at me with a wink, thumbed up and turned his head to the road.

    Well, I couldn¡¯t exactly blame the guy, not while having a wasted sleeping beauty sitting on my lap, while another, a little less drunk but just as attractive, girl hugged my arm.

    Still, what a weirdo. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    ***

    ¡°What do you think you are doing, honey?¡± my girlfriend smacked me on the arm when I tried to sling my burden over the shoulder into the fireman''s carry. Deciding against arguing with her, I changed it into the so-called princess carry. And received a nod of approval for the choice. Who cares anyway?

    I gave the apartment keys to Olivia, since my hands were busy holding Claire, and we started our ascent to the third floor. With an impish giggle, my succubus of a mistress decided to play the same game as last week. Only on a harder difficulty, since I held extra softness in my arms already. Ugh.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I called out. ¡°Not right now.¡±

    My girlfriend giggled even harder, but did as I said. Good girl.

    Three floors worth of steps later, Olivia opened the apartment door, and we all went inside. Quickly taking off my shoes, I went directly into the bedroom and threw my burden onto the bed. Sweet dreams, princess. I smirked at my own joke.

    A moment later, I felt the body pressing onto my back, with the ticklish feeling of Olivia¡¯s lips on my neck following closely. Obviously enough, she was clearly in the mood. I turned around to face her and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

    ¡°Still not the time,¡± I followed up on my previous words.

    She momentarily halted, as if trying to process what she did just hear, and pouted cutely. I shook my head at her antics and gave her another quick peck. My girlfriend tried to deepen it into the proper kiss, but I quickly extracted myself from her embrace.

    I turned back to the wasted beauty on the bed and started to undress her. Promise is a promise. What could I do? Off went her heels. Turning her on her stomach, a quick motion to unzip her dress. Hm, did she wear the strapless bra? With that thought, I turned her onto her back again.

    ¡°Honey, what are you doing?¡± I heard the question.

    ¡°Hm? Teaching her a lesson on why she shouldn¡¯t drink in the company of suspicious low-lives like me,¡± I answered with a shrug. ¡°Before you ask, yes, I got her consent beforehand.¡±

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    I grabbed the hem of Claire¡¯s dress and dragged it down, freeing her form from the clothes. Well¡­ this was certainly a pair of victory panties. As for whether her bra was strapless or not? I had no way to know, since she wore none at the moment. I felt a headache coming.

    ¡°Olivia, can you please give me one of my t-shirts from the closet?¡± I asked for some help.

    ¡°Huh? Why do you need one?¡± And received back a surprised question.

    ¡°Well, the conditions were that I would leave her in her underwear. And she is¡­ somewhat underdressed as of now,¡± I replied in exasperation.

    ¡°Do you think she just conveniently forgot about this fact?¡± Olivia clearly mocked me with this one.

    ¡°Of course not, but I still would rather follow through on my promises.¡± I ignored her mockery.

    Less than a minute later, I finished dressing the drunken counter girl in my t-shirt, clearly oversized this time around, and let out another sigh. Bloody hell, what a pain.

    ¡°Honey.¡± I heard another call. ¡°Do you still think her signals are mixed?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded back, while taking off my own clothes. ¡°At the very least, she isn¡¯t certain about which ones she wants me to follow upon.¡±

    ¡°And you still questioned her about this?¡± my mistress, who was almost naked as well, decided to ask another one. ¡°Even if it would ruin your¡­ What was it? Your nefarious plans, yes.¡±

    I turned my face to look her in the eyes.

    ¡°Whoever said that wasn¡¯t a part of my plan as well?¡± I tilted my head, watching her eyes slowly widening in surprise. ¡°By the way, do you want to join me in the shower?¡±

    Her smirk, another one of Bella¡¯s faults or so it seems, full of lust, was my answer.

    ***

    As the stream of water rolled down my body, I felt a glare boring my back. Olivia wasn¡¯t impressed with the lack of my attention to her naked self. Not at all. She was in the mood long before this point, so I can understand her feelings. But it was just so damn fun to mess with her.

    I turned around to face my¡­ well, whoever she actually was to me. Ah, to hell with those hard questions. I was entirely too drunk for this. She noticed my gaze and decided to show off a bit, striking a sexy pose. Girl, you are hot and naked. Any pose was sexy.

    ¡°Honey! Stop just looking and touch me already.¡± I heard her spoiled voice.

    I obliged, pinching lightly on her hardened nipple, eliciting a moan out of the gorgeous girl in front of me. As I played with it, another random thought came to distract my focus.

    ¡°Hm, Olivia, you keep calling me ¡®honey¡¯. Should I also do so? Or some other pet name?¡± I raised an important topic.

    ¡°Stop teasing me, dammit!¡± The girl of my current interest leaned her head into my pecs and tried to move my arm from her chest to someplace lower.

    I played along, letting my palm slowly take a journey across her frame and towards the nether regions. I stopped just above the destination of her choice, though.

    ¡°Honey!¡± Another call out, full of mock reproach and arousal, left her mouth, her hot breath tickling my pecs.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± I chided back, refusing to budge. I had enough fun playing with the accurately trimmed rectangle patch of soft hair she left there.

    Through the years, I was mostly desensitized on the matter of styling of pubic hair, leaving the choice to the women. Variety is the key to fun. Unless it was a fully untamed jungle, that is.

    ¡°No.¡± I wasn¡¯t able to decide if it was a note of defiance, or an answer to my question. ¡°I want you to call me by my name.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I felt curious.

    ¡°Because it means that you still remember my name.¡± Huh. This made me halt for a moment, yet she continued. ¡°And I love hearing how you say it.¡±

    How cute. I slid my palm a bit lower, to her moist entrance. And it was definitely not only the shower fault. A moment later, I turned her around. She was all for it, though, arching her back and leaning her whole body into me, and I hugged her even closer, burying my face into her nape. Slowly teasing her below with my free hand. My mistress let out another loud moan.

    Another instant to take a proper aim, and I slid inside her, still tightly holding her in place.

    ¡°Olivia.¡± I whispered into her ear, and she shivered, squeezing me even harder. ¡°You are a good girl.¡±

    And then there was only lust.

 Awkward awakening.

    There were certain times in my life when I hated things about myself. Most frequently that was all about my nature, certain aspects of my character, or, on the rarest of rare occasions, being too handsome for my own good. My humbleness was the best trait I ever had, though, so it is what it is.

    The second-best thing about me was, without any doubt, my body. Great tool that saved my shitty self so many times. That helped me to be myself under any circumstances. Whether it was about height, general proportions, myostatin limits and natural hormone levels, metabolism, muscular and bodily symmetry, bone density, joint strength and mobility, or almost inhuman levels of regeneration and adaptability, my body had it all. In short, I truly won a genetic lottery, no question asked.

    But, right now, was that once in a blue moon moment, where I greatly despised it. Despite alcohol intake yesterday, coupled with general levels of stress throughout the day, in addition to falling asleep around five in the morning, my body''s inner clocks woke me up, since it was time for my daily routine.

    Fuck.

    Trying not to wake up Olivia, whose peaceful adorable snoring I could hear by my side, I kicked back my blanket, getting ready to stand up. Only for my violence to be refused by said blanket, which actually started to cling to me even harder. Deciding not to play mental games, I opened one eye to get a confirmation of my current best guess.

    Of course, it was Claire, whom I forgot about until this moment, sloppily drooling on top of my chest, doing her best impression of a lazy koala.

    ¡°Hm, so it¡¯s not the closest body that is being chosen as a target. How curious,¡± I muttered under my breath, trying not to wake the girls up.

    A few futile attempts to tear the koala girl from my form later, I gave up and decided to chill for a bit longer. My hand found its way to the top of Claire¡¯s head, without much cognitive effort from my side. My second hand sneaked its way to Olivia¡¯s boobs, only for her to frown in her sleep and roll out of my reach, denying me the access to her body. Damn. A moment of contemplation later, I decided that, since the koala girl was hugging me so shamelessly, it¡¯s only fair to return the favor. And, just like that, I hugged her by the waist, comfortably resting my hand somewhere around the small of the back.

    I closed my eyes, focusing on the feel of Claire¡¯s hair, which was a bit stiff from all the gel used in the styling process, against my hand. The monotone, yet pleasant, action, paired with the overall warm and soft feeling of her body, let me slip into that meditative state I craved so much. Not the worst way to start the day, I guess.

    ***

    About an hour later, my blissful rest was disturbed by the stirrings of a koala girl¡¯s waking up. Same as the last time, Claire stilled completely for a moment, only to relax back soon after. So, being hugged by me was within boundaries she deemed as acceptable. Good to know.

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    ¡°Good morning, Claire,¡± I greeted the girl currently laying on my chest.

    ¡°M-mornin¡­¡± I got a drowsy reply back.

    ¡°How was your sleep?¡± I continued my speech with a question. ¡°Am I really that comfortable that you crawled from the other side of the bed, and over Olivia as well, just to latch onto me?¡±

    The koala girl cutely tilted her head, seemingly not quite registering my words. Then Claire turned her head to the side, where Olivia was currently sprawled right in the middle of the bed. As the current situation dawned upon the counter girl, the drowsy look in her eyes rapidly vanished, as the wave of blushing slowly creeped all the way to her hairline.

    ¡°Hey, sorry to tell you that right when you want to play ostrich, but I am already an hour late to my morning exercise routine,¡± I informed the koala girl, before she could do exactly what I said. ¡°I decided to give you some extra sleep, but can you get off me now? Please.¡±

    Which she did, scuttling to the wrong side of the bed, almost falling onto the floor in the process. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I managed to catch her before she made contact with the hard surface. Though, now the situation somehow became even more awkward¡­

    I caught her, falling backwards and headfirst, after her panic roll. And was currently holding her by her waist, with her decidedly oversized t-shirt, under the force of gravity, pulling up and barely hanging on her sizable chest, showing me a lot of her under-boob, her toned midriff and all the way down to the victory panties she still had on.

    Ugh. This was a proper piece of lingerie, more lace than fabric, not quite see-through, and small enough to not leave much to the imagination, while still keeping this illusion of mystery. Something I would''ve expected to see on someone like Bella, and was, in fact, long since used to her wearing similar, if not riskier, things. Definitely not on someone like Claire, even if I couldn¡¯t say it didn¡¯t suit her. It definitely did, adding a lot of so-called gap Moe to her image.

    Overall, the view in front of me was nine parts enticing, one part comical from my perspective. Should I push her boundaries a bit more, perhaps? I shook my head, both in exasperation and to clear my head from dangerous thoughts, and pulled her back onto my chest. The deer-in-headlights look on her face, as I did so, was quite funny.

    ¡°Claire, as much as I would like to play with you for much longer,¡± I whispered into her ear, eliciting a cute yelp as a reaction. ¡°But my morning routine is already tired of waiting for me.¡±

    I extended my free hand, rolling the still fast asleep Olivia out of the way, and put the frozen solid girl in my arms into the now emptied space. All the while, her wide-open eyes were staring at me.

    Deciding that I wasted enough time already, I cut the playtime right there, and stood up. Oh, I actually didn¡¯t forget to put on boxers after the shower yesterday. What a surprise. I shrugged off another silly thought, and proceeded into the short mobility routine I usually did before my run. Bathroom visit later, skipping a cold shower for today, I scoured the closet to find my trusty running gear, a different set of sweatpants, and another hoodie.

    Then I located my phone on the bedside table. No new messages, by the way. And a pair of earbuds lying nearby. Making sure that both devices had enough battery to last for a run, I put earbuds inside my ears, duh, tapped onto my random daily playlist and threw the smartphone into the pocket of my hoodie. Hall. Putting on my running shoes, double-checking the music volume, and I was ready to go.

    An additional moment of consideration, and I decided to take my wallet with me, just in case Olivia would wake up and ask to buy something for breakfast.

 A slice of life.

    My mistress really asked me to buy the fresh bread from the local bakery. That extended my route by a quarter of an hour, plus the time inside the shop, so it took me one and a half hours to return.

    I opened the apartment door and went inside. After taking off my running shoes, I continued my way to the kitchen, from where I could smell the coffee and hear the voices of two girls talking about something. Both Olivia and Claire were sitting on the windowsill, holding the coffee cups in their hands. On the second glance, I noticed that both were fresh out of the shower, wet hair and no makeup gave them away, and, for some unknown reason, wearing my t-shirts. My girlfriend, against her habit, actually wore the pair of panties underneath, while the counter girl was wearing a pair of shorts that were a good size too tight on her hips.

    I waved my hand in a greeting, put the bag with bread on the kitchen table, and decided to complete my calisthenics and stretching routine.

    ***

    ¡°You are a monster,¡± the two girls chorused in unison. No idea why. What¡¯s wrong with handstand push-ups?

    For some reason, both Olivia and Claire decided to ogle me through the workout. Olivia even asked me to take off my shirt for more engagement for the audience, with Claire nodding along. I told them that I won¡¯t mind doing it if they would also take off theirs. It was more of a joke than anything else on my part, and, in the end, I still did it anyway just to show off my physique, but the koala girl¡¯s flustered expression was a treat in itself.

    ¡°And you are doing this routine every day?¡± Claire asked, sounding positively dumbfounded. ¡°Why do you even need to go to the gym?¡±

    I finished the last set before answering her question:

    ¡°To pick up girls, for the most part,¡± I told the truth. ¡°And, well, most of the body weight exercises long since became too inefficient for me, and I don¡¯t have enough space for the proper equipment in this apartment. Hence, I am going to the gym to work with weights.¡±

    Still topless, I proceeded into cooldown yoga, doubling as a stretch and mobility routine. It was just a week since I started doing it in this body, so my goal was far away as ever.

    ¡°Ugh, you are more flexible than me,¡± lamented my mistress.

    ¡°Monster,¡± doubled Claire. ¡°What are you aiming for? Vertical split?¡±

    I shook my head and smiled wryly, while shifting into a different position. I kept my silence, though, since the proper breathing was a part of the exercise.

    ***

    Walking out of the shower, the contrast one as usual after my work-out, I found that both girls, once more, were sitting on the kitchen windowsill. My breakfast, plus a cup of coffee, was already waiting for me on the table.

    Eggs, bacon, simple vegetable salad without any dressing. All heavily seasoned. By now, Olivia already memorized my preferences. Listening to the girl¡¯s talk, something about the movie they both wanted to watch later, I dug into my food.

    ***

    The movie was abysmally boring. In my opinion, of course. The gray mouse type girl, like six out of ten with makeup, hooked up with a ten out of ten guy, who fell for her from the first sight. I had no idea why he would do that, but, I guess, Cinderella-type stories were an ever-so-popular staple for romantic comedies.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Still doesn¡¯t change the fact that if I were watching it alone in the cinema, I would¡¯ve left long ago. Though, being in the company of two pretty girls, while getting a lap pillow from one of them, made this movie much more bearable. Especially since I could easily ignore it, as the two of them had a conversation partner to discuss what was going on, even without my input.

    ***

    Fuck. The feeling I felt right now was a true despair. That damned ¡®masterpiece¡¯ had a sequel.

    The first movie was long enough, so it was almost lunchtime already. With the second one being even longer, we decided that it was time to get some food. After a quick vote, the offer to order pizza won unanimously. Claire said she knew a great local place, and, I must admit, her recommendation was worth it.

    ***

    The second movie was just as bad as I thought. Out of nowhere, the childhood friend of the heroine, another ten out of ten dude deeply in love with, allegedly, the unassuming six out of ten girls. So, the love rivalry went full on, as two guys were getting ready to go for insane length, trying to get the attention of the main character, who still had enough audacity to try and sit on the fence the whole time.

    Nah, even worse actually, since even the girls, with a small aid from carb crush from eating too much pizza, started to nod off somewhere in the first third of it. I was bored out of my mind long before that, so there was no one left to stop the group nap from happening.

    I was still laying on top of Olivia¡¯s lap, which made me wonder how her legs seemingly never went numb all this time. So, she simply keeled over, almost suffocating my drowsy self with her breasts. Claire fought heroically against the power of Morpheus, but still lost in the end. Following tradition, a short while after she fell asleep, she relocated onto my chest.

    I sighed and fished around, looking for something to cover our nap-pile. Finally finding a comforter, I somehow managed to put it over Olivia¡¯s form. Another round of fishing and a bit of a struggle later, I got a sheet from under the covers and wrapped it around Claire and, by extension, myself.

    For a moment there. I had a weird thought, something along the line of ¡®Why is the counter girl still chilling together with us, instead of leaving asap¡¯. But it was neither here nor there. So I gave up. Sweet dreams.

    The nap came to an end as abruptly as it started. The sound of an unfamiliar ringtone woke Claire up and seemingly led her into panic mode, for some reason. She quickly got up and almost dashed to the hall, where I left her purse, together with her smartphone, last night. I felt curious, but Olivia was hugging my head, so I couldn¡¯t move without waking her up. On a side note, I was envious of her ability to stay asleep¡­

    The door from the bedroom to the hall was open. And, since the koala girl didn¡¯t really control the volume of her voice, I could hear the one-sided version of the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom. I forgot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m safe. Sorry for worrying you.¡±

    ¡°At a friend¡¯s place.¡±

    ¡°No, not her. She is still on vacation.¡±

    ¡°No, not him either.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s someone you don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a guy.¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡±

    ¡°No! He already has a girlfriend, anyway.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®who cares¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°Why do you even ask that?¡±

    ¡°I already said he has a girlfriend, mom.¡±

    ¡°I care, mom.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to give him the phone, mom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hang up, if you don¡¯t start making sense, mom.¡±

    ¡°Today.¡±

    ¡°There are some things I need to think about first, mom.¡±

    ¡°I will tell you later, mom.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mom. I really am.

    ¡°Cya. Bye bye.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a lot to unpack from what I heard, at least not with the spotty information I had about Claire in the first place.

 Slip

    The counter girl stepped back into the bedroom and stopped momentarily while tapping something into her phone. After Claire was done with whatever she was doing, her gaze finally met mine. Her face went through a series of expressions, from surprise, to contemplation, to realization, to a resignation. In her eyes, I could almost read the unasked question of ¡®Did you hear everything?¡¯ Keeping my own silence, I just nodded with a shrug. Which led to a deep sigh from the counter girl.

    With a great reluctance, I extracted myself from Olivia¡¯s embrace, who then curled into almost a ball. What was she? A cat? I gestured for Claire to follow me into the kitchen, which she did, and closed both doors behind us.

    ¡°So.¡± What a way to start a conversation, indeed. ¡°I guess you are about to leave?¡±

    ¡°Um, I guess so,¡± the counter girl¡¯s answer was just as awkward.

    ¡°Is it about the morning episode?¡± I decided to ask.

    ¡°In a way¡­¡± Claire drawled. ¡°But not entirely. I¡­ I just don¡¯t want to be a third-wheel any longer.¡±

    ¡°You are still on that?¡± I sighed. ¡°Hey, Claire, did either of us tell you that you are in the way?¡±

    ¡°No. Neither of you did. And that makes me even more self-conscious¡­¡± she replied. ¡°Tian, I don¡¯t know what to do, or even what to think, right now. You were right, your love life is a helluva complicated thing, and I am not certain if I want to be a part of it.¡±

    ¡°But you aren¡¯t fully against it either,¡± I nodded, voicing the unsaid part of her sentence.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed. ¡°And that makes me feel even more confused.¡±

    ¡°Understandable,¡± I nodded once more. ¡°So, do you want me to stop then?¡±

    ¡°And if I said yes, would you?¡± Clare responded with a question of her own.

    ¡°Yep. I would,¡± I gave her an answer.

    ¡°Just like that?¡± She sounded surprised.

    ¡°Just like that,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Why?¡± And another one.

    ¡°Because that would mean one of the two things. You either aren¡¯t interested, or you want to play some kind of stupid games with me. And in both cases I have better things to do with my time,¡± I gave her the truth.

    ¡°And then what? Will you just disappear into thin air?¡± Claire questioned, with a hint of bitterness in her tone.

    ¡°Hm. No, not really. I will just stop seeing you as a potential interest, and will shift my priorities accordingly. I will still greet you if we met on your shift in the convenience store, or in that park, or in the gym,¡± I explained. ¡°You also seem to hit it off decently well with Olivia. So, I guess, I will be your acquaintance, your friend¡¯s boyfriend. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±

    ¡°Not a friend?¡± Even more bitterness in her tone.

    ¡°Claire. Please. I can¡¯t be your friend. That would be a disservice to us both.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Even if we ignored the existing knowledge about the true nature of my intentions. Not to sound too arrogant, but do you think your future boyfriend would ever feel safe with me being close to you? I wouldn¡¯t let my woman stay in contact with someone like myself, either. Too much risk.¡±

    ¡°I would never!¡± Claire exclaimed.

    ¡°Yes, you wouldn¡¯t. But I would,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Keeping everything that already happened between the two of us in mind. With everything I told you about who I am as well. Answer me this, do you believe that you can stop me?¡±

    In one fluid motion, I was already in her personal space, towering above her petite form, my hands clasped on her waist, limiting her escape possibilities. Disbelief, shock, apprehension, and a bit of fear clear in her gaze. Wait, there was something else. Expectation? Her hands clenched on my chest, not even trying to push me away. She hasn¡¯t screamed either, even knowing that Olivia was just two doors away. On second thought, Olivia was my girlfriend, yes, but, at the very least, the chance was worth the effort. What is wrong with you, counter girl?

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    With a little to no effort, I raised Claire into the air and put her on a kitchen table, half-laying her on her back. Afterward, with long since honed motion, first I got my knee between her legs, spreading them a bit apart, then inserting the rest of my body, putting enough of my weight onto hers, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to run away. Taking off my right hand from her waist, I got it underneath her shirt and raised it, freeing her breasts. With another honed motion, using the same hand, I scooped her right breast, big enough to spill out of my palm and firm enough to defy gravity, and squeezed it a little, even playing a bit with a hardened nipple.

    Still no scream followed. Her arms were just clenching my own shirt. She was biting her lip fighting back the moan, her face flustered to the extreme. Her eyes were half-lidded, most negative emotions in them were gone, leaving only expectations, lust and a lot of apprehension.

    ¡°Is this another lesson?¡± I heard Olivia¡¯s voice all of a sudden.

    Her words went through my head like a wave of frigid water, shackling the fucking animal that I am, and leaving behind the cold clarity. I fucked up. Royally.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s me losing control.¡± I shook my head, releasing my hold on Claire¡¯s¡­ everything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Claire, I fucked up.¡±

    Not waiting for her answer, what was there to wait for even, I left the kitchen, brushing past silent Olivia, and went to the bathroom. I turned the cold water on and stuck my head under the faucet.

    ***

    Fuck. Well, there went my nefarious plans. Pity. I focused on the feeling of cold water running down my head and neck. Worse yet, Olivia had seen me losing my control. Double fuck. Obviously enough, I expected to slip at some point, but not this early.

    I heard someone knocking on the bathroom door. Leaving from under the water stream, I took a towel and wiped off the dripping liquid. I was stalling for time, of course, and I knew that. A moment later, I opened the door, getting ready for what was about to come.

    ¡°Hey, Tian.¡± I must¡¯ve started hallucinating. ¡°I think I need a shower. Again.¡±

    Instead of screaming at me, rightfully accusing me of all the sins in the world, there stood Claire, a wry smile on her lips, the leftover blush still playing on her face.

    ¡°And. Um. Well. I think I got my answer for your previous question.¡± She even had the nerve to chuckle. ¡°Um, also, I kind of heard what you said about my mixed signals to Olivia last night. It¡¯s not that I faked my blackout, it¡¯s just, you know, I briefly woke up when you threw me onto the bed.¡±

    She stumbled a bit in her words, for some reason, trying to explain herself to me. What the hell?

    ¡°So, um. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know which ones I want you to follow. It¡¯s just I want you to follow all of them simultaneously.¡± Another chuckle. Did I dream all of this up or what? ¡°I said it once previously. You are an enigma to me. I never met anyone quite like you before. And you make me feel all kinds of things. And I don¡¯t know what to make out of it. Just like right before, in the kitchen¡­¡±

    She gulped and stopped talking for a moment, while I, still not quite sure what was going on, kept my mouth shut.

    ¡°It was unexpected, shocking even. Scary,¡± she hugged herself, shuddering a bit. ¡°And very exciting. I, um, don¡¯t think I will forget this lesson like ever.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer if you forgot, not going to lie,¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Nuh-uh, not going to happen. For better or for worse,¡± Claire smiled. ¡°But I digress. You asked me what I want from you. And, um, my answer is simple. I want you to continue doing all of this.¡±

    ¡°All of this?¡± I asked back.

    ¡°Um, maybe except the kitchen thing¡­ I don¡¯t think I am ready. Not yet,¡± the flustered girl sputtered.

    ¡°Oh. Yeah, I must apologize again,¡± I sighed. ¡°Sorry Claire. I let my control slip for a moment there. I¡­ will try my best not to mess like that again, but I will understand if you decide to avoid me.¡±

    Instead of speaking, the counter girl took a step closer to me and made a gesture for me to lower my head. Well, a few slaps were the least I expected to get from this mess, so I did as she asked and braced myself.

    Only the slap never came. Instead, Claire kissed me on the cheek. Nothing more than a quick peck. I barely felt a touch of her lips.

    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± the koala girl graced me with her verdict. ¡°Just, um, please, don¡¯t do it again, um, without permission.¡±

    Yes, a hallucination it was. Good to know. I still tried to lie to myself, not wanting to accept the true scope of the Chaos that was my second life. A moment later I put a hand on Claire¡¯s chin and raised her face up, with a dark pleasure looking into her widening eyes. And gave her a kiss, a chaste one, no tongue involved, just long enough for her body to go stiff.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t give me chances like that, Counter Girl,¡± I whispered into her ear.

    I released her and went out, leaving behind the blushing mess with her hand on her lips. What is there to say? Chaos was much more interesting than Boredom. I felt the smile stretching my lips.

 Sounds a lot like a good time.

    After getting out of a pretty lengthy shower, Claire decided to hasten her escape out of my lair. Smart girl. The two girls combined their efforts and, after scouring both my wardrobe and clothes that Olivia relocated to this apartment, managed to get a decent enough combination for Claire to wear. I refused to let her leave wearing the club dress, unless she wanted me to escort her all the way to her place, that is.

    I also insisted on getting her a taxi, but she refused, motivating it with the fact that it was just a quarter before five in the afternoon, and it wasn¡¯t that far away.

    When the time came to say the farewells, I got her flustered again, asking if she wanted a goodbye kiss. Curiously enough, she agreed. This time I gave her a light peck on the cheek and wished her a safe journey.

    ***

    After the apartment door closed, I felt a weight on my back. Olivia hugged me tightly and pressed her face between my neck and a shoulder. I just waited for her to say anything, letting her stay like that as long as she wanted.

    ¡°Hey, honey,¡± she started fifteen minutes later. ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed without any hesitation.

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Olivia asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Yep. Why would I refuse a date with you?¡± I questioned back.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well. I felt scared that you lost your interest in me,¡± my girlfriend whispered, her breath tickling my neck.

    ¡°Nope,¡± I said, turning around and embracing her. Only now I noticed that she was trembling. ¡°Still as interested as ever.¡±

    I hugged her closer, kissing the top of her head, and started slowly stroking her back, trying to chase her anxiety away.

    ¡°Can you say my name, please?¡± I heard an odd request.

    ¡°Olivia.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but either way, I was happy to oblige.

    ¡°Again? Please,¡± another whisper.

    ¡°Olivia.¡± Still the same reasoning.

    ¡°And, one more time, please.¡± OK, that started worrying me.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I still followed her request.

    I kept hugging her in the quietness of the hall.

    ¡°Hey, honey,¡± the girl in my arms broke the silence. ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I agreed without any hesitation.

    ***

    I looked at Olivia, who was currently busy choosing what to wear for our date. I would never understand people who can do that, by their own volition even.

    ¡°Do you have any concrete plans in mind?¡± I asked the busy girl.

    ¡°Oh,¡± followed a surprised exclamation. Looks like my girlfriend was lost somewhere deep inside her pretty head. ¡°I have an idea, but now that you asked, I¡¯m not certain whether it¡¯s a good one or not.¡±

    ¡°Well. If you want my opinion, I need more details,¡± I joked. ¡°You know, I still can¡¯t read minds.¡±

    My mistress halted what she was doing and turned to face me. The serious expression on her beautiful face caught my attention, but the fact she was wearing only her underwear right now made my thoughts drift a bit.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°So, ugh, where to even start.¡± I heard her mutterings. ¡°Yesterday, after you left, Bella and I, we had a talk, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Now that I think. Do you want to hear what we were talking about, honey?¡± Olivia changed the topic abruptly.

    ¡°If you want to tell me, yes. If not, then I don¡¯t,¡± I answered her question, nonetheless. ¡°But that¡¯s not what we are talking about right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, so, back to the original topic.¡± Whatever was the thing on her mind, it clearly brought up a lot of her insecurities. ¡°So, one of the things that we talked about was the matter of keeping your interest. Um, I also finally understood just how loaded this term is for you.¡±

    ¡°Olivia, focus,¡± I called her out again.

    ¡°Yes, right, sorry? I¡­ just feel so very nervous right now,¡± my girlfriend apologized. ¡°So, Bella, she asked me to call her like that by the way, told me she had no clue how to do that. Then she said that, in her case, it¡¯s most likely because you two always have multiple types of connection. So, whenever your interest in her as a lover goes away, you still keep being around for some other reason.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ actually sounds plausible,¡± I nodded along.

    Bella was a lot of things for me, being my lover was just one of them. But then again, she was a special case, even if I, myself, couldn¡¯t put a finger on what exactly that meant.

    ¡°And, so, I had this idea. Ugh, it is a little childish, but, it¡¯s like I¡¯m grasping at straws right now,¡± Olivia drawled. ¡°I was thinking what type of connection we have right now, and, well, however I tossed and turned it inside my head, it boiled down to one thing. Money. You are, as a customer, paying for the product. Me, as you put it, being your mistress.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± I acknowledged. The actual situation was a lot more nuanced from my perspective, but, I guess, this was one way to look at it.

    ¡°And, well, after this week, I, ugh, this is a lot harder to say than I thought. I would like to try adding a different layer to our relationship. As I said, it¡¯s a bit childish, but I just couldn¡¯t think about anything else,¡± she stumbled.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I voiced a token of my attention, mixed with a bit of encouragement.

    ¡°Heaven help me, this is so hard to say. Michael, if it¡¯s possible, I want to put aside the monetary side of our connection, and, well, try to start a second relationship between the two of us. Not just Olivia, your mistress, but as Olivia, the girl who wants you as her boyfriend for real,¡± she finally let out her words. ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit delusional of me, as well as me being greedy and wanting to have it both ways at the same time¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°It''s not like our relationship is anything but complicated already.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡± And haven¡¯t I heard this question a lot lately?

    ¡°Just like that.¡± I returned the same answer as usual. ¡°As I said before, being your boyfriend sounds a lot like a good time to me.¡±

    A moment later, I caught the Olivia-shaped missile into my arms, who then dragged me into a deep, passionate kiss. I let her do so, understanding that she needed a relief after the stress she, undoubtedly, felt. And not like I had anything against kissing a gorgeous girl wearing only underwear, either.

    ***

    Ten minutes later, everything got back to the initial point. I was watching the busy Olivia, who returned to choosing her outfit for our date, while happily dancing along a catchy tune. Well, I guess some things were better now.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan for our date?¡± I asked again.

    ¡°Oh! Right. Sorry. Completely went out of my head,¡± she apologized. ¡°So, I was thinking about this date being, for the lack of a better term, a ¡®normal¡¯ date. Normal from my perspective, I mean. The plan was to hit a local mall. Going window shopping, then hitting a food court, maybe checking out a movie theater in case something will catch our attention. Something along those lines. Just loitering around, doing whatever, like a normal couple.¡±

    I weighed down her words, trying to think when was the last time I did something like that. If ever.

    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± I told her a bit later.

    ¡°Yep!¡± my girlfriend agreed with a brilliant smile on her beautiful face. ¡°Ah, as an extra enticement, I thought about buying new underwear, and I will need your opinion on what looks good on me.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I think that your current style is very fitting,¡± I told her my honest assessment.

    ¡°Well, I also think so,¡± Olivia nodded at my words. ¡°But I want to add something, well, with extra oomph, into my collection.¡±

    ¡°In that case, you should ask Bella for a good atelier. Cheap lingerie is usually pretty low quality,¡± I gave her advice.

    ¡°Honey! Stop giving me your valid thoughts, and repeat after me. ¡®Yes, Olivia, I would love to help you to choose your underwear, and I¡¯m looking forward to a show.¡¯¡± Her tone was stern, but I could see the sparks of laughter inside her oh-so-expressive eyes.

    ¡°Yes, Olivia, I would love to help you to choose your underwear, and I¡¯m looking forward to a show,¡± I played along with a deadpan.

    ¡°Good boy.¡± The vixen even patted my head before starting doubling down from a laughing fit. Well, I was glad she had gotten over the previous anxiety.

 A normal date.

    A few minutes later. Fortunately, my date was done with her clothes, choosing to wear a combination I¡¯ve seen her wearing once before. A black slash neck pullover and a red mini skirt that reached to the middle of her thighs, a black choker without any precious metals in it, was the last piece she had chosen. She decided to wear a pair of casual comfy shoes as well, just because, or so she said

    ¡°So, what style should I go with?¡± I decided to ask.

    ¡°Something casual,¡± answered the still half-naked girl.

    ¡°Sweatpants and hoodie?¡± I joked.

    ¡°Something a bit less casual¡­¡± she corrected herself.

    While going back and forth like that, I decided on wearing a black fitted long sleeve muscle shirt with red highlights, black jeans and casual leather shoes, black as well. As a final touch, I chose an unassuming silver neck chain, black leather belt with a silver plaque, and a simple, yet stylish, silver watch piece with a black wristband as accessories.

    With another appraising look, Olivia finally nodded with approval. Then her facial expression got a bit cloudy.

    ¡°Hey, honey, how about getting you some new threads as well?¡± my girlfriend asked out of the blue.

    ¡°Hm, you think I should?¡± I asked back, not caring one way or another.

    ¡°Um, well, while I think your current palette is fine, and certainly suits you, but¡­¡± Olivia paused, as if trying to find the right words. ¡°But, it''s Bella''s colors, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°For the most part, yeah,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°So, like, I want to add some of my colors into the mix as well,¡± my girlfriend shyly told me.

    Oh, that was quite unexpected, but, the more I thought about her words, the more logic I saw in them.

    ¡°Sure, I would love to see you bringing more colors into my life,¡± I responded with a smile.

    ***

    Saturday evening, just past six. The weather was pleasantly warm, the sky was clear, and even the wind was calm. The streets were full of life. All kinds of people were walking around. Of every age, sex and walks of life. Alone, in pairs, in various groups. Some were taking a leisure stroll, some were hurrying somewhere or other, and some were just aimlessly wandering lost inside their own minds. Kids were playing on the playgrounds, their guardians sitting on the benches while talking about something in-between themselves.

    And the two of us, Olivia and I, were currently leisurely strolling toward our destination, the local mall that was a few blocks away. The same one where we shopped on Tuesday. My girlfriend, motivating it as a ¡®need to burn away some calories after eating too much pizza¡¯, said that we should avoid getting a taxi. I decided to keep my comments back, even if gaining a bit of extra weight wouldn¡¯t hurt her in any way. She was just joking anyway, and I had no reason to complain about taking a walk with a beauty either.

    We were walking in relative silence, of a very comfortable type. I was, frankly, tired of all the talking that happened recently while Olivia was scrolling through her phone, doing whatever she was doing. In addition, we were currently mostly living together, so small talk topics were exhausted to a degree. There was a lot that each of us, no doubt, would love to ask the other person about, but the current relaxed mood definitely didn¡¯t call for a serious discussion.

    And just like that, we spend our time in peaceful quietness all the way to our destination.

    ***

    I actually found myself enjoying our spontaneous date much more than I thought was possible.

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    The window shopping part was a bit tiring, yes, but, once again, seeing the bright smile on Olivia¡¯s face, as she enthusiastically dragged me from one display to another, was a total treat. My girlfriend kept gushing about one thing or another, sometimes even asking for my input, that was ignored right away, on which little useless things we should or shouldn¡¯t totally buy. I put my foot down when my girlfriend mentioned the idea to purchase a two-meter-long stuffed crocodile, which would perfectly match the color of those new violet curtains. I was almost, yes almost, sure Olivia was just testing whether I was still listening to what she was talking about or not. But the chance of it being serious couldn¡¯t be ignored either.

    An hour or so into our date, we finally wandered our way to a men¡¯s clothing section. And that¡¯s where the true battle started. Quick to follow on her decision on making an addition to my color scheme, Olivia made me try on an endless stream of different clothes. Brands, styles, and colors went by in an endless kaleidoscope of fashion hell, as my girlfriend made me pose for her amusement. I was almost certain that the only reason the ordeal finally came to an end, was the fact that shop assistant ladies started to hit on me more and more.

    ¡°These hussies,¡± Olivia hissed. ¡°Can¡¯t they see that you are already taken?¡±

    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m fabulous.¡± To make the effect of my words even better, I struck a pose from a comic I¡¯ve seen somewhere at some point.

    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s really hard to argue with this statement,¡± my girlfriend lamented while massaging her temples.

    Leaving that fiasco behind, our way led us to a food court area, as Olivia aptly put it, to eat the stress away. My girlfriend chose her favorite burger chain, and I followed, since it was all the same to me. The fast food tasted exactly like fast food, nothing spectacular, but I was pretty hungry by now, so it was fine. Though, ice cream was great, I must admit.

    After our dinner, with milk shakes in hand, we decided to check out the movie theater. That¡¯s where the existential dread crashed upon my poor mind. The two movies, well, one and a third of the second to be precise, that we watched today, were a part of a movie series. With the fifth being just released on the big screen¡­ One glance toward Olivia told me everything I feared to hear.

    ¡°Over my cold corpse,¡± I was resolute.

    ¡°I will invite Claire to finish the rest of the four together, and then all three of us can go and watch this one,¡± my girlfriend parried with an enticement.

    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s¡­ unfair,¡± I complained.

    ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair, honey,¡± she smirked, completely certain in her victory.

    Our gazes clashed in a battle of wills, each trying to overpower the opponent. A moment later, we both started laughing. Following our moment of levity, we finished checking if there was anything else that was worth watching.

    Our aimless wanderings led us to the next section. Makeup. Though, I immediately stopped Olivia before she could rush in.

    ¡°Talk to Bella about the brands she uses. I still think that you are more than pretty enough without wearing any, but if you insist on using it anyway, stop harming your skin by using subpar products,¡± I told her in no uncertain terms. A short contemplation later, my girlfriend reluctantly agreed.

    And then the moment I was quite looking forward to finally came. The women''s underwear section. A place embodying so many desperate males fantasies, and the place that invokes the feeling of dread in the old couple¡¯s uglier halves.

    As usual, it was somewhat crowded, hosting a wide array of customers and their companions. Flustered young couples. Single and married women alike, routinely buying the comfy undies for everyday use. Sketchy looking creeps that were trying to look casual. Bored husbands sitting on benches and waiting for their spouses to finish the shopping, praying for this torture to finish faster.

    With a smile on her face, and the sparks of mischief inside her eyes, Olivia led us inside one of the shops, dragging me along, with deliberate slowness choosing thoroughly every piece, even asking me for advice. Ah, how naive of her, indeed.

    I wasn¡¯t feeling awkward being here, nor I was shy about telling her my judgment on what would and what wouldn¡¯t fit her better. I even picked a few, of a somewhat risky kind, pieces that I would like to see her wearing. Quickly understanding that her cute ploy was doomed to failure, Olivia abandoned it and just went with the flow.

    Completing her selection, my girlfriend left for the changing rooms, which I refused to follow her into. And I found myself in need to waste a few minutes. By a strange coincidence, I noticed an advertisement post on the wall that reminded me about one thing that I completely forgot. I checked the time on my phone and, after doing a quick mental math, sent a message to Olivia.

    Me: [hey, I need to use a bathroom]

    Me: [be right back]

    Me: [if anything, just wait for me here]

    A moment later I got a message back. Ugh, my girlfriend started to act like Bella more and more.

    Olivia: [Sure.]

    To the one-word message, she attached a selfie of her wearing one of the risky pieces that I chose for her. Vixen.

 Part of my life.

    Finishing the thing I set out to do as fast as possible, I returned to the underwear store. From a first glance, I wasn''t able to spot a familiar figure impatiently waiting for my sorry self, and my phone wasn¡¯t ringing non-stop with wrathful messages either, so let¡¯s think I was on time.

    Me: [back]

    I looked at a timestamp, so I was gone for about ten minutes.

    Olivia: [Almost done]

    Olivia: [Just need to decide which one I should buy tho]

    Huh? Why was this even a question?

    Me: [just take all of them, then]

    Olivia: [Eh?]

    Olivia: [I don¡¯t need that many]

    Olivia: [It would be a waste]

    Olivia: [Some of them are pricey as well]

    Me: [?]

    Me: [if you like it]

    Me: [it¡¯s not a waste]

    Me: [just buy it]

    Olivia: [¡­]

    Olivia: [Fine]

    ***

    We met at a check-out, where I paid for her purchase, before my girlfriend could second guess something again. I took the paper bag in one hand, and offered the second one to a still somewhat lost Olivia. As I thought, she actually started overthinking things again.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I called out quietly. ¡°While I appreciate the fact that you know the worth of money, it doesn¡¯t mean I am against spoiling you.¡±

    ¡°But...¡± she still didn¡¯t sound convinced.

    We left the store and continued our aimless wandering. I didn¡¯t know where we were going exactly, but the destination wasn''t an important part.

    ¡°I won¡¯t think any less of you for asking to buy you something,¡± I interrupted. ¡°At the very least, not as long as you know how to appreciate the gesture, and not just take it as a given.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be too materialistic, though?¡± Olivia asked.

    ¡°Who said that I disliked that about you?¡± I replied with a question of my own.

    My girlfriend lowered her face, falling into deep contemplation.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say you like this about me either,¡± was all she could answer with.

    ¡°Well, I have my interest in Olivia Torres as a whole. If you really happen to be a materialistic girl, then I find this interesting about you as well,¡± I told her my logic. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you as one though, we spent a whole week together, and you still haven¡¯t asked me to buy you a car.¡±

    ¡°You are joking, right?¡± My date sounded positively dumbfounded.

    ¡°I wish,¡± I sighed. ¡°I wish.¡±

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    Ugh, this conversation reminded me about how much I dropped my standards in the last few years, and how real¡­ materialistic girls behaved like. In comparison, Olivia was a breath of fresh air.

    ¡°Would you, though?¡± The voice of my girlfriend brought me out of my grim musings.

    "Sorry, I got a bit lost inside my head,¡± I apologized. ¡°Care to repeat your question?¡±

    ¡°I was asking, strictly theoretically, would you buy me a car?¡± Olivia repeated her question.

    ¡°Do you have a driver¡¯s license?¡± I asked back.

    ¡°Nope,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Then get one first, and then we can talk about this again,¡± I gave her my verdict. ¡°And no, it¡¯s not because you aren¡¯t worth that much in my eyes.¡±

    I felt her gaze, and turned my face towards her. Olivia had a thoughtful expression on her pretty face, her captivating eyes were full of curiosity, expectation and apprehension. Whatever was going in her mind, it was something important to her. Ugh, not another talk, please, I was so tired of them.

    ¡°Hey, Michael,¡± the girl who wanted me to be her boyfriend called out. ¡°Can you tell me something?¡±

    Her tone was neutral, but some sort of gut feeling told me that my hopes were dashed, and this was another of those loaded questions that were so frequent lately. I fought back the sigh, and gave her a gesture to continue.

    ¡°I guess this is coming out of nowhere,¡± she started. ¡°But I really want to know. Who am I to you? Right now. And, please, don¡¯t just hide behind your ¡®interest¡¯.¡±

    Yeah, that definitely came out of nowhere. And even made me stumble a bit, trying to figure out the answer. Who is she to me right now?

    ¡°A person who I look forward to seeing every day,¡± I said, the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Someone who I have gotten used to seeing when I wake up. Someone who I like to fall asleep beside.¡±

    I could see how, with every sentence that left my mouth, her eyes widened more and more.

    ¡°Someone I would miss,¡± I shook my head. ¡°A part of my life.¡±

    Speaking of which, I halted my steps, and, putting the bag in my hand to the floor, used said now free hand to fish a thing out of my pocket.

    ¡°Here, I kind of forgot to do that earlier, this is for you.¡± I said, and put forward an open palm with a small thing on it.

    If I thought earlier that her eyes couldn¡¯t open any wider, I was wrong. The thing I held in my open hand was a duplicate key to my apartment. The poster I saw back in the underwear store was an ad for a locksmith.

    ¡°My life is bound to become much busier, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to open the door for you every time you come back home. So, I decided that you need your own key,¡± I kept talking. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, but¡­¡±

    Olivia interrupted my words, dragging me into a crushing hug, followed by a deep kiss. I guess she really liked the gesture, huh. I hugged her back, ignoring the people around us. Envy is a sin.

    ***

    The rest of our date was spent looking for ¡®cute enough¡¯, verbatim, keychains. To complete this holy quest, I let myself be dragged through every single souvenir, miscellaneous, and general store in this damned mall. Only the fact of how happy Olivia looked when we finally found one kept me from going insane. Well, as far as my sanity goes, of course.

    Currently, we were sitting in the craft bakery, which was doubling as a small coffee shop. Much to the staff''s displeasure, since it was fifteen minutes until their supposed closing time and Olivia was still happily playing with her new keychain, she definitely didn¡¯t want to go anywhere yet.

    I excused myself for a minute, and found the manager of the shift. Flashing him my diamond card, I asked him to ignore us in exchange for, let¡¯s say, a small bonus for the whole crew. He asked if we would mind getting a bit deeper inside the store, to avoid questions from people outside, and if we are okay with them starting the cleaning while we are still here. We, in fact, didn¡¯t mind at all, so everyone was happy.

    I sipped my coffee, which actually was quite decent, and threw another glance toward Olivia, who was absentmindedly smiling, looking at the key.

    ¡°Do you like it that much?¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my curiosity back anymore.

    ¡°Yep!¡± With an extra pop of ¡®p¡¯ was my answer. ¡°I like it very, very much.¡±

    ¡°I guess there is a story?¡± I decided to dig a bit deeper. It wasn¡¯t my usual style, but I couldn¡¯t help myself.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± my girlfriend confirmed. ¡°Wanna hear it?¡±

    ¡°If you want to share, then I¡¯m interested to know,¡± I told her, my usual answer.

    Olivia took her attention from the trinket she held in her hands and looked at me. Her gaze had a weird tranquility to it, as if she had long since come to peace with something really unpleasant. Or was beyond the point of care. This felt so wrong, considering how alive her eyes were usually, that my fists clenched reflexively.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be angry, honey. It¡¯s not that bad. Well, at least I''ve long since stopped thinking like it is,¡± she told me with a half-smile.

    ¡°If you need my help, just ask,¡± I had to tell her that. ¡°And, please, don¡¯t hesitate to do so, all the way to the point when it¡¯s too late.¡±

 Lets go home.

    Her smile actually brightened a bit, and she nodded. She took a sip of her hot chocolate, gathering her thoughts.

    ¡°You see, I never had a place that I could think about as home,¡± Olivia started. ¡°Ah, not like that, I always had a roof over my head, both of my parents are alive, and we were always a well-off family. I was never abused, either. And, yet, the house I grew up in, it was never a home.¡±

    She lowered her eyes, drawing circles with her finger on the table, most likely looking for the right words. Or, maybe, reliving the memories in her head. I kept my silence, knowing all too well that no words would help her right now.

    ¡°My parents are in love with the idea of perfection. Outward perfection, that is. The perfect work life, the perfect house life, the perfect love life. The perfect couple, my ass. They both are cheating on each other, and they both know that. But divorce will break the illusion of a perfect life, so they stay together.¡± She paused to take another sip from her cup, and, after sighing deeply, continued. ¡°And I was supposed to be their perfect kid. Perfect behavior, perfect grades, perfectly living the perfect plan they laid before me. They wanted a soulless doll instead of a child, and, for the most part, treated me like I had no will of my own. And I tried my best to live up to their expectations. Just so they would keep praising me. Good girl, Olivia. You are doing great, Olivia. For as long as I could.¡±

    She sighed once more, looking into the empty cup.

    ¡°Another cup?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Nah, I had my fill,¡± Olivia responded. ¡°There is a lot more to my story, obviously, but, erm, I would prefer to keep it to myself for now. If you don¡¯t mind, of course.¡±

    ¡°Up to you,¡± I told her.

    ¡°Do you really not care about my past?¡± she questioned.

    ¡°At this point of time? Not really,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I would love to hear it, but I would still have my doubts about whether you are telling me the truth. Sorry if it comes as unfeeling, but I would like to know you more before going too deep.¡±

    ¡°You are a bastard, honey.¡± Olivia let out a hollow chuckle. ¡°It hurts a bit to hear, but, I guess I had it coming. Who would believe a gal with a past of paid dating, right?¡±

    ¡°Your words, not mine,¡± I denied. ¡°Not going to lie and tell it doesn¡¯t faze me at all, but that¡¯s not what I meant. Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± she all but demanded an answer.

    ¡°We all have our sob stories, you know. And, with a nature like mine, I prefer not to get attached too fast.¡± I said, and gulped down the liquid in my own cup.

    I pointed my finger at the key she clasped tightly in her fist right now.

    ¡°Albeit, I kind of failed a bit already,¡± I continued. ¡°I let you into my home, something that I only ever did for Bella. And, what¡¯s even worse, I have no clue why I did that. Maybe, for once, I decided to leave it all to chance.¡±

    ¡°And. You decided to give a chance like this to someone like me?¡± Was that really so hard to believe?

    I nodded. I said too much already.

    ¡°To the gal, with the past of paid dating, whom you met as a part of some harebrained scheme to rob you?¡± When she puts it like that¡­

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    I nodded again.

    ¡°To the girl who, despite being such a failure, actually is, even now, fine with being paid?¡± Maybe I didn¡¯t think it through enough.

    I shrugged. Eh, why the hell not.

    ¡°Well, she is the one who is holding the key to my home, so, why not?¡± I decided to finally voice something.

    ¡°Honey,¡± Olivia called out a minute later. ¡°It is fine if I start falling for you, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t tell me that¡­¡± I started.

    ¡°...just act with that in mind, until you won¡¯t have a choice but to believe I mean it,¡± the weird girl on across the table, someone who wants to add colors to my life, someone who made me want to leave things to chance, finished my words for me.

    There was the most brilliant smile on her face I¡¯ve seen so far.

    ¡°Hey, honey,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    As clich¨¦d as it sounds, at that moment, my heart skipped a bit. Or maybe it was a part of the illusion spell I was under. Whatever. Fuck, if this is not going to work out in the end, this will hurt like a bitch.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± I replied with a smile.

    ***

    I let her open the door to the apartment with her own key, which led to another brilliant smile on Olivia¡¯s beautiful face. Maybe even brighter than that one that made my heart skip a bit. As we went inside, and I closed the door, she instantly threw herself into my arms, dragging me into a deep and passionate kiss.

    Once more, I got another confirmation of how touch starved my, now certainly, girlfriend was. Taking the part of her story she told me about into consideration, not that surprising at all. Hm, now that I think, she was always a bit too eager to seek a sexual release, both as a stress relief, and as a coping reaction.

    This line of thinking got cut abruptly by Olivia¡¯s hand sliding into my pants. Naughty. I responded by sliding both of my hands under her skirt, and, cupping her soft butt, raised her into the air. She broke the kiss for a moment, letting out a surprised, yet happy, yelp followed by another smile, this time full of pure lust. Her arms intertwined behind my neck, and her legs did the same behind my back.

    I guess it¡¯s time for something a bit unusual. This time it was my turn to break the kiss, since I was curious to see her reactions. This was the exact type of situation for which I kept my body so in-shape. Well, one of them.

    I pinned Olivia¡¯s back to a wall, still holding her in the air with one hand, and undid my belt with the free one. After a short period of surprise, her gaze turned back into one of heat and want. With another motion, I pulled her pullover down, letting her braless bust out. She let out a deep breath, as I did so. Another motion and I pulled her underwear to the side, just enough to get access. My hand brushed against her private parts, eliciting a moan out of her. Followed briefly by another even louder as we became connected.

    Olivia, moaning together with the rhythm of my movements, tried to pull me back into our kiss. I was about to let her do it, but something kept bothering me. It wasn¡¯t so strong for me to stop, of course, but just enough to notice.

    Ah, here it was. In her eyes. Heat. Hunger. Desire. Too much. She was drowning in these feelings. Throwing herself into the sex with reckless abandon. And it bothered me. How curious. I was quite sure it wasn¡¯t something new. And yet, something did change.

    A wave of dark cold rose from the depths of my being. I looked into her eyes again, seeing in them a greedy beast, fully content with the situation.

    ¡®There is no need to change anything.¡¯ The gaze and grin of this fucking animal told me. ¡®Enjoy.¡¯

    The worst thing, there was nothing I could do to change this. If my conjecture was right, and Olivia really treated sex as the substitute for a deeper connection¡­ It was too late for me to change this between the two of us. Judging by her insecure tendencies, this would lead to a backlash¡­ Once more, everything came back to the simple truth, you can¡¯t undo what already happened.

    Lost deep inside my thoughts, I let go of my control, upping the intensity of my movements. The moans of my girlfriend became even louder, her grip on my shoulders strengthening. The painful feeling of her nails brought me back to reality.

    If only there was a way to show her that there was more to relationships than just sex. What a drag.

    I felt Olivia squirming in my arms, trying to angle herself a bit differently. Seems like she was close.

    Well, the heavy thoughts can wait for later.

 A few hours to kill.

    The sound of my phone¡¯s ringtone woke me up. I made a hurried motion to receive the call, so it wouldn¡¯t wake Olivia up, and brought the device closer to my ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± I heard Bella¡¯s voice. ¡°Will be at your place in ten minutes.¡±

    My still tired brain was working in overdrive, trying to comprehend her words.

    ¡°Will you join me for breakfast?¡± I finally squeezed something from the depths of my sluggish mind.

    ¡°Coffee will do,¡± the woman on the other side said after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m hanging.¡±

    ¡°See you,¡± I responded, fighting back the yawn.

    I glanced at the time, around four thirty in the morning. Ugh, not enough sleep. Not even close. I turned my head to check if our exchange managed to penetrate my girlfriend¡¯s ability to stay asleep. It did not. Could¡¯ve guessed.

    Not wasting any more of the precious time, I stood up and stretched out, letting out a drawn out yawn in the process. I needed a cold shower. And about three more hours of sleep, pretty please.

    The stream of freezing water, running down my whole body, brought some clarity into my life. Now I just hoped that a cup of coffee and breakfast would do the rest. While drying myself with the towel, I went to the kitchen.

    Exactly ten minutes after the call, my phone received a message.

    Bella: [At your door.]

    How considerate of her! With this thought in mind, I went to open a door for my special woman. Bella looked as magnificent as usual, except for a bit of redness in her eyes. To me, it seemed like her sleep was as abundant as mine.

    ¡°Good morning, dear,¡± I said my greetings. ¡°You look incredible, as always.¡±

    She did, in fact. Her attire wasn¡¯t anything special, a brown leather jacket, black crop top and a pair of low waist blue skinny jeans. A pair of branded sneakers of a complex coloring scheme was the finishing touch. The combination heavily leaned to utility rather than looks. Yet, considering the figure of the one wearing it, the outfit was worthy of a double take for sure.

    ¡°And you look entirely too underdressed, dear,¡± she replied in kind. Only now I remembered that I was still naked. ¡°Morning. Where is my coffee?¡±

    ¡°At the kitchen table. Black, two sugars,¡± I paused for a brief moment. ¡°Or did your taste change sometime down the line?¡±

    ¡°Just what I need right now. Thanks.¡± With the words of gratitude, Bella brushed past me and with a quick pace went to the kitchen, leaving behind the scent of her perfume. I closed the apartment door and followed Bella, while shaking my head at her antics.

    My breakfast was almost done, going by the smell. Same usual, eggs, bacon, some fresh veggies. Knowing full well that the woman, currently occupying the second seat by the table while sipping her coffee with a smile, would demand a portion of my meal even if she previously declined it, I made extra. And I was right.

    The breakfast went by in silence. I was busy waking up, while Bella, seemingly, was busy with staying awake.

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    ¡°So, when will the team gather?¡± I finally decided to ask about the business.

    ¡°Noon.¡± Her casual answer caught me off guard. I looked at the time. Not even five yet.

    ¡°What the fuck, Bella?¡± I voiced my displeasure.

    ¡°I just finished my work, so I decided that you don¡¯t need your sleep either,¡± she responded in a smug tone. ¡°I hope you had enough fun for us both, dear.¡±

    Her words reminded me about my message to her. Fuck, how could I forget about her vengeful nature? Well, I certainly brought it upon myself.

    ¡°We have a few,¡± I checked the time again. ¡°Hours to kill on our hands then. My vote is for catching some sleep.¡±

    ¡°Oh, just sleep?¡± Bella smiled seductively.

    ¡°Yes, just sleep,¡± I nodded back.

    She let out a bark of laughter at my resolute tone, but a moment later her expression changed into one of complete exhaustion.

    ¡°Sounds like an incredible plan, dear,¡± my special woman stated her decree.

    Instead of continuing the useless back and forth, and wasting the precious sleeping time, I just shrugged and leaned in to kiss her.

    ***

    The sound of an alarm clock on my phone brought up my second awakening of the day. With a reflexive motion, I extended my hand toward the bedside table to shut it off.

    Only to fail to reach the said piece of furniture. With the obvious thought of ¡®I rolled to the other side of the bed¡¯ in mind, I moved closer to the correct edge. Or, to be correct, tried to.

    My hand landed on something soft yet firm, warm, and supple. Huh, Olivia preferred the left side of the bed. Did she decide to change the habit somewhere through the night? Something bothered me in that conjecture, though.

    ¡°Honey, shut your damn alarm, please.¡± I couldn¡¯t put my finger on what exactly though, maybe the fact that the source of this phrase clearly was behind me right now?

    ¡°Dear, as much as I like your touch, I¡¯m trying to sleep here, go away.¡± Ah, right, Bella decided to drop by earlier.

    ¡°Yeah, sorry, I need to shut off the alarm, and you are kind of in the way,¡± I apologized.

    I leaned over the beauty, naked and barely covered by the sheet, and finally managed to reach the damned piece of technology.

    ¡°Erm, honey, did I miss something?¡± my girlfriend asked a pointed question.

    ¡°Bella decided to take revenge upon myself for my bad joke, and woke me up at the crack of dawn, arriving at our doorstep. Only to succumb to Morpheus¡¯ call later on, since, apparently, we need to kill the time all the way until noon,¡± I explained the situation.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± Another question.

    ¡°Nine thirty-two,¡± I responded after glancing once more at the clock. ¡°Hey, Bella, where exactly are we supposed to meet the rest of the team?¡±

    ¡°They will arrive here,¡± muttered the still-drowsy voice. ¡°Now, shut up and either let me sleep more. Or fuck me.¡±

    I decided to take my hand off her bust, with a notion of reluctance. As much as I was tempted to choose the latter, Olivia¡¯s presence couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    ¡°Wiser words were never spoken.¡± I heard a voice from behind, followed by the feeling of naked flesh upon my back. She decided to hug me, or so it seems.

    ¡°Bella, you are a bad influence upon my girlfriend,¡± I mockingly complained.

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± followed a sarcastic response. ¡°Now choose, or I will do it for you.¡±

    I slowly exhaled, seriously contemplating the possible outcomes.

    ¡°Sleep,¡± was my decision. ¡°Neither there is enough time for it, nor do I think it''s time for it, yet.¡±

    I followed my words by extricating myself from the bed, and got ready for my daily run. Two naked, gorgeous women ain¡¯t no reason to break the routine. Yeah, I didn¡¯t believe those words either.

    ¡°Olivia, whatever this bitch would say, you can just refuse any unwanted advances,¡± I warned my girlfriend. ¡°Bella, I trust you to be a good girl, and just sleep obediently.¡±

 Not Alone? Huh.

    An hour later, I returned from my run, half-expecting to find two girls in the middle of adulterous activities. With Bella, it was always a possibility. To my surprise, and relief, I found her peacefully sleeping, while Olivia was in the middle of cooking breakfast for three.

    ¡°Welcome back,¡± my girlfriend greeted me and waved her hand. ¡°Breakfast will be ready after your shower. Oh, and wake up our sleeping beauty.¡±

    I nodded, acknowledging her words, and went to the shower. Five minutes later, I felt refreshed and hungry, instead of just hungry. ¡®Our¡¯ sleeping beauty, huh? Something to think about later.

    ¡°Bella, wake up,¡± I said and gently shook her shoulder. ¡°Breakfast is ready.¡±

    ¡°Dun wanna,¡± she refused to comply. ¡°Kiss me.¡±

    I shook my head at her spoiled behavior and obliged, giving her a quick peck on the lips. This made Bella open her eyes, and, a moment later, entwine her arms around my neck, trying to bring me into a deeper kiss. I put my finger on her lips, denying the notion, only for my special woman to start sucking on my finger.

    ¡°Bella,¡± I called out. ¡°Breakfast.¡±

    She smirked at my words, but stopped, instead arching her back, to stretch after the sleep. I felt how my self-control took another hit, as the sheet that was covering her figure slipped onto the floor.

    ¡°Stop tempting me, wench,¡± I told her off.

    ¡°Oh, is it working then?¡± She clearly found what I said amusing.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± I confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±

    My words, for some reason, made her blink in surprise.

    ¡°Wow, so you also learned how to be honest,¡± the temptress drawled.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I acknowledged. ¡°But now it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Bella laughed off my attempts to hurry her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She stood up, clearly intending to walk around naked. Not that I found the notion unwelcomed, but, as I said previously, it wasn¡¯t the time. Yet.

    ¡°Wear something,¡± I told her off again.

    ¡°Why?¡± The wench sounded genuinely confused.

    ¡°Bella, please,¡± I pleaded.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she graced me with compliance. ¡°What should I wear, though? I don¡¯t think you have any clothes of my size, and I would rather not risk messing with one outfit that would fit me, the one I came here wearing.¡±

    A surprising thought of dressing her in my t-shirt, with nothing underneath obviously, came to my mind. Am I awakening a new fetish here? The visions of Olivia, and, not that surprising, Claire, flashed in front of my mind''s eye.

    ¡°How about my shirt?¡± I asked, bracing myself for her biting remarks.

    ¡°Have you awakened another fetish?¡± And she didn¡¯t disappoint.

    ¡°I think so,¡± I acknowledged.

    ¡°Give me something with buttons. As you know, I prefer my tops not to be too clingy.¡± Bella said, sparing me from further comments. Receiving the requested piece of clothing, she donned it, somehow managing to actually keep her modesty and look even more sinful at the same time. ¡°How do I look?¡±

    ¡°Like a dream,¡± I gave her a well-deserved compliment.

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    Bella smirked at my words, even if I could easily read, from her eyes and body language, that she was genuinely happy to receive my honest praise. Then she sashayed past me and towards the kitchen, the swaying of her hips, combined with the glimpses of her bare skin from under the t-shirt¡¯s lower hem, completely enthralled my weak self. I could bet a hundred to one, the fact my eyes were glued towards her bottom half was completely calculated by this temptress. And then she bent over, picking up something from the floor.

    Two could play this game, my dear. With a quick motion, I caught up to her, and gave her posterior a tight slap, eliciting a surprised shriek out of my special woman. Ah, having an unfair advantage felt so great. I knew exactly how much I needed to push her, while she was operating on the outdated intel. Keeping my palm on her shapely glutes, I started massaging them in an exact way that would get maximum reaction out of Bella. After noticing, once again via both her eyes and body language, that she was riled up just enough, I stopped.

    ¡°Bella,¡± I repeated myself. ¡°Breakfast.¡±

    She snorted and gestured for me to kiss her.

    ***

    ¡°I was starting to think you will never come,¡± Olivia¡¯s words greeted us upon our arrival.

    ¡°Everything is his/her fault,¡± Bella and I chorused, pushing the blame on the other person.

    My girlfriend rolled her eyes at our words and put our plates on the table, choosing, by tradition, to nest on the windowsill herself. For a while, all three of us ate quietly. Hm, I need to buy a third chair. I made a mental note. Seeing Olivia distancing herself like that¡­ It just felt wrong.

    But then again, not like this table was big enough for three people either. And the kitchen was too small for a bigger table. Should I up the priority of searching for a new place? Moving to another part of the city would mess up my plans for Claire, though. Why is everything always so complicated?

    ¡°Something on your mind, dear?¡± Despite my previous words, Bella was quick to read me.

    ¡°Honey?¡± Olivia followed.

    ¡°Just thinking about finding a bigger place. This one is somewhat cramped with more people than just me,¡± I explained.

    ¡°But moving will mess up your nefarious plans for Claire.¡± Am I so easy to read?

    ¡°Huh? Who is Claire?¡± asked Bella.

    ¡°Bombshell counter girl I almost slept with,¡± I reminded her.

    ¡°Oh, now it¡¯s almost?¡± she raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I, kind of, cock blocked him yesterday,¡± intervened Olivia.

    ¡°And I¡¯m thankful for that,¡± I voiced my gratitude. ¡°My self-control really slipped. If you didn¡¯t stop me, that would¡¯ve been a truly messy situation.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome.¡± My girlfriend wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react, or so it seemed.

    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m out of the loop here,¡± Bella sighed. ¡°So, who will tell me the whole story?¡±

    Olivia and I exchanged glances, and then we started talking.

    ***

    ¡°You are working fast, dear,¡± chuckled Bella. ¡°Well, at least she didn¡¯t find you making out with redhead twins, or it would¡¯ve been a record.¡±

    Ah, yes, that happened. It was such a faraway memory, I kind of forgot about that.

    ¡°What are your intentions with this, Claire?¡± My special woman continued her inquiry.

    ¡°Hm. Well, I am not quite sure myself.¡± Seeing the once more raised eyebrow on Bella''s face and skeptical expression on Olivia¡¯s, I decided to go into details. ¡°I feel attracted to her, and not just in a sexual way, but I¡¯m not sure yet if she is¡­ interesting, for the lack of better term, enough to even try something long-term. And, obviously enough, she isn¡¯t all that hyped about throwing herself into something so complicated either.¡±

    ¡°And what are your thoughts?¡± Bella turned to Olivia.

    ¡°Hm, I think she could be a good friend. I don¡¯t think she is interested in girls, though. And, I also don¡¯t think she is the kind of person to try and ruin the entire thing for selfish reasons,¡± my girlfriend responded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say anything more at this point, but if I was asked to vote for or against her inclusion, I would lean towards the positive answer.¡±

    ¡°You sound a lot more confident about this whole thing than last time we spoke, Olivia.¡± My special woman sounded genuinely surprised by my girlfriend¡¯s response.

    ¡°Well.¡± Olivia turned her gaze to the side. ¡°Honey helped me understand a few things. And, erm, I decided to put in more efforts to meet his expectations as well.¡±

    ¡°Good for you,¡± Bella concluded. Then she turned her attention back to me. ¡°Dear, knowing you, I can¡¯t really feel surprised. I am also certain that nothing I could say would change your ultimate decision either. But keep in mind that your choices affect all of us. Be it the three of us right now, or however many people there would be later on. It¡¯s no longer just you. You are not alone.¡±

    Her words were quiet, but they hit me like a bag of sand.

    ¡°I will keep it in mind,¡± I promised.

    Not alone? Huh.

 When is my turn, dear?

    After the breakfast was over, Bella excused herself and went to take a shower, leaving Olivia and I to do the dishes. With me doing the actual washing, while my girlfriend was wiping the plates dry. Not like there was a huge pile or anything, since I had a habit of rinsing everything right after finishing my meal, and yesterday was the day of fast food.

    Against her usual habit, my special woman decided not to take an eternity, and a few minutes more, and was done with her shower surprisingly fast.

    I checked the time, eleven o¡¯clock. Another hour to kill. After some consideration, I decided that today should be a rest day. Even with a body like mine, I couldn¡¯t ignore the importance of proper recovery occasionally.

    So, I chose a beanbag to sit in and was currently reading my chat backlog, giving away the generic excuses why it took me so long to answer.

    Bella was drying her hair, still wearing my shirt, which was now clinging to her body. Or, well, clinging even more than it was previously. While Olivia was lazing on the bed, chatting with someone on her phone. Overall, it was an idyllic scene, and my mind had a bit of a problem to wrap itself around the reality of the situation.

    My phone pinged, as I received a new message.

    Counter Girl: [I finally got him to take me out!]

    The message had an attached selfie. The interior of some family restaurant, the wooden table by the window with food on it. Claire, with a wide smile on her face, doing a peace sign. I absentmindedly noted the shoulder-length hair with no touch of stylist, as well as the fact she was wearing the same light gray hoodie with the band print I¡¯ve seen on her previously. Then I turned my attention to another person in the frame.

    Across the table from the Counter Girl, with an awkward excuse of a smile on the boring average face behind the thick glasses, slouched a lanky dude wearing the dark green jumpsuit over the black t-shirt with the same band print. I could feel the pushover vibes even through the screen of my phone. The guy looked so utterly spineless, it wasn¡¯t even funny. Well, or maybe I was a bit biased here? Nah, that couldn¡¯t be the truth.

    It took me a long moment to actually think about why the fuck did I even receive this message. Either Claire tagged me via accident, or¡­ Was this an attempt to make me jealous? The very notion was so adorable, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to feel irritated for real. Still, I decided to retaliate in kind anyway. As they say, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

    I turned around in my beanbag, and took a selfie of my own, angling the camera in such a way, so I could get both Bella and Olivia into the picture, and sketched a condescending smile. Pairing it with a short caption. And sent.

    Me: [good for you]

    Counter Girl: [...]

    Counter Girl: [It¡¯s an old pic.]

    Me: [yeah, the hair gave it away]

    Counter Girl: [You know what¡¯s the most irritating?]

    Me: [?]

    Counter Girl: [He still hasn¡¯t noticed haircut!]

    Counter Girl: [Can you believe it?]

    Me: [bruh]

    Counter Girl: [Btw, if you have time, how about hitting the gym together?]

    Counter Girl: [I could use a good spotter.]

    Me: [sorry, busy today]

    Counter Girl: [Is it because of my prank?]

    Me: [nah, I have work today]

    Me: [will leave at noon]

    Me: [and for the rest of the day]

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    Counter Girl: [Oh.]

    Counter Girl: [How about tomorrow, then?]

    Me: [should be free in the first half of the day]

    Me: [will need to pick up Olivia around 3:30 tho]

    We chatted a bit more and decided to discuss details tomorrow via the call. Hm, getting a gym buddy would help my motivation quite a bit, especially with those shapely glutes in yoga pants.

    ¡°Dear,¡± Bella¡¯s voice rang just above myself. ¡°Something good happened?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Got myself a date tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Did Claire actually send you that pic?¡± Olivia added her bit into the conversation. ¡°I told her it will work.¡±

    ¡°So Olivia got a date yesterday, this Claire of yours is getting one tomorrow. When is my turn, dear?¡± My special woman sounded a bit irritated.

    ¡°Eh? Today.¡± I felt a bit confused on how she failed to pick something so obvious. ¡°Duh?¡±

    My response made Bella actually halt her hairstyling efforts. I looked at the time again, eleven twenty-seven. Hm, time to get ready, I guess. As I was getting dressed, with incessant comments and suggestions from both girls on what I should wear, I decided to ask Olivia about her plans for the day.

    ¡°Since there is nothing better to do for me today anyway, I asked if the girls want to do something as a group,¡± she answered. ¡°Su is busy for the whole day, so it¡¯s me, Mimi and Pat. By the way, will you be returning home today?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I looked at Bella, who responded to me with a meaningful smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then it will be a sleepover at Mimi¡¯s place.¡± Olivia received the news better than I thought. ¡°I will also make sure that you have your meeting with Su tomorrow. You will come to pick me up, yes?¡±

    ¡°I planned to pick you up whether you would do so or not,¡± I clarified.

    ***

    Eleven fifty-five, Bella received a message that the rest of the crew arrived and were waiting for us. Double-checking that everything was in place, we said our farewells to Olivia. In response, each of us got back a goodbye kiss from the girl, though mine was on the lips, while Bella received one on her cheek. With that done, we left the apartments.

    I sent Bella the address and pre-planned route, so she could distribute it further down the line. Our destination was about two hours away from the city, in unremarkable countryside.

    ¡°Anything else to add to the briefing?¡± the full on business-mode Bella asked the important question.

    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s all the info that needs to be known,¡± I replied. ¡°The place should be empty. Worse comes to worst, I have a valid cover story ready.¡±

    We got into her car of the day, a four-by-four business class crossover, and gave a signal for the second vehicle to follow us.

    ***

    About forty minutes later, we finally got out of the city and were currently on a highway. I let Bella drive, since I couldn¡¯t be bothered to do that for two hours straight. Nuh-uh, nadda. Not it.

    ¡°Dear, was this your idea of a date?¡± I heard a sarcastic remark.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not mine,¡± I responded, feeling a bit confused. ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± It was her turn to be puzzled.

    Oh. Had I mistaken my future knowledge for the current state of affairs again?

    ¡°Or at least it was for the future you,¡± I said, trying to sound apologetic. ¡°Sorry, I have a really hard time separating the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± was the only thing my special woman could vocalize. ¡°That¡¯s a bit concerning, but it¡¯s not something you should apologize for, dear.¡±

    The next few minutes went by in an awkward silence.

    ¡°Hey, can you tell me more about us, dear?¡± The question from Bella broke the silence.

    ¡°What would you like to hear about?¡± I decided to comply.

    ¡°Hm¡­ How exactly did the two of us get together?¡± She let her curiosity be known. ¡°No offense, but it took you to come back from the future, to finally ask me out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a very complex story. And not a very pleasant one, either.¡± I shook my head, chasing away the bad memories.

    ¡°Well, we have.¡± She paused and glanced towards the navigator screen. ETA, One hour Thirty Six minutes. ¡°Enough time on our hands, and, well, I think it¡¯s something I have the right to know.¡±

    ¡°Well, it started on one fateful Friday evening, when a stupid beast was bored out of his mind and met that one cute stray¡­¡±

    ***

    Following my first life¡¯s encounter with Olivia and her two stooges, for the next three years, I lived like a true animal. Led by my basic instincts, I did everything to satiate my urges, no matter what needed to be done. I robbed, fought, and hunted. Always on the prowl, looking for prey.

    It felt like I was in a state of blackout for the most part. The days, nights, sometimes the whole weeks, everything kept merging into a twisted stream of barely discernible episodes. I could fall asleep in one place, and wake up a week later, in an entirely different one, in the middle of doing something bad, stupid, or dangerous. Mostly all three at the same time.

    Until one day my luck, or maybe Heaven¡¯s tolerance, ran out, and I had bitten more than I could swallow.

 Someone like you.

    ¡°¡­ and, in the middle of the night, my cold, wet, beaten, and stabbed self, led on by sheer instinct, found its way to your condo. While on the verge of keeling over from blood loss. And, without asking any question about anything, you took me in. You even broke up with the girl you were dating for the entire three years period. On the spot. For the mere suggestion of leaving me to my comeuppance.¡± I smirked, remembering the furious grimace marring the beautiful visage of my special woman. It etched itself into my memory. ¡°You stuck with me at my lowest, and, on that day, for the first time in my life, I decided that it¡¯s time to change. For the next four years, I did everything in my power to stay by your side. One way or the other. And failed miserably in the end. One thing led to another, and we went back to how things used to be before that day.¡±

    The whole story took me a bit more than an hour to tell. We left the highway ten minutes ago, and were currently driving through some countryside road.

    ¡°So you really are a junkie. What you described, I heard stories like that from ex-addicts,¡± Bella commented. ¡°On a side note, I am worthy of four years of your interest. I¡¯m flattered, dear.¡±

    ¡°You are worth my whole life,¡± I denied. ¡°And then some.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, dear,¡± she laughed off my denial. ¡°So, I guess the stray from your story is Olivia?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, not knowing what to add.

    ¡°Good job changing that, then,¡± she concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s finish the topic on this note, dear. You were right, it¡¯s not pleasant at all. I don¡¯t want the mood of the date to be ruined any further.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, dear,¡± I easily agreed.

    ***

    The rest of the ride was spent talking about lighter topics. I told her a few anecdotes from my first life. A few funny little things from our relationship We discussed the potential plans for the immediate future of our arrangement. Bella told me about her progress in negotiations with ¡®Face & Crotch¡¯, informing me about the fact she will be away for the whole of the next week, hopefully coming back next Sunday.

    And, just like that, we arrived at our destination. A decrepit looking small house in the middle of nowhere.

    ¡°Are you certain this is the right place, dear?¡± Bella questioned.

    ¡°Yes, one hundred percent sure,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like much, to be honest,¡± she verbalized another comment.

    ¡°Yep,¡± I agreed.

    ¡°What are we even here for?¡± My special woman finally couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°Something of an incredible worth and danger. Depending on who you ask. And who you are,¡± I answered her question without going into details. ¡°If you are really curious, I can tell you the rest on the way back.¡±

    At that moment, the second vehicle finally arrived as well. Three people left the car, while the driver decided to stay behind the steering wheel, in case there would be a need for an instant takeaway. Ah, I love working with professionals. The three walked over to Bella and me, and I started briefing.

    ¡°Your job is simple. Get inside the house and find the small brown notebook with a gold emblem that looks like this.¡± I showed a picture on my phone. ¡°It¡¯s somewhere inside. Where exactly? I have no idea. There is no time limit per se, but the faster it¡¯s found, the faster we all can go home.¡±

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    The three guys nodded.

    ¡°Oh, also, a fair warning. Under no circumstances should you open it.¡± I decided to warn them. While Bella said they could be trusted, there is no such thing as being too cautious. ¡°The things inside are a very hot potato. Hot enough to get everyone you ever knew killed and buried without a marked grave. Together with you.¡±

    The expressions on their faces became much more serious after hearing my words.

    ¡°Now, chop chop. There is only so much daylight left.¡± I clapped my hands, and the trio started their job.

    ***

    Just two hours later, the thing was found, so Bella and I drove off, leaving the rest of the crew to cover the tracks.

    I opened the small notebook and started reading it. I still had a decent recollection of the content, but the refresh won¡¯t hurt. Half an hour later, I was tired from the delusions of grandeur of the bastard who wrote this waste of paper, but the info I needed was all there.

    ¡°Hey, Bella, can you organize me a nice suit?¡± I asked out of the blue.

    ¡°Sure, why do you need one, though?¡± she answered without taking her eyes from the road.

    ¡°This thing should be dealt with quickly.¡± I patted the book. ¡°And it requires a meeting with a person of really high standing. I would rather not offend them by being too unpresentable.¡±

    ¡°The one you need Su to organize?¡± I nodded in response, and she continued. ¡°Is something ready-made acceptable? Getting one from scratch would take too long.¡±

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s fitted and looks nice enough,¡± I gave her an answer.

    ¡°So, dear. What is so important about this book?¡± Bella questioned.

    ¡°Oh, you finally want to know? Be warned, though, it¡¯s a one-way street from there,¡± I asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Dear, I am already strapped for a ride together with you either way.¡± She shook her head in exasperation.

    ¡°This is a diary of my father. His real name was Long Chen, the black sheep of the Long clan, son of Long H¨¤o and Kouzuki Miya.¡± I explained. ¡°Which makes me Long Tian, the current heir apparent.¡±

    ¡°Should I order the pants to be made of silk?¡± she joked.

    ¡°Only if you are ready to wear qipao to meet the new in-laws,¡± I responded back with full seriousness.

    The look on her face was an absolute treat. I grabbed my phone and took a photo, saving it for posterity.

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± It wasn¡¯t every day when you can hear Isabella Alvarez to sound so flustered.

    ¡°Eh, wasn¡¯t I clear enough, dear? I want you in my life. You want my child. Of course, I¡¯m ready to put a ring on you.¡± Wasn¡¯t it obvious to her?

    Hearing my words, Bella gradually slowed the car down. Considering how shocked her current expression was, I applaud her ability not to slam on the brakes. She then steered the vehicle and stopped on the roadside. Only then did my special woman finally slump onto the steering wheel for a moment before turning sharply towards me.

    ¡°You are kidding, right?¡± Bella, for some reason, sounded like she was in denial. ¡°Tell me you are joking.¡±

    ¡°Come on Bella, the moment you brought up the topic of wanting my kid, it was a foregone conclusion that I will marry you,¡± I continued my words.

    ¡°Why?¡± Heavens, how tired I was of this question.

    ¡°Why what?¡± There were so many ¡®whys¡¯ she could possibly ask me about, I needed to know which one it was.

    ¡°Why choose someone like me?¡± Huh, this one wasn¡¯t even on my list.

    ¡°Someone like you? What do you mean by that? Yeah, why would I choose someone like you?¡± I asked rhetorically. ¡°Someone so beautiful, that I can¡¯t imagine ever getting tired of looking at her. Someone so loyal, that she refused to abandon a junkie at his lowest of lows. Do I even need to continue? Why would I choose someone who, to me, already is a friend, a lover, and a partner, both in bed and in crimes. Family even.¡±

    I paused, my thoughts full on in disarray. There was another thing I wanted, needed to say, but it kept slipping by.

    ¡°Why would I choose someone, who is, with or without a proper title, a special woman to me already?¡± I caught her gaze. ¡°And if I wish to choose this special woman of mine, why can¡¯t I give her this title?¡±

 Poor soul.

    With the last sounds of my words still lingering in the air, I was waiting for Bella¡¯s response. My special woman just kept staring at me blankly, no reaction whatsoever. And then, ever so slowly, tears started dripping out of her eyes. Another moment, and she started laughing. It was a quiet, almost soundless, snickering at first, that gradually turned into a madman¡¯s cackling.

    Inside the car, parked on the roadside in the middle of nowhere, I was looking at how the most important person in my life was laughing while crying, or was it vice versa? And I had not even an inkling of an idea of what I was supposed to do right now. So, I was waiting. Not quite certain what I was waiting for, though. Miracle would do, I guess. Or, maybe, a hole deep enough.

    ¡°Ah, now I understand why Olivia changed so much in just a day, dear.¡± A miracle actually happened, and, all of a sudden, Bella decided to say something. ¡°Hey, dear, I agree. But not right now. I will marry you once I get pregnant. So, do your best and stay by my side till then, am I clear?¡±

    ¡°Crystal,¡± I replied.

    ¡°With this out of the way, tell me everything about this person you are meeting. You said you will need my advice.¡± And straight to the business right after. ¡°I heard your warning to the crew, and I don¡¯t want to become a widow before I even get married.¡±

    ¡°If my conjecture is right, it should be Kouzuki Miya, my grandmother. I am not a hundred percent sure, but it¡¯s the best guess I have. And it¡¯s the safest bet, with this ticking time bomb on my hands.¡± I patted the diary. ¡°There is an alternative, but it¡¯s even less likely to work. I, how to put it, had contact with the young lady of the Smith family, but she is ignoring my messages. Well deserved, though, I ignored her for the whole year at this point.¡±

    ¡°The number one girl of yours?¡± And Bella got it in one.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I confirmed. ¡°So, back to the first person¡­¡±

    ***

    The gist of the story was simple. Everything started with a series of incredible coincidences, after which I got my hands on the same diary I was currently holding. Which led to me getting my favorite throwaway names - Tian and Shinji, which I used, almost exclusively, for one-night stands in bars.

    After Bella¡¯s untimely demise, I lost my last pillar in this shitty world, and started slowly but surely losing the leftover sanity and will to live. And, of course, most of my time, when I wasn¡¯t busy with something enough to temporarily stop me from thinking about my loss, I was either planning to get wasted, getting wasted, or already wasted. Mostly in bars. The seedier the bar, the better.

    And, just like in any shitty story, in one of such visits, in a bar that I stumbled upon via sheer chance, I met a woman. Long, straight black hair, skin white as jade, delicate facial features, the coldest pair of steel-gray eyes, with a gaze sharp as a knife. Wearing pitch-black kimono, that probably did cost as the entire bar combined, with her regal posture and mannerism, she instantly caught my attention.

    Now that I think, approaching her, just like that, was akin to suicide. Obviously enough, there were ever present, albeit hidden, bodyguards, that would neutralize the potential threat with a single gesture of their mistress. Even ignoring that, with her status, monetary and noble alike, she wouldn¡¯t need to give more than a hint about her displeasure, and any person will briefly disappear. But I was neither sober enough to think clearly, nor did I care about my continuous existence.

    There was a curious expression on her face as she looked at me approaching. It was certainly not an everyday occurrence for a drunk, scar-faced mercenary to decide that she was looking for his company. As a matter of fact, against all odds, she actually did seek a companion on that particular day. And I just happened to be there at the right time.

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    Her expression changed once I introduced myself, and after scrutinizing me with her icy stare for a while, her whole demeanor followed. To my endless surprise, she stopped me from drinking alcohol, and poured me a cup of green tea instead. And then we talked. Yes, just talk. I think it was the first time since Bella¡¯s death, I actually enjoyed myself. Even if only for a short while.

    Long after the bar¡¯s supposed closing time, I got a call from a new second-in-command, asking for my urgent presence, and I quote, ¡®Even if you are dead, get your fucking ass here, boss.¡¯ So, I had to leave. Only to be stopped by the woman, who never told me her name, so she could give me a blank visit card with her personal phone number.

    ¡°I shall thank you for your company, Tian. You reminded me of someone I once held dear. They have long since passed away, so, for their sake, if you ever need something, call me,¡± she said, her voice as pleasant as a dream and cold as steel. ¡°And, don¡¯t forget to visit my bar occasionally, this old woman will always welcome you here.¡±

    I had no idea, at the time, just how lucky I actually was. Just the fact she knew my name, already helped me more than I could imagine. Not to even mention how many strings she pulled behind the scenes, making sure that I stayed alive just another day. Simply because she was, indeed, waiting for my next visit. Just so we could talk.

    ***

    Our second meeting was even more memorable. I was attending an important event. Or was it a gala or ball? Something along those lines. My second-in-command, after noticing me gradually becoming more and more wasted, sent me to get some fresh air. The designated place was a balcony with a slippery floor and a very low parapet, so, I guess, the bastard just hoped I would fall and break my neck. I wasn¡¯t against that either, to be honest.

    And, just like that, via another series of coincidences, at that balcony, I met my new acquaintance, the bar owner. Only this time the kimono she was wearing was white for some reason. Curiously enough, both her speech pattern and overall mannerism were different as well, and, for a while, she even refused to recognize me. Only after I introduced myself again did she stop playing dumb. While having a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, I kept answering questions, which, I could swear, I already told her answers to previously.

    That day, I learned that being a high-class lady doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t a crazy bitch. Or, I suppose, she didn¡¯t call herself an old lady for nothing. Senility isn¡¯t a sin.

    As we had our peaceful chat, a figure that I knew all too well, approached us. The first young lady of the infamous Su clan. Well, more like the de facto leader by that point. Ruthless and cold bitch, who had one of the biggest hate-boners against me for some reason. I must add that this is an impressive selection.

    ¡°You¡­¡± The bun-haired shorty pointed her finger at me and hissed. As usually, glaring daggers at my poor, innocent self. Bitch.

    ¡°Yin.¡± One word from my tea-drinking buddy, shut my adversary instantly. ¡°Apologize to my friend.¡±

    ¡°But mistress¡­¡± pleaded the thorn in my ass.

    ¡°Yin.¡± Only to be shut again. ¡°Apologize.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± She bowed her head. Then she turned to me, and if she could kill people using only her eyes, I would¡¯ve been dead right at that moment. ¡°I beg you to pardon my digression. This lowly one didn¡¯t know about your esteemed status. This won¡¯t be repeated.¡±

    So, just being the friend of the crazy lady made my status high enough for the Su¡¯s young lady to lower her head.

    ¡°Eh, no big deal.¡± I also decided to give face to the tea-lady. ¡°Let bygones be bygones.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± The white-robe clad lady clapped her hands. ¡°Now, Yin, go and bring some refreshments for my young friend and I. As for you, Shinji, please tell me more about yourself.¡±

    The rest of the event I spent talking about my life''s story to the same woman for the second time, while receiving almost the exact comments, just a bit differently phrased. Eh, she was an excellent listener, so I, once again, had fun. The mask of sheer impotent rage on the pale face of Su''s first lady, as she served us food and drinks, was an exquisite treat as well.

    My second-in-command, with an irritated expression on his sleazy mug, found me towards the end of the occasion. I was about to excuse myself, when the crazy lady gave me a blank visit card again. Curiously enough, it had a different number this time. So, she really had a multiple personality disorder, I concluded, and a severe one at that, poor soul.

 Gamble and a visit.

    As I regaled my story, our car reached the highway. Bella listened to my words without interrupting, but the more I told her, the more mortified her expression became.

    ¡°So, dear, just to be clear, you are about to meet a potential madwoman, without knowing even her name, on a misguided assumption she will, for no particular reason, help you?¡± When she phrased it in this way, it certainly didn¡¯t sound like a good idea.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a safer gamble than the other one I have. With this one, only my life is at stake, so nothing important,¡± I deflected her words.

    ¡°The fuck do you mean by that, dear?¡± Bella exploded.

    ¡°There is a person I want to disappear, you remember, right? Doing it myself, without sufficient backing, is a death sentence. And not only for me, either,¡± I explained. ¡°This woman can make it happen. Worse comes to worst, I will use this diary as a bargaining chip in exchange for his life. Even if I will need to forfeit my own as well.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t make any fucking sense, dear.¡± Seems like my words weren¡¯t enough to placate my special woman.

    ¡°No idea, makes perfect sense to me. In a best-case scenario, this person is who I think it is, so it will be a win-win one way or another. In the worst-case scenario, I will die either way, whatever I do,¡± I said.

    ¡°Why are you so hell-bent on doing this anyway?¡± another weird question.

    ¡°Because I am afraid, my dear. With every passing day that this bastard wastes oxygen, there is a chance that you will somehow learn about his identity. Then, knowing your shitty temper, you will do something stupid. Which will lead to your death.¡± I was trying to keep the tone of my voice level, even though my blood was slowly starting to boil. ¡°I lived five years in a Bella-less world, and that¡¯s something that I refuse to let happen again. Whatever it takes.¡±

    ¡°Did you already forget about my words from earlier, dear?¡± Her tone was dry.

    ¡°I cannot change this decision, Bella. Too much at stake.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Well, if you fail. Don¡¯t hurry into the afterlife too fast. Wait for me, I will go right after you.¡± What the fuck? ¡°I refuse to lose my family again. You won¡¯t be alone in this decision, either. So, do your best, dear.¡±

    ***

    The heavy talk led to an even heavier silence. Our car moved closer and closer to the city line, hurrying along other vehicles on the highway.

    My brain worked in overdrive, calculating the best course of action. Ignoring the actual meeting, there was another hurdle first. I needed Su to pass my message along. Then there was a second hurdle, the message must be important enough to catch the attention of that person. So, I kept re-reading the important parts of the diary, looking for the pieces of info I could use.

    ¡°Dear,¡± Bella called me. ¡°I don¡¯t think there is a way to salvage our date at this point, so there is a place I want to visit. You are coming with me, obviously.¡±

    ¡°Of course, dear,¡± I played along with her demands. ¡°Where is that place exactly?¡±

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    ¡°The place of our first meeting, dear,¡± she answered. ¡°I will tell my brother about his brother-in-law being a stubborn idiot.¡±

    ¡°Hm, I suppose it¡¯s time to complain to my father about my luck with women, then. His daughter-in-law, for example, is a helluva pain-in-the-ass,¡± I responded in kind.

    ***

    Sunday evening, around seven in the afternoon, cemetery. I stood there and watched quietly, as Bella kneeled on the ground and cleaned the tombstone, placed offerings before it, and fell into a silent prayer.

    ¡®Here lies Miguel Alvarez, dear brother¡¯ written in both English and Spanish. Dates. A small photo of a smiling youth, which really did somewhat resemble the younger me. As I aged, we grew apart in the looks department more and more, though.

    I kept my silence, not quite feeling comfortable to join Bella, but at the same time, a part of me wanted to. Huh. I was never superstitious, but, considering my current situation, I couldn¡¯t deny the existence of the forces beyond. And so¡­

    Hey, brother-in-law, I apologize for my selfish words, but, thank you for giving me the chance to meet your sister. She is truly special to me. Last time, I failed my duty to protect her, but it won¡¯t happen again. I swear.

    A gust of wind blew all of a sudden, as if accepting my oath. Ha, as if. Switching my mind to something more productive, I resumed planning for the immediate future.

    ***

    Some time later, shoulder to shoulder, Bella and I were walking through the same cemetery towards another tombstone. I felt really mixed about this part, yet, somehow, it felt important to do.

    ***

    I had never seen eye to eye with the guy responsible for my birth. We were too alike to peacefully coexist, I guess. And I blame a lot of my initial misconduct on him, even if I couldn¡¯t blame it all.

    Honestly, he was a scum, even if not quite like me. Huh, hard to say who was worse. The beast like me, or a sleazebag marriage con artist like him. Long Chen, young master of the illustrious Long clan, scamming women into marriage for money. Oh, that would¡¯ve been one hell of a great newspaper title.

    As long as I could remember myself, every half-year to a year and a half, we moved to the new house, with a new woman who asked me to call her mom. At some point, I just stopped trying to distinguish between them altogether. Why bother?

    Until, one day, he just died. No idea if it was an illness, someone from his victim list poisoning him, or maybe it was a clan business. Perhaps something else entirely. I didn¡¯t know, and, honestly, didn¡¯t care. Good riddance.

    At the time, I was thirteen-fourteen? Possibly fifteen? Somewhere in that ballpark. And, wandering off at some point through the ceremony, I met Bella for the first time in my life. I guess, there is something I should be thankful to my father for in the end.

    ***

    Bella, abruptly stopping in her tracks, got me out of my memory trip. Hm, did something happen? I braced myself, slipping instantly into a professional mindset, analyzing the vectors of the attack and retreat, searching for the enemy, to make sure that my body would serve as a shield for my special woman.

    Except there was nobody like that in the vicinity. Trying to understand what happened, I traced Bella¡¯s gaze, which led me to the general vicinity of our destination. One glance towards it later, another moment for my brain to receive and interpret the visuals, and I felt another headache.

    Ah, it all made sense now: the message from an unknown number, the second plastic card in my wallet, every instance of me feeling like I forgot something.

    To no one¡¯s surprise, as usual with things in my life, it was another woman. The chin-length bob-cut of brown hair, standing a bit shorter than both Olivia and Bella, while rivaling the latter in terms of body proportions. Tight-fitting, long, flamboyant red dress with floral ornament, cut on one side all the way to her upper thigh, showing off her long leg clad in the black stockings with a complex pattern, red high-heels in tone with the dress.

    The last, and best, woman my bastard father managed to con. Nicole Roah. The person that, at some point, occupied a place in my mind that was comparable to Bella. And someone who I forced myself to forget about. She gave up on me at my lowest point. Even if, later, I learned that there was more to it than meets the eyes.

 Rash decision.

    Before I could ask myself about what am I supposed to even do with her, Nicole, perhaps feeling our stares, turned toward the two of us. It took her a single moment to recognize me, and, with a determination worthy of better use, the lady-in-red approached.

    ¡°So, you aren''t dead yet.¡± Nicole greeted me, pointedly ignoring Bella.

    ¡°Yeah, give or take.¡± I responded, still unsure what I should do or say.

    ¡°And this must be that Alvarez woman you told me about,¡± she changed her focus. ¡°I would''ve said it''s a pleasure, but that would be a lie.¡±

    ¡°My exact sentiment, Roah,¡± Bella spat out the surname like something dirty. ¡°How nice of you to visit your husband¡¯s grave. What a nice widow you are, huh.¡±

    ¡°At least I¡¯m not an unwanted leftover, Alvarez,¡± replied Nicole.

    Both women had a pleasant smile on their beautiful faces that were nowhere near their eyes of course, coupled with the equally pleasant tones of their voices, not matching the content of their words. The air was thick with tension between the two, and I couldn¡¯t help but see the two street cats, with their backs arched, about to fight over their territory.

    ¡°Ladies.¡± I decided to intervene before it was too late. ¡°If you want to settle your difference, please, mind the time and place.¡±

    I deliberately used a pleasant smile as well, even though the tone I used was that of my professional mask, cold and authoritative.

    ¡°Yes, dear,¡± Bella instantly fell in line.

    ¡°I will do as you ask,¡± Nicole reluctantly agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to miss our next meeting, Michael.¡±

    Oh, right. What should I do with her?

    ¡°About that,¡± I decided to make myself clear right there and then. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I will remind him about it,¡± Bella interrupted me.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Farewell.¡±

    With that said, the lady-in-red left, not bothering to look back. After she got out of my sight, I turned to Bella.

    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You were about to make a stupid and rash decision, dear,¡± my special woman chastised me. ¡°So, as your advisor, I stopped you before it was too late.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t rash¡­¡± I tried to explain.

    ¡°It was, and you know it, dear,¡± she refused to listen to my excuses. ¡°It¡¯s easy to see how her appearance threw you into a loop. You also failed to mention her even once in your stories. So, the only reasonable conclusion, something happened between the two of you in the future, and it affects your judgment right now.¡±

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    I couldn¡¯t refute her cold logic, and yet¡­

    ¡°Whatever it was, it hasn¡¯t happened yet. You, once more, failed to notice the difference between the current state of affairs and your future knowledge,¡± Bella continued her speech. ¡°Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, dear. And you were about to do exactly that, with no explanation, to a woman who can and will do everything in her power to repay you in kind. Next week is absolutely crucial, and you don¡¯t need extra distractions right now.¡±

    I took a deep breath, trying to think her words through. Bella was right. Of course, she was, but still¡­

    ¡°I just bought you three weeks to think about this ordeal in full. Cool your head, dear, weigh all pros and cons. And, if your current decision will still be the final one, tell her everything face to face, without unnecessary distractions that would skew her perception to the negative side.¡± Another portion of my special woman¡¯s wisdom. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want her to be your friend, at the very least, you don¡¯t need to make her your enemy, dear.¡±

    Her words made too much sense to me to argue any longer.

    ¡°Thank you, my dear,¡± I voiced my appreciation and gratitude.

    ¡°You are always welcome, dear,¡± she replied. ¡°Now, let¡¯s finish our visit.¡±

    ***

    After our cemetery visit ended, Bella, much to my displeasure, made me drive the car.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired, and you need something to distract yourself, dear.¡± She violated me with logic once more.

    Then, Bella asked me to drive us to her club, since she needed to hand over some tasks, and there would be no time for it tomorrow. I just nodded my head, and put the familiar address to the navigator. Surprisingly, traffic wasn¡¯t all that bad for a Sunday evening. Small graces.

    ***

    I was sitting in Bella¡¯s armchair, watching outside through the panoramic window. The magnificent woman in question left to discuss something with her head of security and chief of staff. I had no clue what exactly it was, only that it was related to day-to-day club operations.

    ¡°Isabella.¡± I heard a vaguely familiar voice calling for my special woman.

    I turned around, not leaving the comfort of my current seat. The owner of the voice was, just as I guessed, the current assistant/side-chick of Bella¡¯s.

    ¡°Bella is away. Meeting about something or the other,¡± I decided to grace her with the directions.

    I was about to turn back towards my previous pastime, but before I could do so, another question reached my ears.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The girl, whose name I was almost certain started with L, asked

    ¡°Hm? Waiting for Bella, killing time, thinking about a myriad of things. The usual,¡± I gave her an answer. ¡°Now, move along, you are distracting me.¡±

    I felt irritation rising inside myself. For some strange reason, I really felt the need to antagonize this chick. Why, though?

    ¡°Stop calling her that, Isabella hates this name.¡± Another useless comment followed.

    ¡°Yeah, no,¡± I refused. ¡°Bella is the name reserved to people she considers as a family. So take your useless advice, shove it up your cute bum, and go take a hike.¡±

    I decided that ignoring this bitch, I slowly exhaled, would be the best course of action, so I turned the armchair to face the window again, signaling that the conversation was over.

    Only to feel a hand land on my shoulder. The strength of her grip was pretty impressive. For someone of her size, that is. With the number of weight classes separating us, I didn¡¯t feel much, though. Except still building up irritation. I clasped the offending appendage by the thin wrist and clasped it just enough so she would release my shoulder. I was trying my best not to crush her arm. Bella liked this girl and would¡¯ve been pretty crass with me if I seriously broke her.

    ¡°I will let it slide once, on behalf of Bella¡¯s high opinion about you.¡± I told her, while looking straight into her eyes. Of a rare violet color, I noted absentmindedly. ¡°But it was a long day and my patience is running low right now.¡±

 Alas.

    Actually, up close, she was pretty cute. Not a surprise, really, Bella had an exceptional taste in women.

    Straight black hair, just long enough to cover her ears, styled in a deliberately unruly way. Hm, I¡¯ve seen someone with the same hairstyle recently, even though the hair was a bit longer.

    She wasn¡¯t short either, standing at the same height as Olivia. Her figure, as expected from Bella''s choice, also was quite impressive. The healthy tan, another soft spot of my special woman, was a cherry on top for this chick¡¯s appearance.

    She looked positively energetic, and, judging by her grip strength, was even more fit than Claire.

    I finished my once over, and returned my gaze to her eyes. She still hasn¡¯t released my shoulder, even though I tightened my hand enough to leave some marks already. In her eyes I could easily read defiance, challenge, and stubbornness.

    Ah, that wasn¡¯t good. Not good at all. The darkness inside dared me to take the challenge and break this girl thoroughly, to defile her body and trample her spirit.

    To make the matter worse, I was pretty pent-up since morning, and the whole day spent with Bella didn¡¯t help in the least. I should¡¯ve asked her for a blowjob or something before we arrived here.

    My imagination decided to pour oil onto the fire and painted me a picture of Bella, bent over her table.

    ¡°What is going on here?¡± I heard the familiar voice of my special woman as she asked the question.

    ¡°As you see, my dear Bella, I am trying my best not to let my self-control slip again, while your side-piece, for some reason, thinks that challenging me to a contest of brute strength is a good idea.¡± I turned my face towards the woman in question and gave her my response.

    I was still keeping my hold on the side chick¡¯s wrist. She hasn¡¯t released my shoulder yet, so I refused to give up first.

    ¡°And what about you?¡± My special woman followed with the question addressed to my opponent.

    ¡°You really let him call you by that name.¡± The poor girl sounded genuinely shocked.

    ¡°Yes? Of course, I do. He is the special one for me,¡± Bella confirmed without any mercy.

    I felt the grip on my shoulder being released, followed by a tug, as the girl attempted to run away, most likely in tears, completely forgetting that I haven¡¯t released the hold yet. Hm, why did I hold her arm still? Ah, right.

    ¡°Bella, you are making a rash and rather idiotic decision. Exactly the kind you advised me against earlier.¡± I shook my head.

    At the same time, I easily overpowered the continuous attempts of the girl to take her arm back. Instead, I brought her closer, and gave her my shoulder to cry. Which she, to my surprise, actually did. Ah, now it was even more awkward. I started to slowly stroke the girl¡¯s, whose name I still couldn¡¯t remember, back in an attempt to calm her a bit. Judging by the volume of her sobs, it did the opposite. Just my luck.

    ¡°Dear¡­¡± Bella drawled in exasperation.

    ¡°Silence, wench,¡± I told her off playfully. ¡°Bella, you are supposed to be a wise one, while I am supposed to be the brute. This girl clearly is head over heels for you, yet instead of tactfully explaining to her the situation, keeping an excellent aide, you decided to break her heart instead.¡±

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    Sobs became a bit quieter.

    ¡°While I appreciate the clear-cut way you chose me over her, the actual execution was atrocious,¡± I chastised my special woman. ¡°From what I remember you telling me about her, she is a worthy asset to keep around, and her infatuation with you will naturally make her loyal. All you needed to do was spin the truth a bit and then push the blame upon me. She already disliked me for no apparent reason that I can remember, so it could¡¯ve been easily done.¡±

    Sobs became even quieter.

    ¡°Judging by the state of her back muscles, which I can trace through her clothes, coupled with her grip strength relative to her proportions, this cutie needs just a bit more personal training. I think she could¡¯ve been an excellent bodyguard for you,¡± I continued my ramblings. ¡°Hm, from calluses on her palms, I can guess she mainly trains with short weapons in both hands. Not sure if she has experience with guns, though. All of that, coupled with her good looks, multiplied by your reputation as a¡­ connoisseur of beautiful tanned girls, and nobody would even think that she is more than your lover. Until it¡¯s too late.¡±

    Sobs stopped.

    ¡°Hm, to be honest, I have no idea why am I even still talking,¡± I sighed. ¡°By the way, my self-control has kind of slipped already, and you smell so good¡­ Since you stopped crying, I will give you twenty seconds to run away.¡±

    The body in my arms stiffened. I slowly released my hold on her body and gave her an encouraging smile. And then she bolted away, completely red.

    ¡°Dear¡­¡± I once again heard Bella¡¯s voice.

    Huh, now that I think, when did she change her attire? Instead of a crop top and jeans combo, my special woman sported her usual business outfit.

    ¡°Dear, there are periods of time when I literally live here. Of course, I have a room with a bed, a shower, and a decent wardrobe ready.¡± Bella noticed my surprise. ¡°I thought if I should come here wearing only a shirt, but decided against it.¡±

    I knew she won¡¯t let me live it down any time soon.

    ¡°And instead you went for an office lady fetish package?¡± I nodded at her loosely buttoned white blouse, black pencil skirt, and black stockings. ¡°You know, there is something to it, but it¡¯s more about the person under the clothing.¡±

    ¡°Yet you refused me, again, this morning.¡± Bella sounded salty.

    ¡°Oh, about that.¡± I decided to bring up my conclusion about my girlfriend¡¯s sex addiction. ¡°I wanted to ask you to change your approach regarding Olivia.¡±

    My special woman looked at me, waiting for the details.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s just a hunch, but I think she likes sex a bit too much for her own good. It¡¯s not as bad as my thrill addiction yet, but I would rather not leave it alone.¡± I explained.

    ¡°And you can¡¯t do anything about it yourself, since it will send the poor girl into complete panic mode.¡± Bella completed my words for me. ¡°Hm, sure, I will do as you ask.¡±

    I felt like there was something else important, but it just kept eluding me. Ah, right, Bella, bent over the table. Hm. Sounds great.

    ¡°So, will you keep undressing me with your eyes, or will you finally get your body involved?¡± Asked Bella, once again noticing and interpreting my intentions.

    ¡°Oh, I just can¡¯t decide if you will look better bent over your table. Or with your back on top of it.¡± I truly couldn¡¯t decide.

    ¡°How about we do both and then compare results?¡± As expected from my advisor, how truly wise of her!

    I made a gesture for her to come over, and Bella did so. In her endless wisdom, my special woman sat on the edge of her desk, and spread her legs, showing me, not-so-surprising, lack of underwear. It was a clear hint, and, if this cycle had a different winner, I would''ve done as she was asking.

    Isabella Alvarez, Bella, the successful businesswoman, and extremely prolific information broker, had many masculine traits. She was dominant, strong headed, and had a quick temper. Which frequently led to clashes between us. Mostly because we couldn¡¯t decide once and for all who is supposed to wear the figurative pants in our couple.

    ¡°Turn over.¡± I gave her an order.

    In response, the gorgeous woman in front of me raised her eyebrow with curiosity and interest in her eyes, and did as she was told. It was another part of our game. Yet younger me lacked the necessary knowledge, experience, and, most importantly, disposition to make her submit. Unless she would choose to, of course. Which Bella did on the regular, by the way, since it was something she enjoyed just as much.

    Perhaps if my self-control wasn¡¯t already compromised, I would¡¯ve played with her for a lot longer.

    Alas.

 Lady in Black.

    The post-release clarity brought with itself a shocking epiphany. And, right now, I felt like an idiot. Ah, my imagination promptly drew a picture of Bella, smiling wryly and shaking her head. Maybe a biting remark about how long it took me to realize something so obvious as well. Ah, how I miss her. The young Bella was great, but my Bella, the one with whom we went through so much together¡­ Yeah.

    Once more, I was sitting in Bella¡¯s armchair, watching outside through the panoramic window. The magnificent woman in question was busy talking to someone over the phone.

    Now that I was paying attention, I understood that it was about her flight. Hm, because of the weather forecast, she either needed to get to it three hours earlier, which meant she will barely cut it if she left right now, or will be forced to wait until further notice.

    ¡°Bella,¡± I called out. ¡°Go.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± My special woman sounded surprised.

    ¡°I said go,¡± I repeated my words.

    ¡°What gives?¡± She asked back, not quite managing to mask a bit of hurt in her tone.

    I looked at my watch. Eleven sixteen.

    ¡°I have another date to attend tonight.¡± I answered. ¡°And I am almost late already.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± An angry question. ¡°Ah, now I understand. So, this is why you defended her.¡±

    ¡°A certain bar owner, who, hopefully, will pour me a cup of tea.¡± I told her directly, not taking the obvious bait.

    The heavy silence fell. I looked into Bella''s wide-open eyes. My words caught her off-guard, her usual poker face completely failing to cope with her shock.

    ¡°Bella.¡± I called once more, turning back to the window. ¡°Please.¡±

    I heard her dialing a number, and she started giving orders to her bodyguard unit. Bella already sent two people ahead beforehand, to secure a place to stay, as well as sending the baggage. Smart girl, always prepared for the bullshit circumstance like now.

    ¡°Dear,¡± she called. ¡°Remember my words.¡±

    And she left.

    ***

    Much to my surprise, as I was about to leave the club, my phone started ringing.

    ¡°I left you a surprise at my place.¡± I heard Bella¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Will check tomorrow.¡± I promised, ignoring the dark humor of this phrase.

    ¡°You better.¡± Bella noticed as well. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your call.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded, forgetting that it was a voice-only call. ¡°See you in a week.¡±

    ***

    As I stepped into the parking lot, the guy, whom I recognized as one of Bella¡¯s people, approached and gave me a small package. I thanked him with a nod.

    The package contained the key card from her condo and car keys. From the same car she let me borrow on Friday. I guess Bella really meant her words. Another reason not to fail, then.

    ***

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    I arrived at my destination. Double-checking myself, so I wouldn¡¯t forget the diary, I left the car and went inside the alleyway. It was a gamble, to leave a car like this one parked in a place like that, but I was all-in already anyway.

    Trying not to think about anything, I let my muscle memory take over and lead me to the familiar black door under the useless sign. Only now I thought about the third possibility, what if she opened the bar later on? Long H¨¤o, the Head of the Long clan, what if his death was the reason she did so?

    Was that woman even who I thought she was? If I fail, will they leave Bella, the obvious suspect and clear link, alone? What about Olivia?

    With those thoughts buzzing in my head on repeat, I reached the place. It was there, the same black unlit sign ¡®BAR¡¯ over the unremarkable black iron door.

    Another realization dawned upon my poor self. To my endless surprise, I actually looked forward to seeing my tea-drinking buddy again. Was she sad after receiving the news about my demise? I certainly hope she didn¡¯t.

    And I went inside. This place didn¡¯t change at all. Muted lights, dark wood of furniture, and relaxing blues tunes. And, as usual, no one was in sight. I was there a number of times through the years, but never met any other customer.

    Today wasn¡¯t an exception, either. The familiar bartender, certainly looking younger but just as bored as always, polished the same glass with the same motion. I scanned the interior, with bated breath, looking for another familiar figure¡­

    And, sitting in her usual seat, wearing her trademark black kimono, here she was. The woman I had a date with tonight. Quite possibly the last date I will ever attend.

    A much warmer gaze from her steel-gray eyes met mine. As unreadable as her expression usually was, she still gave away a hint of curiosity. While her regal mannerisms were still in place, her posture felt lighter as well.

    ¡°Oh, a customer.¡± Her mellow voice was warmer than I was used to hearing. ¡°A rarity for this woman¡¯s humble establishment. I apologize in advance if you will find that offensive, but let me ask. What brought you here? Was it sorrow? Or happiness perchance?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± I answered. ¡°With a side of business.¡±

    ¡°How curious, indeed.¡± She let out a smile. ¡°Sorrow and happiness, with a side of business. If you don¡¯t mind sharing, which of the three made you seek my company tonight?¡±

    I calculated the possible answers. No matter how I spun the situation, my position was the weaker one. I knew precious nothing about her overall, and every bit of my knowledge only made her position look even stronger. The only thing that was left for me was to play it straight. All-in.

    ¡°Long Chen,¡± I said.

    Her entire demeanor changed. Gone is the amicable smile, the gaze acquired the familiar sharpness.

    ¡°I hope you understand that every single day, at least one person claims to be him, yes?¡± Her tone was frigid. ¡°And many of them had done a more thorough job than you. What makes you believe that your attempt would be successful?¡±

    ¡°Before we continue, can I get an answer to one question?¡± There was one thing left to confirm.

    ¡°You can try.¡± A dry reply.

    ¡°To whom do I have the honor to speak?¡± I asked the most important of questions.

    ¡°Oh, indeed, where are my manners?¡± She stood up, straight as an arrow, and I felt looked down upon, even if she was quite a bit shorter. ¡°Kouzuki Miya, wife of Long H¨¤o, mother of Long Chen. Now, speak!¡±

    Well, that¡¯s one thing out of the way, I guess. So, that¡¯s what it feels like to be her enemy. No, not the enemy. Prey. I fought back the animal grin.

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s indeed all three, then,¡± I drawled. ¡°The happiness of meeting. The sorrow of the news. And business to discuss.¡±

    My nonchalant words caught her off guard. Her icy glare faltered momentarily.

    ¡°As a token gift for the first meeting, I offer you the news about Long Chen.¡± I deliberately measured my words. ¡°The city cemetery number four, plot number zero seven nine six. Leon Roah. My condolences.¡±

    Her posture crumbled as she fell onto her seat. I guess my father wasn¡¯t as good at hiding his tail as he thought. Or maybe the Long clan just kept its eyes on everyone who looked within a certain range of resemblance.

    ¡°Men.¡± As soon as she called, a few figures, hidden until this very moment, appeared. ¡°You heard the news. Deal with it posthaste. I need confirmation.¡±

    I tactfully kept my silence, still standing, as I wasn¡¯t offered a seat.

    ¡°I apologize,¡± she said. ¡°You must understand. I can¡¯t let you leave until your news is thoroughly checked. Sit down, please. Would you like something to drink?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s no problem. While I can¡¯t claim to understand what you are feeling right now, loss is a loss.¡± I took the former half of the offer, plopping down onto one of the free chairs. I ignored the latter, though.

    There were many things to negotiate, and I would prefer my mind to stay sharp and, preferably, not poisoned.

 I will be in touch.

    As we were sitting in the heavy silence, one of the shadows that left previously, returned. After offering the piece of paper to Lady Kouzuki, the shadow disappeared again.

    Hm, I tried to remember the actual footwork, this move would be an incredible party-trick.

    After reading the contents of the paper, Lady Kouzuki let out a short sob, but that was the extent of her outward reaction.

    ¡°Let me offer my condolences once more,¡± I voiced my heartfelt sympathy. Not every day you get the news that your only child is dead. ¡°I am very sorry, but with that confirmation, I would like to get to the next issue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she replied. ¡°Just tell me what you want, and it will be done. Since your meeting gift was so precious, I can¡¯t possibly be stingy either.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I appreciate the notion, but I can¡¯t accept a repayment for a gift offered freely.¡± I raised my arms in a placating gesture. ¡°There is a matter I desperately need your help with, and I already procured a worthy payment for that as well.¡±

    With deliberate slowness, showing that I had no intentions of harming the mourning lady, I took out the diary of my father. Let¡¯s hope the other party will take my word, and let me leave. Or, at the very least, let my life be enough.

    ¡°There is a man who harmed someone incredibly special to me. But a certain force much beyond my reach is involved in the whole debacle, so I can¡¯t repay him by myself. I don¡¯t fear death, but the fallout will involve my special person as well, and so I¡¯m powerless.¡± I bowed my head. ¡°So, I must beg for your help. I know the name, overall description, and even general whereabouts. I am more than capable of taking care of it by myself, yet I need someone to pull the necessary strings in the aftermath.¡±

    I paused, waiting for comments from the other party, but only got silence in response.

    ¡°Otherwise, even just letting out the knowledge to the interested party that it¡¯s personal revenge, and it will end with that person¡¯s death should be enough. As for the price, I offer this little thing in my hand.¡± I patted the small book. ¡°The diary of one Long Chen. I must confess, I read the thing, and it contains¡­ certain things the outsiders shouldn¡¯t know. I hope my word would be enough to guarantee that no one else knows anything. Or, if that¡¯s not enough, I offer you my life as compensation.¡±

    I put the diary onto the table, and, once again, a shadow appeared out of nowhere, or to be exact from under that fake flooring behind the third table on the right. They took the small book in their hands and checked it thoroughly, first using an electronic sniffer, and then using their own eyes and hands. Deeming the diary as relatively safe, the shadow took it and handed it over to Lady Kouzuki.

    With a mixed look on her youthful face, the lady in black gently touched the gold emblem on the cover, with a certain degree of tenderness she stroked it a few times, and let out a sigh.

    ¡°Write down the information about that person, I will make sure they will pay for whatever they did to your special person,¡± she said, sounding completely exhausted. ¡°As for your life. You shall keep it. Be warned, if the rumors regarding the information in this diary will spread, both the Long and Kouzuki clans will do everything to eliminate you. Now, please, leave me alone. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    I stood up and bowed my head. She just did me a great favor, and I still had a lot of gratitude and respect for her left over from the first round. As I was about to leave, I heard her voice again.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I never heard your name.¡± Oh, right.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Ah, please overlook my lack of manners.¡± I apologized again. ¡°My name is Michael Roah. Or, I suppose, Long Tian.¡±

    And just like that, after hearing my words, Kouzuki Miya fainted.

    ***

    For the umpteenth time in the last ten days, I asked myself the same question. How the hell did it all come to this?

    After my introduction, followed by her eventual waking up, just like in the first round, Lady Kouzuki spent a few minutes scrutinizing me from head to toes. And, finally coming to a conclusion, poured me a cup of tea. Which I did accept, since this would¡¯ve been a grave offense otherwise. And, even more importantly, I missed the taste dearly.

    As I was thoroughly interrogated for the story of my life so far, now considerably much more polite, shadows took a few samples, a drop of blood, a swat on the inside of my cheek and a few strands of hair. I obviously consented to this procedure, though, I doubt it really did matter. I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to decline either, not with the amount of hope in her gaze.

    The tea tasted just as amazing as I remembered, and the woman in black kimono was the same great listener, so I slipped into a pleasant mood. The fact that the pressure I was under since earlier today, I glanced towards my watch, well, yesterday since it was past midnight, left me as well, only served to relax me further.

    The same shadow as always appeared and held out another piece of paper to Lady Kouzuki, who took it with a slightly trembling hand. A quick scan of contents, a single tear sliding down her cheek, a moment of silence.

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t lie about this one either.¡± Acknowledgement of my claim. ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°Our business is done. Unless you want to change your mind about my fate, I would love to get some sleep. It was a very long day.¡± I gave her my answer. ¡°Now, I will thank you for being a great listener and, also, for the best tea I ever had, and we will go our separate ways.¡±

    ¡°Denied.¡± Well, I knew it was too good to be true. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly let you leave just like that.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kouzuki¡­¡± I called out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± she interrupted. ¡°You are a family.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kouzuki. I lived my whole life as Michael Roah. The only family I ever had is that special person I mentioned before.¡± I paused, since something in my own words sounded wrong to me. ¡°Maybe the last in my list of stepmothers was close to that threshold as well. And there is another girl who is on her way, albeit only just at a starting line.¡±

    She refused to answer my words. Perhaps being adamant about the way I called her, or there was something else on her mind altogether.

    ¡°I am flattered by the fact you seem to acknowledge me, but this wasn¡¯t on my list of reasons to come here.¡± I stood up, and, after bowing my head once more, I decided to leave.

    ¡°You are just like your father.¡± Those words made my step falter. ¡°Fine, go away. Forget about this poor woman. But you should know, this doesn¡¯t change the fact you are my blood, my only grandson. Even if you refuse to acknowledge that, you are no longer alone.¡±

    ¡®You are not alone.¡¯ Bella¡¯s words rang in my head.

    ¡®You are about to make a stupid and rash decision, dear.¡¯ Followed by another one.

    ¡°That¡¯s a low blow, Lady Kouzuki.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Fine. I will play along. What exactly do you want from me?¡±

    The lady in black rose from her seat and came over.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you, Tian. Except, maybe, some company. You don¡¯t need to believe my words, but you are someone dear to me. This is the number reserved for the closest ones, it''s always on. If you ever need something, just call me.¡± I heard her saying, as she gave me the familiar blank visit card, with the same familiar number etched on it. ¡°And, don¡¯t forget to visit my bar occasionally, this old woman will always welcome you here.¡±

    Her vision overlapped with the same one from the first round. Only this time, her words sounded even more forlorn. Now that I think, considering how much this woman had done to save my ass, there was no way for her to not recognize me, at least in some way. Yet, she never brought that up.

    ¡°I¡­ I will be in touch.¡± I carefully took the card from her hands. ¡°Grandmother.¡±

    Leaving my words behind, I left the bar.

 Surprise.

    As a matter of fact, my, or, well, Bella¡¯s car was fine. I scanned the vicinity and found the hidden shadow. I caught their gaze, and gave them a nod of appreciation, much to their shock. Anyway, this person just did me a favor, since Bella would skin me alive if something happened to her precious baby.

    I looked at the watch again, almost two in the morning. I had a date scheduled for the first half of the day, and I had to pick Olivia up around three in the afternoon, give or take. The amount of stress I was under, until the very end, kept me from feeling the sleepiness yet, though. Olivia wasn¡¯t home either, so I had no reason to hurry to that empty place anyway. What a dilemma.

    Then I remembered Bella¡¯s words about her place and surprise. Since I had nothing against crashing there for tonight, my next course of action became clear.

    ***

    I put the key card to the reader. A short beep later, the door opened. I released the held breath, since, knowing the vengeful nature of my special woman, I was half expecting that the surprise would be something along the line of Bella changing locks.

    ¡°Isabella, I¡­¡± I heard the voice and felt the need to palm my face

    Yes, what a surprise, indeed. Wearing barely anything, Bella¡¯s assistant looked at me in absolute shock. My guess about her being extremely fit was also correct.

    Even if there was no excessive hypertrophy, her abs were clearly defined, and I could see the movement of her muscles under the smooth skin. Hm, interesting choice of lingerie as well. The contrast between the tanned skin and bright colors was quite stunning.

    For a moment, I felt like I''d seen almost the exact pair recently, but then again, Olivia dragged me through the entirety of the underwear shop yesterday, so it wasn¡¯t outside the realm of possibilities.

    ¡°Let me guess, Bella called you and said she wants to talk at her place?¡± I tried to distract myself, and the girl, with words. ¡°Maybe even said that she can explain everything? The instructed security let you inside, only there was no one in sight. Then this wench sent a message, apologizing for being late, and you decided to take a nap while waiting?¡±

    That vengeful bitch once did this exact prank in my first life. I guess Bella will be Bella, wherever and whenever.

    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you, but Bella is on a business trip out of the city for the week.¡± I continued my speech. ¡°Do you want me to call you a taxi?¡±

    After the rollercoaster that was my day, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to even care anymore. Stunned girl, Lyta, I finally remembered her name, just continued staring at me like a deer in headlights.

    ¡°I would offer to go away myself, but without this key card.¡± I showed the piece of plastic. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to leave by yourself. I also had a very long day, so I can¡¯t be bothered to play gentleman, either¡±

    Still no response. Fuck it. I took off my shoes, and went past the statue of a gender bent Greek god, wanting nothing more than to take a quick shower and drop asleep.

    ¡°H-hey,¡± her voice reached my ears. ¡°Just who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Bella¡¯s special man, just like she is my special woman. This has been like that for five years already, and it will be so until my last breath.¡± I gave her a clear answer. ¡°We have our fair share of disagreements, since we both have a very loose definition of fidelity. Yet, as Bella already made it pretty clear earlier today, she will always choose me in the end.¡±

    Trying not to make it even more awkward for the poor girl by letting my eyes wander all over her mostly naked body, I focused my gaze on her lovely face. Which let me easily notice that her tears were about to spill once more. Yeah, sure, waterworks is just the thing that I need right now.

    ¡°Look, I am completely spent, mental wise at least. I want to take a shower and get some much-needed sleep,¡± I started. ¡°If you have something to say, can we do this whole song and dance in the morning? Please. Just choose any of the guest rooms and get some shut-eye as well. I give you my word that I won¡¯t do anything to you today. If you don¡¯t believe me, fine, every room has a lock on the door.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    I omitted that Bella had keys for every door in her personal safe, and I knew the combination. I wasn¡¯t planning to do anything anyway, so there was no reason to get her even more agitated.

    Just as I was about to give up on waiting for the answer, Lyta finally spoke.

    ¡°F-fine,¡± she stumbled. ¡°We will talk in the m-morning.¡±

    Small miracles.

    ¡°Yes, yes, sweet dreams,¡± I told her and went upstairs.

    ***

    Same as yesterday, my sleep was abruptly cut short by the sound of my phone¡¯s ringtone. The one that was assigned to Bella''s number. I checked the time, seven forty-something, and picked up the call.

    ¡°How was my surprise?¡± my special woman asked without any preamble.

    ¡°Absolutely adorable.¡± I answered, matching her tone. ¡°Especially the way she completely froze after deciding to welcome me wearing only lingerie. I must praise your taste in women, my dear.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I brought it upon myself,¡± lamented Bella. ¡°So, how was your date?¡±

    ¡°I am alive,¡± I stated the fact. ¡°Everything else can wait until your return.¡±

    I heard another voice calling for Bella¡¯s attention on the other side.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad everything went well,¡± she drawled. ¡°But I need to go, it''s time for my meeting.¡±

    ¡°Take care,¡± I said.

    ¡°See you.¡± After saying this, Bella ended the call.

    Five and a half hours of sleep felt a bit insufficient, so I set my alarm to nine and closed my eyes again.

    ***

    Another call woke me up. A video call from Claire at that. Most likely, Counter Girl just fat-fingered the button via accident, trying to send me a message, but I was curious to see her reaction. And, I glanced at the time, eight fifty-four, to see what she was currently wearing. With this nefarious reasoning in mind, my finger moved to accept the call.

    ¡°Ah!¡± The surprised yelp of a koala girl greeted me. Cute.

    Claire was lying on her back, panic clear on her face, wearing that t-shirt she liberated from me last week and a pair of yellow shorts. Despite, or maybe because of, the shirt¡¯s struggles to fit her sizable bust, it was currently riding all the way up, leaving her flat stomach for me to see.

    ¡°Good morning, Claire,¡± I greeted her back, eliciting another surprised yelp. Cute.

    ¡°Tian! Sorry. I was about to send you a message, but pressed the wrong button.¡± She said, confirming my previous conjecture. ¡°Um, did I wake you up?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, yes. But, seeing your pretty face first thing in the morning, isn¡¯t the worst way to start the day.¡± I replied, seeing how her expression morphed into one of guilt.

    ¡°Um, well, I¡­¡± The Counter Girl stumbled, a hint of the smile playing on her lips, a light flush coloring her cheeks.

    Hm, shouldn¡¯t this cute girl be more used to receiving compliments? I remembered the lanky loser she was chasing after. Yeah, maybe not.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it was five minutes before my alarm anyway,¡± I decided to change the topic and give her a breather. ¡°So, what was that message supposed to be about?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to discuss the time for our gym visit,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Ah, yes, our gym date,¡± I teased. ¡°Hm, as I said, I need to pick Olivia up around three - three thirty. Just to be sure that traffic won¡¯t be an issue, I will aim to leave about an hour before that, around two. So, how about noon?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Claire exclaimed, instantly catching herself, blushing even harder. Then she cleared her throat and continued. ¡°I mean, noon is fine with me.¡±

    I held back a chuckle.

    ¡°Should I pick you up then?¡± I decided to ask.

    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± Counter Girl sounded confused. ¡°I thought we would meet halfway.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not home right now,¡± I clarified. ¡°And I have some unfinished business to take care of.¡±

    Like the talk with Bella¡¯s assistant. Ugh.

    ¡°Well, we can meet at the gym then,¡± the girl on the other side of the screen said.

    ¡°We can,¡± I agreed. ¡°Or I can pick you up. Your choice, Claire.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience you,¡± she drawled.

    ¡°Yes or no?¡± For some reason, her words sounded like another one of her flimsy excuses, so I decided to push a bit more.

    ¡°Um.¡± Her eyes wavered. ¡°Yes, please.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I praised her jokingly. ¡°Send me the address later.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°Well, I would love to talk for longer, but it¡¯s time for my routine.¡± I said, glancing at the time. ¡°I will call you later. Bye.¡±

    ¡°Cya,¡± she ended the call.

 One hell of an awkward talk.

    I rose from the bed and started my mobility routine. Bella had a pretty impressive home gym, and I was a bit lazy to run through an unfamiliar route right now, so treadmill it was then.

    After a quick cold shower in the adjacent bathroom, I walked into Bella¡¯s closet. Curious bit of trivia, her closet had more of my clothing than my place. Quickly finding a set of gym gear and running shoes, which I donned, I went to a room dedicated to the gym.

    The first thing I saw after entering was Lyta, doing squats, wearing a pair of gym shorts and a sports bra. Her form was great, while the bar had a respectable weight on it. She caught my gaze in the wall mirror, and I nodded as a greeting.

    Deciding to let the girl do her own workout without distractions, I put in my ear buds and went to a treadmill. After playing a bit with the control panel, I set myself a pace and started my run.

    ***

    Finishing my daily mileage quota, I stepped down from the treadmill.

    ¡°Cardio only?¡± I heard a question.

    ¡°Already have a gym date scheduled,¡± I decided to answer.

    ¡°And Isabella knows about it?¡± Another question.

    ¡°And Bella knows about it.¡± Another answer.

    ¡°Why do you need other women when you already have someone like her?¡± She continued questioning me.

    ¡°For the same reason she needs someone else when she has someone like me.¡± I humored her with an answer. ¡°Lust. Greed. Commitment issues. Shitty nature.¡±

    ¡°What about those women, then? Do they know about Isabella?¡± Should I cut this short?

    ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t mind playing the twenty questions, but it¡¯s time for a shower and breakfast. Later.¡±

    Ignoring her protests, I left to do exactly that.

    ***

    To my surprise, Bella¡¯s fridge was actually stocked with actual food. I was certain that she was living on take-outs. Taking eggs, cheese, and some sort of ham, I started the cooking process. Now, if only Lyta stopped trying to kill me with her glare.

    ¡°Want some?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I can cook for myself,¡± she replied in a hostile tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Why do you even ask?¡± Again with her questions.

    ¡°I wanted to be polite.¡± Trying not to let her get under my skin, I answered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your politeness.¡± What is her problem?

    ¡°Then get the fuck out of here.¡± I stared into her eyes. ¡°The only reason I didn¡¯t throw you out yesterday is because you are one of Bella¡¯s people. And she tends to be overprotective of her subordinates.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand you.¡± She ignored my outburst.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your understanding,¡± I parroted her earlier words.

    ¡°Then what do you need from me?¡± Nothing.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± I repeated it aloud.

    ¡°Then why have you defended me back in the office?¡± I guess that¡¯s the crux.

    ¡°I thought I was clear enough with my words back then.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of talent to simply cut you off like that.¡±

    Silence. I shrugged and went back to cooking. Cutting ham, mixing eggs, grating cheese.

    ¡°Can you make some for me as well, please?¡± Question.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Answer.

    Silence.

    ¡°I think there were some vegetables in the fridge as well. Can you wash and cut them?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she acknowledged.

    Silence.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Hey, what do you think I should do now?¡± She sounded lost.

    ¡°With veggies?¡± I joked.

    Silence. Deadpan stare.

    ¡°With my life,¡± Lyta clarified.

    ¡°Whatever you want,¡± I responded.

    Sound of water.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want any longer.¡± Deep sigh.

    ¡°Then do whatever you can.¡± I finished mixing eggs.

    I searched for a pan of suitable size. Found it. Hm, where is the control panel of this stove? A bit of experimentation later, and the pan started heating up.

    ¡°Scrambled or not?¡± I asked the most important question.

    ¡°Scrambled.¡± Lyta answered, while swiftly cutting the veggies.

    Silence again. Sounds of cooking utensils. Rhythmic sounds of knife work.

    ¡°Done.¡± She finished cutting.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I voiced my gratitude.

    ¡°Tea or coffee?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Coffee. No sugar. A bit of milk. Don¡¯t stir,¡± I gave my instructions.

    Hm, plates should be somewhere over there. Found them. Lyta operated a coffee machine. Soon after, I caught a scent of coffee. I served the table. She brought cups over.

    ¡°You are different from what I heard about you,¡± she stated in her observations.

    ¡°What did you hear?¡± I voiced my curiosity.

    ¡°Overly prideful, arrogant, aggressive,¡± she recounted.

    ¡°With a side of being a womanizer?¡± I added my five cents.

    ¡°Yep.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± I acknowledged.

    Silence. Sounds of fork against the plate. Quiet sips of coffee.

    ¡°Do I have a chance to win?¡± A serious question out of nowhere.

    ¡°Not really.¡± A serious answer.

    ¡°Should I give up then?¡± Defeated tone.

    ¡°Up to you.¡± I didn¡¯t really care.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you discourage me here?¡± A raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Whether you do or not, it won¡¯t make any difference.¡± I was confident.

    Silence. We both finished our food. I decided to rinse the plates. Lyta helped me by drying them.

    ¡°Is there really no way?¡± Why are you asking me this, girl?

    ¡°There is.¡± There actually was.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I could see hope in her eyes. I could hear hope in her voice.

    ¡°You can seduce me.¡± I dashed her hopes.

    ¡°Are you joking?¡± Disbelief, surprise, and anger.

    ¡°I am serious.¡± I was.

    Silence. She was glaring at me. I simply looked back.

    ¡°How is that supposed to help?¡± Valid question.

    ¡°This is a long story.¡± I wasn¡¯t in the mood to have a serious talk.

    ¡°We have time.¡± She argued.

    I glanced over at the clock on the microwave. Ten twenty-seven.

    ¡°No. You have time. I have a date to get ready for.¡± I rejected her argument.

    ¡°But¡­¡± She tried again.

    ¡°There is no reason to have this talk without Bella present. She will be back this Sunday at the earliest. You have a week to think this through. If you think it¡¯s a full-stop, then give up right now,¡± I explained. ¡°Now, excuse me, I have a date to get ready for.¡±

    ***

    After rummaging through Bella¡¯s closet, I managed to improvise something casual yet in line with everything I wore previously to pick up Olivia. A short exchange with the girl in question later, I changed my shirt to another style, since it was more to her taste. My girlfriend also gave me the seal of approval, telling me that it would be good enough for a date with Claire as well.

    Speaking of Claire, the Counter Girl sent me her address, and I checked traffic maps for the planned route. The result was full green, which wasn¡¯t all that surprising. First half of Monday, and, except for a short distance around Bella¡¯s place, the roads in question were far away from the busy ones.

    Me: [still up?]

    Counter Girl: [Yes.]

    We chatted a bit more as I packed the work-out clothes. After that was done, I walked down the stairs to the first floor of the condo. Lyta was ready to leave as well. I offered to drop her off at the nearest train station, which she accepted. Her already thoughtful and quite sour expression darkened even more when she saw which car I was about to drive.

    Me: [on my way]

    Counter Girl: [Waiting.]

    I dropped Lyta off at the place she asked me to and drove off to pick up my gym buddy. Absent-mindedly, I wondered if Claire would dress up for the occasion.

    ***

    With traffic lines on the navigator screen still being green, the drive was surprisingly short. I looked at the time, eleven forty-two. Well, at least I was well on time.

    As I was looking for a place to park for my wait, I saw a bit of an upsetting picture. Claire, to my disappointment, decided to wear the combo I¡¯ve seen before. Light-gray hoodie, blue jeans and white sneakers. With her figure and overall sporty and energetic vibe, this outfit worked pretty well, but I would love to see her in something new.

    The upsetting thing took the form of the familiar-looking, lanky dude with whom Counter Girl was currently talking. Hm, what should I do?

    On the one hand, I was already quite attracted to her. On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t all that interested in wasting my time with someone who plays games.

    ¡°What a drag,¡± I muttered under my breath.

    Me: [I¡¯m here]

    Me: [do you want to reschedule?]

    With a bit of dark delight, I looked at how the arrival of my messages startled Claire. To my surprise, she didn¡¯t delay reading them, though. From what I could see, after the Counter Girl finished doing that, she started to look around, most likely, trying to find me. Failing to do so, she started typing a response.

 Just try again.

    Counter Girl: [No!]

    Counter Girl: [It¡¯s just a coincidence.]

    Counter Girl: [He came over to borrow my notes for lectures he missed.]

    Counter Girl: [Um, where are you?]

    Me: [search for the most expensive looking car]

    Me: [I¡¯m inside]

    Second round of looking for me. I rolled down the window and waved my hand, which Claire finally noticed. She turned to the dude, said something to him, most likely a goodbye, and jogged towards me. I noted how his eyes followed the Counter Girl¡¯s back all the way to the car.

    I played around with the idea of pouring more oil into the fire. It would¡¯ve been a bit of a dick move, and I wasn''t completely sure if it would work as intended either. But¡­

    I left the car, watching the approaching Claire. Hm, should I do it or not?

    ¡°Tian!¡± I heard her voice, as she waved her hand with a smile. This sealed my choice.

    With a calculated motion, I took a step forward, hugging the surprised girl, who quickly relaxed into my embrace and hugged me back. I caught her gaze and gave her a wink. A moment later, my hand cupped her chin and I kissed her. Yet again without any tongue, but it was longer than a strict greeting. I felt how Claire went still briefly, but then she closed her eyes and accepted my actions. She even hugged me tighter.

    ¡°Long time no see, Claire.¡± I said, releasing the flustered girl.

    ¡°Um, yes, indeed,¡± she stumbled in her answer.

    ¡°Would you like another kiss?¡± I teased her.

    ¡°Um...¡± she drawled. ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    This caught me unprepared for an instant, but my automatic reflexes came to the rescue. I leaned in and kissed her one more time, savoring the moment. Chaste kisses with cute girls had something to them, especially when there was an audience.

    The lanky dude looked completely mortified, as if his entire world just crashed. I would¡¯ve pitied him if he didn¡¯t miss so many chances already. Claire also was clearly out of his league, so it was just a matter of time before someone would¡¯ve swooped in to take her away. You should always be careful with the prowling beasts like myself.

    ¡°So, are you ready to go?¡± I asked the girl in my arms, after finally breaking the kiss.

    ¡°Oh, um, yes, of course,¡± followed a flustered response.

    ¡°And where is your gym bag?¡± I teased her a bit more.

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, um, right. My bag,¡± she tried to laugh it off awkwardly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would be here so early, so I left it back home¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm, we can always turn our gym date into a normal one instead.¡± I was fine with either one, and I was genuinely interested in which one Claire would choose.

    She halted completely. I could swear there was a bit of smoke coming out of her ears. Did I push her too far here? But then again, Counter Girl was usually all wishy-washy without external pressure.

    ¡°I, um, like, yes, but,¡± she muttered something incoherent. ¡°I think I¡¯m underdressed for it.¡±

    ¡°Claire,¡± I said, cutting off another attempt at a flimsy excuse. ¡°I look forward to either outcome, but you are the only one who can decide what you want. Our schedule has enough spare time, so you can go back home and either take the bag or choose another outfit. Even if I think you look great in your current one as well.¡±

    Her face got a thoughtful expression after hearing my words.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± she concluded.

    ¡°I am looking forward to seeing your decision,¡± I encouraged her.

    And she ran away to one of the homes nearby. I followed her back with my gaze, a smile stretching my lips. And I wasn¡¯t quite sure which type it was.

    Now there was some more time to waste on my hand, so I decided to chat with Olivia. It always occurred to me as strange that this, usually chatty, girl, rarely texts me anything.

    Me: [sup?]

    Me: [got some time to kill]

    Me: [how are you?]

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Olivia: [Honey!]

    Olivia: [...]

    Olivia: [So-so]

    Me: [huh?]

    Me: [did something happen?]

    Olivia: [Nothing important]

    Me: [oof]

    Me: [my girlfriend just told me nothing happened]

    Me: [now I¡¯m worried]

    Olivia: [Honey¡­]

    Me: [?]

    Olivia: [Fine, there is something, but it¡¯s about Pat]

    Olivia: [I don¡¯t think you will be interested]

    Me: [if you want me to help]

    Me: [I don¡¯t mind getting involved]

    Olivia: [It¡¯s a bit of a mess¡­]

    Olivia: [Will tell you in person]

    Olivia: [Teacher noticed me texting]

    Olivia: [Later]

    That wasn¡¯t ominous at all. Well, with Su¡¯s first young lady in their company, nothing drastic should happen. And if push comes to shove¡­ Grandmother already asked me to call for her help if anything happened. As they say, if you preach about not relying on anyone but yourself, you just don¡¯t have anyone to rely upon. Self-made men, my ass. With my nature, I would¡¯ve been long since dead or in a prison, if not for Bella¡¯s¡­ and Nicole¡¯s help. Ah, soft rice tasted so great.

    As my thoughts went onto an unexpected tangent, my date returned at last, with her gym bag this time. A bit disappointing that she was still wearing the same attire, but it was her choice.

    ¡°Sorry for making you wait,¡± apologized the Counter Girl.

    ¡°You are actually on time, Claire,¡± I decided to placate her.

    Not wanting to waste any more time that could be spent on something more pleasant than standing by the car, I opened the door for my date. Not because I felt like being a gentleman, but Bella would¡¯ve been livid if a Counter Girl, lacking the necessary experience, would somehow mess with her little baby¡¯s door. I took my place behind the steering wheel, ugh, and drove off.

    ***

    The workout itself wasn¡¯t anything special. Claire¡¯s training plan was a bit too specific for my needs right now, so we worked out separately for the most part. Obviously, there were exceptions, like when she asked me to spot her or our breaks coincided.

    I was in the middle of my cooling-down and stretching routine while my gym buddy did her lazy bare minimum. Taking advantage of the situation, which she once again let me get away with, I helped her with her stretches occasionally.

    ¡°Do you like my butt that much?¡± Claire decided not to beat around the bush, after once more catching me enjoying the view of her shapely glutes in the tight yoga pants.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I acknowledged. ¡°I like the whole package more, but your bum is easily your most eye-catching feature.¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, thanks?¡± the Counter Girl clearly wasn¡¯t sure how to react to my frank words. ¡°Tian, um, it¡¯s a weird question, but do you really think I am attractive?¡±

    That was a weird question indeed. Putting a mock thoughtful expression on my face, I did a thorough once over of this cute girl in front of me.

    ¡°Of course, duh,¡± I deadpanned. ¡°No offense, but if you weren¡¯t looking quite as good as you are, I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to discover your other attractive qualities.¡±

    ¡°Are looks really that important?¡± Claire questioned.

    ¡°I can¡¯t speak for everybody, but for me, personally, they are pretty important,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Why?¡± Another one of those.

    ¡°Because I enjoy women¡¯s beauty.¡± I said, while shifting into another stance.

    ¡°But what if the person is outstanding in everything except looks? Or the opposite, looks are there, but that¡¯s all?¡± She continued her inquiry.

    ¡°Then I just need to try again. All the way until finding the full package.¡± I would¡¯ve shrugged, but it would¡¯ve messed with the balance.

    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t someone like that be incredibly rare?¡± Hm, was she so bored to ask such weird questions?

    ¡°Well, I am spending time with one of them right now.¡± I shifted into the last pose. ¡°While killing time to pick up another one from school. The third one is currently out of the city on a business trip, though. Pity.¡±

    I omitted the fourth one, who was still ignoring my message. Maybe I should ask grandmother for help to find some info about Helen. My mind halted for an instant. Calling Lady Kouzuki as my grandmother came so naturally. Huh.

    Oh, right, I forgot to tell Olivia about the change of plans with Su. Though¡­ I already met the lady-in-black, I should meet the lady-in-white as well. Hm, how to go about that? Now that I think about it, I forgot to give my grandmother my number. There was no doubt that she could easily procure it by herself, but gesture is what counts.

    Hm, that would be a nice prank. I should still have that piece of paper I used to sketch my father¡¯s personal seal. All that was left is to add my number and, let¡¯s say, write something eye-catching. Worse comes to worst, I could be sure the lady-in-white would have about the same reaction as the lady-in-black after learning the truth.

    ¡°Tian!¡± Claire¡¯s voice took me out of my deep contemplation.

    ¡°Ah, sorry, I lost my way inside my own head while thinking about something a bit important,¡± I explained apologetically. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I asked if you want to go somewhere else after this,¡± the Counter Girl responded. ¡°Um, together, I mean. Um, there is one coffee place I know, and you seem to enjoy your coffee¡­¡±

    I put some thoughts into her words. Then checked the time, quarter before two, and the traffic map, which was green all the way. I wasn¡¯t against the idea to spend more time with Claire, either.

    ¡°Hm, that depends on how far it is, but I have about an hour to kill.¡± A series of new message pings interrupted my words.

    Olivia: [Honey]

    Olivia: [You remember I told you that we had a sub that cut it short on Friday?]

    Olivia: [Well, now we have an extra class today!]

    Olivia: [Kill me, please]

    ¡°Ugh, make it two hours,¡± I complained.

 This time for real.

    The coffee place that Claire invited me to, turned out to be the same place I visited last Friday with Olivia and her motley crew of friends. A good choice indeed, both in ambiance and coffee quality wise as well.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± A voice greeted us, enthusiastically. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Claire. Where is your pretty friend?¡±

    ¡°Shut it, Jaime,¡± Counter Girl replied, taking the jab in good spirit. ¡°Weren¡¯t you rejected enough times already? How about just giving up already?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± the guy declared. ¡°Well, your usual table?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Claire nodded.

    I looked at the two in amusement, as their exchange was quite entertaining. On a side note, Claire had a ¡®pretty friend¡¯... Considering how attractive the girl in question was, this should be someone of at least Bella¡¯s quality, then. I felt a tiny bit of curiosity sparked inside.

    ¡°Oh, welcome, sir,¡± Meanwhile, the dude finally noticed me. ¡°Would you like a table, or would you rather get your order to go?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we are together, Jaime.¡± Just as I was thinking about the best way to tease Claire with my answer, she decided to drop a bomb by herself.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite put it like that. Yet,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but bait on the opportunity. ¡°But I will indeed join her table.¡±

    ¡°Oh, our little Claire finally got herself a willing date?¡± A member of the staff joined in with my teasing. ¡°Aw, and just a week ago she kept running after that blind wuss. How quickly they grow.¡±

    With a theatrical gesture, he wiped away a non-existent tear.

    ¡°Jaime!¡± Claire blamed the poor guy, willfully ignoring my words.

    ¡°My bad, my bad,¡± he apologized. ¡°Well, here goes my bet with Omar. Anyway, please enjoy your date.¡±

    Deciding not to pay the guy any more attention, Claire took my hand, how bold, and dragged me toward one of the tables. Sadly, it had two separate single seat armchairs, so I had no choice but to sit across from my date.

    A waiter came over and took our orders a few minutes later. Claire decided to go for cocoa, while I opted for the cappuccino out of the same blend as last time. A bit later we got our drinks. I guess it¡¯s time to ask about the thing I had in mind since the moment of our meeting today.

    ¡°Hey, Claire,¡± I called out. ¡°So, what was your plan?¡±

    ¡°My plan?¡± She sounded genuinely confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Do you think I would really believe in such a coincidence?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°Oh.¡± From confusion, her expression went into one of realization. ¡°Um, I, sorry, it¡¯s, um, yeah¡­¡±

    Claire tried to say something, but kept stammering. I sighed.

    ¡°Claire.¡± I called once more, getting her out of her failing loop. ¡°Stop looking for an excuse, and just tell me straight. I already told you, my tolerance is very low for people who are trying to play stupid games with me.¡±

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    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± the Counter Girl whispered. I kept waiting for her words. ¡°I don¡¯t play any games! I-It was a complete coincidence, he came over to ask for my notes, just as I said to you already. I was about to send him away, but you arrived much too early.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s all?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask, feeling a bit guilty.

    ¡°Well,¡± Claire said, turning her gaze to the side. ¡°For a moment, I had an idea. To see if he would have a reaction to me meeting with another guy. Something. Anything. But¡­¡±

    She lowered her head, and muttered something under her breath, something I couldn¡¯t quite hear.

    ¡°But¡­ Um¡­¡± Claire drawled. ¡°After you um¡­ kissed me¡­ My mind went blank. And after the second one, I completely forgot Daniel even existed.¡±

    Not going to lie, her words caught me absolutely flatfooted here. And it was quite a pleasant surprise as well. Only years of experience, loss, and disappointment stopped me from feeling happy.

    ¡°And what would you have done if you got that reaction?¡± I continued my questioning.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think this far¡­¡± Claire had enough conscience to look ashamed here. ¡°Dunno. Maybe I would¡¯ve asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Have you read a few too many romantic novels, Counter Girl?¡± I said, trying to hold back laughter. And failed. ¡°Why would I do something like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought¡­¡± She sounded lost. ¡°That you will take it as a chance to spend more time with me¡­¡±

    ¡°And would you refuse to spend time with me now, since I refused?¡± I asked an important question.

    Claire took her cup with both hands and took a long sip in an obvious attempt to stall for time. Since I was more interested in her well-thought-out answer than a rushed one, I decided to let her do so. And like that, more than five minutes went by.

    ¡°No.¡± Counter Girl finally gave me her answer. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will refuse.¡±

    I met her answer with a smile. And I knew which one it was this time.

    ***

    The rest of the date went quite peacefully. We just chatted about coffee, books, anything, and everything. I also told her about the dreadful discovery during my date with Olivia. The one about four shitty movies, which were waiting to bore me out of my mind. She chuckled at my grimace, and said that she will hit Olivia up about the idea.

    Time flew by, and it was almost the moment to say goodbye. Claire refused my offer to spend the evening at my place, since she had two lectures to attend later today. And a night shift at the store after that.

    The Counter Girl offered to pay for the date, since it was her who invited me. But I laughed it off. I had no qualms about unimportant matters like that, but the bill was quite sizable, and I was undoubtedly less concerned with monetary issues. When Claire tried to protest, I offered to let her pay for the pizza for our next movie session, which she accepted with a content smile.

    And, right now, we were waiting for the arrival of her taxi. Which she adamantly refused to let me pay for.

    ¡°Hey, Claire. Would you like to commence another test?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Um?¡± She raised her eyes from her phone¡¯s screen that showed her ride¡¯s whereabouts.

    ¡°How about we take a selfie together, and then you can send it to that dude?¡± I would obviously stack the results in my favor. But she didn¡¯t need to know that.

    ¡°Nah,¡± she rejected. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a part of your nefarious plan.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± I nodded with a shrug. She got me there.

    ¡°What were you planning to do?¡± Claire asked.

    ¡°Hm. I would either cop a feel. Or kiss you, this time for real,¡± I told her a part of my scheme. ¡°Maybe both at the same time.¡±

    ¡°For real?¡± Counter Girl asked back. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Instead of telling her, I decided to demonstrate. This time with a bit of tongue. The kiss wasn¡¯t long by any sort of measure, and my partner wasn¡¯t skilled at all. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Judging by the sloppy expression on my date¡¯s cute face, she enjoyed it quite a bit as well.

    ¡°Would you like another kiss?¡± I teased her.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Claire drawled. ¡°Yes¡­¡±

 If you are willing to share, I am more than willing to listen.

    I parked the car in the school¡¯s parking lot, noticing the familiar, unassuming sedan with the same bodyguard lady chilling beside it. She tensed a bit after seeing the high-tier car in the vicinity, which I shall praise her for.

    Now I had another period of time to kill, and so it led me to preparing the prank I thought of earlier. To my endless shame, I actually had that piece of paper, which was equally incriminating and damning as all hell, in my wallet¡­ What an amateurish mistake, and someone stupid like me had the audacity to comment on other people¡¯s qualifications.

    Now I just needed the writing utensil. Pen, pencil, crayon, whatever. Sadly, neither I nor the entirety of Bella''s prized vehicle had something like that in sight. Yet another time I sighed in defeat.

    Then my gaze once more fell onto the bodyguard lady, who kept glancing over here, most likely believing that she was being overt. I had ten more minutes to kill anyway, and this could be pretty fun. Ugh, I should ask Bella to lend me one of her boys for a sparring session, I start to get a bit too eager to provoke people.

    I left the car, noticing that the bodyguard lady still recognized me from our previous encounter, and, it seems like it, got further briefing on my reputation as a troublemaker. As expected from the Su clan.

    I caught her gaze and nodded with a smile. And then set my course on approaching the jumpy girl, now in a full on guard mode.

    ¡°Hey, you must be Su¡¯s relative I heard about,¡± I greeted her, stopping at a polite distance, far enough to convey the peaceful intent behind my actions. ¡°Sorry to disturb you out of nowhere, but I found myself in need of something to write with and wanted to ask if you have a pen or a pencil I can borrow.¡±

    She took a bit of time to register my request. While keeping her silence, the bodyguard lady took the pen out of the chest pocket of her office jacket and handed it to me.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I voiced my gratitude. ¡°Will return it in a few.¡±

    ¡°Keep it.¡± I finally received confirmation she wasn¡¯t mute.

    It was an overly paranoid move. While having some valid points behind, she also risked coming off as rude, and could possibly provoke someone she clearly shouldn¡¯t. Like the young master of the illustrious Long clan, for example.

    ¡°Thanks again,¡± I repeated my words of gratitude once more.

    I shook my head, chasing away the notion of giving her unasked advice. Then I returned to my vehicle, feeling her gaze on my back the whole way. Once inside, I took out the piece of paper with the drawing of Long Chen¡¯s, my bastard of a father, personal seal, and added my phone number underneath. Now, what should I add that is eye-catching enough to get lady-in-white¡¯s attention? An obvious choice dawned upon me almost instantly. Long Tian. This was the truth anyway.

    With this done, I neatly folded the note, making sure that the writings are hidden from the first glance. Then I added ¡®For the lady-in-white¡¯ on the outer side. This was more than enough, all things considered.

    I took out my phone and decided to notify my girlfriend of my presence.

    Me: [I¡¯m here]

    Me: [waiting for you]

    Olivia: [Honey!]

    Olivia: [We are on our way]

    Olivia: [Oh, Su agreed to have a talk with you]

    Olivia: [I kind of forgot to say that before]

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    Me: [thanks]

    I looked at the messages and thought about whether I should praise her in text or in person. The latter won, since this way I will have the opportunity to see and, knowing her apparent propensity for physical shows of affection, experience Olivia¡¯s reaction.

    I hid the note to lady-in-white into one of my pockets, and left the car again, making myself easier to spot for my girlfriend. Less than five minutes later, following the wave of freshly liberated students, Olivia and Su Lin walked out of the school gates. Just the two of them this time.

    My girlfriend noticed me almost instantly, and waved her hand in greeting, the brilliant smile I liked so much on her, sadly, makeup covered face. I waved back with the smile of my own, completely genuine, since I managed to actually miss my girl after just one night. Ugh, I really start to get attached.

    I decided to meet them midway, since it was my initiative to seek this talk with Su¡¯s young lady. As I approached, Olivia ran to me, and I caught the Olivia-shaped missile in my arms.

    ¡°Ugh, I missed you,¡± she proclaimed, burying her face into my pecs. I prayed that her wall of paint wouldn''t leave unwashable stains on the fabric.

    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again,¡± I responded in kind, kissing the top of her head.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± Su Lin, as my girlfriend knew her, said her greetings in a polite but cold tone.

    ¡°Greetings,¡± I nodded back.

    Olivia, reading the mood once again, released her embrace and moved to my side. Good girl,

    ¡°I heard you have something to discuss with me,¡± the pig-tailed young lady spoke, going straight to the business.

    I took out the piece of paper from my pocket, and extended my hand, implying to her to take it.

    ¡°I need you to give this to Lady Kouzuki.¡± Her poker face instantly broke after hearing my words, deliberately construed as an order rather than request. Ah, right, once more, this wasn¡¯t the ruthless bitch I was used to interacting with either. Future knowledge was a double-edged sword. She read the recipient name I left on the outside, and her shock became even more apparent. ¡°I trust you don¡¯t need me to warn you about the importance of this thing, Yin.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Reacting more to my tone than to my, very heavily laced with implications, instructions, she inclined her head portraying the perfect bow. ¡°This little one won¡¯t fail.¡±

    ¡°Thanks in advance then,¡± I accepted her words with a nod, indicating that it was the end of the conversation. Su¡¯s first young lady bowed once more, and I turned to Olivia. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, honey.¡± Opting not to ask unnecessary questions, the quality I liked more and more about her, my girlfriend replied and hugged my arm.

    ***

    On our car ride back home. Contrary to her usual behavior, my girlfriend wasn¡¯t in her usual chatterbox mode.

    ¡°Do you want to know more about what it was all about?¡± I decided to break the silence and ask Olivia a question.

    ¡°Do you think I need to know?¡± She asked back.

    ¡°This depends on whether you want to get more involved into my life. While I won¡¯t like you less, no matter what you decide, some of these things could possibly push you to the sidelines at times,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Is this information important?¡± Olivia decided to ask for specifics.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Ugh, do you think you can trust me with it?¡± And I thought we were done with her insecurities. Well, I guess it¡¯s not relationship related, so¡­

    ¡°I want to trust you,¡± I stated. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you meet Bella otherwise. And I wouldn¡¯t let you have free access to my home, either.¡±

    ¡°But, you know, I am¡­¡± She started rambling.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± I cut off her self-doubt session. ¡°I asked you a question, Olivia. And I want the answer.¡±

    ¡°What if I fail your trust?¡± She was still looking for an excuse. What are you? A Claire?

    ¡°Then I will add it to my list of trust related issues, and will know better next time,¡± I joked grimly. ¡°Though, since you are a self-proclaimed ¡®realistic girl¡¯, knowing these things will, probably, make you try twice as hard.¡±

    Giving her time to think, I focused on the road. A few minutes later, she came to a decision.

    ¡°Ugh, I feel so stupid now, honey. I''ve already decided to create more bonds with you. And you even offered to give me another one, all by yourself.¡± She chuckled. ¡°If you are willing to share, I am more than willing to listen.¡±

    Hearing her repeat my own words, I smiled.

 Not even close.

    ¡°...and that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± I finished explaining this situation to the attentively listening Olivia.

    ¡°So¡­¡± She drawled. ¡°This makes you even more of a catch, honey.¡±

    That was one way to put it.

    ¡°In a way,¡± I nodded.

    My girlfriend started laughing, her giggles sounding more like a relief than levity, though.

    ¡°Ah, would you mind if I use your name to solve some problems, then?¡± Olivia questioned, after finally calming herself.

    ¡°Feel free,¡± I gave her a green light. ¡°Rather, I encourage you to do so. If my name can keep my girlfriend safe, it¡¯s a good thing in my book.¡±

    ¡°But what if I am in the wrong?¡± What a useless question.

    ¡°And this should make me care how? You are a part of my life, I will back you up no matter what.¡± Life is unfair. If using all my resources to keep my and mine safe, whatever the case, makes me a villain, so be it. I never tried to be the hero of the story.

    I felt Olivia¡¯s stare on my face. After making sure that the road ahead was empty, I turned my head to look at her. My girlfriend had a really intense expression right now. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes barely holding back the heat. Noticing my gaze, she licked her lips seductively.

    ¡°Hey, honey. Yesterday, I asked for some advice from Pat¡­¡± She let out a hot breath, leaning closer to me. ¡°And there is something new I want to try. In bed.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good time,¡± I said, accepting her words.

    I glanced at the navigator. Fortunately, we were almost home.

    ***

    The new thing my girlfriend wanted to try was a normal blowjob. Not that I complain, but¡­ One more thing to the discrepancy of what I assumed about her based on her words, and what I learned about her from being together.

    ¡°Ugh, this is much harder than I thought,¡± complained my girlfriend, pausing for a moment. She didn¡¯t even think to cover her rest by adding a bit of handjob in¡­

    She wore her school uniform, a thing that we somehow hadn''t tried yet, bar the bra and panties, and was currently standing on all fours, working on the tip of my member. Olivia was as unskilled as it gets with what she wanted to try, yet very eager to learn. It was a bit hard to actually enjoy her actions when her teeth scraped the shaft more often than not. Though, with her being as hot as she was, coupled with the view I had directly in front of me, as well as the image in the mirror behind her¡­ Yeah, I was hard as a stone right now.

    Either way, my patience was almost exhausted. While being teased with view, touch, scent, and sound alike, release was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I finally had enough. ¡°You did great for your first attempt, but it¡¯s time to change the pace a bit.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Hey!¡± My girlfriend let out a note of protest.

    Which I ignored outright, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her up, bringing her face closer to mine. Another motion, aiming at her long since drenched entrance, and slid her down, eliciting a loud moan from Olivia, once more connecting with her at a physical level.

    ¡°Olivia, there is a lot more for us to try and a lot of time to do that.¡± I brought my lips to her ear and whispered, sensing the shiver that got through her spine, making her squeeze me even tighter down there. ¡°There is always tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and so on and so forth.¡±

    I cupped her firm butt, raising her a bit, giving myself more room to move inside of her. From her ear, I slid my mouth down into her nape, letting my animal instinct go for a moment, kissing her neck greedily, trying to leave a mark on her. This is mine, this thought echoed through the dark depths of my being.

    Another moan of hers, evoking even more lust from me. She pushed my chest, raising into the rider¡¯s pose, giving me a full view of her gorgeous body. Then she started matching my motions, arching her back even more, bringing me even deeper, as my hands moved to her slim waist, controlling her pace and range of movements.

    Keeping one hand in place, I raised the second one to play with her breasts. Another moan. She raised her pace. It was now harder to think, as I lost myself more and more inside the moment.

    Some time later, she let herself fall down onto my chest, breathing heavily, tired. Wholly trusting herself to me. Wasn¡¯t this beauty scared of this beast? I felt her kissing my chest, in-between moans. Doesn¡¯t seem so to me, noted a part of my being, not in the slightest.

    I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her even closer. She entwined her arms behind my neck. I rose my body, sitting up, much to her surprise, which she expressed with a short yelp. I laid her onto her back, and she smiled at me, inviting me, with open arms.

    A wave of dark cold failed to rise, completely melting under the brightness of her smile and warmth of her eyes. Ah, so that¡¯s what was so different about this situation.

    This wasn¡¯t sex. Not anymore. At least not for her. It was lovemaking. Or, at the very least, this was what she believed. How laughable. I looked into her eyes, and in them, there was no beast. The fucking animal had never seen her like this. Not even close.

    ***

    ¡°Honey.¡± Olivia, gently shaking my shoulder, woke me up.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I let her know about being awake.

    ¡°Um, sorry to wake you up,¡± she said. ¡°But, erm, my period started¡­ And I actually forgot to bring the necessary things.¡±

    Oh.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked with concern. Bella had it pretty badly during her time of the month.

    ¡°It just started, so it¡¯s not that bad yet. Thanks to ¡®Big Pharma¡¯ medicine, cramps won¡¯t be an issue,¡± my girlfriend explained. ¡°But, I have nothing on me right now, and my flow is pretty bad on the first two days, so, if it¡¯s not too much, can you go to the store?¡±

    I rose from the bed, and looked around to find my sweatpants and hoodie combo.

    ¡°I usually use¡­¡± Olivia tried to explain to me what she actually needed.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not quite awake enough yet. It¡¯s Claire¡¯s shift today, so just write her what you need, and I will buy it,¡± I interrupted, while failing to fight back a yawn. Lack of sleep over the weekend started to catch up, or so it seemed.

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± My girlfriend nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± I shook my head.

    After finding and wearing my clothes, I took my phone and wallet, double-checked the cards, put on my sneakers and left.

    ***

    Walking at a brisk pace, I reached the convenience store in just a few minutes. Claire was manning the shift with an extremely bored expression. I heard her automatic greeting, and another one, much more personal, after she recognized me.

    I paid for the item Olivia requested, and Claire gave me a few pills I didn¡¯t recognize. Which, she said, they don¡¯t have in the store, but she had some in her backpack. After thanking her, I waved the Counter Girl a goodbye, apologized for not having time to chat, and left.

 Lady in White.

    The second awakening of the day, the tradition I already hated with all of my being, came in the form of Olivia¡¯s alarm. My extra crabby, and just as sleep-deprived as I am, girlfriend cussed and shut it off.

    ¡°Want to sleep in?¡± I asked drowsily.

    ¡°First class is P.E.¡± She explained. ¡°I can just skip it today.¡±

    I spooned her, lightly stroking her belly, and she relaxed into my chest.

    ***

    I actually felt sore after yesterday¡¯s workout, in addition to being extra lazy, so after an extra hour of sleep, Olivia and I were slowly eating breakfast together. I checked the traffic map ahead, and, while it was yellow, the ETA to my girlfriend¡¯s school was short enough to not hurry too much.

    ¡°Honey.¡± Olivia called out, and judging by her tone, it was something serious. Fuck. ¡°Because of these circumstances, I, erm, think it¡¯s better for me to spend the next few days at my parent¡¯s house.¡±

    Ah, so it wasn¡¯t serious, my girlfriend just decided to act extra stupid. Ugh.

    ¡°Olivia, are you trying to make me angry, or are you just stupid?¡± I asked, feeling my left eye twitch.

    ¡°Neither?¡± The girl in question sounded unsure.

    ¡°Good. Since that¡¯s not the case, give me one reason why you decided to offer something so moronic, then.¡± I deadpanned.

    ¡°Well, since we can¡¯t have sex, there is no reason for me¡­¡± She started.

    ¡°Olivia. If you still think that is the case, I don¡¯t think we need to see each other anymore.¡± I interrupted her. My words drained all the color from her face. I rolled my eyes and slowly exhaled. ¡°Look, I won¡¯t say sex with you isn¡¯t something I am always looking forward to, but that¡¯s not the first item on the list of reasons why I want you in my home.¡±

    ¡°Honey¡­¡± she whispered.

    ¡°So, unless you have an important enough reason, you should just obediently return home. To me. Am I clear?¡± I warned her.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Erm, I mean, crystal¡­¡± Her eyes wavered, and then she threw herself into my arms. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sorry, honey.¡±

    I hugged her closer and stroked her back, trying to calm this silly girl. A few minutes later, I decided to play a small prank on her. Just in case.

    ¡°Anyway, if that¡¯s so important to you¡­¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you just learned, and need a lot more practice in?¡±

    Olivia froze briefly, and then smacked my chest, glaring at me with righteous fury on her face. Another moment later, and she started giggling at my bad joke.

    ***

    After dropping my girlfriend at school, I was driving back home. I had no real plans, and when I asked Claire if she wanted to do something together, she first wrote ¡®Sleep¡¯, and after just enough time for her to get over the panic after such a blunder, she added ¡®By myself¡¯. Well, I couldn¡¯t blame the girl after an all-nighter.

    Then, exactly on time, I got my daily dose of Bella. I guess it¡¯s a weekday-only service, as she skipped both weekend days. Yesterday''s picture was, once again, of a busy and tired Bella and lacked any creativity.

    Today, she decided to use my new weakness against me, and so I got a picture of my special woman wearing only a shirt. And it was her shirt, not an oversized one of mine. Ugh, she looked great, but I felt conflicted about expanding my fetish list¡­

    ***

    As I got back to my apartment, my phone started ringing, receiving a call. From a hidden number. I had a hunch who it could be, so I accepted.

    ¡°Is this supposed to be a joke? I find it a rather bad one,¡± I heard a familiar voice of the Lady in White, her tone frigid. ¡°If it is not, you should have put more effort into it. The thing you drew belongs to a different person.¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, since I got your attention, this worked exactly as it was supposed to,¡± I explained.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Talk.¡± This was an order.

    ¡°With all due respect, but, are you certain that¡¯s a good idea?¡± I decided to ask for confirmation. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt the safety of your line, but can¡¯t say the same about my current whereabouts.¡±

    I was surprised that not a single one of my neighbors came over to look for trouble, after so many sleepless nights.

    ¡°What is your goal?¡± The lady on the other side asked.

    ¡°To meet the Lady in White, of course,¡± I told her straight.

    ¡°I will send my people to pick you up,¡± she declared.

    ¡°How can I be sure they are from you?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°I will send Yin with them,¡± Lady Kouzuki said and ended the call.

    I looked at the device in my hand and went to change my clothes to something more presentable. As much as I liked my ¡®lazy bum¡¯ getup, it wouldn¡¯t do to meet someone of her status. Especially someone I respected quite as much.

    I guess it was pretty strange to think about Lady in Black and Lady in White as separate entities, but, in my experience, they were as good as that. Even if I never saw them in the same place together.

    ***

    Su¡¯s first young lady knocked on my apartment door. Her face was a textbook example of displeasure when she looked at me as I opened the door for her.

    ¡°Good morning, Yin,¡± I decided to provoke her even more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°Make me,¡± I smiled provocatively, knowing full well that she couldn¡¯t do anything. Not until Lady Kouzuki is done talking to me.

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± her smile contained enough malice to make a lesser man flinch. ¡°Can¡¯t wait until the Mistress will order me to do exactly that.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t regret your words later, Yin.¡± I shook my head.

    ***

    I went into the familiar black door, under the worthless, unlit sign with a simple ¡®Bar¡¯ written on it. As I entered the premises, I nodded to the same bored bartender, who returned my greeting with a nod of his own and continued polishing the glass in his hands.

    I scanned the interior and right away noticed Lady Kouzuki, clad in a white kimono this time. The Lady in White had the same changes as the Lady in Black. She looked mostly the same, only her posture was much lighter. Twenty years of carrying the Kouzuki clan on her frail shoulders took a toll.

    ¡°Mistress, we arrived.¡± Su¡¯s first young lady voice reported our presence.

    ¡°Thank you, Yin.¡± Lady Kouzuki declared her gratitude. ¡°So, you are the one who decided to play with me. Let me tell you this right away, you look nothing like Long Chen. You are too young for that. Since you somehow managed to dig enough information about him and his son, tell me something that couldn¡¯t be dug from something as simple as a clan tree.¡±

    The sharp voice of the Lady in White was calm, but I could feel her ire focused on me. She wasn¡¯t like the Lady in Black, ever so cold yet polite. This Lady Kouzuki didn¡¯t like to play with her words.

    ¡°Hm, something that couldn¡¯t be dug from a clan tree?¡± I repeated her words, actually thinking about what I should say. ¡°Shinji.¡±

    Much like the Lady in Black, this Lady Kouzuki wasn¡¯t able to fully control her reaction after hearing the familiar name.

    ¡°You. You really know something about that stupid rascal Chen.¡± She stated the fact. ¡°What do you want for this information? Name your price.¡±

    ¡°Someone already paid for this information.¡± I just realized that I had no idea how the Lady in White would react to the existence of the Lady in Black. ¡°So I will tell you everything I know free of charge.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± As expected of her, right to the crux.

    ¡°The Long Clan.¡± I looked at how my conversation partner had noticeably relaxed. ¡°Long Chen is dead. And had been dead for at least five years already. He was buried under a different name, but the body was retrieved and confirmed to be him.¡±

    I made a nod towards the third table on the right, where one of the shadows was hiding. I wonder if they were having fun with this situation as well. Except I forgot one detail, the reaction to this piece of knowledge¡­

    The Lady in White sighed heavily, not quite able to mask the sob.

    ¡°Do you¡­ Do you know how he died?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s actually quite the mystery. I don¡¯t know whether it was an illness, poison, or just curses from all the women he conned finally worked. But he was completely fine, at least outwardly, and then just keeled over.¡± I explained, for a moment forgetting that I wasn¡¯t talking about Leon Roah, my bastard of a father, but, rather, Long Chen, the son of Kouzuki Miya. Oops.

    ¡°Mistress, it¡¯s obvious that he is just playing with you,¡± hissed pig-tailed shorty.

    ¡°Quiet, Yin.¡± As usual, one word from the Lady in White managed to shut up this Su. ¡°You sound as if you knew Chen personally.¡±

    That was the moment of truth, I guess the prank went out of control, and actually was a lot less fun than I thought it would be. Maybe Bella was right about making rash and stupid decisions.

    ¡°I never knew Long Chen.¡± I denied. This was the truth. ¡°But I knew Leon Roah, the person who was buried under that tombstone. Marriage con artist, scum, and overall pretty unpleasant guy.¡±

    Su¡¯s first young lady tried to say something but was shut up by the raised hand of Lady Kouzuki. Her cold steel eyes were looking at me, and I felt that their gaze was able to see through my deepest secrets.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I never asked your name.¡± If I had had less experience dealing with this woman, I would¡¯ve never noticed the hint of a slight tremble in her voice.

 Family Business.

    Just as I was about to introduce myself, the door from the back room of the bar opened. Bringing another realization, and evidence of my stupidity, the person walked through that door. Wearing her traditional black kimono, moving with her usual royal grace, my grandmother, Kouzuki Miya.

    ¡°Maya, you should¡¯ve told me you will come,¡± she said, addressing the¡­ other¡­ Lady Kouzuki in the room. Then she noticed me, and smiled warmly. ¡°Oh, Tian, have you decided to visit this old woman?¡±

    Just like that, after hearing her words, Kouzuki Maya fainted.

    ***

    ¡°So, dear sister of mine, tell me. When exactly have you planned to tell me about something so important?¡± Said now awake Kouzuki Maya, whom I knew previously as Lady in White, and, apparently, the identical twin of my blood grandmother, Kouzuki Miya, Lady in Black.

    ¡°I was planning to orchestrate a meeting between the two of you in one of Tian¡¯s visits.¡± My grandmother responded nonchalantly, as if it was a normal thing to do. Well, I suppose for people at their level it was.

    The three of us were currently sitting around the table. The twins, and wasn¡¯t that one hell of a surprise revelation to the stupid me, were talking, more like bickering even. And together, both of them behaved in a radically different way than I was used to. Well, I guess they were close sisters, so outer masks were useless in their talks.

    As for me, I was keeping my mouth busy with sipping the tea, which both of them were taking turns to pour into my cup, making me wonder how much tea my body will be able to take.

    The last person present, discounting the hidden shadows and the bartender, was a deathly pale Yin. She stood at attention with an incredibly complicated expression on her face, and she kept glancing at me. Her black eyes were full of disbelief, shock, fear, and regret. I guess the realization of offending me, the young master Long Tian, finally dawned upon her. Serves the bitch right¡­

    I caught myself right there. This was a dangerous path to follow. Also¡­ this was another stupid and rash thing to do. This not-so-innocent girl wasn¡¯t the cold, ruthless bitch that tried to kill me on many occasions. Now that I think about it, she always treated it as a personal matter, never involving either the Su clan or Lady Kouzuki. I would never be able to confirm or deny my conjecture, but, considering that Yin had a connection with Olivia, and what I did to my curious stray in the first round¡­ Yeah. Also, I couldn¡¯t just project my dislike of Su''s first bitch onto Olivia''s friend.

    And so, on behalf of my girlfriend¡¯s face, I decided to spare this girl already. Not that she needs to know it for a while longer. Her attitude can use some work.

    ¡°I told you, he doesn¡¯t want to get involved in our matters.¡± The raised tone of my grandmother reached my ears. ¡°Can you take the responsibility if he decides to just disappear? Like Chen did? I just got my grandson back, even if you are my sister, I wouldn¡¯t forgive you easily if that happens.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I said we need to ask for the boy¡¯s opinion.¡± Lady Kouzuki, the white one, responded, trying to placate her conversation partner. ¡° He is my blood as well, I wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm him.¡±

    I should¡¯ve paid more attention to their conversation, since I felt completely lost right now.

    ¡°What is there to ask? He is Long Tian, my grandson. If he doesn¡¯t want to get involved in clan business, it¡¯s his choice. As long as I breathe, the Long clan will always support him in every way.¡± I still had no idea what they were talking about, but Lady in Black¡¯s words started to sound heated.

    ¡°And what am I supposed to do then? You know it as well as I do. All of it was a marriage agreement between two families. We both married H¨¤o, and my kids were supposed to be the future of Kouzuki''s direct bloodline.¡± The Lady in White''s response sounded about as heated as well. ¡°Everything is H¨¤o¡¯s fault. You had Chen. Now you have Tian, and I am all alone. My younger brother was as useless as H¨¤o, if not worse. He had only one daughter, and she had only one daughter as well.¡±

    ¡°Then force her to procure an heir, what do you want to involve Tian for?¡± Kouzuki Miya.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t tried it yet? The girl refuses adamantly, she even threatened to commit suicide if I pushed her harder. Her being as straight as a pretzel doesn¡¯t help, either.¡± Kouzuki Maya.

    The two were glaring at each other, while I had a hard time to comprehend their words.

    ¡°Grandmother, Lady Kouzuki.¡± I called out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but it seems to involve me in some way, so I can¡¯t help but feel curious. What exactly are you talking about?¡±

    I felt two gazes landing on me at the same time. Ugh, the weight almost felt unbearable. The Lady in Black sighed, and turned back to her sister.

    ¡°This¡­ foolish old fossil, wants to involve you into the politics of the Kouzuki family.¡± She spat the short answer.

    Hm, this wasn¡¯t something I looked forward to. Yet, it felt like there was more to the situation than just that.

    ¡°I¡­ still fail to understand,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a surprise you don¡¯t. It¡¯s the inner clan politics and requires specific knowledge.¡± The Lady in White decided to tell me. ¡°The Kouzuki family has a strict patrilineal succession. And you, being the grandson of my dear sister, are the only man in the direct line. Long story short, this makes you an heir apparent.¡±

    ¡°And you want me to assume this position?¡± I asked for clarification. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m tired of in-fighting in my family,¡± Kouzuki Maya replied to my question. ¡°The branch family elders are too busy in their struggle for power, and I am too busy fighting with them all, to properly lead the family forward.¡±

    The Lady in White, for the first time in my memory, sounded completely exhausted.

    ¡°And my inclusion will help you with it, how?¡± I continued my questioning. ¡°I am sorry, but I neither have the necessary experience to lead a major family, nor any ambitions to do so.¡±

    ¡°You will only need to exist, this will be enough. It¡¯s not a wide-spread knowledge, but for the Three Families, blood is everything. You have the direct bloodline of my Kouzuki family, so your word is a law for the branch families,¡± Lady Kouzuki clarified. ¡°As for you not wanting to rule, it¡¯s fine as well. You can leave the day to day management to me, or to your future wife.¡±

    I listened to her words, missing dearly the presence of Bella by my side. I really could use some advice right about now. This was¡­ an incredible opportunity, however I looked at it. For the small price of being officially involved in the clan business, I, essentially, would get not only the backing of the Kouzuki clan, but an ability to use it at will. I sighed, feeling my greed burning inside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her mislead you, Tian.¡± I heard my grandmother¡¯s voice. ¡°She wants to involve you in her mess, to make it easier on herself. All the while not offering any benefits to you whatsoever. You have blood of both families inside of you. Yet, you are Long Tian, not Kouzuki Tian. While, as Long Tian, you still can use Kouzuki clan resources at your will. Whether you choose to play along with her or not.¡±

    Huh, as expected of Kouzuki Maya, she actually managed to scam me, and even make me happy while doing so.

    ¡°Miya¡­¡± Lady in White¡¯s tone was full of blame. ¡°I almost got myself a grandson, if only in name, and you couldn¡¯t keep your mouth shut for a moment.¡±

    Her earlier words played in my mind. ¡®I am all alone¡¯, said with so much loneliness in them. Then my memory showed a quick slideshow of every moment where the Lady in White helped me in the first round. I owed her so much, just as much as I owed the Lady in Black, and yet, when she asked for my help, I only thought about the ways to refuse.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± I raised my hand. ¡°How many people know about the name Shinji, and its relation to the Long Chen?¡±

    A stupid and rash idea, just the kind I was so used to as of late, started forming in my head.

    ¡°Four in total. Me and my sister. Our husband. Long Chen. Now you. Still four.¡± My grandmother counted, leaving Yin, bartender and shadows out of her count for some reason.

    ¡°I have a stupid idea, and I would love to hear your thoughts about it, oh wise ladies,¡± I started. ¡°If, In the capacity of Long Tian, I decide against getting involved in anything, it would be fine, right?¡±

    I got a nod from both colored ladies as an answer.

    ¡°And if I want to help the Lady in White, all I need to do is exist, right?¡± I asked another question.

    Once more, two nods. The sheer stupidity of my next words made me doubt my existence thus far.

    ¡°Kouzuki Shinji, grandson of Kouzuki Maya, greets my elders,¡± I bowed my head. Then I turned my face to the Lady in White. ¡°Nice to meet you, Grandma.¡±

    I could see how a shudder went through Kouzuki Maya. Grandma, I corrected myself, and a single tear fell from her eye. Those two really had similar reactions. Then I turned to Kouzuki Miya, my grandmother.

    ¡°I apologize if it offends you, grandmother,¡± I apologized. ¡°But no one deserves to be alone. Especially my family.¡±

 What do you think about her?

    I wasn¡¯t sure what this word meant. The closest thing I associated with it was Bella, someone who helped me immensely. And those two helped me a lot. Without asking anything in return.

    ¡°Well, I already share a husband with this witch,¡± my grandmother lamented. ¡°I can as well share a grandson with her. You better not mistreat my Tian, Maya.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t mistreat my Shinji, Miya.¡± Followed a response from¡­ my grandma. Ugh, this title will take time to get used to.

    The two older women started bickering again, and I looked into my almost empty cup. I finished the leftover tea with one gulp.

    ¡°Let me refill it, Tian/Shinji,¡± followed a chorus of words.

    The two monochrome ladies glared at each other. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have suggested this idea? Well, too late to regret, I thought, looking at the hidden smiles in their eyes.

    In the corner of my vision, Su Yin, the first young lady of the infamous Su clan, lost even more color from her already pale face. I guess, this development meant that she offended both Long Tian and Kouzuki Shinji at the same time. Poor soul.

    ***

    The next few hours went by as the twins kept interrogating me about the details of my life. I had no idea why my grandmother did so, as she had heard it before.

    Once things went into my love life territory, I wanted to switch the topic, but both of my grandmothers actually made me keep talking. I gave up and decided to satisfy their curiosity. It''s not like I had anything to hide.

    ¡°That is one convoluted thing to talk about,¡± I complained. ¡°There is a special woman in my life, but our relationship is extremely complicated on many levels, yet I would die for her without any regrets. Next, there is my girlfriend, a cute stray I picked up who has already wormed her way into my home, and I have no idea why I let her do so. Those two know about each other and, after some serious discussion, decided, for some reason, to share me. I don¡¯t understand why, but that¡¯s not my place to complain.¡±

    I briefly summarized my existing relationship, without unnecessary details. After a bit of contemplation, I decided to speak about other girls as well. No idea why.

    ¡°On top of the previous two, I am currently getting steadily attracted more and more, to a cute yet naive girl. She is conflicted about getting involved in my already complicated love life, and I am not quite yet sure if there could be something more between the two of us.¡± I took a moment to catch a breath and take a sip of tea. ¡°Last, but not least, my ex, who I want to rekindle a spark with, yet she ignores my messages. Can¡¯t really blame the girl, as I did the exact thing for the last year or so.¡±

    I finished my words, waiting for their reactions. Somehow, I felt apprehensive of being judged by them. I shook my head, chasing away the odd thoughts. We weren¡¯t close enough for that yet.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Followed by a question from my¡­ grandma. Her tone was flat.

    ¡°Well, you asked about relationships, so I didn¡¯t bother to recount all the random flings and one-time affairs I had over the last few years.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Hm, well, maybe there are two more, but one of them is more into my special woman than into me, and I doubt that would ever change. And the second one is a topic so loaded, I have no idea from which end to disentangle it, or even if I want to have anything in common with her.¡±

    ¡°H¨¤o was right to call him after that ancestor, huh?¡± Kouzuki Maya wondered aloud.

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    ¡°Hm, just six in total,¡± drawled my grandmother.

    ¡®Just¡¯?

    ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t sound all that surprised.¡± I was a bit confused. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you, I don¡¯t know, be a bit more concerned?¡±

    ¡°You are our grandson. It¡¯s the fortune of their nine generations if you decide to choose them,¡± said the Lady in Black.

    ¡°As for anything else? Why should we? You have two clans worth of direct bloodline to repopulate,¡± added Lady in White. ¡°Speaking of which, what do you think about Yin?¡±

    The already pale girl, after hearing her name being brought up, started trembling.

    ***

    ¡°What do I think about Yin?¡± I repeated the question.

    What exactly did I think about this girl? Her future self left a lot of impression in my memory, good and bad alike. From being a ruthless bitch that was an absolute thorn in my ass, to an exceptional leader of the crime organization. At the same time, this all was what it was. A matter of future knowledge, as well as a bias. A lot of bias.

    So, what did I know about Su Yin, a seventeen-year-old girl? First young lady of the Su clan, a clan that is on the downward trend right now. The only reason she wasn¡¯t married off as a trophy wife in exchange for some favor was her open secret of being a prot¨¦g¨¦ of Kouzuki¡¯s matriarch. Which meant this girl had a lot of potential, and, under the tutelage and protection of one Kouzuki Maya, she was bound to reach the peak of it. Unless she did something incredibly stupid, that is. Like offending the grandson of her mentor.

    I threw a glance toward the pale girl, who looked like she was about to faint. Pitiful creature, really. You reap what you sow, shorty. I caught myself again. My bias was talking here once more. I shook my head, trying to focus on the present.

    Actually, the only real thing I knew about Yin, was that, as Lin Su, she was a friend of my current girlfriend. She was also biased against myself, but, I guess, my reputation right now was absolute trash. If someone like Michael Roah approached my friend, what would¡¯ve I done in her place? Same thing.

    Worse yet, with Isabella Alvarez and Nicole Roah as his known background, unless this young girl asked for help from her Mistress, she couldn¡¯t even use her own backing to drive the beast away.

    Even appearance wise, the young Yin wasn¡¯t anything special. Very short. Flat. She looked like a kid. Even being generous, the maximum she would get from me, was something like ¡®she¡¯s cute¡¯. Like a small animal, a pet basically. Though, the future-her¡­

    ¡°I think she has a lot of potential, but right now, I think absolutely nothing about her,¡± I summarized my thoughts. ¡°Why do you ask, though?¡±

    ¡°The main reason I took her under my wing was simple,¡± my grandma said. ¡°To nurture a worthy bride for the successor of the Kouzuki family.¡±

    I felt a headache. And here I was thinking why Chaos didn¡¯t strike in so long. Yeah, this explains a lot.

    ¡°And this is me¡­¡± I let out a groan.

    ¡°And this is you,¡± confirmed the Lady in White.

    ¡°And if I refuse?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Then it means she is unsuitable and I better start from scratch.¡± I blinked at the surprisingly heartless words. Well, life at the very top was a harsh place.

    ¡°And what about her opinion?¡± Even if I knew the answer, I wanted to clarify.

    ¡°Her opinion is irrelevant. As a woman from nobility, it¡¯s her destiny to marry someone who is chosen by her elders. If not for me, she would¡¯ve been sold by her clansmen for an insignificant favor,¡± excessively harsh, but truthful, words left the mouth of Kouzuki Maya.

    All of a sudden, I felt bored. So, I had a choice between marrying someone I don¡¯t want, or ruining the life of my girlfriend¡¯s friend. Though¡­

    ¡°Hey, Yin,¡± I called out. ¡°And what is your opinion?¡±

    ¡°I already said that her opinion is irrelevant,¡± Kouzuki Maya intervened.

    ¡°And I didn¡¯t ask for yours either,¡± I cut her off.

    It was a matter I had to deal with as Kouzuki Shinji, the successor of the Kouzuki clan. Even if Kouzuki Maya was my elder, as a sole male of the main branch, my word had more weight. On paper, that is.

    ¡°I asked you a question, Yin,¡± I reminded the still trembling girl.

 Deal with the devil.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t have an opinion, young master.¡± Eyes lowered, face pale, the trembling small girl repeated the things she didn¡¯t really think.

    ¡°Fine then, let¡¯s do it in a roundabout way. What is your dream, Yin?¡± I asked another question.

    ¡°To lead the Su clan to prosperity, young master.¡± At least her voice stopped trembling.

    ¡°That¡¯s an ambitious dream, Yin. Do you think you can succeed?¡± A second question.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She raised her eyes, looking at me, confidence clear in her gaze.

    ¡°What is the first thing you need to accomplish, then?¡± A third question.

    ¡°I will need to take control of the clan. My father is weak, he can¡¯t control the elders. Elders are greedy, they are ready to sell my Su clan part by part to external forces. They are fine with being a puppet, just for an illusion of power.¡± Color started returning to her face. Good, anger is better than despair. At least, I would take it any day.

    ¡°If nothing changes, how long will it take for you to do so?¡± A fourth question.

    ¡°Fifteen years, give or take one or two.¡± She sounded confident. In the first round, she did it in just thirteen.

    ¡°And if you could use the Kouzuki Family backing freely?¡± Fifth one.

    She fell into a thoughtful silence.

    ¡°Two years.¡± Huh, this was much shorter than I could¡¯ve thought.

    ¡°And what are you ready to pay for such backing?¡± The only question that really mattered in this whole conversation was

    ¡°Anything.¡± She looked into my eyes, her black eyes gleaming with determination.

    ¡°Sold,¡± I clapped my hands. ¡°From now on, you are a mistress of Kouzuki Shinji. Use this name freely. If you need something from the Kouzuki Clan, tell it to my advisor, Kouzuki Maya, she will accommodate your needs.¡±

    The girl in front of me faltered. At last realizing what exactly she said.

    ¡°I will be frank with you, Yin. I have zero interest in you. But I think that you have enough potential to invest into. Show me your worth, prove to me that you have something of worth except your body.¡± I spread my arms, sketching the familiar tradesman smile number five on my face, a devil you sold your soul to. ¡°Two years. This is your time limit. Accomplish your goal and get your freedom, as a vassal of the Kouzuki family, of course. Fail to do so and be relegated to what is, essentially, my slave. Or get my interest, and, who knows, maybe in the future the Kouzuki clan will be yours to lead.¡±

    I let my words linger for better effect.

    ¡°Understood. Your will be done, young master.¡± Su Yin bowed her head deeply.

    ***

    Yin left, going back to school, though I wasn¡¯t sure about her true motivation or reasoning. At least she no longer looked like she was about to break. Ah, Olivia, your friend truly was a piece of work.

    ¡°A bit too dramatic for my taste, but otherwise it was passable,¡± Kouzuki Maya rated my performance.

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    ¡°You are just sour that he shut you up. Perfect score from me, Tian.¡± Kouzuki Miya added her score as well.

    ¡°And you are too lenient on him,¡± the Lady in White argued back. ¡°Anyway, why did you do that, Shinji?¡±

    ¡°Hm, she is a friend of my girlfriend. And my silly girl would be sad if something happened to her friend.¡± I did it for Olivia¡¯s sake, obviously.

    ¡°And you think she has a chance to succeed?¡± asked the Lady in Black.

    ¡°Well, I believe in grandma¡¯s eye for talent, as well as her tutelage. So, with the ability to use the support of our clan where she needs, Yin has a decent chance to actually succeed.¡± I explained.

    ¡°And if she fails?¡± The Matriarch of the Kouzuki family questioned.

    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t sell the soul to the devil and not bear any consequences, right?¡± I smiled. ¡°I think Yin has the potential to become quite a stunning woman in the future. Even if I¡¯m not interested in her right now, who knows how it turns out?¡±

    ***

    A few hours more of drinking tea, answering personal questions, and listening to Kouzuki twins bickering. Overall, I enjoyed the day a lot. Seeing those two, and I still had a bit of trouble believing there were two of them, in such a different way from what I was used to, was quite fun.

    Sadly, time waits for no one, and, after checking time once more, I suddenly realized that it¡¯s time to pick Olivia up from school. Making sure that both noble ladies received my phone number and offering them to contact me as they saw fit, I said my goodbyes and was about to leave.

    ¡°Tian, I have something to give you,¡± my grandmother called to me. She extended her hand, holding out a pitch-black plastic card without any special markings. I¡¯ve seen a few of those in my years of working with certain sorts of clients. Usually at the very top. ¡°I see you recognize what it is. This card is connected to my personal bank account. Money is no object. It¡¯s nothing much, treat it as the allowance for all those years plus interest, and just spend as much as you need. ¡±

    ¡°As for me,¡± followed my grandma. ¡°In a few days, the official seal of Kouzuki Shinji will be done. It¡¯s a symbol of status, so treat it carefully. Or just use it as you see fit. It¡¯s yours. Don¡¯t forget to call me sometimes, whether you need something or not, I will wait for your call.¡±

    After they finished, I stood up, paid my respects and left.

    ***

    The rest of the day went much less eventfully. Olivia, in her usual chatterbox mode, kept talking about one thing or another on our drive home. We also stopped by the drugstore to stock up on things my personal medical kit lacked. Which was almost everything.

    After a bit of thinking, I told Olivia about Yin, the change in her status, and told her to immediately ask for Su¡¯s first young lady''s assistance if anything happened. To my surprise, my girlfriend accepted it without much hassle, motivating it with a simple ¡®It¡¯s you, honey¡¯. What was that supposed to mean?

    As we got back home, Olivia changed into a more comfortable outfit, and plopped onto the bed. A moment later, loudly complaining about homework, she rose back up and decided to finish with this devil¡¯s creation first.

    With that done, my crabby girlfriend dragged herself into bed and all but demanded a cuddle. Having nothing better to do, I obliged.

    I was reading a book and periodically texting back and forth with Claire. She asked if I was up for another gym date, which I agreed, obviously.

    Olivia was busy with her own smartphone. My curiosity won over me, and I asked what she was doing. The answer surprised me a bit, since I completely forgot about that thing. My girlfriend was shopping online for stuff that I tried out on our date. I guess she still wanted to add her colors into my life, of the literal kind as well this time.

    For our dinner, I cooked some lazy fried rice with egg, chicken, and bacon. Olivia decided to distract me with a kiss in the process, so it turned out a bit burnt.

    After dinner and dishes, we went back to our cuddle, while watching another episode of that trendy TV drama that my girlfriend and her friends liked. Between lack of sleep, lack of interest in the actual plot, and the soft and warm body in my arms, I almost dozed off.

    The episode ended on another cliffhanger, and we decided to get some early sleep today. A great plan! Only to fail, since Olivia decided to get some practice done, and she refused to give up until I came. The downsides of having an overly eager to please girlfriend, sigh.

    After all was done, I spooned Olivia, burying my face into the top of her head, and closed my eyes. Listening to her peaceful breath, I quickly fell asleep as well.

 Really looked forward.

    Olivia¡¯s alarm woke me up. Morning kiss. Breakfast. Small talk. A slow morning that was like a breath of fresh air after the craziness of the last few days. To my surprise, Yin showed up to say hi and to drive Olivia to the school. Considering the lack of reaction from my girlfriend, this was something she expected.

    I wasn¡¯t really against it, since driving her myself every day messed up my routine, as well as not being feasible in the long term. My honeymoon-phase-affected brain told me I wanted to do so, but my experience and rationale argued as to not raise unrealistic expectations.

    I kissed Olivia goodbye, nodded to Yin, closed the door behind the two, and went to get ready for my run.

    ***

    I got ready for my date, essentially donning the same outfit from Monday, except changing the accessories to a more show-off counterparts.

    Hm, since I am officially a young master, I should ask either grandmother or grandma for an introduction to a high-class atelier. Maybe I should drop a hint about Pierre¡¯s possible existence as well? I still missed the shoes made by him, and he deserved a boost in high status clientele.

    ***

    As I reached my car, a familiar looking, even if I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why exactly, picture entered my vision. A young-looking woman, wearing a lot of makeup and a very peculiar outfit, was busy setting up something. On further examination, she was angling her phone, as a camera, on a tripod.

    ¡°Hey.¡± I called out, and the busy girl shuddered in surprise and turned around to face me.

    Now that I had a better vantage point to evaluate her appearance. The result, lacking out of ten, finally made me remember her from last Friday.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I heard a cautious reply. At least she wasn¡¯t rude this time.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but I am about to go, and your setup is in the way.¡± I explained and unlocked the car. ¡°Please, leave.¡±

    ¡°Um, would you mind if I do a short video first?¡± I heard an unexpected question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± I shook my head. ¡°From the angle you had chosen, the name plates will get into the video, and, considering the limited nature of the car itself, it¡¯s a bad choice to use as a tool to get some clout.¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes went wide from the surprise at my advice, but, after thinking my words over for a bit, realization seeped into her gaze as well. A moment later, the expression on her, fairly cute, face changed into one of slyness.

    ¡°What if I said that this is my partner¡¯s car?¡± Her tone had a good mix of spoiled cuteness inside, making it obvious that this girl had a firm grasp on her own attractiveness and was used to taking advantage of it.

    ¡°Already taken.¡± I smiled and got into the car.

    ***

    I arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the decided time for our date, mostly to see if Claire would arrive on time. Deciding to make myself visible and stretch my legs a bit, I left the car.

    The weather was nice. The spring sun shone its warmth on the blue skies, making my mood a bit better. Calm wind was chasing after the rare clouds.

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    Since there was some time to kill, I decided to deal with the task my petty self had been postponing since Sunday. I was looking through my call history, trying to find and unblock Nicole¡¯s number. I was still avoiding thinking about her, not quite sure as to why it was so hard for me.

    Bella, of course, was right about my future knowledge interfering with my assessment of the situation, but how could I ignore what she did? No matter what, if the situation repeated itself, there was a high chance that this, once so important to me, woman would bail out and leave me alone to deal with it.

    Granted, the situation itself was entirely of my own making, and everything was my fault, but¡­ On the other hand, Bella mostly left me to my own devices back then as well, all the way until I reached out to her for help. What if instead of her, on that day, I dragged myself to Nicole¡¯s place?

    This was the exact line of thinking that made me force myself and throw her out of my mind in the first place. Useless ifs and buts. You can¡¯t undo things that already happened¡­

    Olivia¡¯s¡­ loving expression from Monday night flashed before my mind¡¯s eye.

    Huh. The situation changed, so, was there a reason for me to still hold on to a twenty-five-year-old grudge, that, now that I think, essentially happened in my dream?

    I found the number.

    Yes, Bella was completely right to tell me off for my rash decision. Nicole Roah wasn¡¯t someone I would want to be my enemy. Still, even if I could make myself follow the newfound reason and logic, could I really ignore my bias? I already failed to do so with Yin.

    Anyway, before my mood plummeted from all this useless overthinking, I forced myself to stop. There were two more weeks to think it through. Talking this over once more with my wise advisor wouldn''t hurt, either.

    ¡°Oh, you are already here.¡± I heard Claire''s voice nearby. ¡°If you were already waiting, you should¡¯ve sent a message.¡±

    This time, Counter Girl actually dressed up for the occasion. Nothing extraordinary, a pale yellow sundress long enough to reach below her knees, and a denim jacket draped over her shoulders. My date still opted to wear the pair of white sneakers, yet it worked well for her.

    ¡°Um, how do I look?¡± Asked Claire after noticing my gaze. Not that I was trying to be subtle about that.

    ¡°Like a girl I would like to go on a date with,¡± I gave her my true thoughts.

    The girl in front of me smiled after hearing my poorly disguised compliment, and even blushed a bit. Come on, Counter Girl, you can¡¯t be this innocent. Hm, on the closer look, she actually wore light makeup as well, and, as my gaze shifted from her body to her face, I noticed a bit of expectation in her eyes.

    Deciding to interpret this signal in a certain way, I moved closer to her, and, after noting how her lips parted in clear invitation, kissed this sly cutie.

    ¡°You look great, Claire,¡± I said after breaking the kiss. A real one. ¡°And I really appreciate the fact you put all that effort in for my sake.¡±

    ¡°Um, thanks. I, um, really looked forward to our¡­ date.¡± The last part of her phrase made me strain my ears to hear.

    She blushed even harder, while her smile widened a bit. I guess she really did. Her signals were a lot less mixed now, that¡¯s for sure.

    ¡°Shall we go, then? Or would you like another kiss?¡± I once again teased her.

    ¡°Um, are you going to ask this every time?¡± Claire responded with a question of her own.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a part of my nefarious plans.¡± I decided to grace her with an explanation. ¡°You see, since you wanted me to follow your every signal, I decided to push your thoughts to the ones that are more favorable to me.¡±

    My frank words, once again, caught her off guard. Which was also a part of my plans, of course.

    ¡°Why are you telling me this, then?¡± With a serious look on her pretty face, Counter Girl decided to ask another question.

    ¡°Because I want you to be aware of it, Claire.¡± I smiled. ¡°And I want to see how far you will let me go, without flimsy excuses to push the blame onto.¡±

    She stared into my eyes for a moment, then shook her head and sighed in defeat.

    ¡°Then, um,¡± Claire muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I moved to open a door for her, my reasoning from our previous date still standing strong.

    ¡°But¡­ um, you know,¡± she drawled. ¡°I, um, would like another one. And, um, a bit longer this time.¡±

    I obliged.

 As expected of me, I guess.

    The workout itself went the same way as it did last time. Near the end, she asked if we could continue our date in the familiar coffee place.

    Obviously, I agreed.

    The traffic today was yellow, so our drive was noticeably longer. At least we were moving, albeit slowly. Feeling a bit tired from the gym visit, both of us were having a lazy talk about nothing in particular at the moment. And even that quickly ended, leaving behind a comfortable silence. I was focused on the road, while Claire was looking through the passenger side window, lost somewhere inside her pretty head.

    After getting stuck at a traffic light, I felt slightly mischievous and put my palm on her knee. Not getting any reaction out of Counter Girl, I decided to slide it a bit up her thigh, dragging the hem of her dress in the process. Only to be stopped shortly after, as Claire put her hand on top of mine. Since she still hasn¡¯t said anything, I took my gaze away from the road for a moment.

    My date was looking through the window, while holding my hand on her thigh. And still keeping her silence, as if nothing happened. Only her crimson ears indicated how far from the truth this statement was.

    I took my hand from her thigh and took her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. She squeezed my hand back.

    The traffic light finally turned green, and our drive continued.

    ***

    The caf¨¦ actually had a decent food menu as well. It mostly contained a variety of cakes, but they also had salads and sandwiches. Not exactly what I hoped for, but better than nothing. Maybe I should¡¯ve invited her to that pub we went to on our first date instead? Something to think about next time.

    As we kept talking about random things, I glanced at the time.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I called out. ¡°So, what did you and Olivia decide about that movie night?¡±

    ¡°Hm, nothing concrete yet,¡± she replied. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I would like to continue our date, but I need to pick her up. So, how about today?¡± I went straight to the point.

    I didn¡¯t need to do so per se, but it was the right choice, considering her acting up hormones and overall insecurities.

    ¡°Ah, um,¡± Claire stumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a nuisance.¡±

    So, she had time, and even wanted to do so, but was hesitating. I translated her words, ignoring the flimsy excuse.

    ¡°Claire.¡± I caught her hand under the table. ¡°It¡¯s a simple question. Yes or no?¡±

    ¡°Well, if Olivia isn¡¯t against it. Then, um, I would like to.¡± The girl, whose fingers were currently playing with mine, voiced her decision. Then she closed her eyes, as if not believing what she just said, and blushed.

    I took out my phone, and decided to ask my girlfriend about her opinion.

    Me: [hey]

    Olivia: [Honey!]

    For someone who rarely texted me, my silly girl was quick to answer as ever.

    Me: [it¡¯s a bit out of the blue]

    Me: [but I asked Claire about that movie night you brought up on Saturday]

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Me: [you still up for it?]

    Olivia: [...]

    Olivia: [???]

    Olivia: [Guess that¡¯s just as expected of you, honey]

    What did she mean by this phrase, anyway?

    Olivia: [Sure]

    Olivia: [I don¡¯t mind]

    Olivia: [Should I ask Su to drive me home?]

    Olivia: [Or will you pick me up?]

    Only now did I remember the sad fact. The car I was currently driving around was a two-seater. Well, fuck. I guess I will just leave it there and call a taxi.

    Me: [we are at that cozy caf¨¦ from Friday]

    Me: [can you ask Yin to drive you here?]

    Me: [it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to pick you up]

    Me: [but leaving my date alone is a bit worse than that]

    Olivia: [Fine]

    Me: [I will make it up to you later]

    Olivia: [You better¡­]

    Olivia: [See you soon]

    I put the phone down, and turned my attention back to Claire.

    ¡°It seems like she gave a green light.¡± I shrugged.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± It was the only thing she could respond with.

    I paid the bill, not even humoring Claire¡¯s attempts to split it with a response. With the newfound black card in my wallet, my already weird perception of money management just went out the window. From this point forward, it was just a number. Ugh.

    About ten minutes later, through the window, I saw the familiar unassuming sedan of Su¡¯s first young lady, and led Claire outside. People inside knew her on a personal level, so I decided to save her a bit of awkwardness from inviting other girls into our date here. Since Counter Girl was still on the fence against joining into the arrangement, it was not the time nor the place to push the issue.

    As we left the caf¨¦, my phone started ringing. A glance at the familiar number, and I picked up the call.

    ¡°Tian, the item my sister was talking about is ready.¡± I heard the voice of Kouzuki Miya, lady-in-black. ¡°She left it with me, so you can pick it up whenever you feel like.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, grandmother.¡± I vocalized my gratitude, my thoughts racing, as to when I should do so. ¡°Would you mind if I do so right now?¡±

    ¡°I will be waiting for you.¡± Instant response.

    I gave the plan in my head another spin. Still looked fine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way. See you later,¡± I said my farewell and ended the call.

    Both Olivia and Yin stepped out of their car. My girlfriend then quickly approached me and threw herself into my embrace. I caught her and spun her around, much to her amusement.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± I said to her. Then I caught the gaze of black eyes and nodded. ¡°Yin.¡±

    ¡°Honey!¡± She nuzzled into my chest. A moment later, she extricated herself from my embrace and turned to Claire. Another instant later, and, with a mischievous smile on her war-paint-marred face, she hugged the Counter Girl as well. ¡°Claire!¡±

    ¡°Um, hello again, Olivia,¡± muttered my, a bit shell-shocked, date. ¡°Sorry for intruding into your evening.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Who said something about intruding? You are more than welcomed to join,¡± deflected my silly girl.

    ¡°Um, thanks, I suppose,¡± drawled Claire, a bit awkwardly hugging Olivia back.

    Ignoring the bit of stiffness, which was quickly disappearing, in the yellow-clad girl¡¯s smile, the picture in front of me was straight out of the dream.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt your moment, girls,¡± I called out for their attention. ¡°My grandmother just asked me to pick up something important from her place. It shouldn¡¯t take too long, but it¡¯s a bit urgent, so, if you don¡¯t mind, could the two of you wait for me at my place?¡±

    ¡°Sure/Of course, honey.¡± They chorused.

    ¡°Yin.¡± I turned to the third girl at the scene. ¡°Tell your¡­ relative, to send them to my apartments safely. You are coming with me.¡±

    A bit of hesitation in her eyes, quickly overtaken by determination.

    ¡°As you wish, young master.¡± She responded in a resolute tone.

    ¡°See you later.¡± I waved my hand to the still hugging duo, and went toward my car.

    Yin quickly gave her instructions to her bodyguard and joined me.

 Should I buy a helicopter?

    The car, carrying Su¡¯s first young lady and me, was slogging through the evening traffic, while I was thinking about the best way to explain the situation to Claire.

    ¡°Young master.¡± I heard a stiff voice. ¡°May this little one ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡± I fought back the urge for a bad joke. The girl already looked overly stressed.

    ¡°For what reason did you require this little one¡¯s presence?¡± She asked, her black eyes staring at me with apprehension.

    ¡°Yin.¡± I fought back the sigh. ¡°I forbid you from speaking in this way. You make my head hurt, while also undermining your new official status.¡±

    She looked at me with a weird expression, as if not quite understanding my words.

    ¡°Do I really need to tell you in plain words?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Since yesterday, your official status changed to the ¡®mistress of Kouzuki Shinji¡¯. This is the only status that makes it possible for Kouzuki Maya to interfere in your Su clan¡¯s business freely, as long as it concerns you, that is. So, get used to playing your role, Yin.¡±

    ¡°This little one heeds your words, young master.¡± I looked at her with disapproval, and she tried to correct herself. ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say, young master.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit better.¡± I shook my head again. ¡°As for your question. It¡¯s actually a part of exactly that. I¡¯m sending the message.¡±

    I calmed myself down. She wasn¡¯t a bitch from the future yet. For now, she was just a young girl who, while having potential, wasn¡¯t quite there yet.

    ¡°Do you think that no one knows about Kouzuki Miya¡¯s bar?¡± I asked a leading question.

    A moment of contemplation later, she shook her head.

    ¡°Good. Naturally, only the people at the very top are allowed to keep their surveillance, and only at the very basic level. So, by arriving there together with you, I am, as Kouzuki Shinji, sending a confirmation about your new status. Or, which is also a possibility, it¡¯s Long Tian who sends the news that you are a friend of his girlfriend.¡±

    A moment of silence, a nod of understanding.

    ¡°As for the people on the lower level, who potentially keep their eyes on you, you just left with Michael Roah, who has connections with Isabella Alvarez and Nicole Roah, a known womanizer.¡± I continued my explanation. ¡°This is a bit degrading for myself, since with your petite stature, you are far from my strike zone. At least your face is beautiful enough, so you can be considered as somewhat cute.¡±

    A weak protest, which she held back. A light blush she couldn¡¯t completely fight back in time. Yes, this definitely was not the Su¡¯s head bitch I was used to dealing with.

    ¡°After we finish with this visit, I will drive you to your home. Same reasoning.¡± I finished my explanation, but failing to fight back the urge to tease, or maybe provoke, this surprisingly demure version of my nemesis, I decided to add. ¡°To put it all in simpler words, I¡¯m staking my claim, Yin.¡±

    Another bout of silence. The diminutive girl kept staring at me, as if trying to bore a hole in my face.

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    ¡°Young master, why are you doing this?¡± Another complex question from my passenger.

    ¡°For a multitude of reasons, Yin.¡± I decided to humor her with an explanation. ¡°Because my grandma needed an excuse to finally be able to help her prot¨¦g¨¦. Because I see potential in you and decided to take a gamble on it instead of letting it go to waste.¡±

    An almost fought back exclamation of surprise. Pleased look in her eyes.

    ¡°But, honestly, the main reason is simple. You are Olivia¡¯s friend, so, even though you seem to dislike me a lot, as well as your problematic attitude overall, I can¡¯t just close my eyes at your plight.¡± I finally voiced the truth.

    Another moment of silence as Su¡¯s first young lady was thinking over my words.

    ¡°Then, why did you put a time limit?¡± Oh, she finally caught on to a discrepancy.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I think that you needed a stimulus?¡± I smiled, and, with a wink, continued my words. ¡°Or is it because I think that in two years you have a chance to become beautiful enough, so, even if all else will be a dud, at least I will get myself a beautiful mistress?¡±

    I looked at how she started trembling again, fierce blush covering her face. Ah, right, how could I forget? No matter what, Su Yin was a sheltered young lady with zero experience in dealing with advances of the opposite sex. At least from the people she couldn¡¯t ignore outright.

    Ah, this will be fun. I fought back, not letting my smile turn into an animal grin.

    ***

    The visit to the bar went by very fast, considering that I was able to excuse myself after just one cup of tea.

    If not for the circumstances, I would¡¯ve loved to stay longer, so I promised to visit my grandmother again soon. I obviously had ulterior motives in endearing myself to this powerful woman, but the genuine smile on her face as she listened to me recount my day to her made it easy to forget about those.

    ***

    After that, I dropped off Yin at the address she gave me. The whole way there, Su¡¯s first young lady kept glancing at me occasionally, not even trying to be covert about that. Since she didn¡¯t say anything, I just let her be.

    A bit before we arrived, I instructed her about my plan. Nothing extraordinary, I will leave the car first and open the door for her. A simple show of¡­ affection from Kouzuki Shinji to his alleged mistress. Su¡¯s first young lady agreed, albeit reluctantly.

    To spice things up, and to tease this future nemesis of mine a bit more, after doing as enacting our small scene, I gave Yin a light hug. After noticing how flustered the girl became, my self-control kicked in, halting the notion to give her a peck on the cheek.

    Having my ¡®mistress¡¯ faint from something so miniscule, would¡¯ve been detrimental on the wider scale of things.

    ***

    I checked the traffic map once more, and decided against adding another trip to my route.

    Me: [I am free]

    Olivia: [Honey!]

    Olivia: [Took you long enough!]

    Me: [my bad]

    Me: [do you want me to buy some snacks?]

    Olivia: [Yes]

    After a bit, she sent me a list. Soda, chips, popcorn, ice cream. Some groceries as well. The usual stuff.

    Me: [sure]

    Me: [traffic is still an ass]

    Me: [on my way]

    Olivia: [Hurry up]

    Olivia: [We are waiting]

    To the last message, she attached a selfie. Olivia and Claire, both wearing my oversized t-shirts. Except, they used their hands to make, gathering the excess of fabric behind their back, turning shirts into fitted ones. My girlfriend had a brilliant smile on her face. Counter Girl¡¯s smile was a shy one, while sporting the slight blush on her cheeks.

    Ugh, I looked at the car in front of me that was moving ever so slowly. Maybe I should buy a helicopter?

 Shopping and idiots.

    I entered the familiar convenience store, on my way to purchase everything from the list I received earlier. After doing so, I stood at the end of the short line towards the check-out. Fuck, even here I got stuck in the jam. Just my luck. The first person in line, either high as a kite, or drunk like a pirate, or maybe both, did his best to waste my time, while shouting at the girl behind the counter.

    The said girl, a gloomy one, wearing a uniform three sizes too big for her, was past the point of panic and was about to completely shut down. Yeah, just my luck. Another supermarket was fifteen extra minutes from my home, and in an opposite direction from this one.

    Soon, both people in front of me decided to leave, either tired of waiting, or not wanting to be dragged into the escalation. And it was close, indeed.

    ¡°Bitch, what do you mean by my card was declined?¡± I heard the slurred speech of the dude in front of me. ¡°Stop ignoring me, slut. I¡¯m talking to you!¡±

    I made a quick once over of the guy. Asian, shaved head, nose broken a few times, cauliflower ears. Stocky figure, few faint scars on visible on his arms. His speech pattern, mannerism, and the gang affiliated tattoo on his hand told me that he was one of Akira¡¯s goons. The last detail, that, for some reason, felt like a personal insult, was the fact he was wearing a flashy tracksuit with dragon kanji on his back.

    ¡°Oi, dickhead,¡± I called out. ¡°Can you fucking stop already? Your slut of a mother must be regretting not aborting a mistake like you.¡±

    This worked like a miracle. Dude completely lost himself and threw his fist at me. Which I caught and, deciding not to go overboard, gave him a tight slap. Well, not going overboard was relative since he lost a few teeth and his consciousness.

    After checking his pulse, I took out my phone and dialed the saved number of the local police station. A certain cop who was dealing with things like this.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I heard a voice, whose name was completely forgotten by me long ago.

    ¡°There is an unconscious goon from Akira¡¯s. He threw his hands first and there should be security footage.¡± I reported the situation.

    ¡°Really?¡± I could hear a disbelief in his tone.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Was it really hard to believe?

    ¡°Roah, you are telling me that someone decided to pick a fight with you?¡± Oh, that was a good question.

    ¡°Too high to think. Or just stupid.¡± I explained.

    There was a deep sigh from the other side of the line.

    ¡°Fine, I will be there shortly.¡± He said after hearing the address. Not waiting for my response, he ended the call. Well, fuck you too. Whoever you are.

    I turned my head to the still mostly unresponsive girl.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out to her. She blinked in surprise, and raised her eyes to look at me. ¡°I apologize, but I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry, so could you check my things out, please?¡±

    She nodded and started canceling the dickhead¡¯s purchase. After finishing with it, still at the same unhurried pace, the girl finished checking out the contents of my shopping cart. I paid, and was about to leave, when the store doors opened and another vaguely familiar dude walked in.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. Roah, you actually held yourself back for once?¡± The cop said this after glancing at the heap of trash on the floor.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to traumatize the poor girl even more than she already is,¡± I nodded toward the still shell-shocked shop clerk.

    ¡°Do you think she will be pressing extra charges?¡± He asked me for some reason.

    ¡°Do I look like a fucking seer to you?¡± I asked back. ¡°Hey, girl, will you press charges against this dumb fuck?¡±

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    A shake of the head was her answer.

    ¡°She is saying she won¡¯t,¡± I deadpanned toward the cop, who rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Ugh, fine, get the hell away from here, seeing your mug makes my head hurt,¡± he spat those words.

    ¡°Yes, officer. Good day to you, officer,¡± I clowned back.

    Then I waved a farewell to the girl, and left.

    ***

    For the whole duration of the short drive home, I couldn¡¯t throw the face of the gloomy girl from the convenience store out of my head.

    I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside. After taking off my shoes, I went to the kitchen to put the soda and ice cream in the fridge, and drop the rest on the table for later usage.

    Ah, how annoying. Once more, I had that same feeling as if I knew her from somewhere, but nothing concrete. The most likely explanation was the simplest one, of course. Since she works there, I''ve just met her previously but never paid enough attention. Well, screw it. Let¡¯s just wait until it bites me in the ass later on.

    I walked inside the bedroom, while unbuttoning the shirt I had on. So, that¡¯s why nobody welcomed my return, huh. Both girls were busy with Olivia¡¯s homework. Claire was explaining something to my girlfriend, while the latter was listening to her attentively, writing down one thing or another from time to time.

    ¡°Well, this certainly is surprising,¡± I made my presence known.

    ¡°Not right now,¡± said the Counter Girl in a strict tone. Should I rename her to a Tutor Girl now?

    ¡°Welcome back, honey,¡± Olivia greeted me. ¡°We are almost done, make yourself busy for now, please.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my poor fragile heart.¡± I smirked, and decided to do as I was told.

    Ignoring Claire¡¯s presence, I took off my current attire and chose something more home-friendly.

    ¡°Hey girls, I¡¯m a bit hungry, want to order something?¡± I decided to distract them one more time.

    ¡°We already ate.¡± Claire replied, not bothering to even turn her head to me.

    ¡°We left your portion in the pan, honey,¡± Olivia responded, following her tutor¡¯s lead.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I voiced my gratitude and left the room.

    My dinner was a generous serving of pasta carbonara. I put the kettle on the stove and reheated the pasta in the pan. I felt a bit regretful that my trip took me so long. The dish itself still tasted great, but as I was eating alone, my gaze involuntarily drifted to the empty windowsill.

    Deciding to distract myself from the stupid thoughts, I checked my messenger¡¯s backlog.

    Helen still hasn¡¯t graced my message with her attention.

    Daily dose of Bella was already checked by me earlier, but it was a bit too fetish heavy. While I could, and did, appreciate the beauty of the entirety of the female body as a whole, feet pics were too much. Which I told her outright, and even received back assurance that it was just a joke and an experiment. Hm, should I call her? I wanted to hear Bella''s voice, but my special woman was, most likely, too busy for a lengthy talk right now.

    Both Kouzuki twins sent a single message each. What I received from them resembled more of an archaic greeting card rather than, well, a normal message. Once more, they wrote essentially the same thing, except wording it differently. I wrote a greeting back, coupled together with a request about not using so many flowery words in the personal correspondence.

    Yin, and wasn¡¯t it a surprise, also sent me a message, conveying gratitude. While reverting to that style of speech, which I already forbid her from using earlier. My response was a simple selfie with a very, and I must repeat, very disapproving and disappointing stare. Su¡¯s first young lady followed with the flurry of messages, which I ignored. Will check tomorrow, maybe.

    My finger froze over the restored contact of Nicole. Should I write something to her? Taking a moment to think it over, I decided not to.

    I felt something warm and soft on my shoulders and the back of my head. I buried my head deeper into the warmth, inclining my head to look above. To no surprise at all, my gaze met with a mischievous one from Olivia.

    ¡°You¡¯re done with homework? Or is Claire done with you?¡± I joked.

    ¡°Homework had fallen first,¡± my girlfriend played along.

    ¡°There were a few times it was a close call,¡± Claire joined into the conversation. ¡°But we managed to pull through.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± I smiled. ¡°So, are you girls ready to torture my soul with extreme boredom?¡±

    ¡°Hey, those movies aren¡¯t that bad,¡± protested Olivia. She was still hugging me from behind, so I had a hard time arguing with her.

    ¡°I think they are quite entertaining, even if a little bad story wise.¡± Et tu, Claire!

    ¡°Fine, fine. But remember, my words when it ends up again in a nap pile.¡± With those words, I reluctantly extricated myself from the embrace of my silly girl.

 I need your help.

    The second movie ended up with the victory of the gray mouse¡¯s childhood friend. How in the seven hells did it happen? The answer was simple, the stupidity of the plot.

    The person who wrote it, completely forgot, or maybe ignored instead, the ending of the first one, where the guy number one, modern prince archetype, handsome CEO, and our wholesale Cinderella exchanged vows of eternal love. And, with the inclusion of the second guy, the FML suddenly realized that her prince is a ¡®huge jerk¡¯?, and decided to be with her kind and handsome childhood friend instead.

    Yes, this movie was an absolute torture to watch for me. The girls were having their fun watching it, though, so I could only grit my teeth and endure. Or, more accurately, off my brain almost completely and relax into Olivia¡¯s warmth. The fact that shy-looking Claire threw occasional glances toward here, as if wanting but hesitating to join our cuddle herself, also lessened the burden significantly.

    ***

    Oh Heavens, the third one managed to one up the first two. The film opened with a shocking revelation: the heroine was pregnant. And judging by her mortified expression, it wasn¡¯t her childhood friend¡¯s efforts that led to this outcome. I had so many questions right now.

    Somehow, the rich jerk learned about this development faster than the guy who lived together with the main character. Once again, choosing to ignore the plot of the previous movie, the supposed rich jerk proposed to the main hoe on the spot. And the round two of struggles for the attention of this completely average girl started. Two main guys did their best to win her with their love, while this icon of adultery once more was sitting on the fence.

    The movie ended with another, most likely temporary, victory for the first guy, since there were two more sequels after that. That is, if you ignore that FML befriended another guy at her workplace, who, in the post-credit scene, was revealed as the scion of a prominent family.

    Since I refused to even try and wrap my head around the logic of this story anymore, I came to a conclusion. No matter how I spun the thoughts about the heroine''s actions, only one thing was clear as day. She belongs to the streets.

    The opinions of the rest of the audience differed, or so it seemed to me. The two girls were discussing the story, characters, and plot twists with enthusiasm, and even managed to make me question whether we had seen the same movie at all.

    Well, the best thing that came out of the third film was Counter Girl finally finding it in herself to join into our cuddle pile. Does it mean I will need an extra girl to power through the fourth one? The picture of Yin, looking completely lost and done at the same time, with both the movie and trying to discern the nonexistent deeper motives of my actions, was truly hilarious. I shook my head, chasing away weird thoughts.

    ***

    We decided to take a short break. The three hours spent in the cuddle pile were pleasant, but I felt a bit numb and wanted to stretch my limbs a bit. Meanwhile, girls left towards the kitchen, to refill snacks and drinks.

    The fourth one was the longest movie in the series, so I decided to check what time it was right now. Sleep was important. The result managed to surprise me a bit, since it was a bit past eleven. I guess Counter Girl decided to stay for the night. Maybe she just forgot, but the result would be the same. I wasn¡¯t against this in the slightest, but¡­

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    As I was contemplating whether it was better to leave it alone or risk the development and ask Claire for a direct confirmation, the girls returned with a tray. Their discussion still pertained to the ending of the third film, and it seems like they just started speculating about the role of the new guy in the fourth movie.

    ¡°Hey, Claire.¡± I called out, opting to address the elephant in the room. ¡°I guess you decided to stay for the night?¡±

    My words caught her off guard, judging by the way she stopped in the middle of a phrase. An instant that took her to process my question later, Counter Girl blushed and responded with a silent shy nod. Oh. Huh. I guess it was my turn to feel surprised.

    Since it was late, and the movie was two and a half hours long, we decided to make the bed first, in case Morpheus would sneak on us mid-way again. Then we re-assembled our cuddle pile and my pleasant movie night continued. Only we didn¡¯t even make it through the quarter of the movie before succumbing to the sneak attack.

    The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was the koala girl assuming her position on top of me, as my silly girl once more stole my blanket.

    ***

    And my collection of ways to wake up just got expanded. And I can¡¯t say it was the most pleasant awakening I¡¯ve ever had.

    Around three in the morning, someone rang the doorbell. It woke not only me, but Claire as well, who decided to roll to the wrong side of the bed again. Another mental note, buy a bigger bed. Or at least set something soft on the floor to this side of the bed.

    I caught the not-so-flying koala girl, sadly not having time to enjoy her rolled-up shirt look. If someone rings your doorbell at three in the morning, and you have no idea who it is, it¡¯s most likely an emergency. Well, or someone wants to rob you, but, honestly, I was too drowsy to think about this possibility at the moment.

    So, without bothering to even check who it could be, I opened the door. Huh, this was one hell of a surprise. There stood Nicole Roah, her usual flamboyant and arrogant demeanor completely gone. She looked distressed, exhausted, and, speaking frankly, she looked like the sky was about to crash.

    ¡°Michael.¡± I heard her voice, dry and exhausted. Almost desperate. Yet, there was a bit of relief as she called out my name. ¡°I¡­ I need your help.¡±

    Nicole sounded as a drowning woman, who just spotted a piece of dry wood. Or a pillar to grab onto. Hearing her tone, not even her words, made my mind go blank.

    ¡°Come in.¡± I let her inside, and closed the apartment door. ¡°Do you want coffee?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Yes. That would be nice.¡± Nicole responded.

    ¡°Honey, who is it at this hour? Bella again?¡± I heard Olivia¡¯s drowsy question.

    ¡°I will explain later, go and sleep for now.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Sure.¡± A lot less drowsy confirmation followed.

    Nicole didn¡¯t even react to this little exchange, dragging herself to the kitchen. She grabbed a cup and operated the coffee machine. Oh, right, this thing was her gift, and mostly used by her as well. On those rare occasions when she came to visit me in person.

    I went to the bedroom to dress myself a bit and to take my smartphone. After gesturing to both girls in the bed that everything is fine, I left to the kitchen, closing both doors behind myself.

    My late night guest was sitting on one of the chairs, hunched over the cup of coffee she held with two hands. A cold wave overcame my overheated brain, leaving only the professional, and a bit of the animal, left at the scene.

    Whatever happened to her was serious enough to completely break her composure. And, this close to the point I got sent back to, it was something that, most likely, happened in the first life as well. Only fucking animal, Michael Roah, me, was nowhere to be found to help her, at least in some way.

    ¡°Nicole,¡± I called for her attention. ¡°What happened?¡±

 Old grudge.

    ¡°My whole career just went to hell. Maybe my life will follow shortly as well.¡± Nicole spat out her answer. ¡°And everything happened because one horny dickbag wanted to get into my pants.¡±

    Well, that certainly sounded bad enough. I plopped into the second chair by the kitchen table.

    ¡°How about a bit more detail?¡± I asked.

    ¡°So, the regional branch chief, the guy who is signing my paychecks, for the last year or so was constantly trying to get me as his third mistress. I managed to lead him on, trying to either find enough dirt on him, or to make myself useful enough for someone even higher up the ladder to take notice.¡±

    She let out a long sigh and took a sip of her coffee.

    ¡°And, right when I finally found a way to do the latter, he decided to put his foot down. I slapped the pig, hoping that the great deal I was about to finalize in a few days will be enough of a spotlight to give me some sort of leverage in this.¡±

    Nicole paused, looking into the empty coffee cup.

    ¡°Hey, do you have something stronger? I really would love to have a stiff drink right about now,¡± she switched topic abruptly.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not much into drinking at home,¡± I responded. ¡°So, what happened, Nicole?¡±

    She raised her eyes from the coffee cup and stared at me. Her eyes were red, and only now I noticed that there were deep shadows under them as well.

    ¡°Somehow our competitors got all the information about this deal, so they undercut us really, and I mean really, badly. The internal investigations started, and, obviously, the leak went through me. I have no fucking idea why or how I would even think of doing something like that for the deal I had a stake in, but, well, as usual with corporates, nobody cared.¡± Nicole sighed again, this time even deeper. ¡°So, now I need to either recoup losses to the firm or get a nice personal apartment with free meals for a while for corporate espionage. And then I will need to slave myself for the rest of my life to repay the debt anyway.¡±

    ¡°So, you came to me for help?¡± I asked the obvious.

    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t the first choice. I exhausted all other options first, but someone already made sure that nobody will give me a broken dime.¡± Yet another sigh. ¡°Fucking dickbag, and I¡¯m completely sure everything is his doing, had enough audacity to offer to help me to get out of this pinch. There must be something that investigators missed, said the fucker. Maybe we can take another, deeper, look. All the while looking at me like I am a piece of meat. Blergh.¡±

    She threw the cup into the wall, but I caught it from the air. It was one of the paired cups Olivia liked very much.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just go around breaking my girlfriend''s stuff, Nicole,¡± I chided her. ¡°So, you¡¯ve come to me. Why exactly?¡±

    My conversation partner looked at me, as if failing to recognize.

    ¡°Michael. I need money. Serious money. And you are the only one left who can at least put me in contact with someone who has that kind of money,¡± she explained. ¡°That Alvarez woman of yours. If she refuses, I have no idea what to do anymore. Maybe I just should accept my fate then.¡±

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    I looked at the desperate woman in front of me. To be frank, this was worse than I thought. It also explained a lot of her behavior in the first round.

    I was a huge liability in such a situation, and the best thing she could do for me was to break all contact. Fucking hell.

    Twenty-five-year-old grudges; the loss of one of the few connections I truly treasured; all because of misunderstandings and circumstances caused by human greed and lust. I felt anger spark somewhere inside of me. Ah, this will be a nice hunt.

    ¡°How much do you need exactly?¡± I tried to focus on something else. Losing control won¡¯t do me any good here.

    ¡°Around one hundred to one hundred and fifty million.¡± She named the amount, and I couldn¡¯t help but whistle. That was a nice chump change.

    ¡°And even if you recoup this amount, it won¡¯t take away the stigma anyway,¡± I summed up. ¡°Yeah, truly a FUBAR, Nicole.¡±

    ¡°You tell me.¡± She deadpanned, finding the dark humor in this situation. ¡°So, can you put me in contact with Alvarez?¡±

    ¡°She is out of the city.¡± I replied

    I looked at how the last vestiges of hope drained from her eyes. Should I help her or not? This wasn¡¯t really a question to me. There were some other questions that I wanted to ask, though.

    ¡°Hey, Nicole, I have a very out of the left field question. It¡¯s quite odd, but I¡¯m really curious,¡± I called out to her again. ¡°Mind answering it for me?¡±

    ¡°Eh. Might as well. Fire away.¡± She chuckled with the light tone of a stage four cancer patient, who knew for sure that they were doomed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say that I fucked up. Like real heavy stuff. And dropped from the face of the planet for the next three years. And three years later, I would, at random, pop up at your doorstep out of nowhere, on the verge of keeling over from blood loss.¡± I focused, observing her minute reactions. ¡°What would you do?¡±

    Nicole looked at me like I was an idiot. Perhaps that was the case.

    ¡°That¡¯s an oddly specific question, Michael,¡± she drawled. ¡°But, eh, I already said I would give you an answer. So, hm, the first thing you would need to do is be taken to the hospital. Then I would thoroughly ask you where, why, and how you were hiding from me. And, at last, we would need to find the fuckers responsible and make them regret it.¡±

    I started laughing. Fortunately, I managed to keep the volume under control. Girls in the other room didn¡¯t need any more disturbances.

    After I stopped, a good five minutes later, I took my phone and dialed the familiar number of lady-in-black.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Instant response.

    ¡°Grandmother, I need your help.¡±

    ***

    Around four in the morning. The roads were almost empty, another discrepancy between my future knowledge and the current situation. Twenty-five years in the future, the city stopped sleeping even at such an hour.

    I was driving the car, my destination being the familiar, unassuming bar of Kouzuki Miya. The passenger of my car kept staring at me oddly. I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to answer her questions right now, and Nicole, as if feeling this, kept her silence.

    On the other hand, there was another question that I was curious about.

    ¡°Hey, there is another question, just about as out of the blue as the first one,¡± I said, breaking the quiet stalemate. ¡°Mind enlightening me?¡±

    Nicole still kept staring at me. I kept staring at the road, occasionally glancing at her in the rearview mirror. A few minutes later, she sighed for the umpteenth time in the last hour and shrugged.

    ¡°Ask away,¡± she replied curtly.

    ¡°You know, since forever, one particular thing kept bothering me. And, for the life of me, I just couldn¡¯t wrap my head around it. How exactly did my bastard of a father manage to con a woman like you?¡± I asked my question.

    She actually started chuckling after hearing my words.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s simple, really. He sold you to me.¡± What the fuck? ¡°Though, he obviously failed to deliver on his promise. I guess he really managed to scam me in the end.¡±

 Nobody can covet what is mine.

    Hm. This made more sense the more I thought about her words. In comparison to every other stepmother I had, Nicole always was quite a bit different. Hell, now that I think of it, she and Leon rarely even talked. And in the year that went from their wedding to his death, I could count on one hand a number of times when my father did even spend the night in the same house as the two of us. Much less sleeping in the same room as her.

    ¡°I feel like I will regret asking it, but¡­ Why would you want to do something like that?¡± I already was.

    Her laughter grew a bit louder.

    ¡°Ah. Well, since the cat is out of the bag, I can as well go all the way. I completely fell for the cute angel. Little Michael Roah was just that adorable. Too bad he grew up into someone like you.¡± Whatever she meant by this, I wonder.

    Yeah, this settles it. The women in my life are bound to have at least some screws loose. But¡­ to think Bella and Nicole had another thing in common¡­ Better not say it out loud, though. I glanced at the sharp nails of my passenger.

    ¡°Ha, I knew Bella and you are so much alike,¡± I couldn¡¯t hold myself back.

    ¡°Huh?¡± A sound of confusion followed.

    ¡°For a while, she had seen her dead brother in me.¡± I also chuckled.

    Bella told me as much shortly before our breakup. Adding that it took a bit longer than a year for her to separate Miguel and me, no wonder she doesn¡¯t blame me for not being able to separate her future and current selves.

    ¡°So, what is going on between that Alvarez woman and you?¡± Followed the question. ¡°And that girl who called you honey. She sounded like they knew each other.¡±

    ¡°They actually do,¡± I acknowledged. ¡°Still have no idea why or how, but it seems like they managed to work out a way to share me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and you didn¡¯t even ask me?¡± Nicole sounded hurt, albeit I couldn¡¯t be sure how much of it was just a pretense.

    ¡°There is so much fucked up shit going on in my life right now.¡± I let out a long sigh. ¡°Some things just changed abruptly, while I abruptly realized some stuff. My thoughts are jumbled as all hell right now.¡±

    ¡°Poor soul. Did you hit your head?¡± I could hear the poison in her words.

    ¡°In a way. And pretty badly at that. You can say that my whole life went before my eyes.¡± My words made her eyes widen. I fought back another laugh and continued. ¡°While I remember the majority of the important stuff, everything else is a total mess. I just can¡¯t wait for the moment when some forgotten debt will come and bite me with interest¡­¡±

    ¡°You are joking, right?¡± She asked for confirmation.

    ¡°I wish, Nicole. I wish.¡± I shook my head. Aside from minor details, everything I said was a complete and utter truth. ¡°I have no idea how long it would¡¯ve taken me to remember you if we hadn''t met at the cemetery.¡±

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    This killed the conversation completely. The heavy silence fell on the interior of the car. I emptied my mind completely, forcing myself to focus completely on the road. Nicole turned her head toward the passenger side window, with only her knowing what was going on inside that head of hers.

    Luckily, we were about to arrive at our destination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to share you,¡± said Nicole after a while.

    ¡°And I have no idea if I even want to have anything like that between the two of us.¡± I responded, parking the car in the same place in front of the familiar alleyway. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would prefer to try and slowly work something out, though. I would prefer not to lose an important connection like that.¡±

    ¡°What if I tried to ruin your relationships instead?¡± I saw the odd gleam in her eyes.

    ¡°Then I would crush you like a bug, Nicole.¡± I decided not to mince my words. ¡°You would get a nice retirement package somewhere far, far away from this city. Without a chance to ever return. I apologize, but this chance means too much to me.¡±

    Signalizing that this line of conversation is over, I left the car.

    The familiar shadow, which, most likely, was sent to follow me around, had chosen a different hiding spot this time. I caught their gaze and nodded in greeting, receiving a hesitant nod in response.

    The passenger¡¯s side door opened, and a sound of the heel¡¯s meeting the hard ground followed soon after.

    ¡°So, why are we here?¡± Nicole finally decided to ask.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± I made a gesture for her to follow and went into the alleyway.

    ***

    After a few silent minutes, we spent them walking through the labyrinth of dark back roads. Our destination was finally in front of us. Of course, it was the familiar black metal door under the unlit sign ¡®BAR¡¯.

    ¡°Michael.¡± I could hear the irritation in the voice of my companion. ¡°I¡¯m flattered you finally got it in yourself to take me out to drink. I truly am. But I really don¡¯t have time for this right now.¡±

    I ignored her sarcastic remark and opened the door. The insides of my grandmother¡¯s humble establishment looked the same as always. Even the bartender was here, just as bored as always. Maybe it¡¯s time to start treating him as decoration. I nodded to him anyway.

    I felt a hand landing on my shoulder, which then made a motion to turn me towards the owner of said appendage.

    ¡°Can you stop ignoring me already?¡± Nicole had enough. ¡°Why did you take me into some obscure bar? To waste more of my time? I may not be able to get enough money, but, at the very least, I should liquidate as many assets as possible. At least I will get a little more than the corporate appraiser¡¯s bare minimum.¡±

    ¡°Nicole, if your problem could¡¯ve been fixed with money, I wouldn¡¯t have brought you here. Now sit down and relax.¡± I put my hand onto her shoulder, and forced her into one of the empty seats.

    ¡°Michael, I think you don¡¯t understand how serious this is for me.¡± She tried to stand up again, but my hand held her in place. After a few futile attempts to do so, she gave up, yet kept her attempts to bore a hole in me with her glare.

    With a sigh, I grabbed another chair and plopped down by her side. Then, out of my pocket, I fished out the wallet and took out the black card that was in there, putting it on the table in front of the stunned woman.

    ¡°Nicole, I repeat, just relax. The worst has already passed. Now it¡¯s just a matter of hunting down a certain pig.¡± I deliberately spoke in a calm and unhurried manner. I tried my best to ignore the boiling of my blood and the beast that rattled its cage. ¡°Nobody can covet what is mine and leave unscathed.¡±

 Satisfying, if a bit boring, conclusion.

    ¡°Spoken like a true member of my Long clan,¡± said the Lady in Black, who finally chose to grace us with her presence. ¡°So, who is the guest you brought with you, Tian?¡±

    ¡°This is Nicole Roah, number six on the list, grandmother.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Oh, I see that you found your answer.¡± Of course, Kouzuki Miya remembered my words. ¡°So, what exactly do you need my help with?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but can someone tell me what is going on here?¡± Intervened Nicole, just as I was ready to start my explanation. ¡°Tian? Grandmother? Long clan? What happened in those three months since our last meeting, Michael?¡±

    Ah, so many questions. I fought back the rising ire. Even if she tried to keep me from my prey for a bit longer. Well, at least she hasn¡¯t asked about the list, and her apparent placement there.

    ¡°Yes, hm, right? I guess the introduction should go both ways. This is Kouzuki Miya, the wife of Long H¨¤o, mother of Long Chen, whom you should have known as Leon Roah.¡± I dropped the bomb onto Nicole. ¡°Now, with this out of the way, mind repeating why exactly you asked for my help?¡±

    ***

    ¡°I see.¡± It was the only thing my grandmother said after hearing the story. ¡°What do you need me to do, Tian?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t even ask why am I doing this?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but voice my curiosity.

    ¡°I won¡¯t mind hearing it, but it won¡¯t change anything for me. You are asking for my help. That¡¯s all I need to know.¡± One of the most powerful women in this city told me this in a tranquil tone.

    I expected way more questions, not going to lie. Taking another sip of the tea, the Lady in Black kept pouring it for me, which she seemed to really enjoy doing. My mind went into overdrive, evaluating, planning, and discarding plans.

    ¡°I need you to apply the pressure on the very top of their ladder.¡± I gave her a very general level of directions, fully aware that Kouzuki Miya will fill in the details herself, and do a much better job at that than me. ¡°Since Kouzuki Shinji made his debut regarding the matter of Su Yin, Long Tian should do something as well. Since this pig so nicely volunteered to be made into an example, let¡¯s show the world what why you shouldn¡¯t offend the Long clan.¡±

    My grandmother nodded, showing her approval, as well as a bit of appreciation. I could just use the Kouzuki clan¡¯s seal to do so myself, but I wanted to show her my trust. I took another sip of the tea. Having trustworthy people to delegate your work felt so great.

    As for Nicole, she was sitting there, nesting a cup of hot chocolate with both of her hands, a light meal she barely touched on the table in front of her. She looked a lot less haunted, so, I guess, that¡¯s progress.

    ***

    About an hour later, the door to the bar opened, and a very familiar to my future self figure walked inside, while wearing all white. A few years older than me, a bit taller than the current me as well. Dark black hair slicked back. Uselessly handsome face.

    I worked with him. I worked for him. And I worked against him. The future Head of Security of ¡®RobCo¡¯. What was his name again? Something Italian, starting with a letter f. Fabiano? Filippo? Federico?

    ¡°Greetings, Lady Kouzuki. Mister Bayat sends his deepest apologies,¡± the guy in white said with a perfect bow. ¡°At the moment of your call, he was in the main headquarters, and his flight will take at least eight more hours. My name is Francesco Bianco, and I was granted full authority to assist you in this case until his arrival.¡±

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    His gaze quickly darted around, evaluating the rest of the people in the room. Stopping for a brief moment on Nicole, who tensed, on the verge of triggering a fight-or-flight response.

    ¡°I would prefer it if you stopped trying to scare my friend,¡± I called him out.

    ¡°You are?¡± He managed to sound polite, and I must commend him for not dismissing a dude wearing a hoodie and sweatpants outright.

    ¡°Long Tian.¡± I introduced myself.

    ¡°Young master Long.¡± He bowed once more, correctly guessing my status and instantly changing his attitude. ¡°I apologize for any possible offense.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Bianco. My grandson and his friend just brought to my attention a recent development that makes me feel a bit concerned.¡± Kouzuki Miya returned to her polite and icy tone. ¡°One of your employees, and at a rather high position at that, has allegedly used his position to solicit a certain kind of relationship from an unwilling party.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kouzuki¡­¡± the man in question tried to say something.

    ¡°While it isn¡¯t my place to advise you on the matter of your internal affairs, in doing so, he allegedly also sabotaged a rather substantial deal and allegedly put the blame on the said unwilling party.¡± My grandmother continued, ignoring the guy¡¯s attempts to say something. ¡°As an investor, I can¡¯t help but feel concerned that, in case those allegations are true, it could not be the first deal he intentionally sabotaged.¡±

    The white-clad Italian¡¯s polite smile changed into a concerned frown. This was a serious matter, and it required immediate action.

    ¡°I heard your words, Lady Kouzuki. I must assure you that a complete and thorough investigation will be conducted immediately, and everyone found guilty will be severely punished.¡± Another bow, this time apologetically.

    ¡°Mr. Bianco, with all due respect, but there is another layer to this incident. Whether your investigation will find that person guilty or not, they already offended my grandson.¡± Familiar steel resurfaced in my grandmother¡¯s voice.

    Her whole demeanor followed closely. I could only pity the poor Bianco guy, since he was on the receiving end.

    ¡°I already sent my people to retrieve him for questioning. They will be here shortly. I must insist on your presence as Mr. Bayat¡¯s proxy for this session.¡± Kouzuki Miya declared. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Kouzuki.¡± Followed a formal confirmation from the still bowing man in question.

    ***

    From that point onward, things went in a predictable and swift manner. A bit later, a few shadows appeared with a bound and gagged pig. Judging by the distinctive lack of clothing items, this piggy was seized right from its sleeping place. Going by the expression on its ugly mug, It was confused, disoriented, and scared shitless.

    After the pig understood what situation it had actually landed itself in as well as the only two alternatives it had, it quickly started talking. I guess, between the two choices of admitting its wrongs and taking the blame and a simple disappearance, its continuous existence won.

    With every word it spoke, Bianco¡¯s expression became more and more unreadable. If there was a clear bottom line in the corporate world, it was wasting the company¡¯s money. The complete investigation was definitely pending.

    After the pig finished its words, the guy in white asked for permission to deal with this situation through official protocol. Since it coincided with my goals of making it an example as well as clearing Nicole¡¯s official records, I granted him that permission.

    In a show of her complete support for my actions, the Lady in Black kept her silence. Another easy-to-understand message that Bianco would spread around

    The rest was a technicality. The pig was bound once more and taken away by the internal affairs security forces. After making sure that it was everything that was required of him, the white-clad Italian excused himself as well.

    I thanked my grandmother for the help, and promised to visit her again shortly. Then, since it was almost six in the morning, Nicole and I also excused ourselves.

    Overall, the hunt came to a satisfying, if a bit boring, conclusion.

 Long night.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Nicole voiced her gratitude.

    ¡°You are welcome,¡± I responded.

    I was driving the car back to my apartment, so my passenger could retrieve her own vehicle.

    ¡°Michael, can you answer a few of my questions?¡± I was expecting this.

    ¡°You know, I am feeling like it¡¯s the only thing I''ve done recently.¡± I sighed. ¡°But, sure, ask away.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Of course, she brought this nice and simple question, that wasn¡¯t ambiguous at all.

    ¡°Why what?¡± And I, once again, needed her to be a little bit more concrete.

    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± I expected this question of hers as well.

    What should I tell her, though?

    ¡°I have two answers for this question, and both of them are one hundred percent true and real. One is nice and simple, and the other one is complex and hyper rational. Which one would you like to hear?¡± I responded.

    ¡°Can I hear both?¡± Huh, this was an option as well.

    ¡°Sure, why not. Which one should I start with?¡± I asked back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep the nice one for the end,¡± Nicole voiced her decision.

    ¡°Works for me. Well, I helped you for a myriad of interconnected reasons. Starting with the one you heard me tell, Kouzuki Miya. I needed a way to warn people against offending Long Tian, preferably before something irreversible happened,¡± I said.

    I glanced in the rearview mirror to evaluate Nicole¡¯s reaction, but she was absentmindedly looking into the passenger side window.

    ¡°The second layer to this is even more rational. You are a great asset to have in my debt, Nicole, especially now. With the Long clan as your backers, your career growth is bound to happen at an even more rapid pace.¡± I continued my explanation. ¡°The third layer is simple, though. I needed to show my grandmother that I trust her enough to ask for her help when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Followed a noncommittal response. ¡°And what about the nice one?¡±

    ¡°Eh, this one is extremely straightforward.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I helped you because you asked for my help. And since it¡¯s you, this was the only reason I needed to act.¡±

    Nicole chuckled in response to my words.

    ¡°Yeah, this one was certainly much nicer to hear,¡± she agreed. ¡°Hey, Michael, mind if I crash at your place tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, my bed is rather overcrowded tonight,¡± I declined. ¡°If you just want my company, though, I don¡¯t mind crashing at yours. Sleep only, of course.¡±

    She turned her head to look at me, and I noticed a small smile playing on her lips.

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    ¡°Are you certain about that?¡± Her tone turned to one of seduction, and I felt her putting a hand onto my leg.

    ¡°Nicole.¡± I took her hand from my leg. ¡°Unless you change your stance on sharing me, I would rather not complicate my relationships even more than they already are.¡±

    Her smile waned a bit.

    ¡°No, my answer is still the same,¡± she said.

    I steered the car into the familiar parking spot nearby my apartment.

    ¡°See you in two weeks.¡± I nodded. ¡°Though, you have my number, so call me if you need something. I won¡¯t refuse my friend.¡±

    My answer caught her off guard. A moment of thinking about my words later, she frowned.

    ¡°Did you just friend zone me?¡± Her dumbfounded expression was absolutely hilarious.

    ¡°I guess.¡± I replied, struggling not to laugh.

    ¡°Fucking hell, Michael. You can¡¯t just do that to me!¡± Protested Nicole.

    ¡°Sure can. Already did.¡± I failed my struggle.

    Nicole¡¯s phone started ringing. The higher ups came to a decision. She looked at the screen, hesitating if she should answer the call.

    ¡°Just you wait. I will certainly pay back for this¡­ humiliation.¡± Seems like her usual flair started coming back. Another improvement.

    A moment later, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and left the car.

    ¡°As long as you remember my warning, Nicole.¡± I left the car as well, and waved my hand as farewell.

    She waved back, already busy talking on the phone. I took another moment to watch her getting into her own car, and drove away.

    ***

    I silently opened the door, took off my outerwear and shoes, and stealthily creeped into the bedroom. Both girls occupied two different sides of the bed, sleeping peacefully. Huh, this was a nice picture to see, much more so than I would have thought.

    Using the vast experience of coming home at the crack of dawn, I rolled Olivia a bit to the side, so I would have a bit of the bed to sleep in.

    This was one long night.

    ***

    A second awakening¡­ Yeah, fuck. The sound of Olivia¡¯s alarm tried to cut my sleep short, but between the koala girl¡¯s warmth and severe lack of sleep, I really didn¡¯t want to wake up yet.

    ¡°Oh, honey.¡± I heard my girlfriend¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Ugh. Sorry, I came back around seven, mind if I sleep in today?¡± I found it in myself to ask.

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± she easily agreed.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I voiced my gratitude, and someone cut off the light again.

    ***

    About an hour and a half later, my bladder demanded for me to wake up. I still felt a bit drowsy, but not as completely useless as I was around the time of Olivia¡¯s alarm.

    Hm, it was bound to happen at some point, with a lot of my work being nocturnal, but I hoped that my streak would hold up at least for the duration of our honeymoon phase. Eh, well, fate had a different opinion on this matter.

    To my surprise and disappointment, Claire had already left her spot on top of me, so I dragged myself to the bathroom, noticing that the kitchen door was closed. Most likely, Counter Girl woke up earlier, duh, and left for the kitchen so as not to disturb me by chance and give me some extra rest time. How nice of her!

    After taking a cold shower to shake off the rest of the drowsiness, I decided to join Claire. The girl in question was currently busy, reading one of Olivia''s textbooks and writing something down in the notebook. Did Counter Girl decide to take on a full-time tutoring position? Should I offer to pay her for doing that?

    This would make her schedule a lot less complicated, while keeping my chances to see her at the same level. My thoughts returned to the Akira¡¯s goon in the convenience store yesterday. Can¡¯t say I was entirely comfortable with her working night shifts.

    The problem would be with the uncertainty of my love life¡­ It wasn¡¯t my place to offer anything long-term to anyone, at least not based on my current interest.

 Slow morning.

    ¡°Morning.¡± I called out, making my presence known.

    ¡°Oh, Tian. Good morning.¡± Claire raised her gaze from the textbook and smiled at me. ¡°Have you rested enough?¡±

    I took a moment to do a simple self-check.

    ¡°Should be enough to get me through the day.¡± The last part of my phrase got drowned by the yawn, and the Counter Girl snickered at me.

    ¡°Are you certain about that?¡± I could hear a bit of concern in her voice.

    ¡°Yeah. My sleep schedule is far from ideal, but I had a lot of time when it was much worse.¡± I tried to diffuse her concerns, but seeing that it didn¡¯t really work, I decided to switch the topics. ¡°So, what are you busy with?¡±

    Claire gave me a long look, then shook her head, as if giving up on my stubbornness.

    ¡°Making notes for things I can tutor Olivia on,¡± she explained. ¡°There are two more months before her exams, so there should be enough time to get her grades up a notch.¡±

    I fought back another yawn, and stretched a bit. Thoughts about hiring her could wait for a while longer. I was pretty sure she would refuse getting paid anyway.

    ¡°Wanna join me for my jog?¡± I asked instead.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± She responded, stretching a bit herself. ¡°After all this studying, my shoulders are rather stiff.¡±

    ¡°Want me to rub them for you?¡± I offered.

    ¡°Maybe later,¡± Counter Girl responded absentmindedly. ¡°Is this another nefarious plan of yours?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is, Claire. Everything I do is, one way or another,¡± I told her the truth. ¡°But I am pretty good at massage, in fact. Lots and lots of practice.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Um. Well¡­¡± Once again, my frank words made her falter. ¡°As I said, maybe later¡­¡±

    I let out a bout of theatrical evil laugh, and went to get ready.

    ***

    Since I was matching my tempo with Claire, today¡¯s jog was a rather relaxing one. And, since I had company, a rather pleasant one as well.

    ***

    I let Counter Girl use the shower first. As she was about to close the door behind her, I remembered about forgetting to put the towel back after the cold one I took in the morning.

    ¡°Claire, towel,¡± I decided to warn her.

    The girl in question gave me a puzzled look, then checked the empty towel hooks, and blushed a bit. Whatever she imagined, I wonder. I gave her a dry towel, and Counter Girl swiftly retreated behind the shower door, while blushing even harder. Naughty.

    ***

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    The breakfast went by completely uneventfully, spent in empty small talk. For the most part, the main topic was fitness, diet, and various exercises.

    I led it toward our next date, whether it would be gym one or not, asking if Claire was up for tomorrow. Sadly, she had a busy schedule in the first half of the day and pre-existing plans with her friend in the evening. Well, that¡¯s a bummer, but not exactly unexpected.

    ***

    We were currently sitting on the bed, with my back resting on the headboard, while Claire half-laid into my embrace once more reading the textbook.

    The Counter Girl actually took my offer for a massage. Shoulders only. Since she decided to lay down a boundary, I chose to adhere to it. Our game, so far, proved to be an interesting pastime, and, since Claire let me get away with plenty of advantages, I couldn¡¯t even complain that it was too slow. And then there were all those cute reactions of hers every time the boundaries kept changing¡­

    There was a slight problem, though. As I was slowly undoing the knots in her smooth shoulders, my self-control started to slip. Not a surprise, not really. The warm softness of her body, coupled with the feeling of her smooth skin under my touch, multiplied by her apparent readiness to trust her body into my touch. The fact I was quite pent-up in the last two days also didn¡¯t help my case in any way. It was a gradual process this time, and when I finally noticed, it was too late already.

    ¡°Hey, Claire.¡± I called out, fighting back the urge to slide my hands from her shoulders to her breasts. ¡°I think the massage session is over.¡±

    ¡°Oh. OK.¡± She nodded absentmindedly, not even making a token effort to leave my arms.

    I took my hands from her shoulders and relocated them to her waist. Which was followed by Counter Girl choosing to lean even more of her weight onto my chest, reclining deeper into my embrace. She really found that much comfort in my body, I suppose.

    Trying to distract myself, I started playing with her hair, marveling at the difference at how they were so soft to touch, even though they appeared quite spiky after the shower and hairdryer. Yeah, that was an excuse, and a flimsy one at that.

    ¡°Claire.¡± I called out again, as my hand on her waist started to sneak its way under her shirt. ¡°Do you want a kiss?¡±

    With an odd fascination, I looked at how her neck and ears were gradually changing color into the darker shade of red. The girl in my arms still didn¡¯t make any attempts to escape, though.

    ¡°Um,¡± she muttered. ¡°Do you really have to ask every time?¡±

    ¡°Would you rather be just kissed instead?¡± Not like I was against doing it this way, either.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Her blush went another notch into a darker shade of red.

    I was weighing the pros and cons of waiting for her decision, as my hand on her waist finally found its way under the shirt and started creeping upward, as Counter Girl tensed a little.

    Fate, destiny, or whatever higher power was messing with my life, had another plan in mind, though. As Claire seemingly came to a decision, and started turning towards me, her phone received a call.

    ¡°You should take it.¡± The last vestiges of my self-control made me say this.

    With a certain amount of reluctance in her body language, Counter Girl left her nesting place in my arms and did just that. I decided to give her some space and, more importantly, give myself some time to cool down. This was very close. And we were alone¡­

    ***

    The call was from one of her friends from the study group she told me about previously. The professor, whose lecture Claire planned to attend in the evening, changed the time. Curses.

    This cut short our time together, as well as made me think about what I should do to make myself busy until Olivia got home. Well, there was a matter of changing the car to something with room for more people. I could also visit grandmother, and bring up a matter about the atelier. Since both of my alter egos made their debut, it was a good idea to get myself some proper clothing for high society. I had a pretty strong hunch that either of the twins, most likely Miya, would make me meet their husband soon. So, maybe, it was a good idea to bring this notion myself, as another show of trust from my side.

    Either way, it was time to get ready. As I was dressing, something that would adhere to my silly girl¡¯s taste, another thing came to my mind. As I previously said to Su¡¯s first young lady, there was a claim to stake. Only this time it was much less of a joke.

 Long... coincidence.

    I stopped the car in the parking lot.

    Claire accepted my offer to give her a ride, both to her house first, and to her college later on. I couldn¡¯t be certain if she understood my nefarious plans and just didn¡¯t care, or was oblivious. Either way, my goal was simple.

    ¡°You have an evil smile, Tian,¡± commented Counter Girl.

    ¡°That¡¯s because my evil scheme is about to commence.¡± I responded, masking the truth behind the joke.

    ¡°Um? What are you trying to do this time?¡± My words evidently sparked some curiosity in my passenger.

    ¡°Claire. A beautiful girl just got dropped off by an expensive sports car.¡± I graced her with an explanation. ¡°What do you think I am doing here?¡±

    She took a moment to think about my words, and then blushed.

    ¡°Do you really have to do this?¡± Counter Girl questioned.

    ¡°But of course. It¡¯s a very straightforward message.¡± I nodded. ¡°A warning if you must. I am showing my interest in you, so people who aren¡¯t ready to fight for you should give up.¡±

    The color of her blush deepened some more.

    ¡°Hey, Claire,¡± I continued. ¡°Do you want a kiss?¡±

    The Counter Girl glared at me, blame clear in her eyes.

    ¡°Yes.¡± As usual, her answer was surprising yet pleasant.

    I leaned in for a kiss as my partner closed her eyes and parted her lips in anticipation. This one was lengthy and quite a bit more intense than the previous few.

    After Claire, flustered up to the root of her hair, left¡­ more like running away¡­ Hm, maybe letting myself cop a feel was a little too much? Counter Girl didn¡¯t say no, though. Of course, she wore a bra, which was a bit disappointing¡­ Yet, my control was severely compromised already as it was, no idea if I would¡¯ve stopped with just a kiss, if not for that last line of defense¡­

    I shook my head, trying to chase away those dangerous thoughts. Just how many times have I done this exact thing lately? Way too often. Shrugging, shaking my head, and, most damning of them all, sighing became a part of my life as of late.

    I sighed again. How easy was it before? All I needed to do was to react according to the predetermined reaction profile, a mask, as I called it. Gigolo, professional, even the beast in a way. Now that I think, even boredom relied heavily on this semi-autopilot.

    And just like that, with my head in a complete mess, with my thoughts in disarray, I somehow managed to drive my way to Bella¡¯s condo.

    I came here today for two reasons. First, as I decided earlier, was to change a car, and second one was to look at what kind of suit my special woman organized for me.

    Bella: [Your suit.]

    Bella: [My place.]

    Bella: [Bodyguard floor.]

    I pointedly ignored another fetish-heavy daily pic, this time featuring black pantyhose and upskirt tags. Like anything that involves Bella and matters of my seduction by her.

    So, yeah, my suit was done, even if it was late to the party. I shook my head again. Maybe I should¡¯ve slept some more. My thoughts felt sluggish, and my mind was running in circles.

    I shook my head again. Fuck it.

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    Another half hour later, I was done with trying on my new suit, which was perfectly fitted to my figure. And she did it without requiring my presence at any stage of this process. Bella¡­ I wasn¡¯t certain how to feel about this. Her ability to pull it off impressed me, while being away herself, though another part of me screamed a warning at her keeping such close tabs on me. My dear, if I didn¡¯t already know you were borderline obsessed with me, it would have creeped me out.

    ***

    Changing the car to a familiar business-class crossover from Sunday, I was currently on my way to my grandmother¡¯s bar. It was almost lunchtime, and I was praying that she won¡¯t let her only grandson stay unfed.

    As I went inside through the familiar black door, a curious sight entered my vision. The Lady in Black, Kouzuki Miya, was serving tea to someone. Huh, I guess that¡¯s how I would¡¯ve looked in a decade or two if not for my ultimate choice.

    The visitor was both taller and wider than my current self, cutting an impressive figure in his traditional costume. A head full of gray hair and a gray mustache. Impressive jawline. Skin showing marks of age and adversity. A heavy gaze of hazel eyes, full of regret, relief, and, which was surprising, joy.

    Long H¨¤o, the head of the Long clan, and a husband of both Kouzuki twins.

    ¡°Should I come later?¡± I asked, feeling a little awkward about this surprising meeting.

    ¡°Ah, Tian?¡± Judging by the genuine shock in my grandmother¡¯s tone as well as how her gaze was quickly filling with apprehension, it wasn¡¯t something she orchestrated. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something of her doing,¡± Long H¨¤o interrupted his wife. ¡°I decided to visit Miya completely on a whim.¡±

    Their reaction made some sense to the practical side of my mind. It wasn¡¯t the first time when lady-in-black reacted borderline-irrational to the idea of doing something that could potentially lead to my disappearance.

    ¡°I understand.¡± I nodded. ¡°Michael Roah greets the Head of the Long clan.¡±

    I gave the man a ceremonial bow. I never interacted with him before, but from what snippets of information about this person reached my ears, he was someone to be reckoned with. Experience in dealing with the old man Smith helped a bit as well.

    ¡°Only he?¡± Followed a response. ¡°What about the other two?¡±

    ¡°H¨¤o.¡± There was a not-so-hidden warning in the tone of my grandmother.

    I gave the situation another spin in my head.

    ¡°The other two aren¡¯t here today.¡± I shook my head. Sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not the time nor the place for them to meet you, Lord Long.¡±

    ¡°Yet you reacted when Miya called you by the name Tian.¡± Followed the observation.

    ¡°She is a family. I¡¯m fine with whatever way she calls me.¡± I deflected. Hm, calling her that word didn¡¯t feel wrong. Go guess why.

    Another heavy gaze of hazel eyes landed upon me.

    ¡°I see,¡± said one of the most powerful men in the world. ¡°Nice to meet you, Michael Roah. Send my word to the other two. I am waiting for our meeting.¡±

    He rose from his seat, and turned to the lady-in-black.

    ¡°I am sorry, Miya. It seems like there is an urgent matter I must take care of.¡± Long H¨¤o excused himself.

    ¡°Take care. I will visit you later.¡± My grandmother responded to his words.

    Just like that, he left.

    ¡°Tian, I¡­¡± Kouzuki Miya called out to me, as her husband closed the door behind himself.

    ¡°Grandmother. I trust you.¡± As far as I could, that is. ¡°I heard Lord Long¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± She tried once more.

    ¡°Grandmother,¡± I interrupted her again. ¡°I¡¯m neither naive nor dumb enough to believe that I would¡¯ve been able to avoid this meeting forever. Especially after both my alter egos made their moves.¡±

    I looked at her. Heavens, she truly was scared that this would make me leave.

    ¡°One of the three reasons why I came here today was to ask you about organizing this meeting.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Then why did you refuse to use this opportunity?¡± Of course, the Lady in Black quickly caught on to this.

    ¡°Because the first meeting between those three should be official, scheduled, and on his territory. It¡¯s a matter of basic respect.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Which leads me to a second matter I¡¯m here today for. I wanted to ask if you could introduce me to a high-class atelier. I am in severe need of an appropriate wardrobe for such a meeting.¡±

    ¡°And what about the third one?¡± My grandmother raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Of course, it was to see my family again,¡± I stated the fact.

    At last deciding to accept my words, Kouzuki Miya let out a held breath and her expression brightened. Well, playing a dress up doll for a few hours wasn¡¯t that high of a price for such a change¡­ Why did I even care? No reason.

 Another date with Lady in Black.

    We were currently in the moving car, one of those extra luxurious and armored things, on our way towards the atelier in question. Lady-in-black didn¡¯t mince any words, and just took me to her personal tailor. A part of the generation-long line of tailors who served the likes of Three Families for the last thousand or so years.

    In the first round, my second-in-command spent a lot of time trying to make me remember the details of discerning true VIPs by their clothing alone. Designs, cuts, seems, materials, threads, buttons. He never managed to succeed with this initiative, though. Past the simple fact of me being aware of these things'' existence. I still remember the look of utter defeat in his eyes.

    ¡°Tian, about the matter of meeting with my husband.¡± My grandmother brought up a topic all of a sudden.

    ¡°This is the main reason why I need an urgent wardrobe upgrade.¡± I expected this, of course. ¡°Nothing I have is good enough for either of the clan heirs to wear for the meeting with Long H¨¤o.¡±

    ¡°And if you had the suitable attire?¡± A question from Kouzuki Miya followed.

    ¡°Then I am ready to meet him at any time of his choice.¡± I responded.

    My grandmother blinked, caught off guard by the answer. I still couldn¡¯t get over the fact she didn¡¯t wear her poker face in my company any longer. Of course, I couldn¡¯t be fully sure how much of what she was showing was deliberate, and how much was genuine.

    ¡°My husband will be ready to meet you tomorrow at the earliest, but then he will be out of the country until at least next Friday.¡± The Lady in Black spoke aloud, a thoughtful expression on her face. ¡°Making a proper set of clothes from scratch would take about a day, give or take some extra fittings.¡±

    Kouzuki Miya seized me with her gaze while looking lost deep inside her own head.

    ¡°We¡­ I kept Chen¡¯s clothes from when he was about your age. You two should be about the same complexion. All men of the Long clan¡¯s direct bloodline are like that.¡± She continued. ¡°Would you mind if we refit some of his clothes for your use?¡±

    I mulled her proposal over. I had no plans for tomorrow, which was a rarity with the Chaos of my life. On the other hand, it would be unwise to make Long H¨¤o wait.

    There were some bonus points in taking stuff from my father. No doubt, the cheap bastard would¡¯ve thrown a fit after learning his things helped me in any way.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it something you kept as a memento?¡± I asked for confirmation.

    ¡°Why do I need old clothes when I have you?¡± Response with no hesitation whatsoever.

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    ¡°Then I don¡¯t see any problems with it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I will leave the outfit choice to you, grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Which style should I choose? Hm, what about color? So many choices!¡± Kouzuki Miya was strangely overjoyed by my request.

    Was it too late to rethink everything?

    In the next couple of hours, I quickly realized just how wise my decision was. Shadows kept appearing and disappearing, bringing and taking away different clothes. A true kaleidoscope. Western, Chinese, and Japanese. Various styles, designs, and colors.

    Most of them were vetoed with just a glance. A few were deemed acceptable enough to require trying out. Only one western suit was good enough to make the cut. After making me switch between a few poses, Kouzuki Miya gave an order to the waiting tailor to take measurements and start the fitting.

    ¡°So, who will be visiting tomorrow?¡± My grandmother asked a question.

    ¡°Officially? Long Tian is the best choice. Unofficially? Let the people guess which twin graced them with a visit.¡± I responded, sketching the best mischievous smile my face could muster. The mirror showed something that was closer to a villainous one, though.

    The younger me¡¯s facial muscles weren¡¯t up to my standards, either. Well, I suppose it was time to get back to the acting exercises as well.

    ¡°Ah, this reminds me about the time when Maya and I used to do the same thing,¡± the esteemed wife of the Long clan¡¯s Head replied in kind, sporting an evil smile of her own. ¡°Even our Lord Father had trouble discerning the two of us.¡±

    Eh? Her words surprised me a little. The Kouzuki Twins were quite different¡­ If you knew there were two of them, that is¡­ And you weren¡¯t in the constant state of being at least somewhat drunk. I guess they grew further apart as they matured.

    ¡°Tian.¡± The voice of my grandmother took me out of, now traditional, journey through the depths of my mind. ¡°Can you tell me more about Chen?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a very pleasant story to hear, to be frank.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Leon Roah, the version of that person I knew about, was hardly a good man.¡±

    ¡°The bitter truth is better than nothing at all.¡± This was her response.

    We couldn¡¯t leave just yet, since the tailor¡¯s work required my presence. This fact, coupled with the glimpses of hopeful curiosity hiding behind the calmness of her gaze, made me think about what I should and shouldn¡¯t tell her.

    ¡°Grandmother, you know, neither of us could see each other eye to eye with the other guy. Much too alike, I suppose¡­¡± I started my tale.

    ***

    Another thought about buying a helicopter came to my mind, only this time it seemed even more enticing to me. I looked at the navigator screen, full of red lines. Because of this bullshit, I had to cut my date with lady-in-black short.

    Hm, well, I could have chosen to ask Yin to bring Olivia here instead, but it was a bit too early for that. I didn¡¯t even introduce Bella to my family yet, and things like that needed an order. Nicole¡¯s situation was an obvious exception.

    Fortunately, ETA was still within time limits, so unless¡­ My thoughts came to a halt, before I could jinx myself. I still refused to be superstitious, but lately, my life was a line of impossibilities strung along by coincidences. No reason to give that bitch, fate, another excuse to mess with me.

    So, I focused on the road, on the taillights of the car in the front, ever so slowly crawling together with the rest of the rush hour traffic. Maybe I should have asked my personal shadow to drive for me? Another thing to think over in the near future.

 Smart little piglet.

    I jinxed myself. Of course. Some bullshit happened, and now I was a whopping seven minutes late. Ugh. My irritation was on an all-time high, while my self-control plummeted to the bare minimum. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm myself down. Which helped, kind of.

    I left the car, ignoring the Su¡¯s first young lady¡¯s bodyguard, who went stiff after she had seen me. If not for my current self being on the edge already, I would¡¯ve played with the jumpy girl a tad bit more. In my current state, though, that would lead to a disaster.

    Otherwise, I could just use this as an excuse and tease my ¡®mistress¡¯ more. Yin¡¯s reactions amused me quite a lot, and the feeling of taking such a petty revenge on my ex-nemesis was absolutely exhilarating. Ugh.

    I scanned the stream of high-school students pouring out of the school gates. The colorful bunch of my girlfriend''s usual company was nowhere in sight. I checked my watch, ten minutes past the meeting time. Hm, this was odd, yet not exactly unheard of.

    As I was about to check the messenger, a commotion at the gates caught my attention. It seems like someone was having a heated argument. With straining my ears a bit, I could hear at least three different voices shouting at each other. Two females, one male.

    One of the female ones sounded a little familiar, but I couldn¡¯t really put my finger on who or why. After playing the voice a few more times in my head, I gave in and let my curiosity go. The time to check what the hell was going on over there finally came.

    Finding my way through the crowd wasn¡¯t at all hard. Fighting back an urge to sigh after I finally saw the source of all this fuss was much harder. The blonde friend of my girlfriend.

    What was her name again? Something starting with Pa... Pamela? No, something different.

    ¡°Patricia, stupid bitch, know your place!¡± Oh, that¡¯s the answer to my unasked question. ¡°I told you already, you should stop being stubborn and choose what is good for you!¡±

    The shouting one was a bimbo gal, with even weirder looking makeup than the one used by both Olivia and her friend¡­ Satoko, right? Fuck. Wrong. And I even promised to remember her name¡­ Satomi. Her name was Satomi.

    ¡°And I already told you to stick your opinion up your ass, Camilla.¡± The blonde friend of my girlfriend shouted back. ¡°And you, Alex, can help her in doing so.¡±

    My gaze landed on the aforementioned guy. A typical local alpha delinquent. Handsome face, decent figure, and a confident stance. Most likely has a background in martial arts, whether a pure self-defense, or there were some competitions involved as well.

    Bleached hair, trendy hairstyle, piercing in both ears. The pricey accessories and ingrained arrogance in the expression and gaze. Typical rich boy who wanted to play gangster.

    He was wearing the male version of the same uniform as everyone else. No necktie or blazer, and the shirt was deliberately untidy, sleeves rolled up to show off a freshly done gang tattoo. One of Diego¡¯s this time.

    Hm, his mug felt really familiar, like I could swear there was someone looking just like that recently. Giving up on cracking this mystery by myself, I approached Su clan¡¯s first young lady, who stood a few steps away from the fun. Weird, I couldn¡¯t see Olivia anywhere.

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    ¡°Yin. Report.¡± I ordered the diminutive brunette.

    Hearing my voice from so close, the girl in question shuddered.

    ¡°Y-Young master¡­ The situation...¡± she started explaining.

    ¡°Yin. Where is Olivia?¡± I interrupted her, as it was the only thing that really did matter to me.

    The Su clan¡¯s first young lady tried to avoid my gaze. And I felt my self-control taking another hit.

    ¡°She¡¯s in the infirmary¡­¡± I saw red, and barely caught my hand before it could clasp the neck of this useless bitch.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you exactly one attempt to make an excuse about why my girlfriend got hurt,¡± I growled.

    ¡°Young master, it¡¯s not¡­¡± Another conscious effort to stop myself. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, giving the girl time to finish her words. ¡°Satomi felt a little under the weather and excused herself after the lunch, so we sent Olivia to wake her up after school ended. I followed Patricia to intervene in case things would escalate too much.¡±

    I relaxed.

    ¡°So, what is the deal with the hoe and sissy over there?¡± I asked in a calm tone.

    Yin stared at me. I guess, the sudden change in my behavior surprised her. Well, as long as Olivia was alright, there was no reason for me to overreact.

    I made a motion to leave my conversation partner¡¯s side and join the main event in person. Let¡¯s see how much shit this arrogant peacock will be able to spout with broken teeth. The pig-tailed brunette reached her small hand out to my sleeve. Was she trying to stop me? Why?

    ¡°Young master, you still haven¡¯t heard the whole story,¡± Su clan¡¯s first young lady tried to continue her explanation. ¡°His background¡­¡±

    ¡°Yin, what is your official title right now?¡± I interrupted her again.

    ¡°Um, the mistress of Kouzuki Shinji?¡± She managed to half-ask this with an adorable tilt of her head in addition to a cute yet lost expression on her face. I almost started applauding. Wow, I wonder if Su''s first bitch used this exact way of acting to fool people in the first round.

    ¡°Good. Now tell me, unless the sissy over there is young master Smith, which he clearly isn¡¯t, why do you even care about his background?¡± I mimicked her head-tilt as well. Highly doubt it was even half as cute, though.

    Su clan¡¯s first young lady, who still hasn''t released her grip on my sleeve, fell into a deep contemplation. Or at least this would be my best guess, judging by how she lowered her face, as if finding a sudden fascination in how her shoes looked.

    ¡°He is the favorite nephew of the regional branch chief of ¡®RobCo¡¯, heavily dotted upon by his childless uncle. There are rumors that they are actually a father and son, but rumors are always wild.¡± The petite brunette started explaining the background of the peacock for some reason. Didn¡¯t she hear my words about his background being a completely moot point?

    Hm. Regional branch chief of ¡®RobCo¡¯, isn¡¯t that the pig that offended Long Tian because of Nicole? And now his nephew wanted to use his uncle as a background to offend the second twin as well. What a smart little piglet.

    ¡°Yin.¡± I extended my free hand and plopped it on top of her head. Which only added to the amount of ¡®lost¡¯ in her expression, as well as flustered her a little. ¡°His uncle already offended Long Tian, and was dealt with last night.¡±

    My ¡®mistress¡¯ raised her black eyes and met my gaze. What a curious combination of emotions they were showing.

    ¡°Yin. I gave you carte blanche to use my name. I also gave the same permission to Olivia,¡± I choose to continue. ¡°I could guess the reason why she didn¡¯t use it. Whether it¡¯s because my silly girl simply forgot or didn¡¯t want to inconvenience me for some foolish reason, but you? Su clan¡¯s first young lady, how can you even think about meeting the time limit if you hesitate in such simple situations?¡±

    My face was sketching the gentle smile, yet I made sure that there was enough obvious disappointment in my eyes.

 I havent really asked.

    ¡°Young master, I¡­¡± Su clan¡¯s first young lady exclaimed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother to say you are sorry. Just be better.¡± I quoted a saying from my memory. Not quite sure where I heard it, to be frank. ¡°And pray that things like this won¡¯t repeat itself in the future, with more devastating results.¡±

    I took off my hand from the top of her head, as Yin finally released her grip on my sleeve.

    ¡°This little one heeds your words, young master.¡± She was about to bow, but caught herself. It was a public place, and, so far, our interactions could be interpreted as those of a fairly intimate couple. From afar, that is.

    ¡°OK. Last question. Is this dumbass gang-affiliated?¡± I asked for a confirmation of my earlier observation results.

    ¡°Yes, young master.¡± My ¡®mistress¡¯ nodded.

    ¡°Good.¡± My smile morphed into an animal grin. ¡°Now, excuse me, I have a peacock to hunt.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t go overboard in public, young master. It will ruin your reputation.¡± Su clan¡¯s young lady gave me advice.

    I weighed the pros and cons of her suggestion and decided that it was a good one.

    ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Yin.¡± I voiced my gratitude.

    The shouting match, which I had completely filtered out of my attention so far, still continued. Except now, it spiraled down to a stream of insults hurled back and forth between the two girls. Hm, interesting. Would this situation devolve into an outright cat fight if I left it alone? Ugh, Olivia¡¯s friend was involved, so I couldn¡¯t really just ignore this crap.

    ¡°Patricia, you are just a whore. The same goes for your friends. Where does your arrogance even come from? Do you think someone will pay you more than me?¡± Since I finally calmed myself enough to pay attention to my surroundings, this phrase managed to reach my ears.

    The bleached peacock was talking crap, and, while his words about the blonde in question weren¡¯t technically incorrect, I took offense at the part about her friends.

    ¡°Keep my friends out of your filthy mouth, dickhead.¡± Hissed Olivia¡¯s blonde bestie.

    ¡°Or what?¡± The peacock responded with a challenge clear in his tone.

    ¡°Or I will bash your fucking teeth in,¡± I politely joined the conversation.

    ¡°And who the fuck are you?¡± Came the reply, with, decisively, much less good manners in it.

    ¡°A guy whose girlfriend you called a slut.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Thank the heavens that there are too many witnesses, or I would beat the living shite out of you. And Diego would then add some of his own on top for messing with the wrong people.¡±

    I felt his evaluating gaze on me. Not sure what exactly went inside his head, but the result was clear. The fighting spirit in his eyes waned, making room for a wariness.

    ¡°Do you know who my uncle is?¡± Ah, the heavy artillery right out of the bat.

    ¡°A pig that offended someone he really shouldn¡¯t, I bet that an Italian dude clad in all white is questioning him. Very intimately.¡± I answered, watching, with a certain level of glee, how his eyes went wider from shock.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Peacock repeated his earlier question, his face going white. Oh, so he knows about Bianco.

    ¡°A person you shouldn¡¯t have offended either, little piglet.¡± I grinned, letting the fucking animal take over my facial expression control. ¡°Now take your hoe with you and get fucking lost. Run away, little piglet. And if I will so much as hear about you, I will turn you into bacon. Am I clear?¡±

    Looks like I finally was able to push him far enough to activate his fight-or-flight response, and this piglet was about as brave as his uncle. He lowered his eyes, refusing to provoke me any longer. Boring.

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    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without waiting for the answer of the other party, the guy grabbed his shocked hoe¡¯s hand and dragged her away. He didn¡¯t even look back once.

    The crowd of gawkers, loitering around so far, started to disperse, realizing that the fun came to an end.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Su clan¡¯s first young lady approached us, offering a token of her concern to Olivia''s bestie.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± The blonde replied absentmindedly and turned her attention to me afterward. ¡°Thank you for the help. Um, his background isn¡¯t simple. You¡¯ll be fine with the consequences, right?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but my background isn¡¯t simple either.¡± I smiled reassuringly and added a cheeky wink. Because I could.

    ¡°So my bestie lucked out even more than I thought initially¡­¡± Patricia drawled. ¡°Hey, did you think about my offer?¡±

    This question stumped me for an instant. What was her offer again? Ah right, a night of passion, which Olivia can either watch or join in the fun.

    ¡°My answer is still the same. Regretfully, I must decline. I think you are attractive enough to feel tempted, but not enough to complicate my already overly complex relationships over a one-night stand.¡± I gave her my sincere answer.

    ¡°Too bad. Well, not a surprise after what you said last time. About ¡®known paid escorts¡¯ as you put it.¡± She said in a deliberately cheerful tone, though, deep in her eyes, for a single moment, glimpsed a real hurt.

    Huh? This wasn¡¯t even on my mind, not with my own past.

    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m not a hypocrite enough to lie about not caring at all, but it wouldn¡¯t be a full-stop for me either. Not like it diminishes my interest in Olivia, for example.¡± I refuted her words.

    Only to be met with a weird reaction from both Patricia and Yin. They looked at me in surprise, as if I said something weird.

    ¡°Um, had Liv not explained to you about her usual clients?¡± My silly girl¡¯s best friend questioned.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t really asked.¡± I could only shrug.

    Two girls exchanged a brief glance, wordlessly communicating about the mysteries of the world. Or something like that, I had no clue.

    ¡°Honey!¡± I heard a familiar voice.

    Immediately afterward, I felt a soft impact, and one unit of my girlfriend''s body weight was added onto my back. I turned around to return the hug. Well, of course it was Olivia, with her usual bright smile on a makeup marred face.

    ¡°It took you long enough,¡± I joked.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a simple job for me to wake up Mimi,¡± my silly girl responded, mockingly exasperated.

    A bit further away, I saw Satomi, looking quite pale. Well, it was the first time I¡¯ve seen her face without war-paint, so I couldn¡¯t judge accurately. Noticing my gaze, she waved in greeting, certainly lacking some of the energy she had last Friday.

    ¡°I hope the long wait hasn''t bored you to death?¡± continued my girlfriend, releasing me from her embrace, and assuming her usual position, hugged my left arm.

    ¡°Not really. Your friends entertained me with conversation.¡± I nodded toward Patricia and Yin. ¡°And some clown volunteered to serve as a bonus distraction.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Olivia nodded, then her expression changed into one of concern. ¡°Pat, are you alright? Nothing happened? I heard that bitch Camilla had some plans for after school.¡±

    Blonde and brunette exchanged another glance.

    ¡°Yeah, your boyfriend scared the¡­¡± She paused, as if looking for the right word. ¡°Quote unquote, little piglet, away.¡±

    Yin nodded, confirming the words, and my girlfriend turned her attention back to me.

    ¡°The night situation. His uncle was involved.¡± I explained. ¡°By the way, why haven¡¯t you used my name to do so yourself?¡±

    ¡°Oh, like, I¡­¡± Olivia stumbled a bit, trying to find an excuse. ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t serious enough to involve you.¡±

    ¡°What did I tell you about asking for help and not waiting until the last minute to do so?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chide my girlfriend. ¡°I would rather be bothered for nothing than to see you hurt.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey.¡± She lowered her face guiltily and tightened her embrace around my arm.

    In the end, I could only sigh again, and mess Olivia¡¯s hair a bit, to show some of my frustration. Correctly reading into my reaction, my silly girl giggled and nuzzled into my shoulder.

    ¡°Oi, you two, stop flirting. I¡¯m envious.¡± The blonde bestie of my girlfriend tried to interrupt us.

    ¡°Leave them be, Pat.¡± Satomi intervened. ¡°Even if I¡¯m envious too.¡±

    By old tradition, the award for the strangest reaction went to Yin. The girl in question had an incredibly complicated expression on her face, both amused by what was going on, and not sure how to react around me. There was a glimpse of envy deep in her eyes as well, but I haven¡¯t paid enough attention, so it could¡¯ve been a misinterpretation on my part.

 There is always next time.

    Yin quickly excused herself, busy as ever with work in ¡®her family¡¯s restaurant¡¯. Satomi still didn¡¯t look all that great, and Olivia offered to drop her off at her place. Ah, I almost let out a tear. My silly girl did something without asking for my approval beforehand.

    I wouldn¡¯t decline, anyway. Since Patricia and Satomi were essentially roommates, the blonde bestie of my girlfriend asked to join the ride as well.

    Only after the four of us started our walk towards my parking spot, Olivia froze, remembering that I usually drove two-seaters. Her expression was so comical, I almost burst into a laugh.

    I gave her an encouraging smile and dragged her after me, since she was still hugging my arm. Good thing that I changed the car earlier.

    ***

    Being stuck in the traffic jam sucked big time. This phrase was about as true and real as the Sun rising in the East, and setting in the West.

    At least I had someone to talk to. Or, well, more like someone who will do the talking. Olivia, in her usual chatterbox mood, once more was retelling the things from her day.

    ¡°Hey, Olivia. So, what exactly happened and how it led to today¡¯s issue?¡± I asked, after waiting for a moment when my girlfriend stopped talking for more than an instant.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, the Camilla stuff?¡± She asked back. Hm, who the hell was that? ¡°The girl together with¡­ How did Pat say it? Little piglet? Yes.¡±

    Oh. The hoe.

    ¡°So, she is the ringleader of our friend circle. Because she sucks Alex¡¯s cock. Not that you will remember his name, but it¡¯s the guy in question.¡± My girlfriend continued her explanation. ¡°So, she and Pat got some beef going on between the two of them, something about my bestie trying to seduce Alex or something like that. Which is obviously bullshit. So, Pat just decided to ignore the crazy.¡±

    ¡°Which didn¡¯t help at all?¡± I voiced a token of my attention.

    ¡°Which didn¡¯t help at all.¡± Confirmed Olivia with a sigh. ¡°And just like that it slowly came to a point, where all of our, now ex, friends started to shun Pat.¡±

    My girlfriend sounded half-fuming, half-sorrowful.

    ¡°I suppose the three of you decided to stand by her side, then?¡± I asked another question, to show that I was still following along.

    ¡°Yeah. Well, Pat and Mimi are graduating this year, and Mimi decided to return to her hometown after. Su was always there as a plus one, for the most part.¡± Olivia paused at the most interesting part. In the rearview mirror, I saw her glancing at me a few times. ¡°As for me, erm. Well. There is you and¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to ruin this opportunity over some stupid misunderstanding.¡±

    I could see a valid concern in what she said, so, once more, it was the right decision on her part. Hm. Misunderstandings. The weird reaction of my girlfriend¡¯s blonde bestie and Su clan¡¯s first young lady emerged in my memory.

    ¡°Hey, Olivia. There is one thing I wanted to ask.¡± I paused.

    Actually, how should I even phrase this question? Should I even ask? Do I need to ask it?

    ¡°Honey?¡± Olivia¡¯s voice brought me out of my mind. Huh, luckily the traffic didn¡¯t move at all right now, as I was completely lost inside my head.

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    ¡°I''m just trying to decide if I should even ask.¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s about your ¡®work¡¯.¡±

    I looked in the mirror, watching in fascination how her expression went through a series of changes and landed on something completely unreadable.

    ¡°Oh, so you finally decided to ask, honey?¡± She questioned in an awkward tone.

    ¡°Yeah, well, Patricia brought this in the conversation, and her and Yin¡¯s odd reactions made me feel curious.¡± I explained.

    ¡°I will end her¡­¡± Hissed my girlfriend. ¡°Ugh, like¡­ Holy crap, this is the exact thing I wasn¡¯t ready to tell you about last time.¡±

    Oh. Right, she mentioned something like that.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, just forget I asked. I was simply curious.¡± I¡­ shrugged

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to talk about that¡­ It¡¯s more about that I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ Or if you will even believe me, either¡­¡± Olivia said quickly, taking a weird pause between each phrase.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I drawled. ¡°I can just confirm it with Yin later. If need be.¡±

    ¡°And you will believe her just like that?¡± It was more of an accusation than a question.

    ¡°Yin is a subordinate, and she knows what will happen if she decides to lie to me?¡± I cut to the chase, negating the potential misunderstanding.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she the same ¡®mistress¡¯ as I am?¡± I knew it would come to this.

    ¡°You are my girlfriend. Someone I treat as an equal, and this complicates things a lot.¡± Heavens, this was a hard thing to explain to someone who wasn¡¯t me.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Seems like my words surprised Olivia. ¡°Honey¡­¡±

    Looks like I pushed the buttons of my silly girl with these words. Again. I looked at the navigator screen, ETA thirty-something minutes, red as far as sight can reach. Welp.

    ¡°Mind if I¡­ Get some early practice?¡± My temptress of a girlfriend said something equally unexpected and enticing.

    I felt her hand landing on my leg and slowly creeping toward the zipper. On one hand, I still was very pent-up. On the other hand, letting her escalate her already overly physical, positive reactions could lead to a potential disaster at some point.

    With a great reluctance, albeit much less than I imagined, I stopped her advances, catching her hand with my own, and giving it a gentle squeeze.

    ¡°Olivia. I appreciate your eagerness to please. I really do. But let¡¯s wait for when we get home, OK?¡± After a bit of contemplation, I added a light kiss on the back of her palm.

    ¡°Yes, honey¡­¡± followed her answer.

    The rearview mirror showed me how lust drained from her expression, leaving behind only joy, content, and that brilliant smile of hers, that I liked so much.

    The rest of the way was spent in a pleasant, even if a bit odd, silence. Olivia kept stealing glances at me and at our still clasped hands. All the while keeping a thoughtful expression on her makeup-marred face and smiling softly at something only she knew.

    I still felt curious about hearing the whole story, but the current mood was pleasant enough for me to reconsider. It had some of that peculiar sense of tranquility that my inner thrill-seeking self craved the most. The moment of respite for an exhausted traveler. A breath of fresh air for a drowning man. A cup of cold water for an unfortunate soul stranded in the scalding desert.

    There was always next time, I decided.

    ***

    Olivia was doing her homework. I was lazing around, trying to guess how exactly my meeting with Long H¨¤o would proceed, and, once more, lamented about Bella¡¯s current absence from the seat of my advisor. There wasn¡¯t much information about the Clan Head of the Long clan in my memory, either.

    At least he didn¡¯t seem to be hostile, at least completely, judging by our brief meeting today. I also could hope for the Kouzuki twins'' support. Ugh. Worse comes to worst. I don¡¯t think it was dangerous enough to kill me. And that was more than enough for me.

    Too lazy to cook anything, we decided to order a takeout. The usual Chinese eatery, which Yin, allegedly, worked at. Should I visit there? Nah, it was too much of a hassle, and cheongsam would make her look sad right now.

    A slow evening turned into a peaceful night. After finishing her practice, my girlfriend assumed her already traditional little spoon position by my side, relaxing herself into my embrace.

    I closed my eyes and focused on the steady breathing of my silly girl. Hm, I felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. But then again, it was a new norm for me as of the last two weeks. I chased away the useless thoughts in the vain hope that it wasn¡¯t enough to jinx myself.

 Oxymoron.

    Another honeymoon morning. Wake-up together, cooking breakfast, eating while talking about one thing or another.

    ¡°Oh, honey. Girls and I are planning to throw a little party for Pat¡¯s cake day between the four of us. So, um, it will most likely end up as a sleepover at Mimi¡¯s place again.¡± Olivia brought the news up.

    ¡°Am I not invited?¡± I joked back.

    ¡°Ugh. Do you think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± She asked back.

    ¡°Well, I have a wide range of experience in¡­ entertaining girl¡¯s parties, you know.¡± I wiggled my eyebrows.

    My girlfriend gave me a knowing smile, indicating that she read into a joke. For better effect, my silly girl started counting on her fingers.

    ¡°I¡¯m all for this. Mimi won¡¯t mind either way. The poor Su will spend the whole evening panicking, overthinking what her young master wants from her.¡± Olivia paused for a moment, a weird frown appearing on her face. ¡° As for my bestie¡­ Ugh, I guess it will end up in a fight between me and that

    thieving cat, since she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep her paws to herself.¡±

    My girlfriend huffed. Oh, so that¡¯s how her seriously jealous face looks. I put another mental note to avoid Patricia¡¯s advances. Surprisingly, it was an easy choice to make. Even the beast voted for keeping Olivia¡¯s smile.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a pass, then,¡± I concluded.

    The rest of the breakfast was spent in small-talk, until Yin¡¯s arrival to escort Olivia with her to the school. I kissed my silly girl goodbye, and patted the Su clan''s first young lady¡¯s head, much to her embarrassment.

    ¡°Keep Olivia safe, Yin.¡± I added, looking her in the eyes. A moment later, I added another thing. ¡°And yourself too.¡±

    The petite brunette got even more flustered and scuttled out, stuttering her goodbyes. All the while, my girlfriend just shook her head wryly and giggled at our little one-sided exchange.

    ***

    After the girls left, I got myself busy.

    Morning routine. Breakfast. Ignoring another weird pic from Bella. Cup of coffee to calm my irritation. Didn¡¯t help. Today, she decided to combine the last three selfie ideas into one picture¡­

    What is wrong with this bitch? As I was contemplating this thought, my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller¡¯s name, Lady in Black.

    ¡°Hello, grandmother,¡± I greeted Kouzuki Miya.

    ¡°Good morning, Tian,¡± she responded with a greeting of her own. ¡°My husband will meet with you as soon as you are ready. I will pick you up in thirty minutes to finish the suit fittings.¡±

    This was a bit too pushy for my taste, but¡­ I weighed the possibilities. There was no harm in giving in that much.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I acknowledged her words. ¡°See you soon, grandmother.¡±

    ¡°Till we meet again,¡± she said her goodbye and ended the call.

    I looked at the phone again, and decided to leave Bella on ¡®read¡¯. Dun wanna feed her new hobby.

    To not waste time, I decided to get ready. Today¡¯s style of choice was casual-bis, something very familiar to my future self, coupled with the best pair of leather shoes I had. Oh, right, I forgot to bring up the matter of Pierre last time.

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    I was certain that Lady in Black won¡¯t forget something so trivial as matching accessories to the suit, yet I opted to don the best available options in my closet. Just in case.

    Double-checking the time, still on schedule, I took my keys, phone, and wallet, and left the apartment.

    Thinking about the possible ways the conversation with Long H¨¤o can go, I walked toward my usual parking spot. Huh, it seems like this started turning into a habit already.

    My thoughts went to the possible places this bodyguard of mine hid today. I had a few minutes to kill, and there were no cars fancy enough to house my grandmother in sight. Should I play with my shadow a bit?

    Deciding that there was nothing else for me to do anyway, I leisurely strolled towards my car. Oh, the shadow did choose a new place to hide again, I caught their gaze and nodded in greeting.

    Huh? There was another figure in my field of vision. The lacking-out-of-ten girl was here again. Are we fated or something? I shook my head to chase away a silly thought.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I called out.

    The girl shuddered, clearly recognizing my voice.

    ¡°Yes, yes. I am already leaving,¡± she responded before I could even say anything.

    I took a moment to think about her words.

    ¡°Eh, and I was just about to give you the green light,¡± I told her half-jokingly.

    My words stunned her for a brief moment.

    ¡°Really?¡± the girl asked.

    ¡°I''m not in a rush today, and this car is a much better overall choice,¡± I explained. ¡°So, go ahead. Just be careful and don¡¯t damage the car.¡±

    The girl looked at me in disbelief. Then her expression morphed into one of ¡®cute and appreciative¡¯. I knew this one decently well, even though it became almost useless for me after my first growth spurt.

    ¡°Ah, thank you, mister?¡± she asked for my name, adorably tilting her head to the side.

    I almost applauded. My earlier guess about her having a good grasp on how her attractiveness affects people around her was all but confirmed. The implementation was a bit rough at the edges, though. Or maybe, as another professional liar, I just had too much bias?

    My phone started ringing again. I looked around and noticed the same car my grandmother used yesterday.

    ¡°Seems like the time is up,¡± I changed the topic. ¡°Good luck with your job, miss.¡±

    I gave her a patented ¡®I know¡¯ smile number¡­ Was it the second or third? Damn, I really need to refresh my acting skills.

    Not waiting for the reply from the visibly surprised girl, I went toward the waiting car.

    Oh, right. I waved a stealthy goodbye to the still-hidden shadow.

    ***

    A familiar figure wearing a regal black kimono met me inside that overly luxurious car. After brief yet sincere greetings, a small talk started as usual.

    The lady in Black kept asking me questions, I was answering them. All the while, for some reason that kept eluding me, I was actually having fun with this conversation.

    An odd sense of dissonance kept bothering me. As if a few wrong notes were mixed into the usual rhythm of the conversation with my grandmother¡­

    I took a closer look at my conversation partner. Nothing strange, nothing different.

    Same clothes, same light make up she always wore, same regal posture, the tone of her voice and way she spoke¡­ Even those minor gestures which most people weren¡¯t aware they performed on a constant basis were the same.

    ¡®Ah, this reminds me about the time when Maya and I used to do the same thing,¡¯ rang the laughing voice of Kouzuki Miya in my head.

    Another glance, this time analyzing deeply, my brain went into overdrive, something I only used in a serious combat. With other monsters like myself.

    Ah, so this was bothering me. The Kouzuki Twins really were extremely alike. And Kouzuki Maya knew her sister the best.

    The Lady in White did an incredible job impersonating the Lady in Black. She copied the mannerisms down to a T; the differences were so incredibly slight. A few millimeters here, half a bit there.

    The Lady in White was wearing black. Now, this was an oxymoron.

    A brief moment of contemplation, and I brought up a story that I told Lady in Black yesterday. A glimpse of genuine interest and amusement served as a dead giveaway.

    I smiled and relaxed into the comfortable seat. After a bit of consideration, I decided to let my grandma have her fun for a bit longer, and just told her more stories.

 I have a knack for that.

    The suit was fully ready; no additional fittings were required. As I thought, Lady Kouzuki also brought a set of matching accessories. Or, well, intentionally mismatching.

    From the tie clip, to the ornamental buckle of the belt, to the luxurious watch, to the heavy ring. Those items screamed ¡®high-end¡¯, and were marked with both the Long and Kouzuki clans¡¯ symbolic, making it hard to distinguish whichever one the wearer did belong to.

    Overall, the outfit was matched immaculately, much better than I could¡¯ve ever done by myself. There was only one downside¡­

    From the inside of my reflection, an almost carbon copy of the young Leon Roah looked back at me. I held back the urge to punch the mirror.

    You hadn¡¯t even bothered to change your clothing style, damned old man, how did you manage to hide for so many years from the Kouzuki twins? The more I thought about that, the less sense it made to me.

    ***

    We were, once again, in the car on our way to the Long clan estate. I continued telling the stories that Lady in Black already heard from me. About ten minutes later, I came to a decision that it''s time for the serious part of the talk.

    ¡°By the way,¡± I changed the topic. ¡°Anything in particular I should keep in mind for the meeting? Or anyone, for that matter.¡±

    ¡°Ultimately, whether it¡¯s Long Tian or Kouzuki Shinji, it¡¯ll be fine whatever you do. Also, judging by what you have shown us so far, I believe you have enough skill to deal with it on your own,¡± Lady Kouzuki said.

    ¡°Ugh, judging by my recent experiences, I tend to do rash and stupid things if left unsupervised.¡± I left unsaid a simple fact, ¡®recent experience¡¯ I was talking about meant my whole life¡­ ¡°I would like to hear some advice from someone wise.¡±

    She mulled over my words for a minute or so.

    ¡°You only need to focus on our husband, I don¡¯t think he will be too much of a problem, but that old oaf can be too stubborn for his own good.¡± The disguised Lady in White punctuated her words with a deep sigh. ¡°As such, my only advice here is, you can do whatever you want, but, please, at least give him a chance.¡±

    I could hear a sincere plea in her tone. In fact, there was a noticeable, although a deeply hidden, desperation in her eyes. Even more than her sister had yesterday.

    ¡°Unless Clan Head decides to make it especially hard for me, I will do my best to avoid and/or de-escalate any possible conflict,¡± I promised. ¡°As for anything else¡­ No matter what, Kouzuki Shinji will stay for as long as you need him, grandma.¡±

    Huh, so even Kouzuki Maya could make a surprised expression.

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    ¡°So, when were you planning on revealing the prank?¡± I smiled.

    ¡°How?¡± asked the Lady in White, throwing away the outer mask.

    I double-checked minor details, just in case it was a double-layered prank.

    ¡°There were a few small discrepancies here and there in your mask. And I had already told the last few stories yesterday,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I have a knack for that.¡±

    Kouzuki Maya slowly exhaled, clearly unsatisfied with my explanation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this could be described as a simple knack, Shinji,¡± my grandma said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Even our Lord Father wasn¡¯t able to do that.¡±

    I just shrugged, not knowing what to add. Bella never ceased her lamenting about this being my biggest strength and my biggest weakness at the same time.

    I cringed, remembering how much shit in my life started, one way or the other, because of this. Whether because of my misinterpretation, or forgetting that most people need words to communicate their intentions.

    ¡°Grandma, can you tell me more about Elder H¨¤o?¡± I asked. ¡°The baseline things, to avoid the obvious pitfalls.¡±

    Kouzuki Maya thought for a short while and started speaking. The rest of the ride went by with our initial roles reversed, I was asking questions, my companion was telling me stories.

    And it was interesting.

    ***

    The Long Clan estate was gigantic. I wasn¡¯t quite shocked, not with my pretty extensive experience of working with various levels of VIP clients, but this was simply on another level. If I recall correctly, it should occupy the whole mountain.

    I looked through the car window, taking in the sights of nature. Technically, we were still within the city¡¯s premises, but with the amount of greenery around, it was hard to believe. Well, with twenty years of ecology fuck-ups less, the overall situation wasn¡¯t as bad. Not yet, at least.

    ¡°Shinji?¡± Grandma noticed my absentminded state and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just thinking about something unimportant.¡± I gave her an empty excuse.

    I don¡¯t think she bought it, but it was neither here nor there. Global issues weren¡¯t my thing, and, for now, I had more pressing things to think about anyway.

    It took our car about fifteen more minutes to reach the destination from the front gate.

    ¡°Wait until they open the door for you,¡± Kouzuki Maya instructed.

    I nodded in response.

    ¡°I am here today to show my support for the Kouzuki clan¡¯s heir, so you should exit the car first,¡± she continued, answering my unasked question.

    ¡°Won¡¯t people ask why you are wearing black today?¡± My curiosity won and I decided to ask.

    ¡°Shinji, no matter what, I am married to that old fool. From the perspective of tradition, wearing a black furisode is expected of me,¡± Kouzuki Maya explained with a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m wearing white, mostly out of spite for H¨¤o failing his duty to me.¡±

    My grandma looked right through me and somewhere into the distance.

    ¡°Since I finally have a grandson, I don¡¯t mind wearing black again as well. Occasionally.¡± The Lady in White, even if she was currently wearing black, winked at me mischievously.

    Before I could say that, in my opinion, white did suit her more, the car¡¯s door on my side opened. I exchanged a look with my grandma, receiving a nod back, and left the vehicle.

 Are you really?

    The meeting committee wasn¡¯t as impressive as I thought it would be. Or so I thought at first glance, only to notice that Long H¨¤o was present in person. With the Lady in Black standing by his side, looking regal, proud, and happy.

    I took a step forward, waiting for the Lady in White to join me outside the car. Grandma said it herself, she is here in a supporting role.

    After Kouzuki Maya took her place, a step behind my back and a bit to the side, I approached the waiting Family Head of the Long clan.

    ¡°This humble junior greets Clan Head,¡± I greeted him with a polite bow.

    ¡°Welcome back to the family, grandson.¡± His words were a little unexpected.

    I quickly glanced at the Kouzuki Miya, who went completely still for the briefest of moments. Her eyes once again contained that odd comprehension. Was she really so afraid I would take offense and leave?

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to be back, grandfather,¡± I replied with an amiable smile.

    ***

    The official part of this meeting went by uneventfully. Which wasn¡¯t all that surprising, as there weren¡¯t that many people present in the first place. And out of those, absolute majority were either the branch family members or vassals of the clan.

    How did my grandma put it before? For the Three Families, blood is everything?

    The Kouzuki twins took it upon themselves to introduce me to the people and filter out those who could be troublesome. All I needed to do was smile and occasionally nod in response to various greetings and introductions.

    In a way, this was the exact thing I did for the last few years. Except that my grandmother and grandma, who were currently acting as my lieutenants, were far more polite and pleasant to deal with.

    After a short while, Long H¨¤o excused himself and asked me to follow. Well, this was what I expected, as well as the main reason behind this visit.

    ***

    The personal study of the man I called grandfather a bit earlier was an impressive place. Against my expectations, the room was decorated in a Western style.

    Heavy wooden desk with a big luxurious armchair behind it. A thick carpet on the floor. Bookshelves along two walls. A chimney, with a pair of decorative, or maybe not-so-much, swords above it. Two more chairs in front of the fireplace.

    To be honest, this wasn¡¯t what I envisioned, thinking about the Long clan¡¯s Head¡¯s personal study¡¯s interior.

    ¡°I choose a suitable room for every guest,¡± Long H¨¤o answered my unasked question.

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    ¡°This junior under¡­¡± I said.

    ¡°Stop this charade, please. I know you can talk normally,¡± the father of Long Chen interrupted me.

    ¡°As you wish, Lord Long.¡± I nodded.

    The response to my words was a long, heavy exhale. A gesture followed, offering me one of the seats in front of the fireplace.

    ¡°So who am I meeting today?¡± asked my conversation partner after the two of us took our places, facing each other.

    ¡°Both, I guess.¡± I shrugged.

    The heavy gaze of hazel eyes landed upon me, seemingly trying to look underneath my outer shell.

    ¡°And who are you?¡± Another question followed.

    ¡°And I am Michael Roah,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Are you really?¡± Those words made me tense a bit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question,¡± I tried to deflect.

    Another heavy stare bore into me.

    ¡°Judging by the words of Miya, as well as our two brief conversations, you are nothing like what reports said,¡± he started. ¡°According to my sources, this happened abruptly about two weeks ago. Literally overnight, your whole behavior changed. As if someone else took the place of Michael Roah, the infamous ruffian.¡±

    My mind raced, going through options available to me. Well, fuck, there wasn¡¯t all that much I could do in this situation. I scanned with my eyes, trying to spot the hidden shadows. Weird, we were alone here.

    ¡°But my wife already took the DNA tests, which were double-checked with material found in your apartments. You are, indeed, Michael Roah.¡± Long H¨¤o slowly continued. ¡°The same sources told me that while immediate behavioral changes are extreme, the core basis behind them is still the same. Add to this the information you couldn¡¯t possibly know: the whereabouts of Chen¡¯s diary, Miya¡¯s bar, and Maya¡¯s connection to the Su clan, to name a few.¡±

    He took a short pause, looking straight into my eyes.

    ¡°You also readily accepted my wives into your life, yet you are extremely wary of me. All of this makes me think.¡± His measured words kept echoing in the silence of the study. ¡°Which leaves me with another outlandish explanation. You grew up.¡±

    One of the most powerful, and dangerous, people in the world left his words lingering for a while.

    ¡°And so I ask once more. Are you really Michael Roah?¡± he said, steel evident in his voice.

    If the situation was slightly less tense, I would¡¯ve laughed. Ah, he got me good here. There was no way out, obviously I could try and deny everything, but that would¡¯ve complicated everything even more. So, what is left for me to do in this situation?

    Actually, why not just tell the truth? He was already suspicious of me anyway, so, even if my explanation would weird him out even more, it was still net neutral.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain,¡± I said after a while. ¡°The short version is, I am Michael Roah. Or, at least, this is what I think.¡±

    The stare of hazel eyes intensified.

    ¡°Two weeks ago, on the third of March, I woke up in my current apartment with a splitting headache and a set of extra knowledge about the next twenty-five years.¡± I decided to take a bet. ¡°There are a few possible explanations, and I have no clue which one is true. If there is a way to check it out. Or even if there is any difference at all.¡±

    The stone expression on Long H¨¤o¡¯s face broke for a moment, revealing one of utter shock for an instant. Another moment, and it changed into one of profound sadness.

    ¡°This would explain a lot,¡± he drawled. ¡°I suppose my stubbornness took the best of me then. Was that a reason why the two of us weren¡¯t going along?¡±

    His words sounded so forlorn¡­

 I will keep it in mind.

    ¡°Lord Long¡­¡± I called out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, you are a family,¡± he interrupted me with the same words as Kouzuki Miya used back then.

    For a moment, my mind started racing once again, calculating the reasoning the man sitting in front of me could possibly have had to respond in such a way.

    Yet another blank was drawn, with a symbol of Chaos on it.

    One of the most powerful people in the world just wanted his grandson back. For all I know, this could¡¯ve been the case, as improbable it sounded to me.

    ¡°Elder H¨¤o,¡± I called out again. ¡°I lived my whole life as Michael Roah. I learned about my origins too late for this information to be of any use. It¡¯s not about whether we had gotten along or not, I hadn¡¯t met you even once before.¡±

    ¡°Yet you met my wives?¡± asked Long H¨¤o, well, more like he stated the fact instead.

    ¡°Both of them helped me a lot, without asking for anything back,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°So, I was dead?¡± Another statement in the form of a question.

    The man sitting in front of me lowered his head, and, all of a sudden, he looked much older. As if his true age had caught up to him. Looking at that, another round of calculating outcomes went inside my head.

    I could have told him anything here, and it would have worked. In three to five years, this man would be gone either way, taking away the biggest possible obstacle to my nefarious, albeit non-existent, plans of taking over all three of the Three Families.

    Yes, I could, but my mind¡¯s eye betrayed me, showing me the difference between the current and future visions of the Kouzuki twins. Especially that barely hidden happiness inside the eyes of my grandmother as she stood by her husband¡¯s side.

    ¡°Yes. It happened sometime in the next five years. No idea what was the cause, but I recommend scheduling a thorough health check.¡± My emotional side won over the rational.

    ¡°And thoroughly checking people who I should and shouldn¡¯t trust as well,¡± the husband of Kouzuki twins finished my words for me. ¡°I see¡±

    ¡°And you will just take my word for it?¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself but ask.

    Hazel eyes met my gaze. His expression was unreadable, and my experience in dealing with him was severely lacking. Even for me, it was impossible to fill in the missing bits and pieces in what I could read.

    ¡°I see no reason not to,¡± Long H¨¤o said. ¡°Ignoring a piece of information like that is an epitome of foolishness. Especially when there isn¡¯t any sound reasoning for you to lie about something like that. Considering that both of my wives are on your side, won¡¯t letting me die be the best choice instead?¡±

    Well, if I was able to calculate the pros and cons of this situation, there was no way the Family Head of the Long clan could not.

    ¡°It would,¡± I agreed. ¡°But that would sadden my family.¡±

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    I sighed.

    Ah, being humane was so exhausting. Yet, it was much more interesting overall. What a weird feeling.

    Long H¨¤o started laughing boisterously.

    ¡°What a fine son that dog, Chen, managed to produce. Truly a miracle,¡± he said after a minute or so. ¡°Let me repeat myself. Welcome to the family, Michael Roah. Whatever you may think, you are my grandson. My blood. Never forget this.¡±

    ¡°I will keep it in mind, grandfather,¡± I replied.

    I didn¡¯t mean those words. Not really. At least, not yet. Especially the way I addressed the man in front of me. And the look in his eyes showed me that he knew it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me, but I intend to live up to those words, since this is the most interesting choice I can see in this situation,¡± I told him the truth.

    ¡°Then I should do my best and live long enough to see that day,¡± my¡­ grandfather responded. ¡°Now, tell me more about yourself. I think the reports are severely out of date.¡±

    ¡°Before that, I would like to ask something as well,¡± I said, and looked at my conversation partner, waiting for the response.

    ¡°I guess that would be fair,¡± Long H¨¤o replied. ¡°Ask away.¡±

    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I did as was told.

    No matter how much I mulled it over, I couldn¡¯t even start wrapping my head around the possible reasons.

    ¡°Because this is the most interesting way forward.¡± I got an answer, which I was all too familiar with giving myself. ¡°And there is nothing to lose by accepting you, and everything to get.¡±

    I tilted my head, waiting for the continuation.

    ¡°Fine, I will say it in plain words.¡± My¡­ grandfather sighed. ¡°My stubbornness did cost me a son. And, almost, made both of my wives leave me as well. For a long while, I could only visit Miya in her bar. And, for the first time in almost two decades, I¡¯ve seen Maya visiting me, not as Kouzuki matriarch, but as my wife.¡±

    One of the most powerful people in the world paused, fighting back a tiny tremble in his voice. Too bad I couldn¡¯t judge how genuine this display of emotions was.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t want to even think about what would be the reaction, in case my actions would drive away their newfound grandson, you.¡± He finished his words with a deep sigh. ¡°Whether it¡¯s Long Tian, Kouzuki Shinji, or Michael Roah, son of Leon Roah, since you are my grandson, I see no reason whatsoever to care about your time shenanigans. And whether they are even true in the first place.¡±

    It was my turn to laugh. Truly, the Chaos was such an entertaining thing.

    ¡°I see,¡± I managed to say, after my moment of levity was done. ¡°Where to even start?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, how about you tell me when and how you learned about Chen¡¯s diary?¡± The Family Head of the Long clan voiced his question.

    ¡°It was a series of weird coincidences. The Su clan¡¯s first young lady leaked the information she had on me, and one of my jobs went sideways. This led to the situation that required me to lie low for a while,¡± I started my story.

    For some peculiar reason, the usual irritation from thinking about Su¡¯s head bitch failed to rise this time around.

    ¡°Out of my father¡¯s safe houses, that one was the closest, so my choice fell on it,¡± I continued. ¡°Since I had to turn off my phone completely and there was nothing else to do, I decided to read a book. And the first one I picked up was a strange small notebook with an eye-catching golden symbol on the leather cover.¡±

    My¡­ grandfather looked at me, speechless.

    ¡°This dog son of mine left something like that just lying around¡­¡± Long H¨¤o drawled in disbelief. ¡°Ugh, just thinking about this makes me angry.¡±

    Muttering a single ¡®Chen¡­¡¯ under his breath, he shook his head, as if trying to chase away something.

    ¡°Hm, how about how you managed to meet with Miya then?¡± The Family Head of the Long clan switched the topic.

    ¡°Well, I lost someone too important to me, and was on my downward spiral, seeking my own death. One day, after getting wasted, and being chased away from a bar after a fight. Or, well, more like I was escaping the scene before the police could arrive¡­ Anyway, as I was stumbling through the alleyways¡­¡±

 Importance of free will.

    ¡°You really wrote something like that first thing after regressing?¡± The husband of Kouzuki twins asked, not even trying to hold back the amusement in his tone.

    I kept retelling one story from my first life after another. Sometimes going into details if Long H¨¤o had something to ask. Grandfather was a great listener, and, I guess, a huge part of me really wanted to complain about everything to someone.

    To someone who wasn¡¯t Bella, since a lot of my complaints were about various women in my life, and her in particular. Which led to the current situation, in which an old geezer was laughing his ass off.

    I mean, the esteemed Family Head of the Long clan was having a moment of levity in front of me.

    ¡°I will tell grandma and grandmother that you bullied me.¡± I used the secret, forbidden technique.

    ¡°Oi, you wouldn¡¯t dare, brat.¡± My technique was very effective in stopping his laughter.

    ¡°Ha, there aren¡¯t many things I won¡¯t dare, old codger.¡± There really weren¡¯t.

    After a bit of discussion, we decided on this course of action. Kouzuki twins would be happier if we, at least outwardly, would get along, which was enough to convince the both of us.

    I wondered if the degree of this sudden closeness would be suspicious from an outside perspective. Though both Long H¨¤o and I came to this manner of speech naturally over the course of our conversation, I guess being polite all the time was much too exhausting for him as well.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. So, you and Frank¡¯s granddaughter?¡± He didn¡¯t sound surprised at all.

    ¡°As if you didn¡¯t know already,¡± I repeated my thoughts aloud.

    ¡°I actually did not.¡± Grandfather shook his head. ¡°I ordered my people to hide everything regarding a certain Roah father-son duo, but I rarely checked the details.¡±

    That explained a lot. No wonder, neither of the monochrome duo of Kouzuki ladies could find the sticking out tail of Leon Roah.

    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Miya asked me if I found anything about Chen every time I paid her a visit.¡± A long and heavy sigh followed. ¡°As to not lie to her, I just ignored the reports. Until, one day, I heard that my son is no more¡­¡±

    The Family Head of the Long clan paused, focusing on the fireplace. Another heavy sigh followed.

    ¡°Imagine my surprise, when Frank Smith, my old friend, came to me and asked to find, and I quote, ¡®a weird rascal who beguiled my little princess¡¯.¡± He changed the topic back. ¡°And then returned, asking to find information about ¡®that damned ruffian, Michael Roah, who deceived and defiled his precious granddaughter¡¯.¡±

    For some reason, my¡­ grandfather looked oddly proud while saying this.

    ¡°Well, things happened, and we ended up dating for a bit over a year. Then we broke up, or, well, I ghosted her for a bit over a year.¡± It was my turn to sigh deeply. ¡°And now, for the past two weeks, she ignores my messages.¡±

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    I really didn¡¯t like the shit-eating grin that formed on his mug after he heard my words.

    ¡°For the two weeks you say¡­¡± Long H¨¤o drawled, twirling his mustache.

    As I was about to say what I was thinking about his mysterious behavior, someone knocked on the study¡¯s door.

    Grandfather and I exchanged a look.

    In theory, the family head and heir apparent are having a one-on-one talk in this room currently. Which meant that it was either an emergency or the Kouzuki twins finally had enough.

    A moment later, the door opened, letting my grandma and grandmother inside. Both Kouzuki ladies had a worried expression on their faces.

    ¡°Tian are you alright? Did this old oaf do something to you?¡± One question from the Lady in Black followed another.

    ¡°H¨¤o, if you did something to Shinji, I swear¡­¡± The words of the Lady in White, even if she was currently wearing a different color, had the sharpness I heard in my first life a few times.

    Grandfather and I exchanged another look.

    ¡°I told you, brat. Those two won¡¯t let me live it down¡­¡± The husband of Kouzuki Twins could only sigh in defeat, poor soul.

    ¡°Good to know, grandfather.¡± I nodded sagely, pouring more salt onto his proverbial wound.

    Now it was the ladies¡¯ turn to exchange looks.

    ¡°You two were here for a few hours already. We were starting to get worried.¡± Miya.

    ¡°So, what were the two of you talking about without even inviting us?¡± Maya.

    ¡°We had a lot to discuss.¡± I tried to deflect the question.

    ¡°My grandson and I were discussing his plans for Frank¡¯s granddaughter.¡± This damned geezer threw me under the bus.

    Judging by how the eyes of both women lit up after hearing those words, I needed to cook an actual plan asap.

    Long H¨¤o smiled slyly. I sighed.

    ***

    The personal chef of the Family Head of the Long Clan was excellent. What a not-so-surprising thing.

    The four of us were having a late-lunch together. Or maybe it could be counted as an early dinner already? The talk between that damned geezer and me was actually that long.

    The meal itself went by in relative silence, the elder trio had their own conversation, hardly requiring any input from my side.

    And I used this opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of my next set of actions.

    Grandpa Smith was adamant in leaving the ultimate choice to his precious granddaughter. Even if he wasn''t happy about the choice being Michael Roah, the person who managed to somehow con his little princess¡­

    Still, Helen has complained to me many times before. If she could take every guy whose family proposed the arranged marriage to the sole heiress of the illustrious Smith clan, the resulting line would be enough to circle around the whole city. Maybe a few times even.

    I couldn¡¯t help but wonder: if heirs of the Kouzuki and Long clans would''ve made their interest in such a marriage known, how many people would be left?

    Aside from various non-factor opportunists, of course. Like the aforementioned Michael Roah¡­

    Well, in the end, the choice would be left to Helen¡­ I just needed to make sure she would end up choosing one of the three: me, myself, or I¡­

    ¡°Tian?¡± I heard my grandmother calling my name.

    Seems like my evil smile caught her attention.

    ¡°Simply thinking about the importance of free will.¡± I felt my lips stretch a bit more. ¡°And the importance of always stacking the deck in my favor.¡±

    Then I proceeded into a lengthy explanation of what, whom, and why. Judging by the newfound amusement hidden in Kouzuki twins¡¯ eyes, they found my idea entertaining enough.

    As for Long H¨¤o? He was laughing outright.

 Of course, I did.

    The last hour or two were spent on discussing the details of my nefarious plans on reigniting the spark with my ex. Trio overly experienced schemers took my basic idea and currently were in the middle of discussing the actual step by step implementation.

    Ah, it always felt so good to have trustworthy advisors¡­

    Hm? When did my trust become such an easily available commodity?

    Setting Olivia aside, trusting whom was an irrational but conscious decision on my part, Kouzuki twins weren¡¯t someone Michael Roah, the old mercenary, could trust after less than a week. Well, there were those extra five years from the last run, but still¡­

    Not to say anything about Long H¨¤o, with whom I was barely acquainted. Yet, something deep inside me was whispering that I could. Maybe there was something more to that ¡®Blood is everything¡¯ phrase of theirs.

    Not likely, but, eh, I¡¯ve seen enough weird shit throughout my career, especially in the last few years, when corporations started going all-out on their ¡®proprietary tech¡¯.

    ¡°And you told me you are lacking ambition¡­¡± said Kouzuki Maya all of a sudden.

    Her words took me out of my memory trip.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I let my confusion be known.

    ¡°If this plan comes to a fruition, won¡¯t you be able to control all Three Families, Shinji?¡± Grandma explained.

    Oh, she was right.

    ¡°I guess?¡± I could only shrug helplessly. ¡°Taking over this damned city will be the first step on my path towards world dominance.¡±

    I let out a theatrical villainous laugh.

    ¡°So that¡¯s your endgame, Tian? Sounds fun!¡± Kouzuki Miya joined the conversation. ¡°But, I hope you understand that this will be just the beginning?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I will also need to deal with the corporate side.¡± I nodded. ¡°Hm, pushing Nicole Roah up the ¡®RobCo¡¯ ladder shouldn¡¯t be that hard, though getting her high enough will take some time. Meanwhile, it would be helpful to get in contact with the person behind ¡®Big Pharma¡¯ through their new cosmetic off-shoot. They are quite eccentric, but I know a few things that could catch their attention.¡±

    This¡­ actually sounded more feasible than I thought at first. That person would go crazy at the mere possibility of meeting a time traveler. Which was the whole point of them making ¡®Face&Crotch¡¯ in the first place.

    Or so I¡¯ve heard from one of the ¡®Big Pharma¡¯ higher-ups I slept with.

    ¡°And what about the ¡®extra¡¯ side of the law?¡± grandfather decided to add his five cents.

    ¡°Hm, Su clan and Alvarez syndicate,¡± I responded without missing a beat. ¡°With the backing of not only the Kouzuki, but also the Long and Smith clans, Su Yin would succeed in her takeover with even higher chance. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard for me to convince Isabella Alvarez to retake her old family business as well.¡±

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    I could also ¡®convince¡¯ Akira and Diego to join in the fun. They had enough manpower and ambition to fight for a bigger piece of the pie. For some strange reason, this seemed pretty viable as well¡­

    ¡°With these three simple steps, at least two-thirds of the city will be under my control in less than five years. From that point onward, it¡¯s just more of the same.¡± I finished my speech and let out a chuckle, waiting for the three elders to join in with their own.

    The silence dragged on.

    ¡°The overall idea sounds good¡­¡± my grandmother started.

    ¡°But what about the details?¡± and grandma finished her words.

    ¡°What is your plan exactly?¡± asked Long H¨¤o.

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t this why I have you?¡± I responded with a question of my own. ¡°Why should I do everything by myself, when I can use people who are better suited for the job?¡±

    Another bout of silence, as the elder trio were exchanging glances, as if communicating something to each other.

    ¡°Either way, this doesn¡¯t interest me much in the first place.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind getting more power to protect what is mine, sure. Yet, I simply lack the ambition to make it my primary goal.¡±

    Finishing my words, I rose from my seat.

    ¡°Grandfather, I am grateful for your hospitality. Grandmother and grandma, thank you for your help and support today,¡± I thanked the trio with a short bow. ¡°This unworthy grandson has some plans for later today. I apologize, but it¡¯s time for me to leave.¡±

    ¡°Take care, Tian. Remember to visit me whenever you want.¡± Kouzuki Miya was the first to respond.

    ¡°Shinji, I will need you to visit Kouzuki Estate at a later date. I will call you once I finalize the details.¡± Kouzuki Maya said, and I nodded in response.

    ¡°Michael Roah,¡± my¡­ grandfather called out. ¡°I repeat myself. You are my blood. Remember this.¡±

    Frankly, I expected those words, but they still managed to destabilize me at some level. I fought back a sigh, and turned toward the nearest hidden shadow. Of course, there were a few of those in this room.

    ¡°Pen and paper, please,¡± I ordered the shocked bodyguard.

    A moment later, I got what I asked for and wrote down my phone number. Once again, I could be one hundred percent sure that Long H¨¤o knew my number anyway, but it¡¯s the gesture that counts.

    ¡°Grandfather, this is my number. If you need something, just call me.¡±

    I handed the piece of paper to the Family Head of the Long clan, who received it with an odd care.

    ¡°Farewell.¡± I bowed once more and followed the appeared shadow out of the mansion.

    ***

    The same overly luxurious car was bringing me home. Surprisingly enough, traffic wasn¡¯t an issue, despite it being Friday evening. Go guess the reason.

    Riding this thing alone was a bit lonely. Ugh.

    Little by little, my mind slipped into the so far carefully ignored thought of ¡®What should I do tonight?¡¯.

    Bella had yet to return, while both Olivia and Claire were busy. Helen still ignored my message as well. There were Nicole and Yin, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood to mess with them at the moment.

    After a bit of contemplation, much to my regret, the option of simple early sleep-in was also denied. My self-control was on the verge and I needed some form of release. So, either a fight or a one-night stand¡­

    I closed my eyes, fighting back the hate I felt toward my nature. Just when I, kind of, reached something resembling equilibrium in my life, my shitty character wanted to complicate everything one way or another.

    I slowly exhaled, trying to relax. It didn¡¯t help. Fuck.

    My phone¡¯s ringtone started playing. I looked at the screen. Claire. Huh?

    ¡°Hello?¡± I picked up the call. Of course, I did.

 Forgotten detail.

    ¡°Um, Tian?¡± Counter Girl¡¯s voice asked something strange.

    ¡°Yes, Claire?¡± I replied in kind.

    ¡°Oh, um, yes. Hi!¡± She said.

    The voice on the other end of the line turned a pitch higher toward the end of the simple greeting. I smiled, as my imagination easily drew a picture of Claire growing more flustered by the minute.

    ¡°Hello again,¡± I repeated myself. ¡°How are you this fine evening?¡±

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m fine. How are you?¡± Counter Girl sounded strangely stiff.

    ¡°Very bored.¡± I told her straight.

    ¡°Oh. Good. Um, I mean¡­¡± Claire mumbled something barely audible. ¡°So, um, does it mean that you are free now?¡±

    Huh? Right, there was such a possibility as well.

    ¡°Very much so,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Um, Tian, you see, it¡¯s like, um, well, if you don¡¯t mind, how about, um... Oh, Heavens, please help me¡­¡± the girl on the other end of the phone call drawled. ¡°My friend and I planned a theater visit today. Something happened and now I, um, have an extra ticket and, um, was thinking¡­ If you, um, are free and don¡¯t mind, how about¡­¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± I interrupted her.

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Claire asked in a weirdly surprised tone.

    ¡°Well, you are inviting me on a date?¡± I nodded to myself. ¡°Unless I guessed wrong, and you had something different in mind?¡±

    ¡°Yes. No. Um. Ugh.¡± Followed by a series of weird mutterings from the other end of the line. ¡°I mean, um, it is¡­¡±

    I felt an odd sense of loss, since I was unable to see her current expression. Curses upon audio-only calls.

    ¡°Then of course I would agree. A date with you beats any alternative plans I had in mind. Hands down at that.¡± I told her the simple truth.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Her response was short. ¡°Well, see you soon, then.¡±

    ¡°Hey, Claire, wait.¡± I called out, before the young woman in question could end the call. ¡°There is something I need to know.¡±

    The conversation proceeded into discussion about the details: when, where, dress code. Stuff like that.

    ¡°Should I pick you up?¡± I asked, after receiving all relevant information.

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    ¡°Um, that would be nice,¡± Claire responded.

    ¡°Well, see you soon, then. I will call you once I will be at your place.¡± I told her.

    ¡°Cya.¡± Counter Girl ended the call.

    I glanced at the watch. A simple mental math told me that I had no real downtime. Well, this suit was good enough for a theater visit, and, even though acknowledging it left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, it looked decently good on me.

    I took off the tie and unbuttoned the jacket and the first two buttons on the shirt, completing a business-casual look. Hm, since Claire called me Tian anyway, it would be fitting to visit her as the young master of the illustrious Long clan. I heavily doubted Claire would care either way.

    I pushed the button of the intercom to contact the front row.

    The cars like this one were designed with the status of people who used them in mind. Who knew what kind of conversation could be going on inside, as such, the driver¡¯s side was completely cut off from the passenger space with a soundproof barrier, completely opaque on one side.

    ¡°Young master?¡± A person behind the steering wheel let his attention known.

    The figure on the driver seat looked somewhat familiar, if barely. It wasn¡¯t my usual shadow, of that I was certain.

    ¡°I suppose you are my designated driver for today?¡± I asked for confirmation.

    ¡°I was instructed to follow your orders, young master.¡± The guy followed with an expected response.

    I mulled over the best way forward. Just in case, I checked the traffic map again, still yellow. Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, haven¡¯t I complained enough about driving around myself?

    ¡°I guess I could use one right about now,¡± I came to a decision.

    ¡°As you wish, young master.¡± A simple acknowledgement.

    I told the chauffeur the change in schedule, as well as Claire¡¯s address, and closed my eyes, deciding to get some extra rest. The talk with that damn old geezer had been exhausting enough.

    ***

    The car I was currently occupying arrived at the destination well on time. There were no traffic jams, no accidents, nothing. Lady Fortune decided to give me a breather¡ªwhat a shocker!

    After judging that my driver didn¡¯t require any further instructions, I left the car. A quick scan of the surrounding scenery revealed the absence of my date. Not exactly a huge surprise, as I was, a short glance at the time, a bit over twenty minutes early.

    I took out my phone, thinking if I should send a message to Claire, as she said on our second date. Or was it a better idea to give her some more time to prepare for our date?

    Hm, now that I thought about it, my mind went on a brief journey, trying to guess if Counter Girl would go all out for our date or not.

    On one hand, that certainly would be welcome. My mind¡¯s eye pictured a dressed up Claire from the club visit a week ago. On the other hand, if our date went the same as usual¡­

    I caught myself midway, just before my train of thought could go down this slippery path. This time around, the koala girl would need to be sent home. No shit Sherlock, my self-control certainly was way too fucked to leave a girl in my bed untouched.

    Fuck me sideways, how could I have forgotten about this detail when I agreed?

    While I enjoyed playing this little game of ours more than I thought initially, my nefarious plans were still ongoing and the end goal hadn''t really changed¡­

    Then, once again, the possibility to leave this choice up to the young woman in question was always there as well. Not like she would have agreed, but¡­

    I fought back the animal grin, something that was harder and harder to do as of late.

 Oh... I see.

    It took me almost a minute to calm myself down to acceptable levels again. This definitely was a concerning thing. I let out a long sigh, trying to relieve at least some of that mental fatigue that crushed down on my mind like a tidal wave.

    Even though my body''s natural testosterone levels were a blessing through my life, the added extra of aggression and high libido levels were as much of a curse. And my younger self ability to control it was truly atrocious.

    In the next two-and-a-half decades, my older self naturally managed to do so, somewhat, yet the majority of that was thanks to the aging process. And now, in the once again young body, the balance was slowly tipping. Ugh.

    Curse upon what, or who, ever gave me this second chance. Without either giving me a memory refresh, and, it seemed so, even adjusting my hormonal levels.

    I let out another labored sigh, and took out the phone out of my pocket. If I had to wait like this for fifteen more minutes, there was a high chance that I would lose it.

    I quickly typed and sent two short messages to the Counter Girl.

    Me: [I¡¯m here]

    Me: [waiting]

    No response followed. Maybe Claire was busy with some last-minute preparations?

    Ah, my optimism truly knew no bounds. I shook my head, chasing the grim thoughts away. There was no reason to overthink things¡­ Why in the seven hells did I so easily let myself become emotionally involved as of late?

    Because it was new and interesting, the depths of my brain returned an answer. To my surprise, this was indeed the case.

    As my inner monologue threatened to continue, my phone pinged, receiving a new message.

    Counter Girl: [Almost done.]

    Counter Girl: [Be there in five.]

    I looked at the words on the phone screen, feeling oddly relieved. So, my optimism was spot on, what a nice surprise for a change.

    Me: [take your time]

    This whole ¡®thinking for yourself¡¯ shtick really was fun yet exhausting. This made me wonder if I could ever get used to doing so. My ready-made behavioral templates were much more optimal, though.

    ***

    Five minutes later, my date finally decided to grace my poor self with her presence.

    ¡°Tian!¡± Claire¡¯s voice brought me back from another round of contemplation about everything and anything.

    The Counter Girl looked as if she sprinted here at the top of her speed, judging by the light fluster on her cheeks and a few drops of sweet on her temples.

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    ¡°Sorry for being late.¡± Even her breath was a bit ragged.

    ¡°And whatever happened to taking your time?¡± I asked with a deliberate shake of my head.

    ¡°Well, I couldn''t make you wait even longer, right?¡± Claire replied with her own question.

    ¡°Traffic was better than I thought, so I got here too early.¡± I said, making another deliberate gesture - rolling my eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t say that I particularly enjoy it, but waiting for the woman is a part of a date as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ I see,¡± she replied, clearly failing to see my point.

    With another shake of my head, I gave a girl standing in front of me another good look. From the styling of her hair, to the makeup that was a tad heavier than usual, to the dress she chose for the occasion. All of that told me that Claire did put extra effort into dolling up.

    Not going to lie, this fact felt nice, as it meant she thought about this date as something important.

    Hm, speaking of the dress, a frilly white one piece that somehow felt very familiar. Even though, for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t put my finger on where or when.

    I gave Counter Girl, who grew more and more flustered under my appraising gaze, another once over. I definitely had seen this piece of clothing before, though it was shorter. Or the person wearing it was much taller than the not-so-tall date of mine.

    My mind¡¯s eye pictured a certain tall girl dressed in a frilly white dress.

    Then again, Claire had a ¡®pretty friend¡¯ who ¡®laughed at young master Smith¡¯. Nah, no way such a coincidence was possible¡­ Or was it?

    ¡°So, um, how do I look?¡± I heard a question that brought me back from another mental trip.

    ¡°Like someone worth waiting for,¡± I opted for the good old flattery.

    It was the truth anyway.

    ¡°For some reason, it feels like you are the kind of person to tell those exact words to every girl you date,¡± Counter Girl said all of a sudden.

    Well, this was the truth as well.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I only date those who are worthy of those words.¡± I gave a girl who was now blushing a corny wink.

    ¡°Oh, um, thank you?¡± Followed a flustered response.

    I still had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact of how low her compliment tolerance was. For someone that attractive, that is.

    Deciding that this was a moot point, I gave her another, just as cheesy, wink, and, feeling extra mischievous, offered her my elbow.

    Which somehow made Counter Girl even more flustered. And here I thought she was getting used to my advances. Considering how much advantage she had been letting me get away with, something on this level shouldn¡¯t get this much of a reaction from her.

    A brief moment of hesitation later, Claire actually closed her eyes and took the offered arm. My evil scheme succeeded, since the said appendage now was buried deeply in her generous cleavage. Ah, the perks of being a gentleman.

    Shortly afterward, the Counter Girl opened her eyes and, after noticing my amused gaze, finally managed to realize the current situation. In the best tradition of the koala girl, my date''s blush deepened even more, and she buried her face into my shoulder. Hugging my arm even tighter in the process.

    ¡°Claire, how about we continue our little flirting session on the way?¡± I asked after glancing at the watch on my free hand. ¡°I really hate being late.¡±

    The young woman in question muttered something unintelligible and buried her face even more into my side.

    I tilted my face upward, looking somewhere into the distant skies. Unfortunately, heavens failed to provide me with an answer, so I had to think about one myself.

    ¡°I will take it as a ¡®yes¡¯,¡± I came to a conclusion.

    After finishing my words, I took a first step towards the car. Since Claire followed, still latching onto my arm, it seemed like my interpretation was right.

 Blanking out..

    ¡°...and that¡¯s why my friend decided to bail on me¡­¡± Claire finished her story.

    Huh?

    Woah, it seemed like I blanked out long enough to miss most of what she had said.

    I looked at my date, who was hugging my arm all the way until now, and, seemingly, had no intention whatsoever to release her embrace on said appendage. Not that I wanted her to, not going to lie.

    My gaze landed on the valley between two sizable peaks, the softness of which I had been enjoying so far. Yeah, as far as I was concerned, Counter Girl could continue holding my limb hostage for as long as she fancied.

    The only real downside was the hit the last vestiges of my dwindling self-control were taking. The worst part, I had nothing really to switch my focus onto.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I called out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but could you repeat that?¡±

    The young woman in question shook her head and let out a sigh.

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed that you were blanking out.¡± I heard her response.

    ¡°Ugh, was I really that obvious?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t acting in your usual way, so, um, it was pretty easy to notice,¡± Claire explained.

    ¡°Really? What gave me away?¡± Her words piqued my interest.

    The Counter Girl fell silent, even breaking eye contact with me. Hm, was she angry at me or something?

    ¡°Well...¡± she sighed. ¡°You hadn¡¯t even kissed me yet¡­¡±

    Oh. Yeah. Not angry. Definitely not.

    ¡°So,¡± I tried my worst to bring our conversation back to the initial topic. ¡°Mind repeating that story that I blanked out on earlier?¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± My conversation partner stumped me with that question.

    Oh, did I miss more than one? Damn, I must¡¯ve spaced even more than I thought initially then.

    ¡°The one about your friend,¡± I decided on taking the safer option.

    Claire gave me a side glance and smiled wryly, but started her story anew.

    ¡°There is this musical that my friend and I have wanted to see since forever, yet, whenever the troupe wasn¡¯t touring, either one of us always just so happened to be too busy,¡± the Counter Girl started her explanation.

    Hm, so our date venue was a musical? Not the worst thing that could happen¡­ I shuddered, remembering the time someone dragged me to the opera. That was a complete nightmare.

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    ¡°... and, so, they finally decided to finish their tour and give the last round of performances before putting it on the shelf for good. My friend somehow found the tickets, and good tickets at that!¡± My date continued, sounding excited while telling me that.

    I felt like I somehow missed a part of the story again, but it didn¡¯t seem like a big issue for now, since I could follow along.

    ¡°Only she managed to fall ill at the last possible moment. Maybe all that stress from her job finally caught up to her. She has complained a lot lately about how busy she was all the time. I even had to find myself a new gym partner.¡± A shy glance over here. Cute. ¡°And that¡¯s why I, um, invited you. You know, not wanting to waste a ticket and everything¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, and here I thought that you had ulterior motives right from the beginning, like last week¡¯s ¡®group outing¡¯,¡± I joked, trying to distract myself.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Claire drew, turning her face the other way. ¡°I thought about doing so, but my friend has been in a slump since last weekend, and, um¡­¡±

    The ending of her phrase was inaudible. Only now I noticed that even her ears were crimson from how hard the Counter Girl was currently blushing.

    On the other hand, her nape looked so very enticing right about now¡­

    I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm the rattling beast. Holy mother of fuck, was she doing this deliberately?

    ¡°Um, Tian, are you feeling fine?¡± Claire asked, the tone of her voice full of concern.

    The Counter Girl turned her face back and was staring at me. Her gaze looked me up and down, as if trying to find what was amiss.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to push yourself so hard for my sake. We can just cancel the outing¡­¡± She continued.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Do you still remember the kitchen incident?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± The abrupt change of topic confused Claire. ¡°Um, yes?¡±

    ¡°I am completely and utterly beyond the point of slipping again,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The confusion in her gaze grew even more apparent.

    ¡°To be frank, I am currently hanging barely by a thread of my leftover sanity, holding back the desire to continue from the moment Olivia interrupted us back then.¡± Ah, I could see the animal grin reflecting in those brown eyes.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The realization finally bloomed in those brown eyes of hers.

    ¡°So, the only reason I haven''t kissed you yet, is because I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself with only that.¡± I finished my words.

    Well, the cat was out of the bag, and I could only wait to see what Claire would decide.

    ¡°Um, can we at least wait until after the musical, then?¡± The Counter Girl asked something quite unexpected. ¡°I really looked forward to seeing this performance, so, um, well¡­¡±

    Hello, Chaos, my old friend. A silly thought flashed inside my brain.

    ¡°Just to be sure we are on the same page here.¡± I decided to clarify things a bit. ¡°You heard my words about barely holding myself back, and you still want to continue? All the way?¡±

    I looked straight into her eyes, and Claire met my gaze head on.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The completely crimson Counter Girl responded.

    A myriad of questions swarmed through my buzzing consciousness. Out of all those whys, hows, and whats, right now, there was only one that I needed to ask.

    ¡°Claire,¡± I called out once more. ¡°Do you want a kiss?¡±

    Counter Girl rolled her eyes and, for the first time, kissed me on her own. The second one followed shortly after. Then the third. And a few more afterward.

    Judging by the way Claire leaned forward, seeking the continuation, I wasn¡¯t the only one lost inside the moment.

 Yeah, I dont think it is.

    Stopping myself from escalating things any further took every last ounce of my waning self-control. And even then, it only happened because I felt the car finally stop. We arrived.

    A rational part of me took back control over my body from the Beast. It wasn¡¯t an easy fit, and I wasn¡¯t completely sure if that¡¯s what I truly wanted in this situation. And the fact that Claire wasn¡¯t exactly looking all that opposed to the escalation of our current activities made it even harder.

    I took a deep breath, slowly exhaling, trying to calm myself completely. Which I failed. The Beast was still there, lurking in the shadows of my racing thoughts, waiting for another chance.

    But I gave her my word. And breaking a promise, even once, would be that first misstep on a slippery slope that led me down in my first run

    Against my better judgment, I turned my eyes toward Claire, meeting her own gaze. The Counter Girl was watching me with a mixed expression on her cute face. A bit of uncertainty, surprise, and a healthy dose of lust...

    Breaking this line of thought, I looked at my watch. There were about fifteen more minutes before the show would start. Just enough for my date to calm herself down and straighten her attire.

    Yes, during our earlier exercise, my hands explored quite a bit of Claire¡¯s body, avoiding parts that were too intimate. Which led to the current state of her dress. Mm, what a nice choice of underwear...

    Ah, I was certainly looking forward to the end of our date.

    With this thought, I finally left the car, giving Counter Girl some much-needed space.

    ***

    The show itself went pretty uneventful.

    The tickets that my date¡¯s friend got were for pretty good seats. Alas, they weren¡¯t for some sort of personal lounge or a balcony, cutting away my chances to get a bit more acquainted with what was under Claire¡¯s dress.

    Maybe it was for the best.

    As for the musical, it was an age-old classic. A love story between the youngsters from opposing families that ended up in tragedy due to circumstances and happenstances. I couldn¡¯t say that I liked it very much, though, I guess, the production was on a very high level.

    My date certainly enjoyed herself, so I had no complaints.

    As for myself, I spent those three hours thinking about various questions that had been crowding inside my skull since our ride here.

    Why would someone like Counter Girl agree to all of this?

    I could guess a bit about the full extent of Olivia¡¯s motivations, and they made quite a bit of sense to me. Not completely and not without a pinch of salt, but they did.

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    Bella¡¯s behavior made even more sense, in large part because I knew her so well. My special woman was playing along with my bullshit since she had nothing to lose with this arrangement. Oh, of course I didn¡¯t buy her accepting it so easily, but, at the end of the day, she knew that she would keep her position in my life intact either way.

    But what about Claire? She was neither as materialistic and goal-oriented as Olivia was trying to make herself look, nor was she an adulterous, lustful bitch that appreciated beautiful girls about as much as me, like Bella.

    What a mystery! How interesting, indeed.

    ***

    ¡°Um, Tian?¡± I heard a voice calling me out.

    ... and I blanked once again, or so it seemed.

    ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯m sorry, I just...¡± I was trying to make up an excuse, but I caught myself in the middle of my words instead. ¡°I am blanking out again, sorry.¡±

    I looked at Claire, and she looked at me with an obvious worry in her eyes. Wrong kind of worry. Counter Girl wasn¡¯t worried about me losing control; she actually seemed worried about my well-being.

    We were already in the car, although I wasn¡¯t certain how much time we spent just sitting there. How embarrassing.

    ¡°Are you feeling fine?¡± Her question made me shake my head.

    ¡°More than fine, in fact, but I appreciate your concern,¡± I responded with as much confidence as I could muster. If only I could make myself believe those words as well.

    A momentary pause followed, as my date was looking me straight in the eyes. And I met her gaze, for the most part, since I needed something to focus on to distract the fucking animal.

    He was there, the long-since familiar sign of my stupid ass getting into some deep trouble.

    The Beast. Speaking frankly, it was the worst part of myself, which doubled as the most troublesome at the same time.

    Gigolo got me into plenty of situations over the course of my first run, yes. But he knew how to avoid crossing lines that shouldn¡¯t be crossed.

    The Professional was a man on a mission, rational to a fault. Borderline unfeeling. Ideal for my line of work, but incredibly troubling for personal life.

    And Boredom, well, that was everything else. The complete apathy, which led me to the ultimate outcome. Something that the three above tried to push back in every way possible.

    And a thought crossed my mind, once again: they were all a part of me.

    ¡°Um, Tian?¡± Claire¡¯s voice reached my ears again.

    Ah, no good; another blank like that could very well lead me to fast-forward into the next morning. Or a week later. Been there, done that in my first run.

    ¡°Tian?¡± The concern in Counter Girl¡¯s voice had become even more apparent; she even put her hand on my shoulder, shaking me gently.

    ¡°Claire, I just can¡¯t decide if you are incredibly brave or completely stupid,¡± I said, smiling at her.

    This wasn¡¯t a good smile; the way she had stiffened there for a moment made it plenty obvious. A moment later, my date blushed and lowered her gaze.

    ¡°I, um, well, my friend and I had made a reservation in a restaurant. And I wanted to ask if we should go there, but, um, I see it¡¯s not a good idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± I almost applauded after hearing these words.

    Attagirl. It seemed like my lessons finally made her cultivate some common sense.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think it is,¡± I agreed.

    ¡°So, um¡­¡± She paused for a moment here, still refusing to raise her eyes. ¡°Well, I mean, we can just skip it and go to your place.¡±

    I questioned my not-quite-stellar sanity for a moment there.

    ¡°Claire¡­¡±

    I was about to ask her to repeat those words in case I misheard them somehow, but I was interrupted by the sound of her ringtone.

 She was.

    What a day. What a fucking day!

    The call that Claire had gotten was from her mom. Something about a dead relative or whatever. I wasn¡¯t able to hear it clearly, but considering everything, this conjecture should¡¯ve been close enough to the truth.

    Obviously enough, the date ended right at that moment, with Counter Girl clearly in shock. After a bit of consideration, I ordered my driver to send her home and follow her instructions afterward.

    I paid some attention to the idea of tagging along by myself, but, in my current state, meeting her family would¡¯ve been a complete disaster. Claire most likely understood my logic as well. At least, I hoped so.

    I was standing on the street, waiting for my ride to arrive.

    I took out my phone and, for a long moment, thought about dialing Olivia¡¯s number. Beast really liked her. And that would be a problem. I wasn¡¯t all that keen on undoing our budding normal relationship just to appease this fucking animal.

    Man, what I wouldn¡¯t give right now for a smoke...

    A car stopped in front of me, and the passenger side window rolled down.

    ¡°Waiting for a ride?¡± I heard a question.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I confirmed.

    The guy behind the steering wheel scrolled his phone a bit and said the number, I checked my own and gave another confirmation.

    I named the address, not a Bella¡¯s club, but a place I visited quite frequently in my youth. The driver entered it into the navigator, and we drove off.

    The ride was silent as I stared out the window onto a lit-up nighttime street. I wasn¡¯t sure what I hoped to see there, but it helped me a bit, if barely, with not blanking out.

    ¡°Hey, bro. Are you okay there?¡± A question brought me back to reality.

    ¡°Dunno,¡± I answered truthfully.

    I had no idea why, but it felt like a conversation would do me good right now.

    ¡°Took too much?¡± he followed with another question, a sincere concern clear in his tone.

    ¡°Nah, more like a withdrawal, man.¡± I answered him.

    ¡°Oh.¡± The man behind the steering wheel gave me a quick side glance and continued. ¡°Bro, I know it¡¯s not my business, but do you want to hear a piece of advice from someone with a troubled past?¡±

    I shrugged. I didn¡¯t really care either way.

    ¡°This shit won¡¯t do you any good, man. As someone said, ¡®at first it seems so sweet, but then you wake up next to a monster¡¯. And this monster is out there to fuck your whole life up, brother.¡± In his voice, I could hear pain and conviction.

    ¡°You don¡¯t say. I tried so many times, man. Every time, it backfired somehow.¡± I let out an empty chuckle, remembering the past. Or the future. ¡°You can say that I stayed clean for the last two weeks, and, ha, here we go again.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, man.¡± He looked at me again. ¡°This sucks.¡±

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    I nodded and turned my head back towards the side window.

    For a while, the car''s interior was quiet.

    ¡°Hey, once more, it¡¯s not my business, but...¡± The guy paused, looking for words. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be better to go straight home then?¡±

    ¡°Nah, if I go back right now, it would end with me going onto the streets, looking for a dose anyway. I''m not sure what will happen if I go to the club, but maybe I will find something to distract myself instead.¡± I played around with this thought for a minute or two before giving him my answer.

    ¡°Fuck, man,¡± he repeated his earlier words.

    ¡°Yeah, fuck, man,¡± was my response.

    And another bout of silence.

    ¡°Hey, friend,¡± I called out. I had an insane idea. ¡°How about you go with me? To the club, I mean. My treat, obviously. Your only job will be to make sure that I won¡¯t kill anyone.¡±

    The guy behind the steering wheel looked at me again, as if trying to decide if I was joking. I was dead serious, though.

    ¡°Sorry, man. I promised my kid I would take him to his practice tomorrow, and a party night doesn¡¯t really mix well with that. And my missus will kill me if I get into trouble. I already used all my luck with her giving the chance to an ex-felon,¡± he declined.

    ¡°Understandable.¡± I nodded back. ¡°Hey, mind telling me a bit about your family?¡±

    ¡°Why the sudden interest?¡± He turned suspicious.

    ¡°Dunno, I just want to hear about their happy ending from a fellow junkie, I suppose.¡± It was, in fact, a simple curiosity on my part.

    The rest of the ride I spent listening to him brag. Well, at least it kept me relatively sane.

    ***

    The insides of this club weren¡¯t all that different from Bella¡¯s place. Loud music, people doing their best to ¡®live to their fullest, hah.

    Once again, I pushed through the dancing crowd in a deliberately rude manner. My aim was the bar. Once there, I got some booze into my bloodstream and looked around.

    I let beast take control, choosing the prey. It was all the same to me either way.

    ***

    She was pretty. Not overwhelmingly beautiful like Helen, of course, but enough to catch my attention.

    And she wasn¡¯t alone, either. A company, three girls, three guys¡ªI had no idea whether it was a group date or what. Either way, it made her an even better target.

    I approached her on the dance floor, since the guy she was here with was either too drunk or too conscious to be her partner. I couldn¡¯t leave the lady in such distress; how could I?

    She could dance. She was not born to do so like Olivia, of course, but she had the moves and knew where and when to grind herself against me for better effect. I had no real complaints.

    She had a nice body. Not to the level of Bella, whose mere presence could set me on fire, but it would be fun to explore all her curves. Which my hands were busy doing at the moment.

    A few tracks later, I asked if she wanted to hit the bar, and she agreed.

    My fucking god, she was boring as fuck. Her endless yapping about useless, uninteresting shit tired me almost instantly. Yeah, this certainly wasn¡¯t Claire, whom I had fun simply talking to.

    Overall, I wasn¡¯t even interested in asking her name. Even if she told me by herself, I would forget it by noon tomorrow at the latest.

    Well, I guess my luck at meeting interesting people every Friday was bound to run out at some point. And it happened today. It was a good thing Beast was fine with simply fucking her then, I suppose.

    She was easy. Since I had no real interest in her, Gigolo¡¯s pick-up macro, the one for this specific occasion, worked like a miracle. A phrase here, a smile there, a meaningful look, a daring touch¡ªit was a solved game. How fucking boring.

    I even wondered if her name started with J since she reminded me about those women I picked up in bars near the end of my first run.

    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t quite sure if I wanted to spend the whole night with her. A quickie in the club¡¯s bathroom would suffice. Even Beast agreed with this appraisal.

    A hand on my shoulder, trying to turn me around. Loud cursing.

    Ah, yes, the cuck she came here with. I had completely forgotten about this sob.

 I think its a good idea.

    Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake. At least they could¡¯ve waited until that quickie, I sighed.

    The girl tried to say something, but the trio of guys ignored her. Meanwhile, I appraised my future punching bags. Hispanic origin, gang tattoos¡ªmost likely they were from Diego¡¯s merry bunch.

    There were obvious pros and cons to this. On the one hand, I could minimize the potential trouble by calling that officer again; on the other hand, Diego could be a royal pain in the ass if he wanted to do so.

    What a dilemma!

    As I thought about it all, the fuckers in front of me were, most likely, thinking that I ignored them. And it made them even more mad.

    One of them tried to grab me by the collar, but since it was something my grandma chose for me, I was quite against him doing that. So I slapped his hand away.

    This escalated things even further, and, as the main control was still with the Beast, I poured even more oil into the fire.

    An exchange of insults followed, and soon after, the four of us were outside in an alleyway. My back was against the wall, with all three of the guys standing in front of me.

    Oh, no! What could I do in this situation?

    I looked around, still ignoring the cocksniffers that were trying their best to scare me with their background. I would¡¯ve laughed out loud, but I was afraid it would make them back out of confrontation.

    Oh, I was lucky; there were no witnesses in sight.

    The first one fell down, knocked out by the single uppercut right to the side of his chin. To make sure he wouldn¡¯t join in later, in case he woke up, I stomped onto his hand, hearing his fingers crack under the heel of my leather shoes. Still out cold, good.

    The second one rushed at me and was met with an oblique kick into his support knee. Oh, man, judging by his howl, he will need a cane in the future. A soccer kick to the head shut him up.

    As I was thinking if I should kick him another time, a punch to the face reminded me of the third victim.

    I licked blood from the corner of my lips and spit on the second bitch, dodging another slow and predictable punch. A body shot to the liver made the third one fall to the ground in pain.

    Motherfucker, another boring fight. Well, at least it helped me release a bit of steam. Speaking of which, where were the girls? I wanted that quickie.

    As I was stepping over the fallen dude, he grabbed my ankle, trying to wheeze something. It was in Spanish, so I wasn¡¯t able to understand the full content of his phrase. Most likely another insult. Whatever.

    I tried to break away from his hold. The dumb fuck was holding on, as if his life depended on it. Whatever. I guess I could entertain him a bit more.

    Without much resistance, I had gotten into full mount and started hammering the bitch into the ground. Punch, another punch, hammer fist, few elbow strikes¡ªit was a slow and methodical process.

    As I was about to punch him another time, I caught myself. Fuck. I checked his pulse. He was still alive. Good.

    I used his shirt to clean the blood from my fists and fished my phone from the pocket. A quick scroll through contacts, all the way down to ¡®Officer, and I pushed the dial button.

    A few rings, and a voice on the other side greeted me:

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    ¡°Roah, again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Another incident. This time I wasn¡¯t holding back all that much,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Ambulance?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°On my way.¡±

    ***

    I was sitting in the interrogation room, nursing a cup of coffee in my hands. The door opened, and a familiar cop went inside. I raised my eyes to look at him, and he sighed and plopped down into the other chair in the room.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s your lucky day, Roah. Rejoice, no corpses.¡± His tone was grim. ¡°But it was close.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± I shrugged and took another sip from the cup.

    ¡°The security footage and witnesses inside the places make it clear that the three victims were the ones who started the conflict, and there was no one who saw the fight itself. Since there are no bodies, and you haven¡¯t used a weapon, it would be considered self-defense. Or, with them being from the gang, gang-on-gang violence,¡± officer-whatever-his-name continued.

    ¡°Good.¡± I repeated my earlier words.

    ¡°Ramirez is fuming, though,¡± he finished.

    ¡°I will pay the medical bills, no problem. If it¡¯s not enough for him, he can write his complaints down, roll them into a tube, and shove them up his ass,¡± I replied, finishing my coffee.

    My words rendered my conversation partner speechless. I shook the coffee cup to double-check if it was truly empty and let out my own sigh.

    ¡°Depending on his attitude, I don¡¯t mind turning his gang into history.¡± While saying it, I took Kouzuki Shinji¡¯s seal from my chest pocket and placed it on the table in front of the cop.

    He looked at the seal, then at me, and again at the seal. A moment later, he cupped his face with his palms and let out a long, pained groan. I could understand him quite a bit at the moment.

    ¡°Fuck it. Not my jurisdiction,¡± he came to a conclusion. His response made me laugh. ¡°So, who will bail you out? Alvarez? Roah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± I said, flashing the black card.

    He sighed again and left to finish the formalities and paperwork.

    The officer returned in about an hour or so, and, to be honest, I was bored and tired enough to consider taking a nap right here.

    ¡°You are free to go,¡± said my cop buddy after I put my signature under the protocol. Officer Zhang, let¡¯s try to remember at least this much.

    I put my things back in my pockets and stood up to leave.

    ¡°Hey, Roah. I know it sounds stupid, but how about spending the night here? You know, just in case.¡± Zhang¡¯s words caught me off guard.

    His words were stupid, but, for some reason, they actually made a lot of sense to me. If I left right now, I would just go and find more trouble. The Beast wasn¡¯t quite satisfied yet, and there were no maidens to appease him either.

    ¡°You know, I think it¡¯s a good idea, actually,¡± I told him.

    It was his turn to be surprised.

    ***

    I left the police station around ten a.m. It was not the best sleep I ever had, but at least I killed some time until I could see Olivia again.

    I scrolled through my messenger, noting the messages from Claire.

    Counter Girl: [Thank you for your help.]

    Counter Girl: [And sorry that we had to end it so abruptly.]

    Counter Girl: [It¡¯s a bit ironic.]

    Counter Girl: [That after so many dates that ended after a call.]

    Counter Girl: [I was the one to do the same this time.]

    Counter Girl: [Anyway, thank you for your help again.]

    Counter Girl: [I¡¯m looking forward to our next date.]

    I chuckled a bit, imagining the flustered Claire who was writing it all, and wrote an answer.

    Me: [no biggie]

    Me: [and I¡¯m certainly looking forward to our next date]

    And sent. I looked at the status: not delivered yet. Well, I bet she''s busy right now.

    I looked at the time again and decided against calling Olivia yet. Ten a.m. after a party wasn¡¯t the best time to receive a call.

    What should I do? I felt pretty hungry, and I needed a coffee after a night like this one. I checked the map, and, to my surprise, I wasn¡¯t that far from that caf¨¦ I visited with Claire.

    Eh, why not? And I started my stroll towards breakfast.

 Her side of the story. Again.

    Two weeks.

    It had been two weeks since her grandpa dragged her to this island.

    On the bright side, she felt completely refreshed. The stress had gone, and she felt fully rested.

    On the other side, though, for two weeks straight, there was nothing that could''ve distracted her from thinking about her darling...

    Helen sighed. She spent two weeks trying to understand what went wrong in their relationship. She analyzed everything, even from multiple angles!

    And she still couldn''t understand. Everything was going perfectly, but then, one day, he just left. Without so much as an explanation!

    He ghosted her so thoroughly that she couldn''t even meet him.

    Yet, this analysis had made something clear: whatever happened, she still wanted and needed closure. If she wanted to move on, she needed a sign.

    Her train of thought halted. Not even a meeting, since that man was so hard to get a hold of. Just a message. Just a read status.

    What if¡­ She let herself dream for a moment that he would want to rekindle their spark. She knew it wouldn''t happen, but that traitorous part of her heart still fluttered at the mere thought of it.

    Ah, how low she fell...

    Making up her mind, she went to find her grandpa to beg¡ªto demand her phone back.

    ***

    "H¨¤o, what the fuck do you mean by this?"

    Helen heard her grandpa''s voice roaring from behind the closed door.

    "And that witch of a wife of yours as well¡ªwhat is wrong with the three of you?"

    Another roar followed.

    "I''ve said this many times before and will repeat myself again. It''s a matter of her choice and nobody else''s."

    Since her grandpa stopped yelling, Helen had to lean on the door to hear his words clearly.

    "Hm. I guess that makes some sense. I will ask her. But know that if she won''t agree, this will be the end of this talk."

    It seemed like it was something concerning her.

    "Yes. Yes. When? And until? Hm. Yes, I will try to meet you as soon as possible. Give me a day at least. Yes, I will meet you soon."

    She heard her grandpa ending the call and cursing quietly.

    "Helen, since you''re already here, come inside." He called out to her.

    Still, she waited for a minute more before knocking on the door.

    "Grandpa, there is something I want to talk about."

    "Yes, yes. Come in already."

    She did just that.

    Her grandfather was sitting behind his favorite desk and reading through some sort of paperwork. After Helen walked into his study, he raised his head to look at her.

    No matter how many years went by, she still felt like a little girl again under this heavy gaze. The feeling lasted for only a moment, as her grandpa let out a tired sigh and started massaging his temples.

    "How much did you hear?"

    "I don''t know what you are talking about, grandpa."

    "Helen, please."

    "Since you asked Elder H¨¤o about the meaning of his words."

    Her grandfather doubled his efforts at massaging his temples.

    "This old geezer and that old witch..." he groaned. "Helen, I have two pieces of news for you: good and not-so-good. Which would you like to hear first?"

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    She mulled over his words.

    "Then how about a good one first?"

    Her grandpa stopped his actions and looked at her.

    "Well, you better take a seat first, anyway," her grandpa gestured toward the free chair, and she did as he told her. "The good news is: from now on, the stream of marriage proposals will most likely reduce significantly, if not stop outright. And there will be, most likely, quite a number of withdrawals as well."

    This was indeed good news.

    "What''s the catch?" She caught his meaning.

    "The not-so-good news is that both the Long and Kouzuki clans just got official male heirs of the main bloodline. And both families sent an official marriage proposal."

    Huh? Helen felt the inside of her mind go white for a moment.

    "The main problem here," the Head of the Smith family continued his words, "is that I can''t outright refuse this. Whether it''s about family status or my personal friendship with all three of them, this meeting shall happen."

    "But, grandpa..." she whined.

    "Helen, sweetie. Sorry, I can''t. Just this one time, please, you need to attend this marriage interview. Or, I guess, two times."

    Her grandpa bowed his head, a tradition he got from his best friend, the head of the Long clan, Long H¨¤o.

    "I understand. I will do as you say, grandfather."

    "Well, whether you choose one of them or not, it''s up to you. All I need is for you to attend the event itself."

    Huh? Helen felt the inside of her mind go white for a moment. Again.

    "Grandpa!"

    She pouted.

    "You should''ve seen your face there, young lady."

    The old geezer started laughing boisterously.

    "Oh, right, another thing. Sadly, I will need to cut this vacation short as I need to meet with H¨¤o to discuss this whole situation. Two clan heirs¡ªit''s too important for me to ignore. Will you stay here for a week more, or..."

    "Or!" she interrupted him. "The deal was that you must accompany me here."

    The heavy gaze returned, but Helen met it with her own ultimate weapon. Puppy eyes.

    "Fine. But I won''t return your phone for a week more anyway."

    "But, grandpa!"

    "Don''t grandpa me, young lady. We both know that you will dive headfirst into work if you get that cursed item."

    Helen couldn''t argue with that.

    "But what am I supposed to do otherwise? I can''t even contact my friends without the phone."

    She felt that her counterargument was flawless. Of course, her main motivation was to check on that particular contact of hers.

    "Friends? Ha, you''re only ever meeting one-on-one with that one girl, and you know where she lives anyway. Just visit her; you know the address."

    She pouted again.

    ***

    Helen was standing in front of a closed door. She had done that for the last ten minutes already, ringing the doorbell from time to time. Nobody answered the door.

    And what was she supposed to do now? She fought back a wave of rising irritation. She blamed Grandpa for this.

    Helen knew better than to just go to her office, since that would be akin to breaking a promise, which was something of a taboo between the two of them.

    She had no way, and no real wish, to be honest, to contact anyone else from her friend group. No, of course, Helen liked those people, but, frankly, there was only one with whom she felt completely at ease.

    She rang the doorbell one last time and gave it two extra minutes before finally leaving. As she sat in the car, a business-class coupe two-seater, she let out an irritated scream. How unladylike.

    Helen looked at the time, around ten in the morning, and decided that some coffee wouldn''t hurt her. She slept a bit on board their flight, but still felt a bit sleepy due to jet lag.

    ¡°Coffee it is, then,¡± she decided.

    ***

    "Welcome¡­ Oh, Helen, long time no see. How was your trip?"

    Thank heavens it wasn''t Jaime. She liked the guy as a friend, but his unwanted advances felt a bit tiresome.

    "Hello to you too, Omar. I had to cut it short, but otherwise it was fantastic."

    "Good to hear and my condolences at the same time. To go or a table?"

    "The usual."

    After saying this, she was about to go inside but noticed that her usual table was occupied. Which was pretty weird since ten a.m. on a Saturday wasn''t exactly rush hour for this place. And the staff knew that it was her table... Well, hers and Claire.

    Helen turned back to look at Omar, who actually shuddered under her glare.

    "Um, Helen, you see, that''s Claire''s boyfriend¡­"

    Huh? And wasn''t this the most unlikely explanation she could have imagined in this situation?

    Helen turned once more to look at the guy sitting there. Too bad she could only see his back. Wide shoulders, v-lining into slim waist. Powerful arms. Black spiky hair. Yeah, it certainly wasn''t Daniel.

    What exactly happened here when she was away?

    "Your guess is as good as mine," said Omar, as if reading her mind. "One day about a week ago, Claire, almost glowing from being so damn happy, dragged this dude here for a date. And a few days later, she did it again. Glowing even more."

    The irritation of the last two weeks finally reached its peak, as she felt a pang of jealousy. Even Claire finally found someone

    An evil scheme appeared in the depths of her mind. Not to sound pretentious, but Helen was beautiful. Very much so. And it wouldn''t be the first time that her friend''s boyfriend would try to hit on her instead.

    To spare Claire some future pain, how about testing him right now?

    "Helen, you have a really evil smile right now, you know?"

    Not bothering to answer the obvious, she sashayed to join the person occupying HER table.

    "Hello, you must be Claire''s new boyfriend. I am her best friend; nice to meet you."

    She waited for a response.

    "Oh, what a sight for sore eyes!" Just like she thought, this guy was just another player.

    Her ears finally registered the familiar voice. Then the speaker turned his head towards her, and she recognized the face¡ªthe same one that she had wanted to see for so long. And at last, she had seen the familiar, yet so different, eyes.

    His gaze wasn''t quite as heavy as her grandpa''s, yet, still, it made her freeze momentarily under its scrutiny. A traitorous part of her almost squealed in delight, recognizing the familiar appreciation in those eyes.

    "It had been, what, a year and then some since we met last? How have you been, Helen?" Michael Roah, her darling and the new boyfriend of her best friend, greeted her.

 I have not.

    ¡°It had been, what, a year and then some since we met last? How have you been, Helen?¡± I said this to my ex-girlfriend, who froze with a complicated expression on her beautiful face.

    I gave her another once-over, something that I would never get tired of doing. She was just that damn beautiful. Even though it was obvious that she wasn¡¯t bringing out her A-game today. Far from it.

    She looked irritated, lost, and a bit sleepy; no make-up whatsoever; hair gathered into a simple tail under a baseball cap; casual clothes with emphasis on convenience rather than looks. Hm, I think it was the first time I¡¯ve seen her wearing a hoodie, pair of sweatpants, and sneakers.

    Even with all of the above, she somehow looked better than the vast majority of women I had ever met. Eh, Mother Nature was really unfair.

    ¡°Not bad. What about you?¡± Helen finally responded as my eyes went for a third lap across her figure.

    ¡°Bored to death, though it became much better recently.¡± I held back a chuckle, fully knowing how true my words actually were.

    ¡°I see...¡± she drawled with another complicated expression. ¡°Mind if I sit here, or you are not alone?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. I would love some company right about now.¡± I responded, gesturing to an empty seat across the table.

    Hm, this was pretty awkward. And, frankly, I felt a bit down overall. Helen¡¯s presence here meant that she chose to ignore my messages back then.

    Her being Claire¡¯s ¡®pretty friend¡¯, and, at the very least, a self-proclaimed ¡®best friend¡¯ at that, meant that Counter Girl should¡¯ve discussed me at one point or another. Then again, Claire knew me as Tian, and I don¡¯t remember her taking any pictures of me.

    Then Claire¡¯s story about her friend emerged in my memory. Her friend had been stressed out and in a bit of a slump lately. A stupid part of me wanted to believe it was somehow because of my message, but rationale told me that it most likely wasn¡¯t.

    Who would believe that someone like Helen Smith couldn¡¯t move on from some stupid man like me for over a year?

    I felt a pang of heartache and even some misguided sense of jealousy and loss. For fuck¡¯s sake, she held on for nine months. What right did I have to expect even more from her?

    Also, my relationships were complicated as fuck anyway. Ugh, there was also Nicole, who promised me revenge, and Su. Speaking of Su, why the fuck did I give her that condition again?

    I felt like I forgot someone, but... on second thought, screw it. I felt my head ache just thinking about this.

    So, I decided not to make it extra awkward for everyone involved. She was my girlfriend''s best friend; let¡¯s settle with this and move on.

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    Fuck me sideways.

    As everything above kept flashing through my mind and the silence was about to stretch into an awkward one, a waiter came to our table with my order.

    ¡°Oh, Helen, my angel, you finally decided to grace me with your presence. I don¡¯t know how to express my gratitude, so I can only dedicate my life to you and marry you!¡± I almost applauded the guy since he could deliver such a corny speech with a straight face while also serving the tray of dishes onto the table.

    ¡°Jaime. I''ve told you many times already. I like you as a friend, but that¡¯s the extent to which I would ever be able to see you. Your advances are unwelcome and, to speak frankly, irritate me very much.¡± Huh, I could understand where she was coming from, but was there a reason to explode on a poor guy?

    Though, not going to lie; I felt some dark satisfaction hearing her shut down another guy directly like that.

    The guy in question took it like a champ. Even though I could see some hidden pain in his eyes, he still kept his smile.

    ¡°Is this about that mythical ex of yours? Just what kind of sorcery did he use to make you think about him so much after a year of ghosting you?¡± The waiter couldn¡¯t hold it in completely and mouthed off a bit.

    Before Helen could hurt his feelings even more and make it even more awkward overall, I decided to join in the conversation.

    ¡°Well, he called her a ¡®kooky girl¡¯ on their first date. On the second, he beat five guys who couldn¡¯t understand that no is a no into hospital, so she had to bail him out of a local police station,¡± I chimed in, looking at how Helen''s face started getting redder and redder with every word that left my mouth. ¡°Oh, and on the third, he got into a shouting match with her grandpa over, and I quote, ¡®Corrupting his little princess¡¯.¡±

    I barely held back the desire to cackle like the madman I am, remembering the red-faced Frank Smith, who decided to visit his granddaughter, only to be welcomed with the sight of me leaving the shower wearing only a towel.

    ¡°Darling!¡± exclaimed a flustered Helen.

    Huh? What did she call me? Man, I really should check my hearing. Those auditory hallucinations are getting out of hand.

    ¡°But I think you are wrong about one thing. Helen did move on. I am flattered she kept me in her heart for nine months, but that should no longer be the case.¡± I shook my head for better effect.

    ¡°Not...¡± Helen whispered something.

    ¡°Hm, did you say something?¡± I asked for confirmation.

    ¡°I have not...¡± Another barely audible whisper followed.

    The guy, whatever his name was, stood rooted in place, shifting his eyes between Helen and me.

    Of course, I put two and two together, but a part of me refused to believe my ears without being told clearly.

    ¡°Sorry, mind repeating it again? I didn¡¯t quite manage to hear it clearly.¡± I left the part about wanting to hear her say it unspoken.

    My lips stretched into a smile.

    The most beautiful woman I had ever seen glared at me while sitting across the table, completely flustered. She knew I was teasing her. Eh, what would she do?

    ¡°I said,¡± Helen looked me dead straight in the eyes. ¡°That I have not moved on yet. If you have trouble with it, bite me.¡±

    I actually felt happy hearing those words. And yet, I also felt completely dismayed by them.

    Would I be able to make a choice like that? I wanted Helen too much to just play it cool, like I did with Nicole. Yet, I wouldn¡¯t be able to just forget Bella and Olivia. And then there was also Claire...

    Ah, fuck. Things just turned much more complicated all of a sudden.

 Im sorry.

    Since the current situation made no sense to me whatsoever, I gave up on trying to analyze it. Or, at the very least, until I finish my breakfast.

    I must commend the waiter¡¯s professionalism. He had it in him to take Helen¡¯s order before storming off. That alone deserved a generous tip.

    I took a sip of my cappuccino and dug into my breakfast. I was certain that Helen was proficient enough in reading people to understand my cues.

    So, quite a situation I found myself in there, eh? I had a number of questions that I would like answered, and ¡®Why haven¡¯t you answered my message then?¡¯ was somewhere near the top of that list.

    A different waiter brought Helen¡¯s order. Understandable.

    The young woman in question thanked him with an awkward smile in response to his questioning look.

    I took another sip of my coffee.

    What was I even supposed to do now?

    ¡°Michael.¡± Helen called out my name.

    ¡°Mm?¡± I let my attention be known, since my mouth was busy chewing

    ¡°Why have you ghosted me?¡± She decided to go straight to the point.

    I swallowed the food and took another sip of coffee to give myself some time to think about it.

    ¡°Hm. It¡¯s very hard to explain to anyone who isn¡¯t me. I think the closest thing to the truth should be something like,¡± I paused for a moment, choosing my words. ¡°I came too close to falling for you and became afraid. So I ran away.¡±

    And it was, in fact, as close to the truth as possible. I only changed one word¡ªfrom ¡®interest¡¯, the loaded term that made full sense only to me, to ¡®love¡¯, an abstract concept I never fully understood but should be infinitely close in this context.

    ¡°And, did it... work?¡± Not at all.

    ¡°In a way,¡± I lied.

    The time helped a lot to take the edge off, so, in a way, I wasn¡¯t that close to falling for her anymore. Yet, in actual truth, my interest in her was still as strong as ever.

    Helen, to me, was like the first-ever hit. No one after her could come even close to that high. And my endless search for a repeat led to the idea of Beast.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± She lowered her eyes. Then, trying to change the topic, she asked another question. ¡°So, erm, why have you thought I moved on?¡±

    Another direct one, eh?

    ¡°This,¡± I clapped my phone that was lying on the table.

    ¡°Your phone?¡± She raised her eyes again.

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    ¡°Well, to be precise, a message.¡± The one she still hadn¡¯t even read.

    Her pretty face showed a complete lack of understanding, as if my words didn¡¯t make a lick of sense to her.

    ¡°Have you even read my messages?¡± There was a bit of anger mixed into her tone.

    ¡°Yes?¡± More than twenty years into the future.

    A scene from my first life flashed before my mind¡¯s eye.

    I had been drunk out of my mind, which was my usual state back then. And I was waiting to pass out while watching TV. It was a show about powerful women in this hellhole of a city, and the episode was about Helen Smith.

    One of the questions was about her love life, and she gave a very vague answer that could¡¯ve meant that she had someone in mind but was otherwise free. I still remember feeling like a complete loser after having a fleeting hope that those words might¡¯ve been about me.

    .

    Hah, as if!

    ¡°And which of your blind eyes found something about moving on in my messages?¡± Oh, Helen was definitely angry.

    I chuckled. Regarding her temper, Helen was a true granddaughter of Grandpa Smith.

    ¡°It¡¯s more about you leaving my message unread for the last two weeks,¡± I shrugged and shoveled a bit more of the breakfast inside myself.

    For some unknown reason, my words made her even angrier.

    ¡°When exactly have you sent it?¡± She asked another question.

    ¡°Two weeks ago. I''m not sure about the exact time, but it was Friday evening.¡±

    Helen put down the coffee cup, which was about to be used as a projectile. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. A look of grim determination appeared on her beautiful face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill him,¡± the young woman across the table stated.

    ¡°Who?¡± I had a hunch it wasn¡¯t me.

    ¡°Grandpa...¡± she groaned, slumping down in her chair. ¡°He took my phone away two weeks ago, when we left on a vacation trip. He hasn¡¯t returned it yet.¡±

    Was it wrong of me to feel happy about her reaction?

    ¡°What was in that message?¡± Helen asked before I had an opportunity to react.

    ¡°I asked if you wanted to go on a date.¡± I shook my head, remembering the cringe-worthy words I wrote while still thinking it was just a dream.

    My ex-girlfriend stared blankly at me after hearing my words. Well, kind of expected reaction, to be honest.

    ¡°It was a spur of the moment decision when I woke up...¡± I tried to explain.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Only to be interrupted by her.

    I could¡¯ve played dumb there. I could have lied. There were many surefire options open to me. Yet none of them would have led to the outcome I desired.

    Fuck.

    ¡°Helen, listen¡­¡± I started again.

    ¡°No.¡± Only to be interrupted again.

    Why the fuck did it have to be so complicated?

    ¡°A lot has happened since that message was sent.¡± I ignored her words.

    ¡°Unfair.¡± Her whisper reached my ears.

    It was. To her. To me. And to other girls. But such was life.

    ¡°Not getting your response gave me a push to do something new¡­¡± I continued, ignoring her response.

    ¡°Stop.¡± Another whisper.

    ¡°And it made me meet someone...¡± And again.

    ¡°I said stop.¡± More of the same.

    ¡°You know, in a way, I am grateful to your grandpa for taking your phone.¡± I finished my words.

    Helen just glared at me.

    ¡°Helen, I¡¯m sorry. I have someone already.¡± And she was not the only one, either; I left those words unsaid. ¡°You should find someone better than me.¡±

 No-brainer.

    It was pretty fun to watch how Helen¡¯s face went through the whole spectrum of expressions. Sorrow, anger, envy, jealousy, disappointment, and bewilderment changed each other in quick succession until, at last, her expression turned blank.

    Meanwhile, I kept eating my breakfast in silence.

    ¡°So, had I passed the vibe check for being your best friend¡¯s boyfriend?¡± I asked, finishing the last of my coffee.

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± She played dumb.

    Or so I choose to believe, since the other alternatives required me to be more desperate or delusional. Yes, of course, the signs were hard not to pick up, but Helen Smith wasn¡¯t a stranger to my habit of reading people. She was no stranger to putting on a show to mislead people, either.

    It was also the safest bet to make.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your intention? To test the weird dude who came out of nowhere and started dating Claire, I mean.¡± I explained.

    It wouldn¡¯t be the first time something like that happened.

    A light of understanding lit up in Helen¡¯s eyes. Smart girl.

    ¡°And what if I said that you didn''t? You know, I can tell her quite a few stories about your antics. To help the poor girl dodge the bullet, of course.¡± Ah, her current expression looked exactly like Grandpa Smith''s when he tried to con me that one time. Bar the looks, of course.

    ¡°I would wish you luck in bringing some common sense into Counter Girl¡¯s life,¡± I responded with an exaggerated shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve been telling her exactly that for two weeks straight, and she still trusts me far too much.¡±

    ¡°And if I said it wasn¡¯t a test at all?¡± There was something in her eyes that told me it wasn¡¯t a joke.

    ¡°Then I would tell you that you don¡¯t make any sense.¡± So I responded with a completely straight face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I make any sense; I just want you back.¡± The intensity behind her gaze doubled, leaving me no choice but to take her words seriously.

    Heavens almighty, since when have people stopped using logic to make their decisions?

    I chuckled as the answer dawned on me. Since about two weeks ago. Well, since the world itself doesn¡¯t make much sense, people just follow the trend.

    I raised my hand and made a gesture, calling a waiter to come over. My cup was empty, and the talk promised to be lengthy, so I needed a refill.

    ¡°Helen. Now I am going to talk, and you will listen. I will answer your questions after I finish. Am I clear?¡± I said, slipping into the Professional mindset.

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    She nodded, and we sat there in silence for a few minutes until the waiter brought the order.

    Now, where should I even begin? How much should I tell her? What can I tell her? What do I want her to know?

    ¡°Well, you see...¡± I spoke after finally coming to a conclusion. ¡°Two weeks ago, I went for a walk and met a girl.¡±

    Fuck it. Since I decided to stick with the truth, I will just continue doing so.

    ***

    ¡°Imagine my surprise when I met you today.¡± I finished my story.

    I told her the whole truth¡ªOlivia, Bella, Arrangement, Claire, and some of my own thoughts about the situation.

    The matter of my involvement in clan business was left out of my tale, since it wasn¡¯t all that important for now. It would also be amusing to see Helen¡¯s surprised face when she met with Long Tian or Kouzuki Shinji.

    I took a sip of the coffee. The story actually took quite a bit of time to tell, so it was lukewarm already.

    Helen sat there quietly, lost somewhere deep in her thoughts. Which was understandable; there was a lot to take in.

    I played with the cup, wondering if there was something else to add.

    ¡°I have a few questions,¡± Helen broke the silence, startling me a bit.

    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°First. If I so choose to partake in this ¡®arrangement¡¯ of yours, would I be required to have romantic feelings for someone except you?¡±

    Her tone and choice of words reminded me of work-mode Bella, the younger version.

    ¡°Nope,¡± I replied. After a bit of consideration, I shook my head and decided to add, ¡°Unless you want to.¡±

    ¡°Second. What will you do if I don¡¯t accept those terms?¡± She continued her questioning without showing any reaction to my first answer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s complicated.¡± I tried to weasel my way out of answering.

    Helen simply kept waiting for the explanation.

    ¡°Fine, since you want the truth, here you go,¡± I let out a deep sigh. ¡°I have no fucking idea. On one hand, I wouldn¡¯t want to complicate my relationships any more than they already are. On the other hand, I want you too much to refuse you outright. Then it depends on how difficult you decide to be.¡±

    I put my elbows on the table and hid my face in my palms, hoping that the lightning would strike me right about now and end my suffering. No miracles happened, so I had to continue:

    ¡°If worse comes to worst, the most likely outcome will be me being completely fed up and stressed out by the situation. So I will peace out into the sunset in my usual fashion.¡±

    And then I will drive my life into the most spectacular train wreck possible.

    ¡°Third. Does this arrangement make you happier?¡± Without so much as batting an eyelid, she asked another one.

    Choosing not to let her destabilize my shaky sanity even more, I decided to focus on the question.

    This one was a no-brainer.

    The feeling of peace. Olivia¡¯s lap pillow. Sleepy face of Claire as she clings to me in her dream. Slow morning with Bella. Those words.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I smiled. ¡°For the first time in my life, I''m not alone.¡±

    ¡°And the last one.¡± Oh, good, more to come. ¡°Where do I sign?¡±

 Yes, how could I forget?

    I looked at Helen, who bit her lower lip, waiting for my answer.

    Acting surprised all the time was surprisingly exhausting. And, to be frank, I felt really bored doing so already. So, instead, this time, I simply chose not to.

    She said so herself¡ªshe wanted me back. And, considering my future knowledge as well as everything I could remember from the days we spent together, this actually seemed feasible.

    ¡°You know, I was right in calling you a kooky girl back then,¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that my ¡®moment of fleeting passion¡¯, as my grandpa called it, toward a certain bad boy never went away.¡± Accurately reading my meaning, my no-longer-ex-girlfriend smiled.

    ¡°Are you certain you won¡¯t regret this, though?¡± I had to ask this question.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°But I am one hundred percent sure that I would regret not taking the chance.¡±

    ¡°Why would you?¡± I felt curious about her thoughts.

    ¡°Do I really have to say this?¡± She tilted her head a bit.

    ¡°I would certainly love to hear you say it.¡± I smiled back.

    Helen responded with a teasing one of her own. It looks like she learned a few new tricks while we were apart. I think this was the main reason she always interested me so much.

    Helen Smith wore about as many masks as I did.

    To name a few: young lady, spoiled princess, intelligent heiress of a big family¡ªI had a lot of fun stripping them all down to the core and breaking that outer shell to reach the kooky girl underneath.

    ¡°Well, you wanted to hear the truth; here you go,¡± she parroted my earlier words in a teasing tone. ¡°I spent the last year actively trying to forget you. And failed to do so completely and utterly. Also, my grandpa made me go on quite a number of dates, trying, in his own way, his best to help me as usual.¡±

    ¡°He really dislikes me that much, ain¡¯t he?¡± I chuckled.

    ¡°Over the course of a year, I had to meet at least one guy a week. Sometimes two. Goodness gracious, the only thing it helped me with was understanding how much I actually missed you.¡± Helen continued, ignoring my passing remark. ¡°Same words, same smiles; they even dressed and acted the same way. They bored me to death, yet I had to stay until the end of the evening every time out of politeness. Urk.¡±

    ¡°I know the feeling,¡± I nodded.

    Gigolo¡¯s pick-up macro wouldn¡¯t be so optimized otherwise.

    ¡°And then Grandpa dragged me to an island. I really can¡¯t thank him enough for doing so, but, my gosh, I had nothing to do there but to think about our relationship all day long.¡± She took another pause to drink some of her tea.

    Her words didn¡¯t sound healthy to my ears, but who was I to complain?

    ¡°And so I came to a surprising conclusion. Oh, I need a sign to move on; anything would work. I was thinking about sending you one last message to see if you would reply. Or, at the very least, read it.¡± Which she most likely did in the first run.

    ¡°And if I didn¡¯t?¡± I had to ask this one as well.

    ¡°Hm, I would drown myself in work again. Maybe going on more dates to appease Grandpa. Perhaps I would buy a dog and die alone, eh?¡± she quoted.

    Helen looked a bit down. So Bella was right; I am indeed quite a bastard.

    ¡°Well, I actually got my sign.¡± She switched topics, trying to sound upbeat. I noticed a bit of mischief in her eyes, though. Here goes my guilty conscience, ha. ¡°You know. Everything I thought about, all of those conclusions and aspirations, went away just like this as soon as you said my name.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± I teased.

    ¡°As if you didn¡¯t notice, you overly sharp bastard.¡± Helen said it with a hint of blame in her tone.

    ¡°As if you couldn¡¯t fake it on purpose just to mislead me, you sly bitch.¡± I responded in kind.

    ¡°I was too busy thinking, ¡®I want him back¡¯, on repeat this whole time.¡± Her smile turned a bit seductive. ¡°My heart almost stopped when you rejected me, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, my bad, but, you know, I had to make sure.¡± I apologized.

    ¡°I will forgive you after you take me on that date you promised me,¡± she giggled in response.

    I shrugged, finishing my coffee. I had no reason to refuse now.

    ¡°But, first, I want you to finish the story.¡± I said, putting the cup down. Should I order something else?

    ¡°And I hoped I distracted you enough,¡± replied Helen with another foxy smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s very embarrassing to say it out loud, especially knowing that you should¡¯ve already gotten to the answer.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°I still want to hear it out of your mouth,¡± I confirmed.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s really that simple. I had two ways forward. I could either feel jealous with you by my side or do the same, but all alone. The answer was obvious enough to me.¡± She finished with a brilliant smile.

    ***

    Over the course of our extended conversation, the late breakfast turned into an early lunch.

    I was listening to Helen¡¯s report about her last year''s achievements. I could easily see, and she didn¡¯t make much effort to hide anyway, that she was trying to impress me. Or, at the very least, to get some praise out of me.

    Which I did, since she honestly did a good job. As far as I could judge, of course.

    Somewhere along the way, my mind drifted away a bit as I lost the thread of her storytelling amidst the technical details of the business side of things.

    Yet, I still wasn¡¯t bored.

    Was it because I could feel the passion that Helen felt for all the things she described? Or solely because of who was talking? Something else? A mix?

    How weird.

    A series of pings from the messenger brought me back from my reverie.

    Counter Girl: [Sorry it took so long to reply.]

    Counter Girl: [Things are all kind of hectic here.]

    Counter Girl: [Some people just have no chill.]

    Counter Girl: [Funeral is yet to happen, but they''re already fighting over inheritance.]

    Counter Girl: [Can you imagine?]

    Counter Girl: [Oof.]

    Counter Girl: [Anyway, sorry once again.]

    Counter Girl: [I just needed to let some steam out.]

    Counter Girl: [How much trouble did you end up causing yesterday?]

    I looked at my phone screen, genuinely lost in how I should react to this.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± I heard Helen¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Claire.¡± I let her know.

    I turned the phone around, so Helen could read it herself.

    ¡°Counter Girl?¡± A reasonable question.

    ¡°I met her in the local convenience store, and that nickname just ended up sticking in my head.¡± A short explanation.

    ¡°I assume she knows about your arrangement?¡± Something in Helen¡¯s tone felt off.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I chose to ignore it, though.

    ¡°Will you tell her about me as well?¡± Same tone.

    I paused for a moment as my mind built a quick logic chain. Having a friend like Helen could very well leave some insecurities in anyone¡¯s mind.

    Now that I''m thinking about it, this actually explained quite a bit of the strangeness of Koala Girl¡¯s actions.

    Instead of answering her, I extended the hand with the phone in it and took a selfie with both of us in the frame. Helen looked a bit surprised by my actions.

    Me: [met your ¡®pretty friend¡¯]

    I finished typing the caption and sent it.

    ¡°Why?¡± I heard Helen¡¯s question.

    ¡°Why not?¡± I replied.

    My phone pinged again.

    Counter Girl: [Oh!]

    Counter Girl: [She returned a week earlier.]

    Counter Girl: [She looks a bit weird in that photo.]

    Counter Girl: [Um, you two didn¡¯t fight for some reason, right?]

    I showed messages to Helen.

    ¡°Why would she think that we would fight?¡± She asked, sounding genuinely confused.

    ¡°Because, obviously, I would at least try to hit on her pretty friend.¡± And I think I would, even if it was not her but someone close to the same level.

    ¡°Of course you would.¡± She nodded sagely. ¡°Will you tell her the rest?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± I repeated my earlier answer.

    Me: [Helen is simply surprised]

    Me: [not every day you meet your ex, who is now dating your best friend]

    And sent again.

    A moment later, my phone started ringing with an incoming call.

    ¡°Give the phone to her,¡± Claire said without even greeting me.

    ¡°I am also happy to hear your voice, Claire.¡± I joked, but did as I was told.

    ¡°Helen, if you try to scare him away, I will be so very crass with you!¡± The Counter Girl was speaking loud enough for me to hear.

    ¡°And I¡¯m also glad to hear your voice, bestie.¡± Helen had mischief in her eyes. ¡°But you have nothing to fear. I¡¯m not planning to scare him away.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I had to strain my ears to hear this one.

    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you think you should be worrying that I will steal him from you, though?¡± Oh, this was a good one.

    ¡°Eh?!¡± A surprised exclamation followed from the other side of the line.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking. For the most part. I feel like he will be the one crass with me if I try to scare you away.¡± Helen winked at me. The dare.

    ¡°Ah, um, please don¡¯t joke like that. My heart almost stopped here.¡± This one was almost inaudible.

    ¡°Well, darling has this effect on people.¡± Whatever she meant by this. ¡°Anyway, I heard about the situation and, well, decided to join as well.¡±

    The silence from the other side of the phone line said it all. I could almost picture how utterly lost Claire must¡¯ve felt right about now.

    ¡°Why would you?¡± Ah, this one was very loud indeed.

    A short pause fell as Helen looked straight into my eyes. There was a very strange look in her eyes.

    ¡°Because I love him, of course.¡± She stated it as a matter of fact.

    A long-forgotten memory surfaced in my head. Long before, I heard similar words from Olivia.

    ¡®I don¡¯t care how many women you have. I want to be with you.¡¯

    Ah, right. After so many years of substance abuse and head traumas, as well as the general level of insanity that was my life, one fact about my ex-girlfriend was glossed over in my recollection of her.

    I met her passionate gaze and fought back the chill crawling down my spine. Yes, how could I forget?

    Hidden beneath layers upon layers of her outer shell, Helen Smith was one hell of a crazy woman.

 Have you ever thought about buying a helicopter?

    Well, maybe calling her crazy was pushing it a bit too far, but there were certainly a few loose screws in that pretty head of hers.

    After that declaration, Helen and Claire spent about fifteen more minutes catching up. Women¡­

    Though, now that I think about it, I was glad that the ex-loner Helen finally found herself a friend. Yeah, this realization certainly took a while.

    After arguing a bit about who would pay the bill, which she ultimately won by ambushing me with an irrefutable argument:

    ¡°Have you forgotten my family name, darling? And, eh, who cares? My money is yours anyway.¡±

    The conviction in her tone made me question if I was the weird one here for a moment.

    Anyway, yeah, there certainly were a few loose screws.

    ***

    I looked out of the car window. Yeah, it was obvious. We were stuck in a traffic jam. Who could have guessed?

    Well, I had nowhere to hurry anyway, and the passenger seat was very comfortable, so I just decided to kick back and chill for a while.

    ¡°Hey, Helen, have you ever thought about buying a helicopter?¡± I asked an important question.

    ¡°Grandpa owns a few, so, no, not really. Why do you ask, darling?¡± My not-anymore-ex-girlfriend turned to look at me.

    ¡°Dunno, traffic has been pretty annoying as of late, and I don¡¯t see it becoming less of a problem as time goes on,¡± I explained.

    Through the rearview mirror, I watched how her expression turned into one of contemplation. Then she shook her head.

    ¡°If you want one, it¡¯s easy to organize. But it¡¯s not really that much more convenient from day to day. Unless you only go to places with helipads,¡± Helen said.

    Her argument was sound, but I could swear I heard a voice that screamed, ¡®Do it anyway, you big spender,¡¯ at me. Do I really need to visit a doctor?

    Anyway, we were currently on our way to Helen¡¯s apartment. If you can even call that three-story penthouse monstrosity as such. I really needed a shower and, maybe, a change of clothes.

    Judging by how Helen looked away when I asked if she still kept my spare wardrobe at her place, yeah, it was a useless question.

    I felt like I kept forgetting something, though. My phone¡¯s ringtone started playing. The one that was designated for Olivia¡¯s number.

    Oh. Right.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said as I picked up the call.

    ¡°Honey!¡± My girlfriend sounded as enthusiastic as ever.

    Helen took her eyes off the road since we, once again, were completely stuck. I caught her gaze and shrugged.

    ¡°How was the party?¡± I asked.

    I was genuinely interested in how Olivia spent the evening.

    A not-so-short retelling of their group visiting karaoke followed. With how enthusiastic her tone was, I came to the conclusion that the time was well spent.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve gone with you,¡± I only half-joked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we would¡¯ve been able to make Su sing so much with you present.¡± On second thought, she was right. ¡°If you feel curious, I will show you videos later.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± I said, nodding, forgetting that it wasn¡¯t a video call.

    ¡°So, um, honey. We, as in me and girls, are planning to go out some more today.¡± Her voice was quieter and quieter as she continued this phrase.

    ¡°And I¡¯m not invited?¡± I asked, feeling a bit concerned.

    ¡°No.¡± She was quick to deny, only to catch how easy her words were to misunderstand, so she started correcting herself. ¡°I mean yes. Erm. Argh. You are more than welcome, if you wish so.¡±

    I smiled, seeing how Helen silently snickered and shook her head at my antics.

    ¡°I just thought you would want to spend more time today with Claire. Alone.¡± Meanwhile, Olivia continued. ¡°How was your date, by the way?¡±

    It was my turn to sigh loudly and regale the tale of how I spent my night.

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. Claire left you all alone on a Friday evening?¡± My girlfriend sounded genuinely concerned.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I didn¡¯t quite understand what bothered her so much.

    ¡°How many?¡± Followed a strange question.

    ¡°What?¡± She lost me there.

    ¡°You. Alone. On any night through the weekend...¡± Olivia started explaining in a defeated tone. ¡°How many new girls did you pick up this time?¡±

    ¡°One.¡± I decided against beating around the bush.

    Hearing this exchange, Helen couldn¡¯t hold herself back anymore, letting out a bout of melodic laughter. Damn girl, even her laugh was beautiful.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I heard a weird noise from the other side of the phone line. ¡°Is she beautiful at least?¡±

    I looked at Helen, who raised an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.

    ¡°Extremely so,¡± I said straight, getting myself a pleased smile as a reward.

    ¡°On the scale from myself to Bella, where would you put her?¡± Well, I guess that was a fair scale for someone ¡®extremely¡¯ beautiful.

    ¡°Looks alone? Beyond Bella.¡± Bella had more allure, and I was very biased anyway, but strictly speaking, it was the truth.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Olivia sounded shocked.

    I ended the call and pushed the button for a video call. My girlfriend picked it up instantly.

    Olivia¡¯s pretty visage met my eyes, and she smiled brightly. She was sitting on the bed, wearing my t-shirt for some reason. Her hair was a bit in disarray, and, overall, she looked like she just woke up. At least there was no cursed warpaint marring her face.

    I smiled back. I was happy to see her, even if not in person. Ugh.

    ¡°Show me!¡± Olivia demanded.

    I glanced at Helen, who looked back and nodded. So I angled the phone in a way so that Olivia could see us both.

    A few seconds went by as the two girls studied each other.

    ¡°Olivia Torres, his girlfriend.¡± That was an open challenge.

    ¡°Helen Smith,¡± my no-longer-ex-girlfriend(?) replied with an amiable smile.

    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± I could hear the defeat in Olivia¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Likewise.¡± A polite nod.

    ¡°So, what do you think? Was I serious or not?¡± I decided to join in the conversation.

    ¡°Dunno, I think there is a need to do a thorough side-by-side comparison. This one is too dressed for me to judge.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her mock-thoughtful tone.

    ¡°Hey, bestie, are you going to get ready or what?¡± A voice could be heard from my girlfriend¡¯s side of the line, and then the owner of said voice showed up on screen, wearing only a pair of black thongs.

    I gave Patricia''s, if I recall correctly, figure a few seconds of my attention and returned my eyes to Olivia. Who obviously noticed my eye movement but chose to ignore it.

    ¡°Hey, wear something,¡± my girlfriend screamed at her friend.

    ¡°Why? As if you had never seen me before.¡± Only for her words to be ignored. ¡°Oh, are you VC''ing that boyfriend of yours? Hey, Michael, did you like what you¡¯ve seen? My offer still stands.¡±

    I felt a pang of a headache.

    ¡°Girls, can you talk a bit quieter?¡± Another voice joined in as a third girl showed up in the camera view. Only to see my face on the screen, go beet red, and lose her consciousness.

    I felt another pang of headache, this time even stronger.

    Though I must admit, Su Yin, with her hair down and wearing animal print pajamas, looked quite adorable.

 Can you repeat that?

    With this commotion, the talk naturally came to an end. Olivia said her hasty goodbyes and went to help up Su clan¡¯s first young lady. I wasn¡¯t able to fight back a chuckle at the absurdity of this situation.

    I shook my head and ended the call.

    ¡°This girlfriend of yours looks interesting,¡± Helen noted.

    ¡°She is,¡± I easily agreed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think she is a bit too accepting, though?¡± A valid question.

    ¡°I do.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But since she also put effort into acting according to her words, I don¡¯t see anything wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°I see. I can respect that.¡± She nodded. ¡°Hey, darling, should I act the same way?¡±

    My instinctual reaction was to repeat my usual spiel about ¡®showing me her true self¡¯, but I remembered Olivia¡¯s reaction to an answer like that.

    Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to let my opinion be known.

    ¡°Do you want a short answer or a long one?¡± I still tried to avoid it.

    ¡°Hm, a long one, please.¡± Helen trashed my hopes.

    I looked at my ex-ex-girlfriend. I really need to think about the way I should call her, eh? Helen felt my stare and gave me another one of her brilliant smiles.

    I sighed.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to say that it¡¯s up to you, but, in all honesty, I really would prefer you to at least put some effort into, if not becoming friends with them, then at least peacefully coexisting.¡± It wasn¡¯t the most eloquent speech I ever gave, but that should be enough.

    After hearing my words, Helen fell silent for a few minutes, completely focusing on the road.

    ¡°Will it make you happier?¡± Again with that question.

    ¡°Not having to deal with extra drama between people I care about? Yes, it certainly will.¡± An easy answer.

    ¡°I will give it a try.¡± Another minute or so of quiet contemplation went by before Helen finally broke the silence again. ¡°I won¡¯t start anything, but I will keep the right to retaliate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I truly am asking for.¡± I put my hand on her thigh and gave her a reassuring squeeze. ¡°If it¡¯s of any help, you can think about this as a chance to get some actual friends. As Just Helen.¡±

    I gave her thigh another reassuring squeeze. And another one.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Are you trying to cop a feel here?¡± Oh, she was fast to catch on. I tried to take my hand away from her leg, but she put her hand on top of mine. ¡°I don¡¯t remember telling you to stop.¡±

    I accepted this invitation and expanded the scope of my actions, gently massaging her leg from knee up.

    ¡°Darling, can you tell me more about these women?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I put some thought into it. You are already acquainted with Claire.¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°For Bella, Isabella Alvarez. Yes, that Alvarez woman.¡± I answered her unasked question. ¡°I think you will find her experience in running a business interesting, both on the above-ground and underground sides of it. As for dealing with her on a private level¡­ Basically, she is a female version of me. For better or for worse. Be ready for her to hit on you, but she will respect your boundary if you set one.¡±

    Mostly to not anger me, but this was better left unsaid.

    ¡°As for Olivia,¡± I paused for a moment. ¡°I think you will actually find it easy to befriend her, and, most likely, you will have a lot of fun spoiling her rotten. For someone who claims to be materialistic, she really is too innocent. Just let me put it straight: the girl has some deep-rooted insecurities. And I will be actually angry at you for even trying to manipulate her using them.¡±

    To emphasize the point, I even stopped the massage.

    ¡°Do you really think I would stoop so low?¡± She sounded a bit offended, judging by her tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will, but I know that you are more than capable of doing so.¡± I explained.

    The beauty behind the steering wheel turned to glare at me. I met her righteous fury with the cold gaze of a professional. Helen backed off first.

    ¡°I will do as you say, darling,¡± she said, lowering her eyes for a moment.

    ¡°I will take your word on that, Helen.¡± Another reassuring squeeze followed.

    Heavens, give me strength to fight off this temptation for a bit longer.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± She switched the topic back. ¡°Information-wise, I mean.¡±

    ¡°You can take your time and get to know them yourself.¡± I chided her lightly.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do just that.¡± She agreed. ¡°Now go back to what you were doing, darling. I just started getting into the mood.¡±

    Hearing her best spoiled princess impression, I felt an urge to tease her a bit.

    ¡°Yes, darling.¡± Helen seemed to enjoy calling me that, so I decided to return the favor.

    Judging by how her head snapped at me, I thanked the fact that we were dead-stuck at this traffic light.

    ¡°Can you repeat that?¡± I heard a slight tremble in her voice.

    Feeling extra mischievous and with a lot of additional recklessness from being so damn pent-up, I leaned in closer to her and slid my hand up her leg to the base of her thigh.

    ¡°Darling,¡± I whispered, almost touching her ear with my lips.

    It wasn¡¯t really a surprise, but the whole combo worked like a miracle. Helen shivered while her face went a notch redder. Finally, she bit her lower lip a bit, most likely trying to decide if she should kiss me.

    The sound of the horn from the car behind us ruined the atmosphere. Yeah, sure, how could we miss the fact that the light had been green for zero point three seconds already?

    Helen let out a labored sigh and returned her eyes to the road. The defeated expression on her face almost made me laugh out loud.

    ¡°You know, darling,¡± she called out. ¡°The idea of using a helicopter just started looking much more tempting.¡±

    The dead serious tone my darling used for those words did it.

 No comparison.

    I looked at my flustered darling, who was glaring at me with a mix of passion and blame in her eyes. A moment later, she hid her face in my neck as she leaned most of her weight into my side, while I supported her by hugging her slim waist

    We finally reached our destination and were currently walking toward the foyer leading toward the elevator designated for the penthouse apartment from the personal underground section designated for the owner of the said apartment.

    It was one of those ultra-luxurious apartment buildings where every apartment had its own entrance, so the residents could go about their lives unbothered in any circumstances.

    I slid the hand holding Helen¡¯s waist under her hoodie and felt her briefly shudder under my touch. Her quickened breath tickled my neck.

    Hm, I guess I overdid it with my massage. A bit.

    To be honest, the fact that I still had at least some resemblance of control over my actions was a miracle in itself. I guess the lifetime of exposure to Bella¡¯s antics paid off.

    I slid my hand down from her waist and into her pants. Providence blessed me with her choice to wear baggy sweatpants instead of tight jeans, I suppose.

    With another motion, mostly instinctive by this point in my life, my hand found its way into her panties. A sky-blue tanga, I noted absentmindedly. To no one¡¯s surprise, a wet feeling was reported back to my brain as my fingertips navigated their way to her entrance.

    An even stronger shudder went through Helen¡¯s body as her whisper reached my ear:

    ¡°Darling. Inside. Please.¡±

    For an instant, I actually contemplated the true meaning of her words. Whether it was a plea to wait until we get into the apartment or a complaint about my fingers staying at a teasing distance.

    With a truly gargantuan effort on my part, I managed to return my hand to its place on her hip.

    Eternity passed by the time we finally reached the elevator. All those doors, key cards, and passwords can go to hell for all I care.

    Once we got inside the cabin, I released the beauty in my arms, much to her dismay if that cute disgruntled noise she let out in protest was anything to go by.

    Only to silence her with a deep and greedy kiss. Met with equal passion from Helen. Our make-out session went for a lot longer than the short ride of a high-speed elevator, but neither of us cared.

    Some time later, I broke the kiss to ask something incredibly important.

    ¡°Where?¡± I asked, fighting back the urge to continue.

    The answer I got was a questioning gaze, so I had to explain.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Bedroom? Guestroom? Shower?¡± I paused for a moment, remembering a particular set of memories regarding Helen. ¡°Kitchen?¡±

    A light of understanding appeared in her eyes, and, for a moment, my darling got a contemplative look on her gorgeous face.

    ¡°How about right here?¡± Huh, this was unexpected.

    Helen turned her back to me, leaning her back into my chest and hugging my neck with her arms. Considering that she was almost as tall as me¡ªjust a few centimeters¡ªit made me bury my face in her hair. The baseball cap she wore had long since been discarded onto the floor, as it was in the way of a kiss.

    Only now had I noticed why my darling had this outlandish, well, not by my standards, idea. The back wall of the elevator¡¯s cabin was a full-height mirror.

    The mirror image showed a truly mesmerizing picture.

    Helen curled her back, grinding her bum against my hips, while she held her arms up, hugging my neck. Which, in turn, made her hoodie ride up, showing her slim waist and flat stomach.

    Without wasting much time, my hands moved on their own, helping her get rid of the hoodie and leaving her upper body completely bare.

    My mind froze for an instant, trying to comprehend how this already ten-out-of-ten girl somehow managed to grow even more beautiful in the year since we met last.

    I shook my head, breaking off the trance I had gotten into here, and cupped her breasts, marveling at how they were both not too small and not too large, immaculately working in that ideal balance of her perfect proportions.

    I kissed her shoulder, gradually, bit by bit, getting closer to her neck, feeling how the most beautiful woman I ever met in my life reacted to every one of my actions. Both in front of my eyes and in that reflection.

    A quick motion of my hands, and her pants fell to the floor. Another one and her panties joined them as well, leaving Helen completely bare before my eyes.

    Yeah, this time my brain completely short-circuited.

    Which my no-longer-ex-girlfriend noticed, judging by that smug smile of hers.

    ¡°Do I look better than that girl in the video call?¡± What a petty question.

    ¡°No comparison.¡± I let my honest opinion be known.

    Her smile grew a notch more smug.

    Deciding to ignore her, I kissed her neck, getting a round of goosebumps, a shiver, and a pleased moan out of the beauty in my arms.

    I caught her eyes in the mirror and ran my fingers across her body, noting down all those minor reactions of hers.

    I felt a bit regretful that I forgot most of her weak spots in those twenty-six years, but, eh, I suppose, it would be twice as fun to rediscover them all, ain¡¯t it?

    ¡°My darling Helen,¡± I whispered into her ear as my fingers kept dancing all over her pristine form.

    Whether it was my words or my actions, she leaned even more into me. Which, in turn, only added more fuel to the flame of my lust.

    ¡°Helen, my darling,¡± I called once again, getting the same reaction out of her. Did she really like it that much?

    Sadly, I''ve all but reached my limit already. Well, there was a long day ahead for me to enjoy playing with my beautiful darling.

    It was time for the main course.

    ¡°My darling,¡± I repeated for the third time. ¡°I underestimated how beautiful you had become since I had seen you.¡±

    A pleased hum, mixed with yet another moan, was the only answer I got in response to my words.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be a bit rough. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡± I used the last ounce of my willpower to ask this.

    ¡°Do as you wish, darling.¡± And got the answer.

    So I did.

 You dont need to worry, darling.

    I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of the hot water streaming down my body. Just the right temperature. Just the right pressure. Life was good.

    After those last few hours of enjoying each other, the both of us felt hungry, and since Helen still wanted that date I asked her on earlier, we decided to go out for dinner.

    Taking a shower together would just start the cycle of sex anew, and since my darling needed more time to get ready, she took one first. Now it was my turn, and I was taking my time, enjoying the newfound clarity of mind.

    I couldn¡¯t decide where we should go on our date, though. Food-wise, some fancy place would be a go-to, but a date there would be a bit too... normal?

    On the other hand, bringing a properly dressed-up Helen somewhere that wasn¡¯t VVIP-only was a recipe for disaster. The prospect of spending some time in the friendly company of Officer Zhang for the second night in a row wasn¡¯t all that high on my priority list right now.

    I turned around, wincing a bit as the claw marks on my back stung under the pouring water. They would be gone by the morning tomorrow, unless my darling decides to reapply them after our date, that is.

    So, where should I take Helen for our date?

    The mall date with Olivia showed me how limited my perspective on that matter actually was. High-class parties, fancy restaurants, private beaches and/or islands, yachts, nightclubs¡ªthe lot of those¡ªintermixed.

    If I counted one-night stands as dates, then seedy bars would dominate the statistic one-sidedly.

    There was also an issue of time, as it was already nine p.m.

    So, I guess it¡¯s back to step one. I needed a place with good food that wasn¡¯t just an eatery. Well, I knew one like that¡ªBella¡¯s place. And my personal lounge would limit the potential amount of trouble.

    With this in mind, I grabbed a towel and dried myself. A gut feeling¡ªthe one that was honed through the years of dancing with death¡ªtold me I shouldn¡¯t leave the place fully naked for no reason at all.

    Wrapping the towel around the lower half of my body, I left the bathroom.

    ***

    ¡°You.¡± The voice of Frank Smith, Helen¡¯s grandpa, greeted me.

    Thank you, gut feeling. This meeting would¡¯ve been at least twice as awkward if I were fully naked.

    ¡°Me.¡± I agreed with a nod.

    I could see how his face gradually started turning a deeper shade of red.

    A melodic giggle from my darling broke the tension. I turned my eyes and saw Helen holding a tray with a tea set on it.

    I gave her a once-over, noting that she was almost done with her preparations. At the very least, she had already chosen the dress. A frilly, semi-casual white one-piece with violet undertones. Of similar design to the one Claire was wearing yesterday.

    I felt a wave of relief wash over me, remembering Olivia¡¯s makeshift fashion show a week ago. And another wave, this time of regret, since I wouldn¡¯t mind watching one anyway.

    ¡°I take it that you have already made a choice?¡± Grandpa Smith said to his granddaughter.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She agreed.

    ¡°I hope you understand that this choice can have consequences, right?¡± The Head of Smith family asked.

    ¡°You said it yourself that the matter of choice is up to me and me alone.¡± Helen protested.

    What were they talking about?

    ¡°Yes, and I meant it. The clans will stay out of this matter. Officially, that is.¡± Whatever he was talking about, it sounded serious. ¡°But what if heirs decide to use their resources to take it in a more discrete manner?¡±

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    ¡°If they think that the man I choose to support is easy to deal with, let them try.¡± Helen¡¯s voice started getting heated.

    ¡°Helen, sweetheart.¡± Grandpa Smith tried to calm his granddaughter down.

    ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t even start. We''ve had this talk before. You know my answer.¡± But she only became more agitated instead.

    I looked at this drama, racking my brain in a vain attempt to understand what the fuck was going on.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I chimed in. ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, darling.¡± She responded with a smile.

    I ignored the glare from Grandpa Smith and decided to change the topic.

    ¡°Where are my clothes, by the way?¡± I had to get ready as well.

    ¡°I put the one you came here in, as well as a few options I think would look good on you, in the master bedroom on the third floor.¡± How thoughtful of her.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I voiced my gratitude and turned to leave.

    Only to hear the noise of the breaking teacup. I guess the old man saw the claw marks. My condolences. This bastard was corrupting your little princess again.

    ***

    I dressed up unhurriedly. Aside from my original outfit, my darling also left three more similar options ready for me to choose from. How considerate of her, indeed.

    After a bit of consideration, I chose the one that was done in a similar color scheme to the dress I saw Helen wearing just now. White and violet, her usual color scheme.

    Did she also want to bring more color into my life? Quite possible.

    After putting my wallet, phone, and Kouzuki clan seal into pockets of the new jacket, I waited for five more minutes, deciding that this would be enough for the people below to finish their talk.

    When I finally came downstairs, the Head of the Smith family had already left. As for Helen, she was busy gathering the shards of the broken cup.

    I watched her in silence, waiting until she would notice me. Which she did surprisingly quickly.

    ¡°Darling,¡± she called out in a cheerful tone. ¡°You are ready?¡±

    I noticed how her eyes lit up a little bit when my darling saw which outfit I ended up choosing. Well, this was already enough of a payoff for me.

    ¡°Yep,¡± I said, nodding in agreement. ¡°What about you?¡±

    Helen finished her task at hand and checked the time on her phone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready in a few. My make-up needs a few small touches more.¡± I got my response.

    ¡°I have no idea why you still wear make-up, to be honest.¡± Heaven knows, her baseline was more than enough already.

    ¡°Because I want to be the best version of myself for you,¡± Helen replied matter-of-factly.

    The conviction in her tone was a bit worrying, but, eh, as long as she was happy, I guess.

    I followed my darling into the designated make-up room.

    ¡°Want to know what we were talking about with Grandpa earlier?¡± Helen read my mind.

    ¡°Well, it did sound like it was a serious matter, and it seems to be involving me somehow.¡± I shrugged, yet I didn¡¯t deny my interest.

    ¡°You know that I get marriage proposals almost daily, right, darling?¡± She asked, and, after I nodded in confirmation, she continued. ¡°Grandpa made it crystal clear that the ultimate choice in the matter is in my hands. The Smith family is big enough that we can ignore most suitors outright, but even we can¡¯t refuse all of them. It¡¯s a matter of clan reputation and all that.¡±

    I had a bad feeling about where this story was leading.

    ¡°Of those proposals, the vast majority are sent ¡®just in case¡¯. In baseless hope that someone would catch my attention.¡± My darling continued. ¡°Well, I already made my choice, so no such luck for them.¡±

    I caught her gaze through the mirror and returned a smile. Still, I wasn¡¯t certain how I should feel about her words. Not with my commitment issues.

    ¡°In theory, what will you do if I refuse?¡± I had to ask this.

    ¡°I will die alone, waiting for the day when you change your mind.¡± Her words overlapped with Bella¡¯s declaration about waiting for her in the afterlife.

    I honestly felt lost for words.

    Fuck.

    ¡°So,¡± Helen abruptly changed the topic back. ¡°Yesterday, I got two new proposals, which we can¡¯t even ignore.¡±

    I felt my head throb. No way¡­

    ¡°Elder H¨¤o, the best friend of my grandpa, the Head of the Long clan, called him to tell the news.¡± No. Fucking. Way. ¡°Apparently, he got two new grandsons out of thin air. The heirs to the Long and Kouzuki clans, respectively. And they both proposed.¡±

    They actually did it¡­

    I really should stop making stupid and reckless decisions. Even if they were just a joke.

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to worry, darling. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Even if it starts a war between our clans.¡± I could see the inner crazy of this kooky girl showing itself.

 At the very least.

    I fell silent, trying to process the current situation. Now that I''ve thought about it, my earlier idea about giving my darling a surprise could actually backfire horribly in so many different ways.

    What was even worse was that there was no good way to fix it at this moment. It was a choice between two lesser evils. I could either stick with playing dumb or tell her the truth right now and hope she won¡¯t think it¡¯s an excuse.

    Fuck.

    ¡°I understand it¡¯s a lot to take in, darling.¡± It seemed like Helen misunderstood the reason for my silence.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I started talking, only to draw a complete blank on how I should proceed.

    I watched as her smile slowly faded away.

    ¡°Just, at the very least, give me a chance before disappearing, please?¡± There was a desperate plea in her voice.

    I took a step toward her, hugging her from behind and putting my head on top of hers. I could feel her shivering like a leaf. Ugh, I guess my track record was bad enough, and she was actually afraid of me deciding to run away again.

    I kissed the top of her head, enjoying the smell of her shampoo. And trying to buy myself some time to think.

    Well, since there was no good way forward anyway, let¡¯s just stick with the truth once again. It has actually worked so far.

    I took a Kouzuki clan seal out of my pocket and brought it before her eyes.

    ¡°You know what this is, right?¡± I asked her.

    In the mirror, I saw her eyes go wide from shock. But she quickly took her emotions under control and slowly nodded.

    ¡°Which means that I have some things to explain.¡± I continued.

    I got another slow nod in response.

    ¡°Well, let me introduce myself again, then.¡± I gave her one of my numbered smiles. It was one of those polite fake ones I¡¯ve seen the Lady in White use so often in the past. ¡°Kouzuki Shinji, grandson of Kouzuki Maya, the only male member of direct bloodline of the Kouzuki clan, nice to meet you.¡±

    I felt the body held in my arms stiffen a bit.

    ¡°As well as Long Tian. Son of Long Chen. Grandson of Long H¨¤o and Kouzuki Miya. At your service.¡± The smile on my face changed its number to the cold and regal one from Lady in Black¡¯s repertoire.

    Helen froze completely. I just hoped she would give me the chance to explain before overthinking it too much.

    ¡°And you''re only telling it to me now because?¡± The Smith family¡¯s heiress¡¯ voice was ice-cold.

    ¡°Because of what I just heard from you. And I decided that keeping it from you any longer could lead to even worse misunderstanding on your part.¡± I replied in a level tone.

    ¡°Oh, and what can I possibly have misunderstood here?¡± A bit of heat... A lot of heat slipped into Helen¡¯s words.

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    ¡°Well, the worst-case scenario should be something like everything that happened today being a part of some sort of scheme, including using Claire.¡± With how her eyes flickered after hearing my words, I understood that I hit the bullseye. ¡°Well, the actual worst-case scenario would be me lying to you from the very beginning.¡±

    ¡°And it is not?¡± She asked with a hint of challenge in her voice.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I would be ashamed if it was. There are too many holes and ways for it to backfire. Hell, it already did.¡±

    I felt her body relax a bit.

    ¡°I guess the proposal wasn¡¯t your idea either, then?¡± I expected this question.

    ¡°No, this was actually a part of my plan.¡± I answered with the truth.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Clearly, she wasn¡¯t expecting me to say this. ¡°Explain.¡±

    I felt Helen relax completely into my embrace.

    ¡°Yes, darling.¡± I smiled. No numbers attached.

    ***

    I told her the rest of the story I skipped earlier in the caf¨¦, starting with getting my hands on the diary of Long Chen and all the way to the meeting with Long H¨¤o yesterday.

    Time shenanigans, obviously, were still left out of it all.

    ¡°So, our meeting was a real coincidence?¡± Helen asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°And you just so happened to meet Claire?¡± She continued her questioning.

    ¡°Yes.¡± This was the truth, anyway. After a moment to think, I decided to add, ¡°To tell you the truth, I had a hunch her ¡®pretty friend¡¯ could be you. But it would require too much of a logical leap to take seriously.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Was her only reaction to my words. ¡°And why haven¡¯t you told me this right away?¡±

    I looked to the side.

    ¡°I thought it would be amusing to see your surprised face.¡± I still thought it would be fun.

    Instead of answering me, my darling just rolled her eyes and let out a long, defeated sigh.

    For a couple of minutes, we both kept silent.

    ¡°I guess you told your grandparents about this arrangement of yours?¡± Yet another question.

    ¡°Yep.¡± And yet another answer.

    ¡°Really?¡± Helen did sound a bit surprised.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I repeated myself.

    ¡°And what was their reaction?¡± There was a lot of curiosity in her words.

    ¡°You have two clans worth of direct bloodlines to repopulate.¡± I quoted the Lady in White.

    And another bout of silence followed.

    ¡°Three.¡± Helen corrected me. ¡°You have three clans worth.¡±

    I put some thought into how I wanted to reply.

    ¡°Three it is then,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But let¡¯s wait a few years first.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± As usual, another one of those.

    ¡°Because I want to see what comes out of this arrangement first, and having kids will complicate everything to a whole new level.¡± This was the rationale behind my words.

    ¡°I see.¡± I could feel that my darling wasn¡¯t entirely happy with my answer.

    Well, since my rationale wasn¡¯t enough, let¡¯s add some of my feelings.

    ¡°Helen. If having my kid will make you happier, fuck it, let¡¯s do it. Today. Tomorrow. Any day. I know you will be able to take care of him or her.¡± I said, staring into Helen¡¯s eyes through the mirror image. ¡°But I am not ready. I am a mess.¡±

    And it wasn¡¯t an excuse. I could tell her about almost ending it all two weeks ago. Or being ready to die a week ago. How about almost killing that guy yesterday?

    But why would I?

    ¡°At the very least, I want to be able to tell my kid that I love their mother.¡±

 So unfair.

    Things got pretty awkward after those words.

    It was that weird limbo where neither of us knew what should be said. Or so it seemed from my perspective. As for what Helen was actually thinking about, I had no idea whatsoever.

    Well, judging by the fact that my darling focused on her makeup, I guess the date was still a thing. Not the worst possible outcome.

    ***

    The elevator ride ended, and we found ourselves in the parking lot.

    As I was contemplating if I should say something or give Helen some more space to think, she spoke first:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± My darling apologized.

    ¡°What for?¡± I genuinely couldn¡¯t understand.

    Helen wasn¡¯t in the wrong, nor did her words hurt me in any way.

    ¡°For letting my emotions get the better of me,¡± she actually sounded a bit guilty.

    ¡°You are forgiven,¡± I said with a smile, ¡°even though I think you did nothing wrong.¡±

    ¡°Darling!¡± Helen exclaimed in a happy tone.

    I gave up trying to wrap my head around this situation and decided to just go with the flow. After some consideration, I offered my elbow to the lady I was currently escorting, and she took it with zero hesitation, leaning into my side.

    ***

    I was driving the car, the same one we came here in, through the late-evening cityscape.

    Helen ambushed me with facts and logic: I knew where we were going; she felt a bit tired after everything I did to her through the day; she called ¡®not it¡¯ first.

    The odd gleam in her eyes, as well as that ¡®up to no good¡¯ smile on her pretty face, made it obvious enough that my darling had something else on her mind. I still decided to play along in an attempt to atone for my earlier sins.

    I also felt curious about what exactly that mischief was that she planned to cause.

    The dainty hand landing on my leg was the answer I got shortly after. Young Lady Smith felt like taking revenge for my earlier transgressions.

    I glanced at my darling, and she met my gaze with a playful smile as her hand creeped upward. How devious!

    ***

    The ride was quite pleasant, as the traffic had died down for the most part by now, and I deliberately chose a longer route towards our destination.

    My eyes were focused on the road, even though these side and back streets were almost empty, with only a few cars bringing their passengers to wherever their destination was.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I called out to the beauty in the passenger seat.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Helen replied with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

    ¡°I wanted to ask, what are you trying to do here?¡± I actually did wonder what her endgame was.

    She had done her best to rile me up, with the tent in my pants being the obvious indication of her success.

    ¡°Nothing~¡± That bit of playfulness hasn¡¯t gone anywhere.

    Her hand hasn¡¯t stopped, either.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± I shrugged, forcing myself to calm down.

    After the marathon we went through earlier, my self-control was back, so it wasn¡¯t all that hard to accomplish. No matter how beautiful Helen was, her methods were nowhere near Bella¡¯s. Even the younger version.

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    I glanced in the rearview mirror, noticing the slight panic in Helen¡¯s expression as she watched her efforts become undone.

    ¡°Hey!¡± My darling protested with a cute pout.

    I caught her hand with mine and brought it to my lips to give it a light kiss on the knuckles. This little gesture placated my not-anymore-ex-girlfriend, eliciting a round of giggling. Well, I was glad she seemed to be in a good mood.

    ***

    The guy manning the post at the entrance to Bella¡¯s personal parking recognized me and opened the gates. Knowing her, she left the instructions beforehand, so it was well within my expectations.

    I left the car and opened the door for my date, who gave me a deathly stare but still took my offered hand.

    I had overdone it again.

    Well, in my defense, I couldn¡¯t really help myself, since watching how the mask of Young Lady Smith slowly crumbled into a flustered mess of passion and lust under my attacks was simply too entertaining.

    I helped Helen out of the vehicle, and she leaned into me, whispering into my ear:

    ¡°I will definitely pay you back for this.¡±

    By some chance, were her words intended as a threat?

    ¡°I certainly am looking forward to you trying.¡± I smiled in response, hugging her waist.

    She let out a cute snort, actually leaning more of her weight onto my side, and let me lead her towards my personal lounge.

    Two flights of stairs and a short walk later, for the whole duration of which I had fought against the temptation, we finally arrived at our destination.

    The room met us with a familiar red and black interior. The audio system was working, letting the club music inside the otherwise soundproof room, adding to the atmosphere.

    As soon as the door behind me closed, Helen all but threw herself at me, dragging me into a passionate kiss. Which I obviously didn¡¯t shy away from.

    I still had to break it off about two minutes later, since it came to a point where I had to make a very hard decision.

    ¡°Helen, darling,¡± I called out, once more feeling how she shivered after hearing that word. ¡°Should we order something to eat first? Or should I rather eat you instead?¡±

    She dragged me towards the table, not bothering to verbalize her answer. Only to stop a few steps before it and put her hand on my chest in a coquettish manner, making me stop in my tracks.

    Huh, so my guess about her answer was a bit off. If that lust in her eyes was something to go by. My darling kept looking into my eyes and took a step back, followed by another two, stopping just before the table.

    Without breaking eye contact, Helen raised both of her hands, slowly dragging her dress up, showing more and more of her skin. Must I add that she did it in a tantalizingly slow manner, following the rhythm of the music?

    The process stopped after the hem of her dress reached her waist, showing off a small triangle of violet silk held by two ties on the side of her hips.

    Despite everything¡ªyears of experience and previous exposure¡ªthe picturesque scene in front of my eyes still managed to thoroughly mesmerize me. So unfair.

    This fact hasn¡¯t escaped her notice, either.

    And she loved it.

    With a very pleased smile on her perfect face, Helen continued her little performance, this time moving her hands down her immaculate curves with deliberate slowness.

    Caught in this hypnotic dance, my eyes followed her every motion, as if glued. All the way until her fingers finally reached the ties on her hips.

    Taking a hint, I raised my gaze to look into my darling¡¯s eyes again. Helen met my stare with a playful smile.

    ¡°Darling,¡± I heard her calling me. ¡°So, should we order something to eat? Or would you rather¡­¡±

    She lowered her eyes, not even bothering to finish the question, fully assured that this round was her complete and total win. I shook my head at her antics, but she was right, as I was ready to pounce on her already.

    Though, you know, the two could play this game, right?

    I gave her the best roguish smile of mine, something I knew was a huge weakness of hers, and enjoyed that short instant of realization in her eyes. And a moment later, the untied piece of silk slipped onto the ground.

    Right at that very moment, the door into the lounge opened, letting a familiar figure in.

    ¡°Has he told you about having other women already?¡± Bella¡¯s assistant, Lyta, if I recall correctly, asked a question entering the room.

    Time slowed down to a crawl as my mind raced, calculating if the satisfaction from killing her would be worth pacifying a thoroughly pissed-off Bella.

    Then I looked at how both girls'' expressions went from being lost for Helen and righteous fury for Lyta to recognition and about the same state of shock.

    Huh, were they acquainted before?

    ¡°Helen/Lyta?¡± Two girls chorused.

    So, they knew each other, indeed.

    ¡°Why are you here/with him?¡± And again.

    I felt a pang of headache, anticipating the long talk that was waiting for me.

 There wont be a next time.

    My mind was still racing, mostly trying to understand what was going on. Piece after piece, it all fits into a whole picture.

    And it was one of the most useless realizations I have had in recent times: Lyta was Claire¡¯s other friend. The one Counter Girl told me about yesterday.

    Whatever.

    And a second realization dawned upon me¡ªHelen was still in that state of undress after that little show she performed for me. And Lyta, Bella¡¯s personal assistant and side chick, was currently a bit flustered, her eyes busily shifting around, ogling my darling.

    Still in that zoned-in state, my body moved on its own. Before an assistant of my special woman could even react, my hand was already clamping her face, effectively closing her eyes.

    The idea of just killing her for good measure surfaced in my mind again.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I called out.

    ¡°Darling?¡± I heard her responding in shock.

    ¡°Dress yourself before my possessive nature makes me hurt your friend.¡± I said it with a defeated sigh.

    Only now had my brain registered that Lyta was busy struggling to pry my hand away. It was a futile effort, of course, but it brought me some really dark satisfaction.

    The weirdest thing in this situation was the fact that Lyta still hasn¡¯t said anything at all. Hm. I looked back at her, watching how her struggles grew more and more frantic.

    I checked if Helen had finished straightening her attire, which she had, and I released my grip.

    My almost-victim fell to the floor, gasping for air. So that¡¯s why she was so quiet, huh?

    Tough luck.

    Despite being busy breathing, Lyta still found it in herself to glare at me with defiance clear in her violet eyes. Even though there was a healthy dose of fear mixed in as well.

    Why? Just why?

    I felt my lips stretch into an animal grin. This prey clearly needed to be taught a lesson.

    ¡°Darling,¡± Helen¡¯s voice brought me back to reality, lulling the beast back into sleep. ¡°Apologize to my friend.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± I refused.

    ¡°Why?¡± My darling tone was full of confusion.

    ¡°Ogling my woman so openly, she had it coming,¡± I stated the obvious. ¡°I already held back a lot.¡±

    I did, in fact, hold myself back. Both because she was one of Bella¡¯s people and because she was a friend of Helen and Claire.

    ¡°Darling, please.¡± I heard another plea. Then my no-longer-ex-girlfriend hugged me from behind, placing her chin on my shoulder.

    I weighed the pros and cons of the situation and came to a decision. The awkward mood from the previous conversation had just gone away, and me, deciding to be extra difficult, could very well bring it back.

    On the other hand, there were no real downsides to going along with my darling¡¯s wish.

    I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, chasing away the last of my irritation.

    ¡°Lyta,¡± I started, still keeping our staredown. ¡°I apologize for my overreaction; I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you.¡±

    This was not a lie.

    ¡°Yet,¡± I continued, not giving her time to answer, ¡°there won¡¯t be a next time. Am I clear?¡±

    If she dared to do this again, I would just break her neck, consequences be damned.

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    ¡°Crystal,¡± Lyta said, turning her objectively attractive face to the side and breaking eye contact.

    ¡°Good girl,¡± I praised her and extended my hand, messing her hair a bit.

    Why was it so hard not to antagonize this girl in particular?

    ***

    This little exchange ended with Lyta running away. Her face, as she did so, was still a bit red from both asphyxiation and anger.

    Against my expectations, Helen seemed to find this situation mostly amusing. I honestly expected more outrage for treating her friend like that.

    The mood changed once more, so we ended up going with Plan A¡ªordering something to eat.

    We finished our meal and were currently sitting side by side on one of the sofas, enjoying some white wine. The taste was quite exquisite, though it was hardly a surprise since I left the choice to my date.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone manhandle Lyta with such ease.¡± My darling said this out of nowhere.

    Helen took off her footwear and nestled into my side, a wine glass in her palms.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call her weak by any means; it¡¯s just that I am a monster myself,¡± I replied with a shrug.

    My darling nodded absentmindedly, taking another sip from her glass.

    ¡°Why have you even reacted like that?¡± Helen asked another question.

    I put my hand over her shoulders, bringing her a bit closer to me.

    ¡°You know she likes girls, right?¡± I met it with a question of my own.

    The beauty by my side put her head on my shoulder.

    ¡°I rejected her once or twice before. So, yeah.¡± Helen responded.

    She took a strand of her long hair and started tickling my neck.

    ¡°And here is your answer.¡± I replied.

    I turned my face and kissed the top of her head.

    ¡°Oh, were you feeling jealous?¡± A bit of pleased surprise in those teasing words.

    She tried to take another sip from her glass, only to find that it was empty.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I stated the obvious.

    I ignored her stare and busied myself with refilling the wine in her glass.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought you would admit to it so easily.¡± Her words made a lot of sense.

    Helen took the glass I offered her, and we assumed our earlier position again.

    ¡°A lot has changed this year, myself included.¡± I told another truth.

    I slid my hand to her waist and, after some more thought, continued all the way to her hip.

    ¡°Yeah. I noticed the change.¡± It was her turn to shrug.

    Tired, or bored, of playing with the strand of her hair, Helen put her hand on my leg.

    ¡°Hm, what does this change look like from your perspective?¡± I felt curious.

    I took a sip from my glass, enjoying the taste.

    ¡°It¡¯s complex.¡± Helen paused, seemingly looking for the right words. ¡°It¡¯s like the bad boy I fell for, who grew up into a troubled youth that charmed me once again, has finally become a terrible, terrible man and is here to sweep me off my feet completely.¡±

    From my leg, her dainty hand traveled all the way up to my cheek, turning my face to look at her again.

    ¡°Is this a good or a bad thing?¡± I asked, looking into her blue eyes.

    I watched her squirm a bit under my gaze, making me want to kiss her. Wanting more than I already was.

    ¡°I have no clue.¡± Helen smiled brightly. ¡°But I would love to find out.¡±

    She leaned closer, clearly waiting for that kiss.

    And I obliged.

    ***

    After we finished this bottle, another one took its rightful place on our table. Then another one. And a few more after that.

    And that¡¯s how our date went by¡ªdrinking, talking, and making out. We even danced a bit, both a bit too intoxicated to really care about the dance itself.

    Of course there was some sex involved; my darling enjoyed the one-way mirror play a bit too much, but, eh, not like I had anything to say against that.

    ***

    The taxi driver was, once again, a weirdly familiar-looking weirdo.

    A glance at the two of us through the rearview mirror, a knowing smile, and a thumbs up, and he focused on the road for the rest of the trip.

    A true weirdo, considering how fucking gorgeous Helen was. But, considering everything, he was a lucky one, wasn¡¯t he?

    Hm, where were we going? Eh, who cares?

    ***

    Three stories worth of stairs later, the two of us entered my apartment. Another make-out session commenced as we freed each other from our clothes. Followed by even more sex.

    Shower afterward, together. A mistake that led to another round.

    Judging by the way Helen almost keeled over after this one, it was her physical limit at the very least.

    Too bad, but sleep was important.

    I helped her dry herself and carried her to the bed like a princess¡­ Well, in a sense, Helen Smith was actually one of those.

    With this foolish thought, I spooned my darling and blacked out.

 The usual.

    Why did I wake up so early?

    This thought was the first thing that came to mind after I opened my eyes. The second thing was the urge to sneeze, since half of my face was covered in Helen¡¯s extra-long hair.

    Then the headache from being hungover, as well as the call of nature from all that wine I chugged yesterday, caught up as well. Well, shit.

    I extricated myself from the sleeping beauty¡¯s embrace, a healthy dose of reluctance included. With ingrained motion, honed with years of this lifestyle, I grabbed the pack of meds from the bedside table, popped a pill into my mouth, and went to the shower.

    Heaven bless ¡®Big Pharma¡¯, whose miracle medicine did the lion¡¯s share of heavy lifting in getting me back in working shape. A cold shower helped to take care of the rest, with the unpleasant side effect of being completely awake now.

    I glanced at the time, nine in the morning, and did a quick mental math calculation, trying to guess how much time it would take for Helen to wake up. The result I got was a ¡®couple of hours¡¯, give or take.

    I had some time to kill, and I had already skipped two days of my morning exercise routine, so my choice fell on going for a run.

    ***

    Mistakes were made.

    The pair of earbuds I took with me died about ten minutes in, and now I was left one-on-one with my thoughts.

    Most of which were about one thing. Or, well, a person.

    Helen.

    As I was jogging, I went over yesterday¡¯s events. Meeting. Talk. My words. Her answers. Emotions. Feelings. Results. Everything. Honestly, it all went, for the most part, according to my expectations. And it was a blessing and a curse at the same time.

    Just as I thought, my interest in Helen was still as strong as ever. Just as I hoped, she reciprocated it. So far, so good. If this meeting had happened two weeks ago, I would have dropped everything to be with her.

    That¡¯s where the downsides came in. Just as I expected, I wanted Helen very much. And, just as I feared, this feeling wasn¡¯t that much stronger than that first attempt with Bella back then, in the first life.

    Nowhere strong enough to keep my nature under control forever.

    I really should thank Grandpa Smith for his timely assistance, I suppose.

    Still, damn, I wanted her so much. And this thought brought with it the dilemma I felt yesterday. If I had to choose, would I be able to cut Helen off? At the same time, was she alone enough to outweigh Bella and Olivia in this equation?

    For fuck''s sake, why did it have to be so complicated?

    Well, of course Helen said she would give this a try. But, as a professional liar with a lifetime of experience under his belt, I had a hard time simply believing those words.

    How much of it was a lie? How much of it was what she thought was the truth? And how much of the rest would stand up to the test of time?

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    Let the time tell.

    Also, now that I had some time to think clearly, another problem I had pushed aside earlier surfaced.

    What will happen if I meet another woman that I already deemed as ¡®interesting¡¯ in my first run?

    Faces, names, and voices went by inside my head. It was quite an extensive list, I must add: a few of those I failed to pursue, a few of those with whom I separated due to circumstances, and a few I would like to try again.

    What was I supposed to do if I met one of them again?

    I drew a blank.

    Fuck it. I increased the pace, almost sprinting, trying to tire myself enough for my head to go blank.

    Haha, yes, let¡¯s just run away from bad thoughts.

    ***

    This was a good run, exercise-wise.

    I opened the door and walked into my apartment, feeling completely spent and drenched in sweat from all the exertion.

    The smell of breakfast being cooked welcomed me. Did Helen pick up cooking as well during our separation?

    ¡°Honey!¡± I got my answer in the form of a greeting.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I waved back to Olivia.

    Yeah, while I was away, my girlfriend decided to come back home.

    ¡°Go and take a shower; breakfast is almost ready.¡± She said this and turned back to the stove, not waiting for my answer.

    I shook my head and did as I was told. A few minutes later, I joined my silly girl in the kitchen.

    ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The usual.¡± She replied. A moment later, she added, ¡°I also brought some buns from Su¡¯s place, but I only got enough for myself.¡±

    I hugged Olivia from behind, burying my face into the side of her neck.

    ¡°What? Did you miss me that much?¡± My girlfriend asked with a hint of tease in her tone.

    Instead of answering, I tightened the hug a bit more. I actually did, and not only because of this feeling of peace that she always brought me.

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± She giggled a bit. ¡°Now unhand me, or this will be burned.¡±

    I obliged, but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek, eliciting another bout of pleased giggling.

    I took a seat on my usual chair, watching how Olivia finished the cooking process. She was about to serve the table when she paused and looked at me.

    ¡°We came back around four in the morning, and Helen is very grumpy when she lacks sleep. I wouldn¡¯t recommend trying to wake her up before noon.¡± I guessed her question and answered it.

    Olivia nodded and placed a plate in front of me: eggs, bacon, and a simple salad¡ªthe usual.

    ¡°How was your girls¡¯ day out?¡± I asked after wolfing down about half of my portion and sating that first wave of hunger.

    ¡°Hm? The usual, I guess?¡± Olivia shrugged in response.

    ¡°The usual?¡± I voiced my curiosity.

    ¡°Well, after we brought Su back to life,¡± my girlfriend gave me a deadpan stare. ¡°We went for some ice skating. Followed by just loitering in the mall. Window shopping, some tryouts, and ending up in an ice cream parlor¡ªas I said, the usual.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Well, Patricia had an idea about going for some clubbing, but Su shut it down,¡± Olivia sighed. ¡°Something about you burying us all together if something had gone wrong.¡±

    I nodded again. I should praise Yin for this one.

    ¡°So we ended up sleeping over at Su¡¯s place,¡± my silly girl finished her not-so-detailed story. ¡°Today Su is busy, Mimi has plans with her boyfriend, and Patricia is doing who knows what. So I returned home.¡±

    The last part made me smile, which Olivia noticed and turned away while biting her lip and blushing.

    ¡°Welcome home, Olivia.¡± I teased her a bit.

    Instead of answering, my silly girl stood up and switched her seat to my lap, giving me a crushing hug and a deep kiss. Which I responded to with my own.

    This went on for quite some time, until a not-so-polite cough interrupted us.

 Calculated risk.

    I felt Olivia tense up and even try to leave her place on my lap. Good thing my arm was wrapped around her waist, so it wasn¡¯t that hard to stop her. Which, in turn, made her calm down and relax.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± I greeted Helen.

    Of course, it was her. Who else could it have been? My darling looked at Olivia and me, obviously not happy with what her eyes were showing her.

    Ah, here I had gotten the answer I was looking for earlier on my run. Neither. I wasn¡¯t ready to just cut her off right away. Because my mind was busy calculating the best way forward at the moment.

    But the most obvious choice, pandering to young lady Smith¡¯s ego at the cost of making Olivia feel insecure, was out of the question.

    ¡°Morning, darling.¡± I heard a response.

    Helen¡¯s tone was perfectly polite, with a touch of frostbite mixed in. She also purposefully left the silly girl in my arms out of it.

    I gave Olivia a light squeeze, encouraging her to join in the conversation.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± My girlfriend read my cue. Good girl.

    Now I was waiting for Helen¡¯s response to gauge just how difficult she wanted to be with all of these things. The young woman in question shifted her eyes from me to Olivia, as if only now noticing her presence.

    ¡°Good morning.¡± The same tone was used once again.

    Hm, another round of observation told me a few things.

    First, Helen had already taken the medicine, as she didn¡¯t look like her head was killing her.

    Second. Her makeup also looked slightly different from yesterday¡¯s version.

    Third, out of every option available, she chose to wear only my shirt. Which I approved of with all my heart since she looked fabulous. The problem with that was a simple fact. With how tall Helen was, my shirt wasn¡¯t quite long enough to cover the bottom half at all.

    To sum it all up, my darling woke up and took her time to do all of that. Why?

    My peripheral vision reported to me that Olivia also noticed that wardrobe malfunction and was currently busy staring at the perfect beauty in front of us.

    Oh, that¡¯s the answer. Helen used the information I told her about Olivia¡¯s bi-curious nature, added my overreaction to Lyta¡¯s transgression, and decided to go for a power move.

    I shook my head, feeling a smirk form on my face. The nefarious scheme that could work so easily¡ªhow treacherous of her!

    Hm, and it also got me another unexpected answer. For a question that was raised a week ago. How would I react if one of the women I am interested in showed attraction to another one?

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    I didn¡¯t care at all. I guess Olivia, being accepted as a part of my life already, wasn¡¯t even considered a competition. Huh. Interesting.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I called out. ¡°If you want to play these types of games, how about we cut it straight to the result screen?¡±

    That ¡®young lady¡¯ mask on her face crumbled right away, as a realization colored her blue eyes.

    ¡°Why?¡± Ah, how much I love this question.

    ¡°Because this silly girl is a part of my life, and I already warned you about even trying this shit.¡± I chose one way to interpret her question and answered it.

    ¡°Honey?¡± Olivia finally cut in, trying to understand what was going on.

    ¡°You see, this... Young Lady Smith,¡± I said, watching how my darling shuddered from the way I called her, ¡°is trying to see if I would choke you out of jealousy for ogling her.¡±

    Helen¡¯s face went a shade paler.

    ¡°If not that,¡± I continued my words. ¡°Then it¡¯s a power play to try and put her foot down, making you feel insecure about your position in this arrangement.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± My girlfriend¡¯s reaction was a bit lackluster. ¡°Wait, you choked someone for that?¡±

    Olivia stared in obvious shock.

    ¡°Yep,¡± I said, nodding at her. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point.¡±

    Before my silly girl could ask something else, I turned to Helen.

    ¡°This didn¡¯t work. I would even say it backfired.¡± I spoke in an unhurried manner, looking straight into her eyes. ¡°Helen, I am flattered by the fact that you are so jealous. But this is like the thing I need the least in my life, period.¡±

    This was a gamble that had the highest chance of achieving the desired outcome. It was a bit unfair, but since when did I care about fairness?

    ¡°If that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be...¡± I continued. ¡°Well, I guess I never actually said it to you before. Let¡¯s break up?¡±

    It was a bluff, banking on the premise that her feelings for me would win over her jealousy and possessiveness. And if it failed, what was waiting for me would be one of the most toxic relationships I ever experienced.

    Yeah, the last fragments of her mask fell apart as tears started running down her face.

    What happened next managed to actually surprise me; I didn¡¯t even need to fake it as usual. Olivia left my embrace and went to the crying beauty to console her, all the while giving me a glare full of blame.

    What the actual fuck?

    ***

    No, for real, what the actual fuck?

    I was slowly drinking my coffee, watching how my current girlfriend was consoling my not-quite-ex-anymore girlfriend, who was still crying. The two of them were sitting on the usual kitchen window sill. Helen¡¯s head was on Olivia¡¯s lap, and the former was gently stroking the sobbing latter¡¯s hair.

    A picture that was outside my earlier calculations by a few light years.

    ¡°Honey,¡± I heard my silly girl¡¯s voice calling me. ¡°You know, Bella tasked me with watching out for you in case you decide to do something stupid and rash.¡±

    Did she?

    ¡°Did she?¡± I voiced my thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Olivia nodded. ¡°And this is, like, the exact situation to do that.¡±

    I took a sip of my coffee, weighing her words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I shook my head.

    ¡°Really?¡± My girlfriend raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then what do you think it was?¡±

    Her expression and body language, as she did so, momentarily made me see her figure overlap with Bella¡¯s. When did she even have the chance to copy my special woman¡¯s mannerisms?

    I took another sip of my coffee and then slowly exhaled in a defeated manner.

    ¡°It was a calculated risk. Something that I was willing to make to reach the outcome I really want.¡± Fuck it, let¡¯s go with the truth once again, shall we?

 Yeah, you really should be.

    My words naturally caused both of the girls to react. Olivia stared at me, waiting for me to continue. Helen was a lot less overt with hers, but it was still noticeable. At least with life experiences like mine.

    I finished my coffee and let out another tired sigh.

    ¡°Do I really need to say it out loud?¡± It was a question, for the most part, addressed to the sobbing one.

    ¡°I can make a guess, of course. I¡¯m not that sure if the result will be accurate, though.¡± My girlfriend repeated my words from a week ago, changing them slightly.

    ¡°But you would never know for sure unless I told you myself.¡± I finished the phrase.

    A smile briefly appeared on my silly girl¡¯s pretty face.

    ¡°Look, whatever it is, just avoiding the issue and trying to play it off won¡¯t work.¡± There was a certain amount of tease, which she didn¡¯t even try to conceal, evident in her eyes and tone.

    ¡°Yeah, and my choices no longer affect just me alone.¡± I brought up the words of my special woman. Fuck, how much I missed my Bella and her advice.

    I chuckled and shook my head, chasing away the negative thoughts.

    I suppose Helen finally grew tired of playing around, since her sobbing almost stopped. While I was almost certain that the initial outburst was genuine, about halfway through, the heiress to the illustrious Smith family got hold of her emotions and just presented a front that would get her a favorable reaction.

    My hand reached out, instinctively looking for a pack of cigarettes. A truly odd thing, since I neither bought any nor was able to break the habit in those two weeks.

    ¡°Speaking of quotes. Darling.¡± I noticed how my hopefully-not-ex girlfriend perked up a little upon hearing the change of address. ¡°¡®I don¡¯t care how many women you have. I want to be with you.¡¯ It''s not that easy to follow your own words, is it now?¡±

    Helen sat upright, her eyes a bit puffy from the crying, and glared at me, which I met with a condescending smirk. This charade has gone on long enough already.

    I saw her lips moving as she said something, but it was too quiet. I just kept looking at her, waiting.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not easy.¡± Helen repeated herself, this time loud enough for me to hear.

    ¡°Good.¡± I nodded, accepting her answer. ¡°With this out of the way, let me repeat myself. Helen, how about we cut it straight to the result screen?¡±

    My words actually made her freeze again.

    ¡°You won.¡± I sighed in defeat. ¡°I am, frankly speaking, out of options. There is exactly one way forward that won¡¯t result in a complete disaster, from my perspective, of course, and it completely depends on your actions and attitude.¡±

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    Honestly, this was both the truth and another gamble. If I was no longer alone, I couldn¡¯t avoid other people¡¯s choices affecting me.

    ¡°Just one?¡± Helen asked.

    ¡°Yep,¡± I confirmed.

    The bets had been placed; no more bets.

    Judging by the look on her pretty face, she was busily calculating the various options. A few minutes went by like that. Olivia, the good girl she is, just kept observing the situation in silence, still stroking my darling¡¯s hair all the while.

    ¡°I see.¡± It seemed like my darling had come to some sort of conclusion. ¡°Will it make you happier?¡±

    This was a weird question, all things considered. But my gut told me it was an important one. Especially coupled with the intense look in her clear blue eyes, mixed with something that I wasn¡¯t quite able to read.

    ¡°Yes, it will.¡± I guess it was a good thing that I had an answer ready.

    I lowered my eyes, looking into the empty cup. There was nothing I could do in this situation anymore, bar running away. A choice was made, so I could just relax and leave it all to chance.

    I fought down a smile. Ah, this situation was so interesting, and I was enjoying myself very much right now. But showing it would break the fragile balance of the current situation, messing with my chances.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a draw, then.¡± I guess my earlier gamble was successful.

    ¡°What kind?¡± I had to ask for confirmation.

    ¡°Hopefully? Win-win.¡± My darling responded. ¡°Realistically? Let¡¯s pray that we will be able to avoid a lose-lose one.¡±

    I nodded, acknowledging the truthfulness of her words.

    ¡°Helen, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I took the chance to apologize for everything and nothing in particular.

    ¡°Yeah, you really should be.¡± Her tone was cheerful, and she said those words in a joking manner. But I had a hunch that she meant it one hundred percent.

    ***

    The conversation ended with a temporary truce. Things were mildly awkward for both Helen and me, with Olivia¡¯s presence both helping to mend it and being an aggravating factor at the same time.

    I tried to run away to clear my head, or such was my excuse. But my girlfriend quickly vetoed the notion¡ªsomething or other about the dangers of leaving me without supervision and my propensity to hook up with more girls if left alone.

    It was not like I could argue with that, considering my track record so far.

    My darling had a good laugh at my expense, watching the scene of how Olivia mouthed me off. Which actually broke a lot of ice between the two girls. Or, at least, that¡¯s what I choose to believe in.

    It was hard to miss the obvious signs of insecurity in my silly girl. Or barely hidden jealousy in the eyes and body language of my darling. But that was well within my expectations.

    It was already a surprise that neither of them stormed off or tried to stab me in my sleep. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time, either.

    A series of new message pings from my messenger caught my attention.

    Bella: [Coming back.]

    Bella: [Tomorrow.]

    Bella: [Meet me.]

    Me: [when?]

    Bella: [Call you.]

    Oh, right. The actual situation was much more complex than balancing two girls at the same time.

 Last supper of sorts.

    I took my time rereading those short messages a few more times.

    Yeah. Right. Man. I was kind of fucked, wasn¡¯t I? Then again, this feeling of uncertainty, coupled with the genuine desire for a certain outcome, felt so refreshing. Interesting even.

    I raised my eyes from the phone screen and looked around the room. I was currently nestled into one of the bean bags in the corner, with a big cup of green tea in my hand and my smartphone in the other.

    Olivia bought this cup for me as a joke. Something about those goofy-looking owls drawn all over it was a complete mismatch with my usual image. According to my girlfriend, that is.

    Jokes on her! I adored this cup.

    The two girls were currently busy as Helen helped Olivia with her homework. Almost the same scene, with Claire in my darling¡¯s place, overlapped with my current vision.

    Oh, right, Claire. What should I do about her now? She brought the same feeling of peace into my life as Olivia did, and last week made it clear just how attractive I really thought she was.

    I was also very curious about the reasoning behind her involvement in this whole situation. I wasn¡¯t complaining, whatever it was, but...

    My phone pinged a few more times. Whoever might''ve been it this time?

    It was a long and very wordy message from Lady in Black that could''ve been summarized into ¡®Tian, we need to meet¡¯. I guess it was actually something that needed to be done.

    As soon as I get that qipao for Bella ready. There was a certain order to everything in life, and I certainly wanted the first woman I introduced to my¡­ family to be a special one.

    I wrote back an answer, which could be summed up as ¡®At the earliest convenience, but not today or tomorrow¡¯ and sent it.

    I took another chug out of my cup. Maybe we should buy a few different kinds? I was getting tired of this one¡¯s taste

    And threw another glance at the duo of my girlfriends. Helen, who got semi-decent, both to my relief and disappointment, was lecturing Olivia, who was just as dressed¡ªmy t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

    The skeptical part of my rationale tried to bring up the unpleasant thought. How much of it was a facade? But I refused to entertain it for more than an instant because, obviously, the answer was close to ¡®the whole¡¯.

    I wasn¡¯t naive enough to think otherwise. Not at such short notice. And not for those two girls in particular. Especially with my darling, who definitely wasn¡¯t used to the whole idea of sharing.

    She was certainly kooky enough to actually fulfill her promises, though. Or maybe it will end with me waking up chained to the bed in an undisclosed location one day.

    I winced, seriously weighing down the probabilities of that happening. Whatever higher power was fucking with my life, I pray to you, please don¡¯t.

    Another ping from my phone got me out of this train of thought.

    Nicole: [Michael. I still haven¡¯t forgotten that humiliation and will repay you soon. Just wait, you little bastard.]

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    I guess this was her way of telling me she was fine. Hm, what should I respond to her with?

    Me: [glad you are okay]

    Me: [I expect you to work hard on repaying this debt]

    Hm, I reread the second message a few more times, trying to decide if I should send something so easily misinterpreted. I sent it either way. To be honest, I felt curious about how far Nicole was ready to take this game.

    My messages were left on read. Fuck you too, Roah.

    ***

    I finished the rest of the backlog. Same old, same old. Except this time, I paid more attention to the messages about possible work.

    Last week showed me how much I craved opportunities to let out some steam. Ugh.

    My tea was already lukewarm, so I gulped down the rest of it. Should I refill my cup? Nah, I felt too lazy to move.

    I looked at the time¡ªaround one in the afternoon.

    ¡°Hey, girls,¡± I called out. ¡°Any plans for later today?¡±

    ¡°I am totally free for the whole week.¡± Helen was first to respond. A bit later, she added, ¡°Though, I would need to meet Grandpa at some point to get my phone back. And to learn about the date for that interview.¡±

    ¡°Nothing, really,¡± Olivia also joined in the conversation. ¡°I thought about just chilling and bingeing on some TV drama that Mimi recommended.¡±

    Oh, great.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡± I beamed a smile.

    ¡°Who?¡± They chorused.

    I mean, why the hell not?

    ¡°Both of you.¡± I replied naturally.

    The two girls looked at each other. Then at me. Then again at each other. Two beautiful faces had an expression of disbelief written all over them.

    ¡°Sure, darling,¡± Helen replied instantly, her usual confidence returning.

    ¡°Of course, honey,¡± Olivia said, with much less assurance in her tone. Which she tried to mask with a joke, ¡°Would this lowly commoner need a new dress for the fancy place you have in mind?¡±

    Huh, right, the question of ¡®where to¡¯ kind of escaped my attention right until this very moment.

    ¡°I actually thought about going for more of that ¡®normal¡¯ stuff we did last week,¡± I winged. ¡°I mean, you wanted to bring more colors into my wardrobe.¡±

    Helen was ready to say something when she heard the first part of my phrase, but the latter one made her rethink this notion.

    I suppose my hunch about my definitely-no-ex-anymore girlfriend wanting that as well was right on the money.

    ¡°So, honey, what gives?¡± I heard a question from Olivia.

    My silly girl managed to read me. Ah, I felt so proud.

    ¡°I just got a message from Bella,¡± I decided to explain. ¡°She¡¯s coming back tomorrow.¡±

    My girlfriend shook her head with a heavy sigh and went to start choosing her outfit.

    ¡°That Alvarez woman?¡± Helen chimed in with a question of her own.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°And how are those two things connected?¡± My darling sounded confused.

    I paused for a moment, looking for a simple way to explain it all.

    ¡°Bella went on a business trip last Sunday,¡± Olivia responded in my place. ¡°I guess Honey is thinking that she will kill him.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± My darling sounded shocked as she looked at me for confirmation.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I admitted with a shrug. ¡°I mean, there is so much stuff I¡¯ll need to explain to her, it¡¯s not even funny.¡±

    Like how I have two fianc¨¦es out of thin air, as well as the Kouzuki twins and me becoming two different heirs of two major clans. Yeah, this will be an interesting conversation, for sure.

    The feeling of being completely lost must¡¯ve shown on my face because young Lady Smith started laughing.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a last supper of sorts for you?¡± She asked with tears of mirth in her blue eyes.

    I refrained from making additional comments.

 A little bit more colorful.

    Helen Smith was beautiful. Scratch that. She was gorgeous. Stunning. Breathtaking even. And so much more on top of it. On a bad day.

    And on a good day, my darling became a walking magnet for trouble. Especially if you add someone as volatile and aggressive as Michael Roah into the mix.

    It took me quite an effort to persuade Helen to take off her makeup, and a lot more to argue about the worthlessness of dressing up too nicely. But I succeeded.

    Ave, me!

    In the end, the beauty in question reluctantly agreed. Between my and my girlfriend¡¯s wardrobes, the two girls managed to procure an outfit that was deemed both ¡®good enough¡¯ and ¡®safe enough¡¯ at the same time.

    My hoodie, a pair of not-quite-skin-tight pants that were a bit too short considering that Helen was taller than Olivia by a decent margin, a pair of sneakers, and a baseball cap completed the overall sporty look.

    Luckily, my darling had the same shoe size as my silly girl, or it would¡¯ve been a fiasco.

    After a bit of consideration, Olivia chose to wear a matching outfit, albeit a bit different color-wise. The only question I had was why she had to wear my hoodie as well. I had enough self-preservation instinct not to ask, though.

    And then they spent almost an hour arguing while using me as a dress-up doll. I had a terrible premonition about this date already.

    ***

    Having a flower on each hand was a great feeling. But I wouldn¡¯t recommend it to the average person. The amount of heated stares, filled with envy, jealousy, and, very rarely, admiration, I received was overwhelming.

    Yeah, thanks to the past me for the wise decision regarding the dolling up amount. I wasn¡¯t all that keen on visiting my friend, Officer Zhang, today.

    As such, while I continuously ignored the various reactions of people around us, the girl on my left, Olivia, assumed the role of a guide. I suppose that while Helen finally found a few friends, she still hasn¡¯t embraced the concept of just hanging around. Not that much of a surprise, if I was honest.

    The date went almost the same way as the one from last week.

    Various shops went by one after another, and soon after, I was relegated to being a baggage carrier. No real complaints there, as such was fate.

    I let myself act on autopilot, falling into the depths of my mind. Since both girls were busily talking to each other, it was fine to keep my input to a minimum.

    Food court. Early lunch. Amusing scene of Helen trying fast food for the first time. Both girls teamed up to steal my fries. Fun.

    Milkshakes, movie theater. A dreadful feeling slowly spread through my soul as Olivia told Helen about that atrocity of a movie series. Well, I guess the need for reinforcements in that cuddle pile for the fourth one had crossed my mind before.

    At some point, one of the shadows that had followed us all this time appeared and took the bags away, freeing my hand for yet more baggage.

    In the men¡¯s clothes section. My silly girl looked a bit apprehensive at first, most likely remembering the overzealous shop assistants from our last visit. But her fear was unwarranted, as those shameless ladies were quickly cowed in by young Lady Smith¡¯s icy glare.

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    Much to my surprise, my dates kept choosing clothes that were quite similar to my existing wardrobe. Except the colors, that is.

    Just as I thought, my darling mostly chose the whites and violets. As for my girlfriend, she had no particular palette in mind, simply looking for bright colors that weren¡¯t red.

    There were no neon-pink atrocities, though, so, at the very least, Olivia took it somewhat seriously.

    ***

    Fortunately, or, on second thought, not so much, the underwear section was skipped this time around.

    Another wave of shadows appeared to take off all the new additions to my clothing collection, so I once again had my hands free. For a few moments, that is, until both girls assumed their positions again.

    I had no way to check what time it was, but from rare glimpses of the outside, it was evident that the sun had already set. We leisurely strolled around the mall with no destination in mind.

    As we did so, for some reason, Olivia grew more and more fidgety. Why? I honestly had no idea whatsoever.

    After some time, the three of us found ourselves in that small bakery slash coffee shop from a week ago. The staff recognized me. Most likely because the large tip from the last time left quite the impression.

    Olivia chose hot chocolate and a piece of fruit shortcake. Helen fancied black tea and a cheesecake. As for myself, I ordered a cappuccino and a few pastries that caught my eye.

    We chose the table, and I put a tray on it. Luckily for me, this place only had round tables, so I had no need to pick a side. Small miracles.

    Small talk continued, still with minimal input from myself. From the looks of it, the initial awkwardness between Helen and Olivia went away for the most part. Not completely¡ªfar from it, in fact¡ªbut my darling no longer looked as jealous, and my silly girl cheered up with some of her confidence returning.

    To be completely honest, I enjoyed today immensely. Much more than I felt was possible.

    Huh, how many times had this exact thought crossed my mind in those two weeks?

    A phone call disturbed my idyllic state. I looked at the screen, checking to see who it was. ¡®Helen¡¯. What a surprise, indeed.

    I picked up the call.

    ¡°Give the phone to my granddaughter.¡± I recognized the voice of Frank Smith.

    I shrugged and did as he asked. My darling looked at me in surprise but accepted it nonetheless. A moment later, she excused herself.

    In a way, this was quite thoughtful of her, as it finally gave me an opportunity to ask Olivia what was wrong.

    ¡°So, why are you acting so fidgety?¡± I decided against beating around the bush.

    Which caught my girlfriend mid-sip of her hot chocolate.

    ¡°Erm, honey, what made you think so?¡± Shifty eyes, a slight tremble in the voice, to name a few.

    I chose to simply look at her without saying anything.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Olivia raised both of her hands in surrender. ¡°Erm, it¡¯s something stupid.¡±

    She paused. I kept on waiting.

    ¡°I thought you would...¡± Halfway through her words, her voice became inaudible.

    I gave it a spin in my head. Oh. It was pretty stupid.

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± I asked.

    It was my silly girl¡¯s turn to look at me, waiting for the explanation.

    ¡°There are, of course, many reasons why I wouldn¡¯t do it.¡± I extended my arm, catching Olivia¡¯s hand. ¡°That place is too small. And it¡¯s already full with just me and you.¡±

    I''ve had this idea running around in my head since last week. I needed a bigger place; that much was obvious. But even if I did so, this apartment already had symbolic meaning attached to it.

    ¡°That place will be your home.¡± A word, the importance of which I didn¡¯t understand until I lost Bella. ¡°For as long as you hold that key.¡±

    With fascination, I looked at how Olivia went through barely perceptible changes. Her look, her expression, her posture, and her whole demeanor changed momentarily.

    And then her pretty face bloomed with one of those brilliant smiles that made my life a little bit more colorful.

 A true rarity in my life.

    Helen opted to ignore the noticeably more cheerful Olivia. A valid choice, all things considered. And I was thankful for her not making a scene out of it. Win-win for her.

    Instead, she focused on finishing her food and retelling the contents of the phone call she just finished.

    Grandpa Smith needed to meet her as soon as possible to discuss the plans and scheduling of the marriage interview. Ideally, today, since he would leave to attend the same convention as Long H¨¤o.

    With this, the overall atmosphere changed once more, since both girls seemed to have something on their minds.

    I could make a solid guess that it was tied to my choice of where to spend the night. I closed my eyes, trying to calculate the best way forward, but stopped myself. Yeah, I already decided what I was going to do.

    ***

    In the parking lot of Helen¡¯s apartment. My darling and I were currently sitting inside my, or Bella¡¯s, crossover.

    The drive here was spent in relative silence, both of us consciously avoiding the loaded topic.

    ¡°Thanks for today,¡± I voiced my gratitude, starting the conversation.

    ¡°I actually had a lot of fun as well. That little girlfriend of yours...¡± A deliberate pause that was aimed at making her opponent nervous. ¡°She is quite an interesting person.¡±

    I smiled, both genuinely glad to hear those words and dismissing her cute tactics.

    ¡°Yeah, she certainly is.¡± I easily agreed. ¡°And so are you, darling.¡±

    The beauty in question responded with a pleased smile and light shake of her head. Yeah, the compliment worked, but it wasn¡¯t enough to misdirect the topic.

    ¡°Will you stay for the night?¡± Helen went straight to the point.

    ¡°No.¡± I replied as directly as possible. ¡°Not today.¡±

    The whole of Helen Smith dimmed after hearing those words. I was quite certain a large part of it was an act, but it was still effective.

    ¡°Can I hear your reasoning?¡± My darling asked for clarification.

    ¡°Because if I choose her, you will be jealous. But if I choose you, my silly girl will be insecure.¡± The rationale was clear.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t look all that insecure when we left.¡± Yeah, Helen was unhappy hearing my words.

    ¡°I managed to alleviate a lot of it, but if I don¡¯t return today, it will backfire even worse.¡± I continued with pure logic.

    My experience told me that telling her the emotional part would result in much more backlash. I would do so anyway if need be.

    ¡°I see,¡± Helen said in an emotionless tone, reaching her hand to open the door.

    My reaction was quicker as I caught her shoulder, bringing her into my embrace instead.

    ¡°Helen,¡± I whispered into her ear, ¡°I have no idea how much it¡¯ll help, but it''ll all be much easier if you stop treating it as a competition.¡±

    ¡°For whom?¡± The beauty in my arms replied with biting words.

    ¡°For everyone,¡± I answered without delay.

    Judging from the fact that my darling didn¡¯t struggle to leave, she was seriously considering my words.

    ¡°If not competition, then how should I treat them?¡± A fair question.

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    ¡°Acquaintances. Friends.¡± I stopped, trying to find it in myself to continue with the last word in this line. ¡°Family.¡±

    I felt how my darling froze after hearing it. I suppose this brilliant young woman understood the meaning I put into those words. Not a surprise, really. Her sharp perception was what I gambled on.

    With that in mind, another realization dawned on me. With Olivia, I tried to leave everything to chance and see as much of her as I could. And it has worked so far, making me more and more interested in that silly girl.

    But with Helen, I had chosen a different approach. What I really wanted from her was a very specific outcome. And I could bet she understood it as well.

    The choice was still hers either way.

    ¡°Darling, do you really want to play these types of games?¡± I heard a mockery in her voice. ¡°Fine, you made your point clear enough. And I have no one else to blame for letting this terrible man sweep me away. Yet again.¡±

    She let out a heavy sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you want,¡± my darling said shortly after. ¡°But if you dare to run away despite all my efforts... I will use everything in my power to push this marriage forward and then make your life as difficult as I possibly can as your legal wife.¡±

    ***

    I opened the door to my apartment, half expecting Olivia to throw herself into my embrace right at that moment. And I wasn¡¯t wrong.

    I caught a my-silly-girl-shaped missile and gave her a light spin while she buried her face into my chest. Using this chance, I did the same with the top of her head.

    Using my foot, I closed the still-opened door behind myself. Another moment to take my shoes off, and I carried Olivia in my arms towards the bedroom. My silly girl happily giggled as I did so.

    And again, I had that odd feeling of discrepancy, where some part of me felt surprised at how easily she trusted herself into my arms. And even more so at the fact that her trust wasn¡¯t misplaced. Even the beast, still not fully lulled back to sleep, was averse to the idea of hurting her.

    With a careful motion, I threw my girlfriend into our bed. Our. Huh. Which elicited a bout of cheerful squealing from Olivia.

    I looked at her while slowly undressing myself. She licked her lips, crawling backwards deeper into the bed. An obvious invitation to join her if I ever saw one. Especially coupled with the fact that Olivia was dressed in that matching set of risky underwear we bought last week.

    The one she was wearing in that selfie from the dressing room.

    I put on a bit of a show for her as I kept freeing myself from clothes. I wasn¡¯t joking about my experience entertaining women at parties. Judging by her expression, as she kept following my actions with her eyes, it was welcomed.

    As I was left with only a pair of boxers, Olivia decided that she had enough.

    ¡°Honey,¡± she complained. Her tone was right in between being playful, coquettish, and capricious. ¡°You know, Patricia showed me a few tricks¡­¡±

    My girlfriend moved toward me on all fours. Her pretty face was flushed with lust and anticipation. In her mesmerizing eyes, I could see, once again, that promise.

    A thought that I should really tell that bestie of hers off for corrupting my silly girl visited my mind for a moment. But at the same time, I kind of looked forward to enjoying the results.

    ¡°Not today,¡± I said, declining the unsaid offer. ¡°I have something new in mind already, and I¡¯m really in the mood to try it out.¡±

    I moved forward, coming face-to-face with Olivia. She smiled and leaned back, leaving herself at my mercy, not even bothering to ask what this new idea was.

    I took another step forward, getting onto the bed, and Olivia mirrored my actions, moving a bit backward. We kept at it all the way to the bedpost.

    I, as usual with this silly girl, found myself completely drawn to her eyes. Promise, anticipation, infatuation, and lust met me in her gaze. Not an ounce of apprehension; whatever it was I had in mind, she genuinely thought it would be something she was going to enjoy.

    It was something that I rarely ever did, despite sleeping with... My mind had a momentary lapse as I tried to remember how many women I slept with throughout my life. Too many.

    I gave her a gentle kiss. Watching in fascination how the cocktail of emotions in her eyes melted into one¡ªthe one that I couldn¡¯t respond in kind to.

    What should I do with you, my silly girl? Don¡¯t you feel afraid of being hurt? Haven¡¯t I told you a few times that you shouldn¡¯t do it?

    I couldn¡¯t believe just how attached I had already become. Which wasn¡¯t that bad if things went as I hoped. But what if? I stopped this line of thought, focusing on the present moment.

    Screw it. Since she wanted to give herself to me, it would be rude not to accept.

    My hands started their dance across her gorgeous body, freeing her from those pieces of useless cloth that would get in the way. The response I got was a familiar moan as her hands entwined around my neck.

    I gave Olivia another gentle kiss, taking off my boxers. Another motion and a familiar wet tightness welcomed me.

    And then¡­

    Yeah, as I said, the thing I had in mind was a true rarity in my life. We made love.

 Doing something good once in a while.

    The sound of Olivia¡¯s alarm clock woke me up. My silly zombie wobbled towards the shower while I went to cook breakfast. Nothing unusual.

    ***

    I ate my food while listening to Olivia''s retelling of her dream¡ªsomething about her being a cat and having fun chasing after a butterfly. Overall, her story didn¡¯t make all that much sense to me, but dreams rarely do.

    I kept my silence, attentively listening to my animatedly gesturing girlfriend. Well, all is well if she was enjoying it that much, I guess.

    My phone buzzed with a new message. I threw a quick glance at the screen, and it was a random number with a message that looked exactly like typical spam.

    ¡°Olivia,¡± I said, finding a pause in her story as my silly girl was busy drinking her coffee. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be returning today.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The girl across the table nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was expecting it. Say hi to Bella for me.¡±

    Those words were said in a cheerful tone, without missing a bit. There was not even a single note of hesitation or deception anywhere in her tone, expression, or body language.

    ¡°I will.¡± I agreed. ¡°Oh, I also gave your number to Helen.¡±

    I dropped another bombshell to test her reaction.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± Olivia raised an eyebrow, caught off guard in mid-bite of her toast.

    I patiently waited until she finished chewing.

    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± My girlfriend asked, genuine confusion clear on her not-yet-makeup-marred face.

    ¡°She asked.¡± I shrugged, enjoying the bewildered expression on my girlfriend''s pretty visage. ¡°I also think that Helen could use another friend. Or a few.¡±

    I took a sip of my coffee, giving Olivia time to digest what she just heard.

    ¡°Does she really?¡± I heard a large amount of skepticism in her voice.

    ¡°Whether you believe it or not, that girl is a certified loner. As far as I know, she has exactly one close friend.¡± I replied.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Skepticism turned into disbelief. ¡°I mean, she is, well, she.¡±

    My silly girl doubled her explanation with animated gesturing. Yeah, Helen certainly was Helen.

    ¡°Comes with being the only heiress of one of Three Families. Then add superb looks and way above-average cognitive functions from years of careful selection.¡± I explained. ¡°Half of the people are too scared to approach in the first place. Out of those who left, the vast majority were filtered out for having ulterior motives, whether by her or her grandpa. And the rest, en masse, are simply boring.¡±

    A light of understanding lit up in Olivia¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°And you think that I can get through those filters?¡± My silly girl questioned.

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    ¡°Well, you certainly weren¡¯t scared of her when you ogled her yesterday.¡± My words made her cover her face with her palms.

    ¡°I am a guarantee that you don¡¯t need to have ulterior motives regarding her.¡± I continued, not even masking the amusement in my voice. ¡°Well, beyond the obvious.¡±

    My girlfriend groaned.

    ¡°And she herself said that you are quite an interesting one.¡± I finished my words and took another sip from my cup.

    I caught Olivia staring at me through her fingers. Eh, everything that needed to be said already was, so I just shrugged in response.

    ¡°Is this another of those ¡®do whatever you want¡¯ of yours?¡± Followed a question from her.

    ¡°Nah, in this case, I would certainly prefer it if you did as I asked.¡± I shook my head.

    My girlfriend let out a long sigh and focused on her food. I did the same. The situation was certainly one of those where haste could lead to waste.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. But you should understand that a lot will depend on her, as well as whether we will hit it off at all.¡± Olivia responded in a serious tone after a while.

    Her words made me smile.

    ¡°Good girl.¡± I plopped my hand on top of her head.

    My silly girl gave me a brief glare. Luckily, she hasn¡¯t done her hair yet.

    ¡°You really enjoy doing this, aren¡¯t you?¡± She still nuzzled into my hand.

    ¡°A lot.¡± The truth.

    ***

    Su arrived on time to pick Olivia up, and I was left alone.

    What should I do to kill time? I was tempted to ask Helen for a date, but it would be a disaster if Bella called before we ended it.

    So I decided to read a bit more of my chat backlog.

    I noticed a ¡®new message¡¯ notification, and the tap brought me to the chat with Helen.

    Me: [hey yourself, wanna go on a date or something?]

    Helen: [Yes. Let¡¯s go. When? Where? I¡¯m ready at any time. Just call me when you decide. I know that one great place... <show more>]

    I looked at the shortened message a few times and closed the Messenger app. Should I rename her contact? I really underestimated the amount of crazy in that kooky girl.

    Now, what should I do?

    Olivia just left for school, duh. And Claire was out of town.

    I was too lazy to go for a run. But the excuse I conceived for myself was, ¡®What if Bella called while I¡¯m in the middle of my route?¡¯. Yeah.

    I looked at the phone once more. Nah.

    After a bit of contemplation, I decided to get ready and visit the gym instead. I''ve really slacked out too much lately.

    After choosing the outfit that Bella would have approved of, I double-checked my earbuds. They were actually fully charged, even though I didn¡¯t remember doing so. I guess I should thank Olivia for it later.

    ***

    The gym was, for the most part, empty. It was that dead time zone when the morning rush of people who work out before going to work had already ended, but the second wave was nowhere in sight yet.

    I looked around, thinking about what muscle group I should work on today. The answer was anything that I felt like, since most of the equipment was unoccupied. Two people were doing some CrossFit on the other side of the gym. One person was busy with free weights.

    The last one was someone doing a bench press. Judging by the amount of weight on the bar and slight tremble in those arms, coupled with the lack of spotter, this person was suicidal.

    I shook my head and changed my path to be closer to the bench. Just in case something happened. All in all, I was in a great mood, and doing something good once in a while wouldn¡¯t break my back.

    Just as I thought about that, the person lost their grip on the bar. I lunged forward, managing to catch it at the last moment. Man. What the fuck?

    My disapproving gaze met the shell-shocked stare of the familiar violet eyes. Huh?

    ¡°Nice to meet you too, Lyta.¡± I greeted the young woman.

 An awkward talk 2.0.

    I put the barbell on the rack. It took a bit of effort to stop myself from curling it, just to mess with Lyta a bit more, obviously.

    Well, frankly speaking, I wasn¡¯t quite sure if my current physique was enough to do so with strict enough form. And doing it with cheating would greatly diminish the result.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked the still-shocked girl.

    ¡°Ah. Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡± She responded in quick succession.

    ¡°Any discomfort or pain?¡± I decided not to trust her excuses.

    I had my fair share of training accidents throughout my life, so I felt a bit concerned at the moment.

    ¡°No, nothing. I lost my grip because of exhaustion. As far as I can tell, no tears or sprains.¡± Lyta reported her status. ¡°And, um, thank you for the save.¡±

    I nodded, accepting the gratitude, then put back the earbud and decided to continue my journey to the cardio zone.

    I felt a tug on my t-shirt. Did she want something else?

    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Can we talk?¡± Well, that¡¯s unexpected.

    ¡°After I finish my warm-up.¡± I answered with a shrug.

    What was there to even talk about?

    ***

    I focused again on the exercise while my temporary gym buddy was trying her best to stare a hole in me. I was busy doing curls with the EZ bar, planning to superset it into a French press.

    Lyta, still glaring daggers in this direction, was sitting on the bench nearby. Was she done with her own workout already? Well, I had no real complaints since she was looking pleasant enough to the eyes.

    I guess some people would have found her muscle definition unattractive, but the curves and proportions were all there, coupled with a pretty face. Bella certainly knew how to choose them, eh?

    ¡°I have been thinking about your words for the last week.¡± The personal assistant of my special woman said something odd.

    My words? What was she talking about? A trip down memory lane hadn¡¯t revealed anything, so I could only keep my mouth shut, waiting for the continuation.

    ¡°About the condition being full stop or not.¡± She clarified.

    Without saying anything, I finished the curls and laid down on the bench, proceeding with my training. The silence continued, on the verge of turning awkward.

    ¡°Either way,¡± Lyta broke the silence, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you would even say something like that in the first place.¡±

    I finished the set and took a sip out of my water bottle. For fuck¡¯s sake, couldn¡¯t she have used words less ambiguous?

    Yeah, I still had no idea. To be fair, we had an extremely limited amount of exposure to each other, and this week wasn¡¯t the calmest by any scale. But, judging by her troubled expression, it seemed to be something important.

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    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Fuck it, let¡¯s go with ambiguous half-questions.

    My gym buddy¡ªtemporary designation¡ªlooked at me, surprise clear in her eyes. Hm, were my words that much of a miss?

    ¡°I mean, I look like this.¡± Lyta made a vague gesture with her hand.

    What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

    ¡°Dunno, Bella has quite a taste,¡± I decided to play it safe.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I look like a guy?¡± Her reply threw me for a loop.

    I made a gesture with my head pointing at the gym mirror.

    ¡°Yeah, sure. I can barely spot any difference.¡± I emphasized the sarcastic nature of my words with an exaggerated eye roll.

    Hm, why did she look so surprised after hearing my words?

    ¡°Wait a moment, you weren¡¯t joking?¡± I actually felt shocked.

    Lyta just nodded in response.

    ¡°Holy mother of fuck. Are you for real?¡± It was my turn to stare at her in wonder.

    Another quiet nod followed.

    ¡°Well, here, if you want my expert opinion,¡± I said, adding some additional theatrics to reinforce my speech. ¡°While your appearance certainly is on the tomboyish side, someone needs to be fucking blind to call you a dude.¡±

    Ever so slowly, a wave of redness rose from her neck. A moment later, Lyta bolted away.

    What¡¯s wrong with Helen¡¯s friends? I shook my head and returned to my training.

    ***

    I just finished the last set and was catching my breath as I moved toward the stretching zone when the music in my earbuds stopped momentarily as my phone started playing the ringtone designated to my special woman¡¯s number.

    I picked up the call.

    ¡°What the fuck did you do to my assistant?¡± Those words met me instead of a greeting.

    People calling me lately have been all quite rude.

    ¡°Hello to you as well, my dear.¡± I replied nonetheless.

    A sigh followed from the other side of the phone line.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nice to hear your voice as well, dear.¡± My special woman¡¯s words were very pleasant to my ears.

    ¡°So, when are you coming?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We just finished boarding, so about three hours, give or take,¡± replied Bella. ¡°I¡¯ll send you the location after we finish our talk.¡±

    Let¡¯s hope that traffic wasn¡¯t that bad.

    ¡°I hope that I won¡¯t get stuck in traffic somewhere,¡± I said, voicing my concern.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± My dear alleviated it. ¡°Now stop trying to change the topic and answer my question.¡±

    What was I supposed to even say?

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said I have no idea what you are talking about?¡± The truth was on my side.

    ¡°You tell me, considering that Lyta just asked me for some advice on how to seduce you.¡± Bella¡¯s words were laced with skepticism.

    Hm, wasn¡¯t that girl hating me with all her guts? What gives?

    ¡°Why would she do that?¡± I asked, feeling confused as fuck.

    Another sigh followed from the other side of the line.

    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll talk in person. Dear.¡± Her tone made it clear enough that this wasn¡¯t the end of it.

    ¡°Yes, my dear.¡± I agreed with no hesitation.

    One weird topic more, one weird topic less. Won¡¯t even make a dent in my situation.

    ¡°See you soon.¡± Bella said her farewells and ended the call.

    The music took its place in my ears as I stared at the dark screen. If only someone could tell me what the fuck was going on.

    My phone pinged as I received the aforementioned location from my dear. I opened the maps, checking the traffic and ETA. Good, I had enough time to finish my stretches, albeit not a full routine, and take a shower afterward.

 My daily â€˜Bella-picâ€™.

    I steered the car to the small private airfield¡¯s checkpoint.

    A guard manning the gates stopped me to ascertain my identity. I named myself and stated the goal of my visit. The uniformed guy contacted someone through the radio, most likely one of Bella¡¯s guys she sent ahead, and I was cleared to go ahead.

    I parked the car and stepped out to stretch my legs. Not that I really needed to do so, but...

    I felt a bit giddy thinking about meeting with Bella. It had been just a week since I''d seen her last time, but I just couldn¡¯t help myself. It was an odd feeling, considering our history, with my nature adding even more weirdness to the situation.

    Those cracks in my masks, the fact that I left something to chance¡ªI wasn¡¯t sure what it was exactly, but I felt that something inside me shifted slightly.

    Not much, not entirely, just a hairbreadth, and I wasn¡¯t yet sure if I liked this change or not. Then again, at least, it would be something new, whatever it was.

    I distracted myself by checking my phone. Nothing specific. I just opened a random news article that popped up in my feed. Huge scandal in the upper echelons of ¡®RobCo¡¯.

    It seemed like the corporation decided to use it as a PR stunt. Not a bad move, considering that their competitors would¡¯ve used this opportunity otherwise.

    I scrolled through the article: accusations, allegations, and speculations abound. It looked like this piece was written by someone on ¡®RobCo¡¯s payroll, since it was framed in a way that the company was cleaning up the corruption in their ranks.

    Boring.

    I closed this one and tapped another clickbait title.

    A hit piece about a huge celebrity being involved in something shady¡ªoh wow, what a shocker!

    I didn¡¯t even bother to read past the first few lines of text before closing it. Before I could open the third one, I heard deliberately loud steps approaching me.

    I raised my eyes to check, and it was a familiar face. One of Bella¡¯s personal bodyguards. A big bald dude with cauliflower ears. For the life of me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to remember his name, but I knew that he stayed by her side until the very end.

    I felt his heavy gaze scan across my whole body. Then he nodded to himself, coming to whatever conclusion he came to in his head.

    ¡°Boss lady¡¯s flight will touch down in ten minutes. Follow me.¡± He didn¡¯t even bother to wait for my response after saying these words, as he turned around and gestured for me to follow him.

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    I ignored my irritation at his lack of manners¡ªthis guy¡¯s only concern was Bella¡¯s safety, with my feelings and thoughts being secondary to that. Well, nineteen-year-old Michael Roah also didn¡¯t really deserve anyone¡¯s respect, for that matter.

    I successfully reasoned with this simple logic.

    I still held a grudge nonetheless. Maybe I should ask Bella to lend me this dude for a sparring session?

    I smiled at this nefarious thought and followed my special woman¡¯s bodyguard.

    ***

    Through the looking glass, I was watching how Bella walked down from her jet. Isabella Alvarez in full business mode was a sight to behold. And not just appearance-wise, either, though that was top-notch as well.

    She noticed me right away, and the serious expression on her gorgeous face changed into a pleasant smile. It seems like I wasn¡¯t the only one looking forward to this moment.

    I waved back, mouthing ¡®Waiting¡¯ to her. My special woman still had to deal with formalities, so I relaxed back into the comfortable armchair and fought down the rising impatience.

    About seven minutes later, the door into the waiting room I was in opened, and Bella walked inside, leaving her small entourage behind.

    ¡°Welcome back, my dear.¡± I offered my greetings, doing my best to keep my excitement to a manageable level.

    It was much harder to do than it was to say, though. This bitch always had this effect on me.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back, dear.¡± She responded back, approaching me.

    I stood up from my seat, thanking Heavens for the fact that my self-control was back in full force.

    That Alvarez woman donned her office lady attire, a logical choice in her situation. But that glimpse of a seductive smile in the corner of her lips, coupled with a teasing look in her eyes, told me that there was more to it.

    Her outfit consisted of a white blouse, buttoned in a way to emphasize her cleavage, a knee-length pencil skirt that was clinging tightly to her shapely lower half, black pantyhose, or maybe stockings, and high heels.

    Ah, so she decided to play from the fetish angle here. And it was working fabulously, especially with all those selfies from the last week.

    Bella noticed my stare¡ªof course she did¡ªand the seduction in her smile rose another notch.

    I had no idea what she was trying to do by riling me up¡ªwell, I had a hunch, actually, but that was beside the point. The fact is, it worked.

    I let my self-control go.

    My head went mostly blank, ignoring whatever game Bella tried to play here, dragging the now-openly smiling special woman of mine into the bathroom attached to this VIP waiting room.

    ***

    I snapped a picture. My daily ¡®Bella-pic¡¯.

    From behind, she was bent over next to a sink, her legs spread apart. Her pencil skirt riding on her waist and pantyhose torn, black lace panties slid to her knees. Her face, reflected in the mirror, looked like a mix of a succubus, ready to suck my soul out, and a pleased cat.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think that we are done, dear,¡± she whispered, looking at me through the mirror image.

    I shook my head, chasing away the desire to go for round three.

    ¡°Of course not, but at least I feel ready for the conversation on the trip back,¡± I replied with a wink.

    Yeah, this would''ve certainly been a concern otherwise. As I said, she always had this effect on me.

 You know.

    ¡°So, how was your week, dear?¡± Bella asked on our way towards the car.

    ¡°Complete and utter Chaos.¡± I responded nonchalantly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details a bit later.¡±

    My words were met with a raised eyebrow and a questioning stare. I shrugged in response, refusing to elaborate further. It''s not like we were in a public venue per se, but there were a number of topics we had to discuss that were quite sensitive.

    ¡°By the way.¡± An obvious attempt to change the topic on my part. ¡°Olivia asked me to say hi to you.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± This and another raised eyebrow were the only things I got in response.

    ¡°Yeah. And it was a sincere sentiment.¡± I clarified. ¡°As far as I can tell, of course.¡±

    Bella graced me with a side glance full of curiosity and a modicum of interest.

    ¡°It seems like your week was chaotic, indeed.¡± A hint of mockery in her tone made me wince.

    I let out an exaggerated sigh, hoping that it would express even a tenth of how done I was with bullshit.

    ***

    We were in the car on our way towards Bella¡¯s condo.

    My mind was racing, busily overthinking various minor details that I was concerned about. I had a truckload of things I needed her opinion on. Some advice wouldn¡¯t hurt either.

    If only I knew where to even start.

    ¡°So, how did your date go?¡± My special woman gave me a hand with her question.

    ¡°Short version: complicated.¡± I said, having a brief moment of amusement at how outraged my dear was by my words. ¡°Before you ask, though, that guy had been dealt with already.¡±

    As soon as the words left my mouth, Bella¡¯s entire demeanor went sharper.

    ¡°The one you refused to tell me about?¡± Her tone was full of cold steel.

    I nodded.

    ¡°So fast?¡± She did sound a bit surprised.

    ¡°Well, he hurt the future Lady Long. Of course, the illustrious Long Clan dealt with him with all possible haste.¡± I replied, trying to get as much reaction from her as I could.

    It took a few moments for Bella to register the full meaning of my words. Then, in the same fashion as a week ago, my special woman short-circuited.

    I snapped another photo for posterity. The stuttering sound of the camera made my special woman come back to her senses.

    ¡°Delete it,¡± she growled.

    ¡°No way,¡± I refused, obviously.

    ¡°Michael Roah.¡± Her growl went a pitch lower.

    ¡°Make me.¡± I dared her.

    The bitch actually bit me.

    ¡°Is this the way to treat your future husband, eh?¡± I doubled down on my teasing.

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    My words made Bella freeze yet another time. Then she shook her head and slowly exhaled, calming herself down.

    ¡°I thought we already came to an agreement?¡± Oh, right, I remembered her previous words.

    ¡°Well, a few things have changed since then, my dear.¡± That was quite an understatement on my part.

    ¡°Explain!¡± demanded my special woman.

    ¡°Yes, dear.¡± I choose to oblige.

    And the conversation went full circle, with me arriving at the starting point¡ªwhere should I even start? I felt my temples throb.

    ***

    It took me the rest of the way to discuss every implication my date with Lady in Black had. Then I started on the whole fiasco¡ªmore like a fuckup of epic proportions, to be honest¡ªwith the Lady in White.

    And I wasn¡¯t yet done when we got to the apartment complex.

    I parked the car in Bella¡¯s garage, taking the time it took for us to get from there to the condo itself as a much-needed breather.

    ¡°So, what does it have to do with the change in our agreement?¡± my special woman asked after I closed the door behind us.

    ¡°You remember that Su clan¡¯s first young lady I asked you to find me some information about?¡± I responded with a question of my own.

    Bella acknowledged it with a nod.

    The two of us took our shoes off and continued our talk on the way to the kitchen. I felt quite hungry after my workout.

    ¡°She is a prot¨¦g¨¦ of Kouzuki Maya, the Lady in White,¡± I started my explanation. ¡°And the Matriarch of the Kouzuki clan was raising her as a future fianc¨¦e for a possible clan heir.¡±

    Who never appeared in the first iteration, as far as I was aware.

    Bella stopped to stare at me, most likely putting pieces together and figuring out what I wanted to say. I shook my head and tossed her the Kouzuki clan seal. This should¡¯ve been enough of an explanation.

    My dear caught it and was looking at it with a puzzled expression on her beautiful face.

    ¡°What is it?¡± She finished playing around with the seal and asked an unexpected question.

    Now that I think about it, knowledge about the existence of those things wasn¡¯t that widespread. How the fuck was Officer Zhang able to clearly recognize it then, huh?

    ¡°It¡¯s the personal seal of Kouzuki Shinji,¡± I clarified.

    ¡°Did you fucking rob the guy or something, dear?¡± I was speechless at the conclusion she jumped to.

    Even worse, I couldn¡¯t even deny the possibility, since it was a fair assessment based on her knowing me so well.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s mine.¡± I denied the accusations nonetheless.

    My special woman looked me up and down for some reason I couldn¡¯t quite guess.

    ¡°So, which one of the two are you, then? Long Tian or Kouzuki Shinji?¡± A fair question.

    ¡°It depends on which clan you want to be a lady of.¡± I answered it with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, so we are back to this point.¡± Bella nodded along. ¡°Finally.¡±

    Fuck. I brought it upon myself.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s skip other things for now,¡± I said with a sigh.

    I opened the fridge, checking if there was something there after a week. After a week? Hm, when was the last time I did this?

    ¡°So?¡± Bella¡¯s call took me out of my memory trip before I could remember anything new. ¡°Are you trying to change the topic again, dear?¡±

    I shook my head, denying her words, and made another attempt to remember... What was I thinking about again? Fuck.

    ¡°You remember what I said about titles?¡± I returned my whole attention to the more important things.

    ¡°I do.¡± And I got my answer.

    ¡°So, since we had that talk, my newfound family has gotten me two fianc¨¦es.¡± I cut to the chase. ¡°One of them is that Su girl. I can refuse this one, but I would rather not for now, for reasons I will explain a bit later.¡±

    I closed the door of the fridge because the beeping noise annoyed me enough to do so.

    ¡°So it¡¯s about the second one?¡± Bella didn¡¯t beat around the bush, either.

    ¡°Helen Smith.¡± I said the name of my darling.

    A look of realization appeared on the face of my special woman.

    ¡°Let me guess. You either can¡¯t refuse this one,¡± she said slowly, ¡°or you do not want to.¡±

    ¡°Actually, both,¡± I acknowledged. Before Bella could add something, I continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I need to give you a title first. You know, I want my special one to be the first.¡±

    I really shouldn¡¯t have left my phone in the hallway.

 What should I do?

    Too bad, but this time her reaction passed even faster. I guess those words weren¡¯t as shocking for her to hear as before. Yeah, I had no complaints whatsoever about this fact.

    ¡°What about the one you can¡¯t refuse, then?¡± Bella was quick to catch on to the details.

    I expected this question. And I dreaded the need to answer it, to be honest.

    ¡°This would be a case of clan politics. With Helen being a sole direct bloodline heiress as well, it would be a much better idea for Michael Roah to marry into the Smith clan instead,¡± I explained.

    I could somewhat wrap my head around the possible reasons my dear agreed to play along with this whole arrangement.

    ¡°Blood is everything for the Three Families.¡± I continued without pause. ¡°If she married into the Long or Kouzuki clans and the two of us had only one kid, it would¡¯ve been a headache and a half with title inheritance later on.¡±

    I had a hunch that part of it stemmed from her knowing me well enough to know that fighting my interest was a near-impossible endeavor.

    ¡°I would most likely need to get a few more wives to, and I quote, ¡®repopulate two clans worth of direct bloodline¡¯.¡± I repeated the words of Lady in White once more.

    Another part would be her own nature, making her use this as an opportunity to sleep with a few girls more. Heaven knows, she was as bad, if not worse, than me in her promiscuity.

    ¡°Three clans,¡± I corrected myself, remembering Helen''s remark.

    And, on top of the two aforementioned things, this could, in theory, put a semblance of a leash on my nature. Curiously enough, I, in turn, hoped to do that to hers.

    ¡°Good thing that I have a few candidates already, don¡¯t you think so, my dear?¡± I joked grimly.

    A third thread of thoughts got added to the two that were already going on inside my head as I finally put together those disjointed pieces of a puzzle.

    Right. I wanted to see if Lyta could have been used to keeping my special woman in line.

    ¡°It looks like you also changed a bit after this week, dear,¡± Bella said all of a sudden.

    ¡°What made you think so?¡± I felt curious.

    Which explained why I both felt irritated by her so much while still not driving her away from my dear.

    ¡°Just something my intuition told me,¡± Bella clarified.

    Well, her intuition wasn¡¯t wrong. I really changed my approach to this whole arrangement. Before, I was fine with simply going with the flow of things, but now I actually had an outcome I want.

    ¡°I learned a few things.¡± Two threads combined into one, as I replied.

    Lyta was a great candidate, no matter how much I thought about this.

    The third thread ended there, since it was useless to think further without talking it through with Bella first.

    ¡°Really?¡± A raised eyebrow. ¡°How about an example?¡±

    ¡°A bit of new information about my interest.¡± I didn¡¯t bother to change this word. If someone had an ability to understand what I meant by that, it was her.

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    ¡°Hm?¡± A hum to note her attention.

    Should I just tell her the result or the whole observation? I couldn¡¯t decide.

    ¡°I met Helen. The veritable girl of my dreams. The one whom I failed to fully move over from after twenty-five years.¡± I came to a decision.

    I could see how my conversation partner winced after hearing those words. She kept her silence, giving me an opportunity to continue.

    ¡°She is everything I ever wanted, combined.¡± And so I did.

    Another wince, now mixed with a bit of hurt and even disappointment.

    ¡°And I want her so fucking badly. It¡¯s hard to even put into words how much, exactly.¡± I ignored the urge to console Bella, and continued further. ¡°Yet she is not enough.¡±

    A look of disbelief.

    ¡°I calculated the most probable result,¡± I kept on talking. ¡°I used our trial run from first life as a baseline.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡± There was some morbid curiosity in her tone.

    ¡°Six years at most, if everything went perfectly fine.¡± I responded to her inquiry. ¡°Six more years of struggle against my nature after that.¡±

    I left the conclusion unsaid, but it shouldn¡¯t be a big problem for Bella to get there by herself.

    ¡°I see.¡± An empty reply.

    The atmosphere in the kitchen became tense and even somewhat grim.

    ¡°Then there is another thing.¡± I shook my head and made myself speak again. ¡°I got into this arrangement without much thought, but this shouldn¡¯t be a surprise to you, right?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Though, what I said on that night actually stands. Now even more so.¡± I clarified. ¡°What this week showed me is how wrong my initial assumptions were.¡±

    ¡°What...¡± judging by the tone, Bella tried to ask something.

    ¡°Especially with how exactly my interest acted in this case,¡± but I interrupted her. ¡°I feared it would be just parallel. I expected it to be somewhat additive.¡±

    I was wrong.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few interactions between Olivia and Claire. Then confirmed it with Olivia and Helen. Oh, and those few short moments between Olivia and you also gave me the same result.¡± My monologue continued as I explained things. ¡°Instead, it renews itself.¡±

    I was almost able to see question marks written all over Bella¡¯s pretty face.

    ¡°I obviously have no idea if this will be the same in the long run, but it¡¯s enough for me to change my stance.¡± I smiled.

    ¡°I see.¡± Another one of those followed.

    So far, so good. Only one thing left.

    ¡°But the change you most likely felt stems from another realization that I had,¡± I said.

    I plopped on the chair across from Bella, which brought our eyes closer to the same level. I took a deep breath and let out a long and tired sigh.

    Heavens, how much I hated those talks!

    ¡°What is it?¡± The question from my special woman brought me back before I could go on a tangent.

    ¡°It¡¯s a sum of a few smaller realizations. How much I want Helen. How much I enjoy our little game with Claire. And how much I''ve gotten attached to Olivia already.¡± I closed my eyes.

    I paused, letting those words linger, just sitting there, waiting for Bella¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡± The tone of her voice was level, almost emotionless.

    Almost.

    I opened my eyes, looking into another pair across the table.

    ¡°You see, as I said before, I am thrilled with this new possibility. But I am also feeling lost and, maybe, even afraid in a way. There are so many things that could go wrong. There is only one outcome I want.¡± I told all of that to the only person in the world I knew I could trust with everything. ¡°I am torn. And I need your advice.¡±

    My masks gave in as another crack formed, showing another glimpse of my true self.

    The second thread re-emerged, bringing clarity with it. All said and done, I could almost wrap my head around the issue of ¡®why exactly was Bella doing all of this?¡¯. But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°I need you, Bella.¡± It was the truth. It was also a plea. And it was also my bet.

    Screw it. All-in.

 I should do the same.

    Bella stood up from her seat and went around the table, approaching me. A moment later, she brought me into her embrace.

    While being slathered between her sizable bust, I looked upward at the smiling face of my special woman. She noticed my gaze, which made her smile go a bit wider, and she even started stroking my head.

    Ah. This was such a nostalgic thing. How many years have passed since the last time?

    ¡°Dear, I would¡¯ve been much happier to hear those words if it wasn¡¯t such a blatant attempt to manipulate me, you know.¡± The tone of my special woman¡¯s voice was soft as she chided my stupid self.

    And this upped the nostalgia levels even more.

    ¡°And you should know that I had to do this.¡± I responded in kind, entwining my arms around her waist.

    ¡°Maybe I do.¡± Bella snickered, ruffling my hair. ¡°With you, it¡¯s always so hard to tell. And all those changes made it even harder.¡±

    I squeezed my arms a bit tighter.

    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± She asked directly.

    ¡°Did you even listen to my words?¡± I asked back.

    ¡°Yes. Now tell me what your problem is, dear.¡± My special woman cut off my attempts to weasel out.

    I buried my face deeper into her bosom, both to buy myself some time and because I could do so. Time slowly trickled by, one heartbeat at a time.

    ¡°I thought I was clear enough¡ªI need you,¡± I said, reluctantly raising my face from its place in the warm valley.

    I felt her body stiffen for a moment.

    ¡°And that¡¯s a problem for you, huh?¡± Oh, I landed on a landmine.

    Fuck.

    ¡°No, the problem is to ensure that while reaching the goal.¡± I stroked her back, trying to placate her.

    ¡°Michael Roah, you piss me off so much right now.¡± Bella pulled my hair a bit to emphasize the point. ¡°We already talked about this, and I gave you my conditions. Why are you suddenly trying to overthink everything?¡±

    Hm, why was I doing so, really?

    ¡°I am not sure myself,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°There are so many things going all at once, and it¡¯s overwhelming me ever so slowly. Every time I finally think that I know what to do, another issue crops up and messes up the whole picture again.¡±

    Arrangement. Girls. Family. Clans. Life. Masks.

    Chaos.

    ¡°It brings uncertainty, a chance, into everything. And I am not used to leaving things to that flimsy bitch, Fate.¡± I continued, feeling the need to get it out. ¡°But it¡¯s all so interesting. Fascinating even. I even feel how it tries to change me. And it had already succeeded quite a bit.¡±

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    ¡°Is it really such a problem?¡± Bella used the pause I took to breathe to chime in with a question.

    Ah, yes, I recognized the tone. My Bella used it too often. Ugh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I gave her a reply.

    ¡°I think that despite your overthinking, you missed one important detail, dear.¡± My special woman hummed after saying those words.

    What did she mean by that, I wonder? As I tried to wrap my head around the hidden meaning, Bella put her hand on my cheek and made a motion to raise my face. Which I let her do.

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve gone out of your way to put all of this into words so nicely, I should do the same.¡± On the beautiful visage of my dear, there was a bright smile, the likes of which I had gotten used to seeing on Olivia¡¯s face instead.

    I had a hard time recalling the last time I saw Bella smiling like that. Maybe it was the first time I''d seen it at all.

    ¡°Whatever it is you are trying to achieve, I¡¯ll do anything to help you. I will complain, throw a few jealous fits as well, and act like the right bitch all the way through, but...¡± There was a dangerous glimmer in her eyes that became stronger with every word that left her mouth. ¡°I don''t know how and why the future me failed to tell you this: as long as you need me, I am yours.¡±

    Maybe she actually told me. Not that directly, of course, but clear enough to put two and two together.

    ¡°You may need me, but I need you even more.¡± She shook her head.

    Gigolo wouldn¡¯t take these words seriously. The Beast wouldn¡¯t even listen. The Professional would wave it off as something unnecessary. And Boredom just wouldn¡¯t care at all.

    As for myself? I felt happy. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Obviously, a large part of me felt skeptical as well, but I chose to ignore it. If I could make myself buy into the sincerity of Olivia¡¯s act, why couldn¡¯t I do the same for my special one?

    I shook my head, chasing away negativity, and stood up, promptly lifting Bella into a princess carry. My actions surprised her, judging by the admittedly cute yelp she let out, but a moment later, my dear got herself together.

    ¡°Finally,¡± my special woman teased me as her arms snaked around my neck.

    There was a lot more to talk about, business and private matters alike. But it could all wait longer. But then a mischievous idea took over.

    ¡°By the way, are you ready to meet your new in-laws?¡± I asked the beauty in my arms.

    Our destination lay upstairs. First it was the shower, then bedroom. Or maybe vice versa.

    ¡°Do you really want to see me wearing that Chinese dress so much?¡± she responded with a question of her own.

    An image of Bella dressed in qipao and rocking it marvelously, of course, crossed my mind¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Well, you can wear a kimono instead.¡± I shrugged.

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure which one would be more appropriate for a meeting with my grandmother, to be honest.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t joking, are you?¡± Another question followed.

    ¡°I need to pay a visit to Lady in Black, preferably tomorrow. And it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to her,¡± I replied in all seriousness.

    I finished the last few steps of the stairs and turned toward Bella¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°Can I refuse?¡± For some reason, my dear did sound uncharacteristically hesitant.

    ¡°Nope.¡± I put a stop to that notion.

    ¡°What if she doesn''t like me?¡± Was she seriously worried about that?

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± I was quick to reassure her.

    ¡°But¡­¡± My special woman tried once more.

    ¡°Whatever happens, I''ve already made my choice.¡± I cut her off.

    Luckily, our journey had reached its end. Not giving her a chance to say anything else, I threw her on the bed.

 Interlude of sorts.

    I woke up. Judging by the view from the window, the sun hadn¡¯t even set yet, making this nap a short one.

    Bella was fast asleep, using my arm as a pillow. The only downside to this was the quick rate at which I was losing the sense of touch in said appendage. Ugh.

    Judging by the fact that I could still feel something, my nap was even shorter than I initially thought. Hunger and the fact that my bladder was about to burst did wake me up. Not to say anything about how sticky I felt after everything we had done.

    A few particularly spectacular scenes flashed in my head.

    Yeah, it was definitely more on the wilder side. Even compared to the usual escapades that our sex tended to turn into. The fact that Bella fell asleep, completely exhausted by the end of it, spoke for itself.

    And I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation either, after seeing how content her sleeping face was.

    With great care, I slid my arm from under the head of my special woman, trying my best not to wake her up. Through those selfies from last week, it wasn¡¯t that hard to establish just how busy Bella had been for those seven days.

    I thanked my long and rich history of honing this set of skills through countless repetitions and slipped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

    ***

    My phone showed me the time, around five in the evening.

    I had already taken that much-needed shower and was currently contemplating the solution for my second problem.

    Bella¡¯s fridge was devoid of anything that resembled food. Which made me question my own memory since it was stocked nicely back during my last visit. The fuck happened?

    A total mystery.

    Anyway, I had three options: order something, search for the closest supermarket and do some shopping myself, or go down one floor and steal something from the bodyguard regiment residing there.

    Technically, there was a fourth one¡ªstarve to death. But I chose to ignore it. As for the three things above, each had a set of cons. From me being fucking lazy to the chance of waking up Bella.

    Or her waking up with me nowhere in sight, which was even worse.

    I shuddered, imagining the epic tantrum my dear would throw if I had the dare to do that.

    The desperation¡ªand laziness¡ªmade me scour the kitchen drawers once again. Much to my surprise, this time I managed to find a pack of instant ramen. Another raid on the freezer got me half a pack of chicken nuggets that I somehow missed the last time.

    Dino nuggets.

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    Well, beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers, so I grabbed my smartphone from the hallway to use as a timer and got to cooking.

    Some true magic later, I had a humble meal in front of me. This amount of food was hardly enough for me, but there were times I had it much worse, so no complaints.

    I poured myself some coffee, as it was the only non-alcoholic beverage my special woman¡¯s apartment had in stock, grabbed myself a fork and dug in.

    The Messenger app showed quite a number of new messages that I''d received since the last time I checked.

    Olivia sent a few videos, most likely the ones from that karaoke visit last Friday. I chose one at random, which showed me a duet between my silly girl and, what a surprise, Su clan¡¯s first young lady.

    My girlfriend had mediocre¡ªif I was generous¡ªtalent for singing, but was very enthusiastic otherwise. And Yin¡­ Well, as expected of a young lady from a noble clan, she was properly trained in arts.

    As far as I could tell, obviously. The showbiz side of my company was far enough out of my focus, managed properly by other people.

    After the song ended, I chose another random one. This time it was a total miss, starring the duet between the other two friends of my silly girl, whatever their names were, so I closed it almost instantly.

    I sent a thumbs-up emoji as a response. Which didn¡¯t get the usual quick response out of Olivia. Odd, but I guessed she was busy with something.

    Claire sent another complaint about people¡¯s nature, detailing how absolutely disgusted she was with the matters surrounding the inheritance process.

    Counter Girl: [Tian, why are people so damn greedy?]

    I reread this message another time, trying to think of a good way to answer. ¡®People are generally trash¡¯ just didn¡¯t sound good enough in my head.

    Me: [do you want my help?]

    In the end, I opted to just offer this. Legal issues could suck the soul out of anyone. On the other hand, both the Long and Kouzuki clans had an army of lawyers on standby.

    Getting a few of them involved in some trivial matters wasn¡¯t a great price for potentially seeing Claire sooner.

    Seeing that my message hadn''t been delivered yet, I chose another contact to check on.

    The two messages I sent to Nicole were left on read. Good. Let''s wait and see who is more stubborn.

    My finger froze over the ¡®Lady in Black¡¯ contact as I hesitated whether I should announce tomorrow¡¯s visit. In the end, I decided to discuss it with Bella properly first.

    Me: [good singing]

    And sent. I chose to ignore the veritable flourish of messages that followed shortly after. Ah, being petty was such a great feeling!

    It took me a great deal of courage to tap on Helen¡¯s name. Who knew what kind of scary things the kooky young lady Smith was up to?

    Much to my surprise, after that last wall of text, the ¡®<show more>¡¯ message, my darling hasn¡¯t sent anything up to one photo that had a timestamp of ¡®fifteen minutes earlier¡¯.

    The content of that photo was surprising, to say the least.

    Donning towels, two young women were lying on two separate massage tables. Some kind of cosmetic facial mask, which looked like a kind of green mud to me, was marring the beautiful faces.

    I recognized them by their eye and hair color, as well as their smiles, excluding the dead giveaway of the sender of this photo.

    For some reason that I couldn¡¯t quite grasp, Helen and Olivia were together in some kind of beauty salon. Or something like that. Spa? Something else altogether?

    I pinched my arm, just to check if it was some kind of fever dream. It wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± I asked aloud, failing to control myself.

 Food delivery.

    As I was gradually struggling to comprehend the reality of the situation, another message arrived.

    !@#$%^&*: [Hey.]

    My first reflexive action was to block the number, but then Nicole flashed in front of my eyes. Had I forgotten someone else? Fuck. That was quite possible, actually.

    Obviously, it was a poor excuse I used to distract myself from the weird reality. Then again, I had nothing against Olivia befriending Helen, or vice versa, for that matter. In fact, I was all for it.

    A decent chunk of whether this arrangement would work depended on girls¡¯ interactions with each other. Oh, sure, I could¡ªand would¡ªtry to steer it in the right direction. The right in my interpretation, of course.

    But doing it all the time, only to fail because of some issue that would crop up at a time when I¡¯m not around to deal with it, would be frustrating, to put it lightly.

    Meanwhile, I tapped on the profile of that unknown number, trying to find some sort of information that would help me confirm or deny my previous involvement with them.

    Well, the answer came right away, in the form of a profile picture in which Lyta was very happily hugging Bella. I fought down the wave of jealousy.

    Ugh.

    Me: [who the fuck is this?]

    I failed to convince myself completely. Which resulted in this rude message. I still added the number to my contact list for future convenience.

    Bella¡¯s Side Chick sent a voice message.

    The fucking dare of this bitch¡­ I calmed myself down once again and tapped the icon to listen.

    ¡°Um. This is Lyta. I apologize for leaving so abruptly this morning. Can we talk?¡±

    Me: [if you send me another voice message, I swear to heaven I¡¯ll block you]

    Who the fuck did she think she was? Even Bella, for all her hatred of typing, never did that. I did another round of breathing exercises.

    I was unfair in my judgment and all kinds of petty as well, but I couldn¡¯t be arsed to be impartial. Fucking hell, this girl really had an uncanny ability to get on my nerves.

    Chill the fuck out, me. She still had her uses.

    Speaking of which...

    Me: [if you want to talk]

    Me: [come to Bella¡¯s place]

    This wouldn¡¯t be the worst place to have this talk. A moment later, I sent another important message.

    Me: [and bring something to eat with you]

    Bella¡¯s Side Chick: [???????]

    After the series of question marks came a flabbergasted emoji.

    Bella¡¯s Side Chick is typing...

    I stared at this line on my screen for a whole minute or so, patiently waiting.

    Screw this.

    I tapped the call button. Luckily, I managed to avoid the video option. Exactly one beep later, the personal assistant of my special woman picked up the call.

    ¡°Hey.¡± A very unsure greeting followed from the other side of the line.

    Why the fuck was I doing this again? Oh, right.

    ¡°If you want to talk, grab some food and come to Bella¡¯s place.¡± I repeated my earlier words.

    Silence fell. I could hear breathing, so she didn¡¯t just end the call.

    ¡°Why?¡± My favorite question appeared before me. Again.

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    ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity to get this talk out of the way.¡± I responded. ¡°Bella just came back, so I would rather get this done asap.¡±

    A pause.

    ¡°What should I bring?¡± There were signs of defeat in her tone.

    This was actually a good question.

    ¡°Get Bella¡¯s favorite and triple that for me.¡± Our food tastes were actually pretty similar as well. ¡°Preferably something that would be fine to eat cold or reheat. She is currently asleep, and I would rather keep it this way until she is fully rested.¡±

    A hum of acknowledgement came from my conversation partner.

    ¡°Call me when you arrive; I¡¯ll let you inside.¡± I finished my instructions.

    ¡°Fine. Be there soon.¡± Lyta acknowledged.

    ¡°Cya.¡± And I ended the call.

    Hm. time to get dressed, I suppose.

    ***

    I got myself something casual enough to wear at home after scouring that walk-in closet of my dear¡¯s.

    Helen sent another photo in which a mostly naked Olivia was getting a massage from a masseuse. Another one, in which they switched places, arrived shortly after.

    I refrained from sending anything back.

    The message I sent to Claire still hasn''t been delivered. Counter Girl, just how fucking rural was the place you were currently at?

    I read a few messages from the Su clan¡¯s first young lady. Most of them were various excuses. Hm, maybe I overdid it a bit with the poor girl?

    I still had a lot of bias toward Su¡¯s first bitch, but Su Yin, friend of my silly girl, had left a mostly positive impression on me so far. Well, her reactions to being teased were also adorable overall.

    After mulling it over for a while, I decided to ask for Olivia¡¯s opinion on what I should do in this case.

    An incoming call took me back to reality. ¡®Bella¡¯s Side Chick¡¯ was written on my phone¡¯s screen.

    ¡°Here.¡± Lyta.

    ¡°Coming.¡± My response.

    I ended the call and picked up my wallet to take the key card out. A couple of minutes later, I was already on the first floor.

    The food delivery girl was standing outside the glass doors leading into the foyer. I tapped the key card on the reader and let her in.

    ¡°Yo,¡± I greeted Lyta, extending my hand to take the food bag.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, greeting me back and giving me the bag.

    ¡°How much?¡± I asked about the price of the food order.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡± She shook her head, declining.

    Eh, this worked for me just fine. Or I could just ask Bella to slip a few hundred extra as a bonus into her next paycheck.

    And the conversation died down just like that as we got into the elevator.

    I looked into the bag to kill some time, and, just like I thought, it was Mexican.

    ¡°I hope you can deal with the spice,¡± the assistant of my special woman commented with a cheeky grin.

    I shrugged, taking the jab in good spirit.

    ¡°Just know that I¡¯ll force-feed it all to you if it¡¯s at an inhuman level,¡± I warned the cheeky girl.

    She shook her head, not showing any reaction either.

    After this exchange, we left the elevator. I tapped the key card on the reader and opened the door for Lyta.

    After a few moments to take off the shoes, I went back to the kitchen. I was still feeling hungry.

    ¡°The one with an ¡®L¡¯ on the lid is mine,¡± my guest commented offhandedly, joining me in the kitchen.

    I took out containers, sliding the one she told me about towards her side of the table.

    Meanwhile, Lyta was busily rummaging through drawers, looking for something.

    ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡± I warned, taking out cutlery.

    ¡°There should be some tea,¡± she replied without looking back. ¡°Oh, there it is.¡±

    With those words, she fished a tin can from somewhere I overlooked earlier.

    ¡°Want some?¡± Another question followed before I could say anything.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I nodded. ¡°I kind of drank enough coffee for today already.¡±

    Lyta snickered at my words and put a kettle on the stove and took a teapot and two cups out of the cupboard. She clearly knew her way around this kitchen. Not that surprising, I decided.

    I looked at the four containers, trying to decide which one I should pick.

    ¡°The top one is exactly as Isabella likes it. The other three are milder spiciness-wise.¡± I heard another comment. ¡°I asked to pack sauces separately, in case you want it spicier.¡±

    How thoughtful of her! No wonder Bella used her as an assistant for so long.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I voiced my gratitude, putting the top one aside and picking the second.

    I took a bite, and it was indeed on the milder side. After tasting the sauce as well, I added about half of it to the dish.

    I was neutral about the spicy food. It didn¡¯t really matter all that much to me as long as it was tasty.

    For a while, I was eating in silence.

    ¡°So, what are we going to talk about?¡± Lyta asked, putting a cup of tea in front of me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish the food first, ok?¡± I responded, taking a sip.

    It wasn¡¯t on the level of the Lady in Black, but I had no complaints either.

    ¡°Fine.¡± My conversation partner agreed.

 Good enough.

    I was about halfway through the second food container¡ªchili, guacamole, fajitas, and some pickled veggies, with a side of a few tortillas¡ªwhen Lyta¡¯s patience finally ran out.

    ¡°Hey,¡± she called out, almost done with her own lunch. Or was it dinner already? ¡°So, what is this all about?¡±

    I gulped down the last spoonful and washed it down with tea. Though there was some leftover room in my stomach, I wasn¡¯t as hungry anymore.

    I''ve thought this through already. It wasn¡¯t the finest of my plans, not by any stretch of imagination, but it would do just fine.

    ¡°Before that, what is your decision?¡± I asked for confirmation, even though it was pretty clear already.

    The glare of those violet eyes told me as much. I ignored it, patiently waiting for her verbal response.

    ¡°As if I have any other choice,¡± Lyta snapped, shifting her gaze to the side.

    ¡°There is always a choice,¡± I said, shaking my head.

    Perhaps it was a bit hypocritical coming from me, especially with my own difficulties dealing with Helen. It was my choice, though.

    ¡°I spent last week cracking my brain non-stop. But the best I came up with is ¡®I can try¡¯.¡± My special woman¡¯s personal assistant said with a defeated sigh.

    As expected, she wasn¡¯t happy but felt desperate enough in her attempts to keep Bella. So, at least partially, my reading of her was correct. Bits and pieces I remembered about her from the future aligned with this conjecture as well.

    I nodded, accepting her answer. So, it wasn¡¯t a full stop, which worked for me just fine.

    Pause lingered.

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard my answer. Now tell me why you said something like that in the first place.¡± Lyta half stood up, glaring at me with renewed strength. She even banged on the table with both of her palms.

    No doubt, she was trying to look imposing. Didn¡¯t really work on me.

    ¡°I need someone who can stick by Bella¡¯s side all the time, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to cheat on me,¡± I answered, going straight to the point.

    It was an oversimplification, of course. But it was the truth.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lyta looked confused by my words. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    I nodded again. Her confusion was understandable.

    ¡°We, as in me and a few women¡ªincluding Bella¡ªcame with a sort of arrangement. Knowing Bella as well as I know her, there is a very valid concern that at some point her lust will overpower her self-control,¡± I explained in a level tone.

    Another glance over at my conversation partner told me that she still didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°If I want this arrangement to work, a few boundaries must be put in place. And cheating is one of them.¡± I continued my words.

    ¡°Huh? So it¡¯s fine when you do it, but not them?¡± The owner of those violet eyes quickly picked up on my words. Clearly, she didn¡¯t like them very much.

    ¡°As I said, there is always a choice.¡± I shrugged. ¡°They had chosen to compromise on my behalf, something that I wouldn¡¯t be able to do in their place.¡±

    Lyta plopped back down on her chair, speechless.

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    I took a sip of tea, giving her¡ªand, in turn, myself¡ªsome time to think.

    ¡°And what role am I supposed to play in this situation?¡± Those words were said in a tone that really resembled Bella¡¯s business mode.

    My opinion about the young woman across the table rose a bit more.

    ¡°I need someone who can stick by Bella¡¯s side all the time,¡± I repeated my earlier words. ¡°And you are an excellent choice for exactly that, being her personal assistant officially and a lover in private.¡±

    Another expression of confusion appeared on her pretty face.

    ¡°But, haven¡¯t you just talked about boundaries?¡± Her tone made it even more clear.

    ¡°Bella is someone incredibly special to me, and I am ready to give her special treatment. Within reason.¡± I stated. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t jeopardize the whole arrangement, I don¡¯t mind giving her some leeway this time.¡±

    I looked into my teacup, which was empty already. I stood up and put a kettle on the stove. It was done in a deliberately unhurried way to give Lyta enough time to think without making it awkward.

    I also turned my back to her, feigning a lack of interest in her decision.

    Well, as far as I was concerned, her response wasn¡¯t that important. Olivia was there already. Or I could specifically search for someone who checked those boxes. Worse comes to worst, I would just organize a female shadow to play this role.

    ¡°Is it the only way?¡± Lyta asked an odd question.

    ¡°Of course not. You can always just give up and live your life as if nothing happened.¡± I replied, taking the kettle from the stove.

    I poured hot water into the teapot. Good enough.

    ¡°What are the conditions?¡± Oh, her tone has some resolution in it at last.

    I put some effort into contemplating my answer.

    ¡°Keep Bella in check for, let¡¯s say, the next three months. And get my attention within the same time limit.¡± This was long enough to see if this arrangement had any future at all. ¡°If you succeed, congrats. You can keep your relationship with Bella going. Within the boundaries of the arrangement, obviously.¡±

    ¡°And if I fail?¡± Another question followed.

    ¡°Fail the latter, and I will chase you away like the nuisance you are.¡± I answered without missing a bit. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know about the former.¡±

    I felt some of the Professional slip into my gaze. The way the girl sitting across the table shuddered under my eyes reinforced this idea.

    ¡°I need some time to think about it,¡± Lyta said after a couple of minutes.

    ¡°Well, take your time, but three months have already started.¡± I acknowledged her words.

    She nodded absentmindedly and stood up, walking towards the door outside. I accompanied her. Not that I was all that polite, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave without the key card.

    After Lyta donned her shoes, right as she reached her hand to the door¡¯s handle, she turned back to me and asked:

    ¡°Do I even have a chance?¡± I remember her asking this once before. Kind of.

    But something told me that there was something different in that question this time around. And it smelled of Chaos. Reeked, even.

    I looked her over, evaluating my answer.

    ¡°You are certainly attractive enough. And I don¡¯t find what I¡¯ve seen so far of your personality off-putting, either.¡± I nodded along with my words. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t as biased, I would¡¯ve hit on you myself. I think.¡±

    I gave her my honest opinion as we walked into the elevator.

    ¡°What makes you think I would¡¯ve given you the time of my day?¡± Lyta asked back with a cheeky smile.

    The manner and tone in which she said it reminded me of my lieutenant, Kim Wo Yan, Korean dude and fellow monster.

    For a moment, I did wonder what he was up to so far in the past, but it was neither here nor there.

    ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve seen two of my girlfriends,¡± I responded with an overly confident smile.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± she nodded along. ¡°Hey, if I join this arrangement, is there any chance for some action with Helen?¡±

    ¡°No way.¡± I dashed her hopes. ¡°The best you¡¯ll get is a taste test when giving me a head.¡±

    It was a crude joke, and I got a well-deserved punch to the shoulder for it. And I actually felt it, much to my surprise.

    ¡°What the hell are you made of?¡± Lyta felt it more.

    ¡°Of hopes, dreams, and plenty of juice.¡± I put my hand on top of her head and started messing with her hair.

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure what Lyta¡¯s endgame here was, but I enjoyed this little play quite a bit.

 Theres two sides to every story.

    Claire Akahara thought that she knew herself well enough. But the events that transpired in the span of the last two weeks showed how wrong she actually was. And it all happened because of one single person.

    Tian.

    Claire sighed, leisurely pedaling the bike away from her grandparent''s home towards the train station.

    Well, or at least it was before. With the death of her granduncle, the older generation of Akahara family was all but gone.

    She sighed again, this time for a different reason.

    The next generation was busy fighting over inheritance rights. Oh, Heavens, how tired this whole ordeal made her feel. No wonder her mother rarely mentioned the extended family, if at all.

    Claire cut off this train of thoughts, trying to think about something more pleasant instead. Like the fact that she will be able to chat with Tian once again...

    A bit of heat came to her face because of this thought. Ugh. But she really looked forward to it nonetheless.

    Tian.

    In fact, she didn''t even know his family name. Hell, she wasn''t sure even if the name he told her was really his.

    What she knew was that he was someone who came into her life all of a sudden and turned it upside down. Showing, in the process, how little she knew about herself.

    Like how easy it was to make her completely forget about her three-year-long crush on Daniel.

    Or how comfortable it was to relax in someone else''s embrace.

    Or how much she enjoyed kissing.

    Claire shook her head vigorously, feeling embarrassed, and partially even ashamed, at the pictures that her imagination was showing her.

    Bad thoughts, go away! It was all Tian''s fault!

    And his nefarious schemes...

    Before the second round of even more shameful thoughts could take over her mind, Claire upped her pace, as if trying to run away. Well, at least if someone saw her, they would think it was because of exertion.

    ***

    Claire chained the bike at a designated place¡ªnot that there was a real chance that someone would steal it, not in this godforsaken place, but the perspective of having to walk all the way back on her own two feet wasn''t that inviting.

    After double-checking the lock, she smiled at the sole other living soul in the general vicinity¡ªthe old station keeper¡ªand went inside the waiting room of the train station.

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    Claire walked inside and moved toward the seat that had already become ''the usual'' to her over the last three days. As she did so, her phone started buzzing with new messages.

    Yeah, this middle-of-nowhere train station was the only place where her phone had a bearable connection, so she took a ten-kilometer bike ride here once or twice a day.

    Claire willfully ignored the fact that she also used those trips as an excuse to leave those greedy bastards, who, by some cosmic coincidence, were her relatives, and get some alone time.

    She let out a long sigh, nested onto an old wooden bench, and tapped the Messenger app icon.

    The first thing that she noticed was a lot of new messages in their friends'' chat group. Claire took her time to scroll through some of them.

    It seemed like Lyta was complaining, once again, about her love life. Something she did on the regular in the last two weeks, much to the general displeasure of the rest, except, maybe, Aisha, ever the gossip-lover.

    Helen also dropped by to say hi, followed by a brief recollection of her vacation and promise to send pictures later, once she got them from the camera.

    Her ''pretty friend'', as aptly named by Tian, also sent her a few direct messages.

    But all of that went out of Claire''s head the moment she noticed a new message. From the man who occupied a large part of her everyday thoughts as of late.

    Tian: [do you want my help?]

    Claire slowly reread those few simple words as the wave of warmth washed away the stress and irritation she felt lately.

    It was an odd feeling. Pretty much all of her friends asked her if she needed help. Offering their support in case she asked for it. But, well, Claire didn''t think there was anything that necessitated something like that.

    Tian was different¡ªor so her, frankly speaking, biased perception told her¡ªhis only concern was if she wanted his help. And Claire knew that the whole situation would be swiftly dealt with if she said ''yes''.

    Her imagination once again started going out of hand as she tried to imagine what his nefarious goal was this time around. Maybe he will ask her to repay it¡ªClaire felt her breath bait momentarily¡ªin a certain way¡­

    She gulped, feeling parched from how hot it was in the waiting room, and went to a vending machine to buy herself something to drink. Yeah, even Claire herself knew it was just an excuse.

    As she took a sip of a fizzy drink, her thoughts once again turned toward the guy who made her heart beat faster, and another bout of shame overcame her, who visited her in her dreams regularly lately.

    Tian.

    Oh, Tian. The guy was an enigma, a complete mystery to her. Every time Claire felt she was a step closer to understanding him, he showed her something new.

    By now, she wasn''t even sure what his undoubtedly evil scheme''s end goal was.

    Claire nuzzled her cheek against the still-cold soda can, in vain hopes that it would help with the flustered feeling she currently felt. Which was another weird influence Tian had on her.

    Even in the heyday of her crush, simple thoughts about Daniel couldn''t make her feel so...

    She paused, trying to find the right word to describe that feeling.

    ¡­so conscious of her own response to the other party''s actions.

    Claire blamed Tian for it, of course. The way he constantly made her aware of the choices she had in every situation made her unable to simply deny her responsibility.

    Yes, she wanted to spend more time with him, be it on a date or something else.

    Yes, she wanted him to kiss her.

    And, maybe, even something more...

    Claire raised her eyes to the empty ceiling as her memory showed her another recent scene.

    The way Tian looked at her in the car, both before and after the theater visit... Or that evil smirk on his overly handsome face, which made her feel butterflies inside... Or his touch melting her already waning reluctance.

    All of that, coupled with teasing words that mercilessly cut off her path to blissful denial, made her feel stuff.

    Claire shook her head, breaking the weird spell those thoughts put her under, and looked at her phone''s screen. Did she want his help or not?

    Me: [Yes, please.]

    Whatever heinous deeds Tian would ask her to perform in repayment, her wish to actually see him again a bit earlier far outstripped her caution.

    Damn it, girl.

 A call.

    I returned to Bella¡¯s apartment, racking my brain around a question of utmost importance.

    Should I finish the rest of the food now or wait until my dear wakes up?

    The sound of a new message took me out of contemplation. I extended my hand to grab my smartphone from the kitchen table, half-expecting it to be another photo from Helen¡¯s and Olivia¡¯s outing.

    Counter Girl: [Yes, please.]

    Oh. So she finally received my message. Great.

    I put a kettle on the stove, mulling over the new matter at hand. What should I ask from Claire as a repayment?

    I couldn¡¯t just waste such an opportunity to set another nefarious plan in motion, could I? Or better yet, how about letting Counter Girl decide on whichever way she will reimburse me?

    Well, I would help her anyway. But I had gotten used to our little play.

    I grabbed the smartphone again and tapped the video call button. Obviously, audio-only would suffice as well, but why not?

    Two whole beeps later, Claire picked up the call.

    Huh, she looked completely flustered for some reason, and I hadn¡¯t even started teasing her yet. How curious.

    Did Counter Girl think about the price she would need to pay for my help, only to let her imagination run wild? Naughty.

    ¡°Hello, Claire,¡± I greeted the cute girl in question.

    ¡°Um, h-hey, Tian,¡± she replied, stuttering a bit.

    Claire didn¡¯t wear any make-up, and her hair was in its usual state of spiky unruliness. From the angle she held her phone, I was only able to get a glimpse of her usual gray hoodie.

    Well, Counter Girl looked cute anyway.

    ¡°So, what kind of help do you want from me?¡± I decided to first get important stuff out of the way.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m not completely sure.¡± Claire drawled. ¡°I just want this whole bullshit to end as soon as possible.¡±

    Between her defeated tone and vaguely lost expression, I could see how done she appeared to be.

    ¡°Give me the location, and I¡¯ll send the same guy from the last time.¡± I slipped into a serious mood. ¡°Just brief him on what outcome you desire.¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, thanks in advance.¡± A kind of awkward response followed.

    ¡°No problem,¡± I shrugged it off.

    This exchange resulted in an awkward silence. It didn¡¯t take much effort to decide that it wasn¡¯t the right mood for the teasing, so I decided to postpone this until a more opportune time.

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    Hm, now I needed something to break the ice instead. Except nothing really came to mind right now.

    The silence dragged on as I was going over different possible topics, only to discard them one after another immediately.

    ¡°So, how have you been?¡± Claire spoke first.

    ¡°Like on a rollercoaster,¡± I replied with a chuckle.

    I retold an abridged version of the events that happened since the moment we parted ways on Friday night. I glossed over some details, of course, but decided to stick to the truth otherwise.

    ¡°So, um, you and Helen?¡± Just as I was about to finish my story, Claire asked something out of left field.

    I guess her filter had another malfunction, in a slightly unusual way this time. I watched how the Counter Girl slowly realized exactly what she asked, much to my amusement.

    ¡°Hm? What about us?¡± I asked back.

    Well, I was expecting this question to come up at some point, but I assumed it would be in person.

    ¡°Ah, no, um, I mean,¡± Claire rambled in her usual fashion. ¡°It just suddenly dawned upon me, and, well, a few things just started making sense.¡±

    Now, this was outside my predictions.

    ¡°Huh? How about an example?¡± I was rather curious, actually.

    ¡°Well,¡± she bit her lip, ¡°it¡¯s like I always had a hard time imagining that mythical ex of hers. You know, someone who could actually make Helen fall. And imagining someone who could actually break up with her, yeah, that was even harder.¡±

    Fair.

    ¡°And now you can?¡± I had a hard time fighting back a teasing smile.

    Judging by the rapid spread of red on Claire''s face, she already noticed it herself as well. A moment later, Counter Girl took a deep breath, calming herself.

    My amusement doubled as I looked at how she shook her head and then nodded along with something going on inside her head. Ah, such a pity it was only a call. Good thing it wasn¡¯t an audio-only one.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claire stopped her pantomime and answered my question.

    I met her gaze through the screen, trying to distract myself from how kissable her lips looked. Ah, yes, really a pity.

    A minute or so went by in this staredown before Chaos finally acted.

    The embarrassed and longing look on Counter Girl¡¯s face changed into one of surprise, while I felt a new weight on my shoulders as my special woman hugged me from behind.

    Hm, I must¡¯ve been really engrossed here to not notice someone approaching me like that. Then again, I never really put my guard up with Bella.

    ¡°You must be Claire.¡± I heard the voice of my dear right above my ear as she joined in on the conversation. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Um, yes, likewise.¡± The girl in question responded in an uncertain tone.

    ¡°My, you are certainly a cute one. Olivia wasn¡¯t exaggerating.¡± Bella continued, ignoring the obvious signs of discomfort in Claire¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Bella, my dear, stop acting up and go get dressed.¡± I chided her in a soft tone. As a matter of fact, she was almost naked. Then I turned my attention back to Claire and continued, ¡°She is in a playful mood. If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to just ignore her antics.¡±

    My special woman gave me a kiss on the cheek and sashayed towards the coffee machine, ignoring my words.

    I could only shake my head and sigh in defeat. Still, Bella really was in a good mood, if this was the extent of her jealousy.

    ¡°The name of that vixen is Isabella Alvarez.¡± I once again turned my attention to the prior conversation at hand. My dear followed my words with another ¡®hi¡¯ of her own. ¡°And as I said, if her antics bother you, feel free to ignore her or put boundaries in place.¡±

    Bella already said she would play along nicely as long as I needed her to, so I wasn¡¯t all that concerned about her anymore. As for Claire, hm, this was the reality of being involved with me.

    I still had no idea what the reasoning behind Counter Girl¡¯s behavior was, so let¡¯s just leave the choice to her.

 Right. Riiiight.

    I looked at Claire, who was lost somewhere in the depths of her mind. The Counter Girl lowered her gaze, severely limiting my ability to judge what was going on at the moment.

    I moved my eyes away from a screen to look at what my special woman was doing.

    Bella, still mostly naked, the short and almost see-through silk robe failing its intended job spectacularly, was busy rummaging the shelves searching for something. A few moments later, she completed her quest and went back to the coffee machine, this time with a bottle of brandy in her hands.

    ¡°Tian.¡± Claire''s voice made me switch my attention back to the video call. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to go back.¡±

    ¡°Is it about being a third wheel again?¡± I asked, voicing the most likely reason for such an abrupt end to the conversation I could think of.

    My words caught the young woman in question off guard.

    ¡°Um? Nope.¡± Counter Girl responded with a playful smile, much to my surprise. She continued, ¡°I just would rather not have to ride back in the dark.¡±

    Claire turned around, showing the setting sun through the window.

    Oh, right, that was a valid reason.

    ¡°Oh. Well, as much as I would love to talk for a bit longer,¡± I replied with a smile, ¡°your safety is more important.¡±

    My words made the smile on her cute face widen a bit more. And I didn¡¯t even have to lie.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to send me the location and your preferred time; I¡¯ll send someone to take care of everything,¡± I continued shortly after.

    ¡°Um, right.¡± A shy nod followed her short response. ¡°Cya.¡±

    ¡°Take care,¡± I replied in kind, with Bella chorusing along.

    I looked at the screen while Claire waved her hand and ended the call. Meanwhile, my dear finally finished her concoction and quickly came back to my side with a cup that should¡¯ve had more brandy than coffee in it.

    If my future knowledge hadn¡¯t messed up with me again, of course.

    ¡°So,¡± Bella started, putting her drink on the table and dragging another chair next to mine, ¡°should we go out for dinner or order something instead, dear?¡±

    She pointedly ignored the opportunity to ask more questions about my talk with Claire. As I thought about the Counter Girl, my phone instantly buzzed with another message as she sent the information I just asked for.

    ¡°Hm, Lyta paid a visit while you were asleep and brought some with her.¡± I gestured toward the side table, where I had put away the rest of the food.

    I was a bit busy scrolling through my phone, searching for the contact info of the shadow that played the role of my driver on Friday. Which I hadn¡¯t forgotten to save, right, me?

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    ¡°Dear.¡± Bella broke the silence once again. ¡°What have you done with my assistant?¡±

    Her tone sent a shiver down my spine. Well, not really.

    ¡°Nothing?¡± I shrugged it off. ¡°Yet.¡±

    ¡°Yet?¡± My special woman asked back.

    I shrugged once again.

    I stopped my search, which showed me that I overestimated my past self.

    Sigh.

    Bella was too quiet. With that thought flashing inside my head, I raised my eyes to look at my dear.

    My special woman froze mid-bite, a complicated expression painted on her face. She met my gaze and swallowed the food.

    ¡°Explain,¡± she demanded in a deceptively level tone.

    ¡°I need someone who can stick by your side all the time, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to cheat on me,¡± I repeated my earlier words, going straight to the point.

    Bella took a moment to think about my words. In the end, she slowly nodded.

    ¡°Hm, why her?¡± inquired my special woman.

    Weird. This one should¡¯ve been pretty obvious.

    ¡°All things considered, Lyta is one of¡ªif not the¡ªbest options for such a position,¡± I replied, ¡°considering that the girl managed to stick by your side for three whole years, both as your personal assistant and a lover.¡±

    ¡°She did?¡± This wasn¡¯t a question I expected.

    Huh. Right. Riiiight. Fuck. My future knowledge played me once more.

    ¡°Yes.¡± I quickly got myself together.

    ¡°This sounds reasonable enough.¡± Bella nodded, accepting my explanation. ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t explain why you are getting yourself involved with someone uninteresting.¡±

    My special woman emphasized the last word with air quotes.

    How should I explain this? Well, not like my bias towards my dear was some sort of secret. Even for her.

    I looked at Bella, who in turn was watching me with a raised eyebrow and a teasing half-smile on her face.

    Especially for her, I stood corrected.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just count it as a small gift from me to you.¡± I smiled back. ¡°The future you really liked this girl, so I decided to give this a try. A special treatment for my special woman, so to speak.¡±

    ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t think I will get used to your honesty any time soon, dear.¡± Bella replied with a shake of her head. Still, her smile widened noticeably. ¡°Do you think this can possibly work out?¡±

    I mulled this over yet another time.

    ¡°Hard to say.¡± I told the truth. ¡°On one hand, my very nature screams at me to chase her away with all I have.¡±

    I paused to take a sip of the concoction from Bella¡¯s mug.

    ¡°And on the other hand?¡± I could hear the curiosity in her voice.

    ¡°And on the other hand, from an objective viewpoint, I can¡¯t deny that Lyta is quite attractive. Especially with the change in her attitude.¡± I responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your suggestion to her was, but, yeah, it¡¯s working. At least a bit.¡±

    By now, Bella¡¯s smile had morphed into a Cheshire grin.

    ¡°If you''ve met him a few times in person, and he still hasn¡¯t fucked you, it¡¯s hopeless to seduce him. The only way is to be yourself and pray he¡¯ll find you interesting,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s exact words I told her.¡±

    It was a bit more nuanced¡ªfor the current me, that is¡ªbut her words were on the spot.

    ¡°Hey, dear, would you mind if I helped her?¡± A bizarre question followed before I could react. Seeing my, no doubt, bewildered expression, Bella clarified, ¡°In your seduction, I mean.¡±

    I shrugged and took another sip from her mug.

 Obsolete.

    Man, this conversation felt much longer than it had any right to be. And, while I had no idea how long exactly, it was enough for me to start fazing out.

    The direction of conversation went back to the business side of our talk. To be more specific, Bella decided to make a report about how her trip went. Meetings, discussions, negotiations, and deals. Details. Details. And even more details.

    Ugh.

    I was just nodding along, trying my best to keep up with what I heard. And failed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can you repeat what you just said?¡± I tried to weasel my way out of the situation.

    Not that I really hoped it would work.

    ¡°Was it too much for you?¡± Judging by her tone, my special woman clearly noticed and was letting me know she did so.

    ¡°Sorry. You know me, my dear, I always struggled with boring things.¡± I made an excuse.

    Bella just shook her head in defeat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s change the topic then.¡± Evidently, my special woman was in a good enough mood to let my transgression slide this time. ¡°I wanted to ask if you have any other pieces of future knowledge to capitalize on?¡±

    I mulled over her question. I felt like it was something obvious enough, but, well, going over it at least once in plain words wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone.

    ¡°Dear, how long do you think twenty-five years are?¡± I started with a question of my own.

    The answer I got was a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°It¡¯s fucking long. That¡¯s how.¡± I voiced the right answer. ¡°How much do you remember about state of financial world from your childhood?¡±

    Some realization appeared in her gaze as my words registered. There was still some unwillingness to accept it at face value.

    ¡°The only reason I even remembered this one was a documentary I''d seen on TV a bit over a month ago.¡± I clarified. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been doing my best to memorize a wiki, expecting to get into the past in some foreseeable future.¡±

    Unwillingness faded a bit.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s add that the next three years are almost completely blank in my memories. The four years after that are full of you, with very little else catching my attention.¡± My words elicited a pleasant smile from my special woman. ¡°And after that, I have no excuse for being a lazy ass and leaving stuff like that to someone else.¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡°I still have a lot of quite interesting information for later years. Companies that would go under. Release times for hit products. And some stock market manipulation schemes of questionable legality.¡± Let¡¯s omit how exactly I¡¯ve gotten this information. ¡°And you know what they all have in common? They would require the next fifteen or so years to go the same way, down to every little twist and turn.¡±

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    I paused, taking a breather and giving Bella a chance to respond. Which she opted not to do.

    ¡°To be honest, just my presence here should completely invalidate anything I knew.¡± I dropped a bombshell.

    Hm, did something that obvious even need an explanation?

    ¡°Only time can tell how much the different actions, or inaction, of one Michael Roah changed over the course of the last three weeks. Butterfly effect and all that, you know.¡± I took another sip of the lukewarm concoction I still had in the cup. ¡°Perhaps there is some sort of mysterious force that protects the timeline from being changed by things that are so minor. Who knows?¡±

    Since Bella still kept her silence, I continued my monologue:

    ¡°In three to five years, Long Hao, husband of Kouzuki twins and the best friend of Frank Smith, the linchpin that was and is holding together the faction known as Three Families, would¡¯ve died.¡± I let those words set in. ¡°I have no idea whatsoever how or why it happened exactly, but that¡¯s unimportant. What¡¯s important is the fallout of such an epochal event. I¡¯ll spare you details, but it left a power vacuum. And it changed the world once and for all.¡±

    Another pause. Another breather. And another chance for my dear to speak.

    As I was waiting, I picked up a small, unassuming thing from the table and rolled it in my hand.

    The seal of Kouzuki Shinji, heir of the Kouzuki clan. The twin brother of Long Tian, the heir of the Long Clan. Such a little piece of precious metal could change the course of history with such ease.

    How fascinating.

    ¡°Long Tian. Kouzuki Shinji.¡± I spoke out those two names slowly, as if tasting them on my tongue. ¡°Blood is everything for the Three Families, my dear. And both of them have the blood of both clans running in their veins. And, well, I don¡¯t think I would be able to escape Helen Smith this time around, even if I wanted such a thing.¡±

    I raised my gaze to look into the wide-open pair across the table.

    ¡°Whatever I knew about the future is obsolete.¡± All those cracks in my masks gave in a bit more. I felt a wide grin split my face. ¡°And isn¡¯t this the best result I could¡¯ve hoped for?¡±

    ***

    Afterward, the conversation naturally died down. I was busy trying to get myself under control while Bella fell silent¡ªwell, more silent than she already was¡ªcontemplating everything that she just heard.

    I excused myself and went outside, both to take a much-needed breather and to find my personal shadow. Claire¡¯s issue still had to be taken care of.

    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to play around this time, so after quickly locating the hiding spot of my sneaky bodyguard, I made a gesture for them to approach.

    ¡®It¡¯s an order.¡¯ I mouthed off. It was a no-brainer that they were all trained to read lips.

    As Shadow approached, I gave them a piece of paper with instructions I had written down beforehand.

    ¡°Give this to the guy who played the role of my driver last Friday. And tell him to contact me.¡± I let my orders be known.

    Shadow bowed, respectfully accepting the note with both hands.

    I turned around, ready to leave, when another thought flashed inside my cooled-down brain.

    ¡°And another thing,¡± I said, looking back at the still-bowing figure. ¡°Contact me as well. Since you seem to be assigned to me personally, I would like to have a way to get to you if need be, aside from playing hide and seek every time. Even if it¡¯s fun in its own way.¡±

    Not waiting for a reply, I left.

 What now?

    Yet another time I entered Bella¡¯s apartments. The magnificent woman in question was still busy overthinking something while slowly playing with leftovers on her plate.

    I guess the talk wasn¡¯t that long in the end.

    It looked like my special woman was completely lost in her thoughts, as there was no reaction to my arrival. I shook my head and decided to play a little prank on her.

    Completely erasing the sound of my steps was much harder than I thought. I was starting to get tired of feeling so weak and clumsy all the time.

    Just when am I going to regain even a semblance of control over my own body?

    Either way, Bella was distracted enough to miss me all the way until I hugged her from behind.

    ¡°What are you thinking so hard about?¡± I whispered into her ear.

    A heavy sigh was the only answer I''d gotten. Not even a yelp or a biting comment. Disappointing.

    ¡°Hey, Michael. Are you really from the future?¡± Bella asked, deciding not to beat around a bush.

    ¡°I told you as much three weeks ago already.¡± And I replied with the same straightforwardness.

    Another heavy sigh followed, and I felt how she relaxed into my embrace.

    ¡°Were you expecting me to believe in such bullshit?¡± Bella said, tilting her head back to look at me.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± I responded and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°But you seem to start now?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a question or a statement.

    ¡°Maybe?¡± And the answer I got was about as certain as the question itself. ¡°You¡¯ve changed too much. You know things you aren¡¯t supposed to know.¡±

    I could only shrug and give her another kiss.

    ¡°Argh, this drives me crazy.¡± With those words, my special woman left my embrace and stood up from her seat. A moment later, she turned around and gave me a stern glare. ¡°Let¡¯s say I believe it. What now?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much?¡± I smiled back.

    Bella glared at me, and I smiled back. The stalemate continued.

    ¡°Let¡¯s test it one more time.¡± My special woman broke the silence first.

    ¡°As greedy as ever, my dear.¡± My smile widened in response. ¡°Except this will be quite problematic to do.¡±

    An already traditional raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I told you already¡ªI know jack shit about things in this time period that could be of any interest. And those I knew of in the future are obsolete thanks to the differences that already occurred.¡± I spread my arms to show how helpless I am in this situation.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Bella almost spat this word. I nodded and was about to change the topic when she continued, ¡°What about people?¡±

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    Huh.

    ¡°People?¡± I asked back, cupping my chin.

    I guess that was a possibility. But¡­

    ¡°Yes, people.¡± My dear repeated herself.

    "Well," I drawled. ¡°To be honest, the same rule applies here all the same. Twenty-five years is an even longer time in the case of ¡®people¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to weasel your way out, dear?¡± I actually was, but only partially.

    ¡°Look, the vast majority of guys and gals I¡¯ve been working with just a month ago are too young to be of any interest. Some aren¡¯t even born yet.¡± I explained. ¡°Of those that are currently active and good enough for me to commit them into memory, pretty much all of them are already affiliated with various major powers.¡±

    I spread my arms once more. I wasn¡¯t even playing around.

    Although, if it¡¯s those two...

    "What, no one at all?¡± I could feel this question dripping with skepticism.

    This should work, and let me kill a few rabbits with one stone.

    I closed my eyes, organizing the things I actually knew about the people in question. It wasn¡¯t much. Not much at all.

    Ah, screw it. I owe the two of those enough, and now I even have a means to repay.

    ¡°Kim Wo Yan. Half Korean, half Chinese. A bit shorter than me. He spent most of his youth in a biker gang. He has a habit of dyeing his hair.¡± I went deeper into the details of his appearance, noting that I am not sure if he got his tattoos done already or not. ¡°My right-hand man and a fellow monster. In his early twenties, he is a year or two older than me. As far as I know, he should be already in the city around this time, but I have no idea about details, so it¡¯s up to you to find him.¡±

    Bella quickly wrote down all this with a serious expression on her face.

    ¡°As for the second, well, the only thing I know about him is that he is French, his name is Pierre, and he makes the best shoes in the world.¡± I nodded to myself, proud that I could remember that much. ¡°He had at least one plastic surgery to completely remodel his appearance, so my information about his looks is irrelevant. Good luck in your search, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Are you fucking with me right now, dear? How in the hell am I supposed to find him?!¡± Bella threw the pen she held in her hand at me.

    Which I caught and handed back to her. She glared at me but took it nonetheless.

    ¡°Just use the Long clan information network.¡± I said, giving her a thumbs up and an encouraging smile. Yes, I was fucking with her.

    ¡°Is it some sort of scheme on your part, dear?¡± Bella asked suspiciously.

    My smile widened a bit. It was, of course.

    ¡°Yep.¡± I voiced the confirmation.

    ¡°What is it this time?¡± I could hear curiosity in her voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s a layer of protection for your stubborn and prideful ass.¡± I told her in a chiding tone. ¡°Knowing you, there is a snowball chance in hell you gave up on your revenge. And I am almost certain you will just keep inventing reasons why you cannot marry me until it is all over. So I decided to make sure that if anyone tried to trace it back to you, they would get to the Long clan instead. This should make them think twice before ever trying to harm you.¡±

    A long moment of silence followed.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take up on your offer,¡± my special woman said after thinking for a while.

    ¡°Please do, my dear.¡± I fought down a wince.

    The Bella-less world wasn¡¯t something I would ever want to experience again.

    The ping of a new message on my phone brought this topic to a close.

    ¡°So, what are the plans for the rest of the night, dear?¡± It seemed like Bella had the same opinion.

    ¡°How about doing absolutely nothing?¡± I responded with a question of my own.

    My special woman raised her eyes from the notebook she was scribbling something into and looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

    ¡°I think you can use more rest.¡± I obliged. ¡°And I would love to spend some lazy time with you alone. The last time we did so was more than a decade ago for me, give or take.¡±

    Bella slowly nodded, bestowing her blessing on this motion.

 Down the memory lane: Past.

    The first time she met him, she couldn¡¯t even imagine just how far-reaching the consequences of this event would be.

    ***

    It was a summer day, warm and sunny, yet Isabella Alvarez was in a bad mood. A volatile mix of cold anger, righteous fury, sorrow, and loss, multiplied by the fiery temper of That Alvarez Woman, wasn¡¯t something that most people would like to face.

    She just finished her prayers on the grave of her younger brother; no wonder she wasn¡¯t happy. Not happy at all.

    And now she chose to take a stroll through the cemetery, trying to sort out her thoughts and emotions before blowing up in the face of some unlucky bodyguard.

    It wouldn''t be the first time, either.

    Why was someone like her able to survive when someone like Miguel had to die? This question kept her awake late at night more often than she would¡¯ve been comfortable acknowledging.

    ¡®Just a bit more, brother. I¡¯ll find those bastards, make them pay, and then I¡¯ll join you. Sister won¡¯t make you wait for too long.¡¯

    Just as this thought flashed inside her head, her eyes showed her something she wasn¡¯t ready to see.

    The figure stood in front of her. A boy in his teens. About the same height. Same unruly black hair.

    ¡°Miguel?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but call out.

    The boy turned around, and the illusion completely crumbled. For all her bias, Miguel was never that handsome. Nor was there ever such a blank expression on his face, coupled with complete apathy in his brown eyes.

    He didn¡¯t react, at least not outwardly, to the way she called him. A silence prolonged as those cold brown eyes scanned across her, stopping at her face.

    ¡°My name is Michael, not Miguel.¡± The boy finally said something. ¡°Michael Roah.¡±

    With that out of the way, he nodded and turned around, about to leave.

    Roah. She recognized the family name. She heard about Leon Roah, the marriage con artist. After rummaging through her memory a bit more, she remembered the fact that he had recently died.

    Isabella Alvarez wasn¡¯t sure what led her to do what she did next. It was a completely uncalled-for, unhinged idea. Crazy even by her standards.

    ¡°Hey, wait, please,¡± she called out.

    What if he was similar to his father?

    The boy, who looked a lot like Miguel, was different enough at the same time. Wouldn¡¯t he be an interesting toy to play around with for a while?

    Yes, she usually preferred female company, but would it hurt to try this once?

    And she was ready to pay for it.

    ***

    Just as she hoped, the boy agreed to her proposal. Just as she expected, he was incredibly talented in this line of work. Against all odds, she found herself drawn to him more and more.

    Even though she had stopped seeing Miguel in him shortly after, Michael Roah, the impossibly handsome boy with an apathetic gaze, wormed his way into her broken heart.

    She had to make a choice and make it soon; the sooner, the better. If she wanted to cut this boy, it must¡¯ve been done now, while it¡¯s not too late.

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    ***

    Three months later, she came to a decision. Isabella Alvarez couldn¡¯t allow herself to have such an obvious weakness. Even if her heart had to be broken once more, it was time to say goodbye to the boy who somehow managed to occupy it.

    Today was the last day. It was the last meeting they would ever have. Today, she would say farewell to him and go back to her old ways. Alone.

    She looked at the time. Michael Roah always arrived five minutes earlier. He was never late. He hated to be late. With unexplainable passion.

    Yet, the clock on her smartphone showed fifteen minutes past the promised time, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

    Did something happen to him? She fought down the urge to call him. She could wait.

    And so she did. A further fifteen minutes passed by. And then once more. And a third time, adding up to an hour already. Then another hour passed by. And then a few more.

    It was as clear as a day. Isabella Alvarez, That Alvarez Woman, was stood up by her date. The boy toy she was about to cut off, no less.

    And it stung. Enough to make her broken heart ache.

    ***

    Isabella Alvarez wasn¡¯t happy today. Far from it. Being an information broker, one of the best in this thrice-damned city, came with some downsides.

    For example, she couldn¡¯t help but hear most of the rumors going around. Usually, it was akin to white noise for her¡ªsomething to quickly filter out and forget about.

    But this particular one decided to occupy her head, and it definitely hasn''t been planning to pay rent for that either.

    ¡®There is an unknown youth who keeps showing up at high-society events with a different partner every time.¡¯

    And this rumor, as trivial as it was, irritated her to no end. From the description of the youth, she easily recognized who it was. Michael Roah.

    A myriad of questions swarmed her mind. Who? When? What?

    Why? Yes, why?

    Why was he doing all of that? Why couldn¡¯t she find him?

    And the most important of them all: why not me?

    She looked down at the paper report on her table, crumpled it, and threw it into the trash can.

    Isabella Alvarez wasn¡¯t happy today. Not happy at all.

    ***

    The sound of an intercom disturbed her date with a bottle of red wine. And it irritated her even more.

    She still picked it up, half curious to see who it was and half anticipating the moment she could let her steam by berating the unlucky sod that was on the other end.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± She heard a familiar voice as Michael Roah smiled into the camera.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why she did it, but she pressed the button to open the door for him. Maybe she was curious to hear what he was about to say? Or was it the desire to see him once again? Both? Something else altogether?

    She didn¡¯t bother to wear something else. Her favorite silk robe would suffice. This would also be a great reminder about how much he is missing out on.

    It was a petty move, sure, but her pride wouldn¡¯t let her just let it go.

    The doorbell rang, and, with a deliberate slowness, she went to open the door, absentmindedly noting the noticeable change in the boy.

    His blank expression and apathy in his gaze went away, leaving behind a sincere, if a bit roguish, smile that reached his eyes. It looked like Michael Roah was just as talented in acting as he was in pretty much everything else.

    ¡®In everything that he deemed interesting,¡¯ she corrected herself.

    ¡°What wind brought you tonight to this poor old woman¡¯s place?¡± she said, while doing her best to put as much sarcasm and obvious mockery into her tone.

    ¡°Interest.¡± His smile didn¡¯t even falter as he responded.

    Ah, yes. Interest. The loaded term he used whenever and wherever he needed to express something personal to someone who wasn¡¯t him. As well as the driving force behind most of his decisions.

    She had him explain it in detail to her, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she actually understood him correctly, or even if it were possible for anyone who wasn¡¯t Michael Roah to fully comprehend the entire meaning.

    And, once again, she had to make a choice. Should she let him in or laugh in his face and chase him away?

    ***

    Was the way she remembered it all accurate? If she asked him, would his story be the same? What were the details that were glossed over after years had passed?

    And was it really so important when the choice she had made at that time was evident?

    She had no idea.

 Down the memory lane: Future?

    Isabella Alvarez had a headache. It was one of those never-ending migraines that threaten to split your head open every damn time.

    It even had a name.

    Michael Roah.

    The damn bastard disappeared again. And, just as usual, it was a whole other pain in the ass to find him.

    ***

    He came back to her. She let him in. And then he left. Only to return at a later date. And the cycle started all over again.

    The fickle bastard kept chasing after whoever and whatever his shitty nature and his thrice-damned interest made him.

    And she kept on waiting for him, like an old housewife waiting for her unfaithful husband. Well, at least he didn¡¯t lie to her. He never promised to stop. They both knew he wouldn¡¯t.

    Why was she letting him back every time? Why did seeing his smiling face on the intercom screen make her heart feel calmer?

    If only she had the answers to these questions.

    The only upside to this was that he usually brought with him either blank checks or some interesting pieces of information. It was a weak consolation, but it was better than nothing.

    As time went by, once she understood that this vicious cycle was the new norm of her life, her pride made her do something¡ªpetty revenge.

    Next time, as soon as the usual telltale signs started to appear, she seduced her personal assistant. The girl was obedient and passionate, and she wasn¡¯t bad-looking either.

    Yeah. Petty revenge. And the expression of jealousy on his face¡ªa genuine one¡ªwas a treat in itself.

    ***

    ¡°You know,¡± he said, looking down, ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be able to return this time.¡±

    Those words scared her. No, not even the words themselves. The way they were said. The tone. The lack of emotion in his voice.

    It had been almost five years since she last heard Michael Roah sound so...

    Bored.

    ¡°That stupid game of mine. Chasing skirts. Playing the role of gigolo.¡± He paused, letting the words linger. ¡°It¡¯s not enough anymore.¡±

    ***

    He left. It was a gray mouse this time. Was he trying something new? And from what she had gathered, it was a one-time thing.

    Then, Michael Roah simply disappeared. Their usual game, who will make the other side more jealous, ended as a non-starter.

    He simply ignored her messages. So, ever so proud, she stopped sending them.

    And then she started hearing rumors about him.

    Bad ones. Worse than usual. Less womanizing. More violence. Way more violence...

    Every time she heard something new, the dull ache in her heart became stronger. Isabella Alvarez. That Alvarez Woman. With all her connections, with all her power, and with all her riches, she was completely and utterly powerless.

    And she felt it.

    ***

    He never came back.

    The rumors about him were steadily getting worse by the day.

    ***

    He didn¡¯t call. He never sent a single message.

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    By now, the rumor mill has equalized the words ¡®Michael Roah¡¯ and ¡®fucking animal¡¯. For them, he wasn¡¯t a person any longer. A beast. Someone to avoid.

    She did her best to mediate whenever it was possible, but the sheer number of incidents slowly tipped the scale.

    ***

    It was a rainy day. More like a week.

    It had been three years since she had seen him last.

    In all honesty, her life turned out better without him in the picture. Maybe. She was almost sure.

    ¡°Isabella.¡± Lyta called out to her.

    They were dating for the last three years, and wasn¡¯t that a surprise even to her? Well, if she thought about it a bit harder, it was hardly a surprise at all.

    The girl in question was a jackpot. Loyal. Loving. A hard worker, both in the bedroom and office alike. And easy on the eyes. She would never tell her, but with her tomboyish looks, she reminded her of Miguel.

    She checked all her boxes. Except for one.

    She wasn¡¯t Michael Roah.

    The fucking bastard was still somewhere out there. Doing whatever evil deed the fucking animal was up to this time around.

    And she was here, drinking wine, and waiting for the day she would receive the news about his corpse turning up in some alleyway.

    ¡°Isabella.¡± Her girlfriend called out to her once more.

    ¡°Mhm?¡± She let her attention be known.

    ¡°Are you thinking about him again?¡± There was so much jealousy in those words.

    Just as she was about to answer, the sound of an intercom interrupted her.

    Judging by how fast her heart started beating, Lyta¡¯s jealousy was right on the money.

    ¡°Isabella.¡± Her girlfriend tried to say something else.

    She ignored her, quickly approaching the intercom.

    Michael Roah looked pale; there were deep shadows under his eyes; and, overall, he looked like a stray dog as the raindrops streamed from his overgrown hair down on his overly handsome, if a bit too thin, face.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Familiar words. Familiar voice. Even his smile was the same.

    He was back. He came back.

    It wasn¡¯t even a choice for her, as her hand pressed the ¡®open¡¯ button.

    She continued ignoring Lyta, who was trying to say something else, as she went to open the door.

    The sound of a doorbell. She opened the door.

    Michael Roah didn¡¯t look pale because of the rain or the cold. Her eyes followed his figure down to his midsection. To the place where his hand was clasping what, most likely, was a stab wound. A fresh one, judging by the amount of blood.

    ¡°I said so.¡± He still had his smile on.

    And then he fell forward, right into her embrace.

    The world of Isabella Alvarez stopped.

    No.

    He was heavy, and she felt how her knees were buckling down under his weight.

    Not like that.

    Blood. So much blood.

    Not again.

    ¡°Fucking deserved.¡± Lyta¡¯s words tore through the wool in her head.

    The anger brought adrenaline. Adrenaline brought a surge of power. Which helped her lay Michael down on the floor.

    ¡°Get your things and get the fuck out of here. Never appear before my eyes again. Bitch.¡± Isabella Alvarez spat those words.

    Panic. Sorrow. Regret. This all can wait.

    She could still feel his pulse. There was still hope. It wasn¡¯t too late.

    She pressed the emergency button on the intercom linked to the apartment below. They should have training. They should have a first-aid kit ready.

    Her favorite silk robe was completely soaked in blood, but she didn¡¯t care. All she could do was wait, trying to apply the pressure and doing her best to minimize blood loss.

    Seconds trickled by, ever so slowly.

    He was cold. So cold. Now, with better lighting, she could see that his lips were getting blue already.

    Sound of footsteps. Voices.

    ¡°Help him. Please. I beg you.¡± She begged as her voice cracked.

    Isabella Alvarez, That Alvarez Woman, couldn¡¯t care less about her reputation at that moment.

    Her world turned into a kaleidoscope of events.

    Uncle Jose was barking out orders.

    A warm layer of clothing covered her mostly naked frame.

    A warm cup somehow appeared in her hands.

    More people were coming and going.

    What was she supposed to do?

    The cold body in her hands. Those bluish lips.

    Would she need to visit yet another grave?

    Was she cursed?

    Her head went blank.

    No thoughts.

    Three words were going on repeat.

    ¡°I said so.¡±

 Present.

    It was one of the most pleasant ways to wake up I had in my life. Even if it was a bit dangerous. Bella almost suffocated me, hugging my head tightly into her plentiful chest.

    Not the worst way to go. But I still had things to do. Yeah, actually having something to live for wasn¡¯t something I was used to.

    As I crawled my way out to get some air, a nostalgic, even if not entirely pleasant, sound reached my ears through the murmuring sound of the forgotten TV.

    Bella was sobbing in her sleep.

    Sigh.

    I brought my special woman into my embrace and started gently stroking her back as her tears dripped onto my chest.

    Sadly, if there was one thing I was completely powerless against, it was nightmares.

    ***

    A bit over an hour later, Bella finally calmed down. Or, more precisely, she woke up.

    ¡°Nightmare again?¡± I whispered softly into her ear.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said into my chest, refusing to look at me.

    ¡°Miguel?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No,¡± she denied.

    ¡°Your father?¡± I continued my questioning.

    ¡°Not him either.¡± Her answer caught me off guard.

    This was, to say the least, surprising. It was a nightmare worthy of tears, yet it wasn¡¯t one of those. What then?

    We kept lying there in silence as I searched my spotty memory for an explanation.

    ¡°You.¡± Bella¡¯s unexpected words brought me back.

    ¡°Me?¡± I asked back.

    Instead of answering my stupid question, Bella raised her face and looked at me, as if searching for something. Her desperate expression could be seen in the darkness of the room, lit only by the still-working TV screen.

    I felt lost for words. This was something new.

    No, of course, the young Michael Roah was a rare breed of bastard, but his actions were hardly something worth such a reaction from Isabella Alvarez.

    ¡°Want to talk about it?¡± This was the only thing I could offer in this situation.

    I felt her arms tighten their hold on me as she buried her face deeper in my pecs. And I was just waiting for her response, lightly rubbing her back and shoulders.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Her response followed. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    I kissed the top of her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s all so confusing, Michael,¡± Bella continued.

    ¡°Life is confusing,¡± I agreed.

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    In the next moment, I sucked air through my teeth as Bella decided to bite me hard enough to let blood out.

    Yeah, sure, anything to make her feel better. I surely deserved at least this much.

    I kissed the top of her head again.

    ¡°This one started one and a half months ago.¡±

    ***

    As I was listening to Bella¡¯s story, I couldn¡¯t help but think about the weirdness of this whole situation.

    On second thought, the strangest thing, by far, was my own second chance. Who could say, with confidence, that the same powers weren¡¯t behind this thing as well?

    Not me.

    ***

    ¡°Then you came back and made me feel stupid for thinking this could be something more than just my psyche working against me. You know, I¡¯m many things, but being superstitious isn¡¯t one of them,¡± Bella kept talking. ¡°But then, you told me all those things back on our ¡®date¡¯. And that bitch from ¡®Big Pharma¡¯ with her stupid ideas...¡±

    I kept nodding along, but those last words caught my attention.

    ¡°What did she say?¡± I asked.

    I had a hunch who this ¡®bitch¡¯ was and what she said to my dear, sure. But I still felt curious.

    ¡°You knew that she started this off-shoot to catch a time-traveler, yes?¡± Her tone sounded a bit inquisitive.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I confirmed.

    Bella¡¯s teeth made contact with my skin again, this time playfully. My special woman then proceeded to lick the blood off.

    Well, I heard the rumors about That Alvarez Woman being an actual bloodsucking bitch, but never before I experienced it myself.

    Should I bite her back?

    I shook my head, chasing the stupid thoughts away. Yeah, if there was something that could mess with my head, it was a naked Bella clinging to me.

    A whole damn lot.

    ¡°She wants to meet you.¡± Bella finally decided to speak.

    I put in some actual effort to think it through.

    ¡°Nah. At least not in the near future,¡± I declined.

    My special woman froze after hearing my words.

    ¡°Dear, do you understand who she is?¡± Bella raised her face to look at me as she said that.

    ¡°Dear, do you understand who I am?¡± I met her gaze and gave her my most condescending smile.

    Neither Long Tian nor Kouzuki Shinji were people that just anyone could meet. Even for someone like her.

    Especially for someone like her, I corrected myself.

    Bella kept staring at me, as if waiting for continuation.

    ¡°She is someone I would prefer to avoid, at least for a while,¡± I conceded. ¡°I already feel like I''m in over my head with the situation at hand, and adding another wild card would mess it all up. Even more than it already is.¡±

    Bella accepted my words with a nod. A moment later, she asked:

    ¡°What should I tell her?¡±

    ¡°The truth. Young Master Long Tian is interested in meeting with her but is currently indisposed due to clan matters,¡± I said with a cheeky wink.

    There was no need for me to explain every other implication behind those words. And they were, in fact, the truth¡ªin the end, my personal love life was a clan matter as well.

    Bella smiled and moved in for a kiss, straddling me in the process. Not the most unwelcome start of the day.

    The only problem was an insignificant fact¡ªthis bloodsucking bitch riled up the fucking animal part of me. And the beast demanded to make her submit.

    And all the other masks, much to my surprise, agreed with the necessity of this course of action.

    As for me? I was never much of an M person.

    I put my hands on her waist and rolled us over. Judging by her knowing smirk, this Alvarez Woman expected it all along. How devious of her!

    I was about to kiss her, but she stopped me.

    ¡°About this dream, or whatever it is...¡± Huh, she was still hanging onto that.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I cut her off. ¡°Whatever it was, I already told you. That future is obsolete.¡±

    How many times would I need to tell her that, I wonder.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake.

    ¡°Look, my dear Bella. If you are so worried about not returning, just don¡¯t let me leave.¡±

 Nothing in particular.

    I took a sip of my coffee, savoring both the taste and the newfound clarity of mind.

    It was quite a late breakfast, as subduing the bloodsucking bitch took a considerable amount of time and effort. It was a pleasant process, so I had no complaints.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan going forward, dear?¡± A question from Bella reached my ears.

    If I recall correctly, last time I said something close to not having any plans in particular.

    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll focus on my relationships for now.¡± My answer changed quite a bit over the course of two weeks. ¡°Starting to gradually get involved in clan matters doesn¡¯t sound that bad anymore either.¡±

    My special woman acknowledged my words with a hum and plopped down on the chair by my side.

    ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡± Another question from Bella.

    ¡°Nothing comes to mind right off the bat,¡± I responded with a head shake. ¡°Except, maybe, lend me a few of your guys for sparring purposes. I am getting more and more restless lately, but I am too rusty to get into action right away.¡±

    I paused to give this another spin.

    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s it,¡± I confirmed my previous words.

    Another hum of acknowledgement followed, and I felt her leaning most of her weight into my side. Bella was in a great mood.

    We spent some time in a pleasant silence, with both of us focused on the food.

    ¡°Anything in mind on how to spend the day?¡± Bella asked yet another question.

    Oh, right.

    ¡°I need to pay a visit to my grandmother. And by ¡®I¡¯, I mean ¡®we¡¯.¡± I felt her freeze after hearing my words.

    ¡°Ugh. Maybe. You know. Next time?¡± Her response almost made me laugh.

    I leaned to the side, giving the top of her head a kiss.

    ¡°Nope.¡± And dashed her hopes.

    I was almost certain most of her outward reluctance was just some sort of play, but it still made me somewhat uncomfortable.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she drawled with a sigh. ¡°But if she doesn''t like me¡­¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± I interrupted.

    ¡°You are going to console me,¡± Bella finished her words, ignoring my interruption.

    Yeah, I would love to ask for a refund for my previous concern.

    ¡°Sure. I know a few ways to console you,¡± I was half-serious in my response. ¡°And it''s been so long since I¡¯ve seen you dressed in cheongsam.¡±

    Perhaps not quite as serious.

    My special woman snorted at my words and put her head on my shoulder. I¡¯m going to pencil it in as a yes.

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    ***

    Much to my surprise, Bella actually had a few of those traditional Chinese dresses ready in her wardrobe. Of different lengths and quality as well.

    ¡°What are you acting so surprised at? I meet all kinds of people in my line of work, and sometimes I have to follow their dress code,¡± Bella, busy twirling around in front of the mirror setup, threw over her shoulder.

    I could only nod, accepting her words. Now that I thought about that, it made sense.

    ¡°So, how do I look?¡± Finally done with her preparations, my dear decided to ask this dreadful question.

    The one Bella chose was a fairly conservative, royal purple qipao with floral ornaments. Well, as conservative as something so tight-fitting could look at her impressive figure.

    I made a gesture for her to give me a spin, which she did.

    ¡°Like a worthy daughter-in-law for the Long clan.¡± I refrained from the usual compliments and decided to go with my honest opinion.

    Judging by her pleased smile, it was the right choice.

    The fact that Bella still blanked out briefly after hearing those words meant they were still shocking enough for her. Well, I wasn¡¯t at all against repeating them until she''d gotten used to that.

    A ping of a new message caught my attention.

    The Lady in Black sent her response to my inquiry, roughly translated into ¡®You can visit whenever you want, Tian.¡¯

    Now I just needed to decide who I should visit Kouzuki Miya¡¯s bar as.

    I looked at Bella again, who was busy styling her wavy hair into buns. I had no idea whatsoever why she would do so.

    Well, Long Tian it was then. Why not?

    I looked back at my phone and started scrolling through the last messages. A few more pictures from that outing Helen and Olivia had. The Counter Girl sent a short thank-you.

    Found it.

    Kon-Kon: [Young Master.]

    I clicked on the profile details to double-check.

    The profile picture was set on a very Japanese-looking girl in her late teens, perhaps early twenties? Straight black hair gathered into a single high-tail. Side bangs. A few strands here and there were colored red and purple. And V-signs on both hands.

    A normal, cute girl.

    I clicked the ¡®about¡¯.

    [V(^_^) Nin-nin.]

    I put the phone down and cupped my face with both palms. It looked like the forces of Chaos decided to throw me another curveball.

    I fought back a sigh and typed down a message.

    Me: [get me a car]

    Me: [a Long one]

    Kon-Kon: [o7]

    I had to put down my phone once more. This time with a groan.

    Sure thing, why would I even think that my personal shadow, most likely directly assigned to me by one of the two monochrome ladies, wouldn¡¯t be an attractive girl? Had I not gotten enough Chaos in my life yet?

    I decided to be optimistic about this. I worked with this girl before, and she was dependable if a bit eccentric. And, at the very least, she wouldn¡¯t tire my eyes if I decided to use her as my personal driver.

    I took a deep breath and decided to let it be.

    ***

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Bella¡¯s words registered in my ears.

    ¡°About how lucky I am to have you,¡± I responded in full auto.

    Well, this wasn¡¯t untrue anyway. And I got a kiss on the cheek as a reward.

    ¡°And what are you actually thinking about?¡± She continued.

    ¡°Nothing in particular,¡± I replied with a shrug.

    This was also true. I had been daydreaming for a while as the overly luxurious car with the Long clan registration numbers was closing in on our destination.

    There was no need for detailed plans. No matter what, I wasn¡¯t conceited enough to believe in my ability to actually outplay even one of the Kouzuki Twins. And knowing my grandmother, there was a decent chance that the Lady in White would be present as well.

    Bella was about to say something else, but I interrupted her with a kiss.

    ¡°You should relax as well,¡± I told her.

    The rest of our ride went in silence.

 Another sip.

    ¡°Dear, where have you brought me?¡± Bella asked, looking around curiously.

    We were walking through the familiar alleyway.

    ¡°The open secret of the illustrious Long clan¡ªKouzuki Miya¡¯s bar,¡± I replied matter-of-factly.

    The familiar, unlit signboard could already be seen.

    ¡°Huh?¡± My special woman stopped scanning the vicinity and looked at me with a healthy dose of disbelief in her gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories about people stumbling across the black door and either disappearing or getting a life-changing opportunity afterward. I was certain it was just an urban legend.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can assure you that this one has a lot more truth behind it than many others,¡± I informed her, feeling how her hand squeezed my elbow a bit harder.

    I took another step closer to the aforementioned black door. Bella chose to follow, even though her expression showed that she had more things to say.

    ¡°Hey, Michael, wait. Give me a few moments to get ready.¡± I chose to ignore those words and open the door instead.

    The familiar interior of my grandmother¡¯s bar, together with the perpetually bored bartender polishing his favorite glass, met me with dim lights and blues melody.

    The only real difference was that this time the Lady in Black wasn¡¯t sitting at her usual place. Instead, she was standing by the bar counter, either too worried to hide her anxiety or showing it on purpose.

    I shook my head, choosing not to overanalyze the unimportant things.

    ¡°Tian¡­¡± A barely held-back tremble in her voice spoke for itself. Unless it was part of the play, of course.

    I stopped her with a gesture. And she chose to do so.

    With a light push, I let myself slip into the Professional mask.

    ¡°Grandmother. I trust you enough to believe it was an honest mistake. A miscalculation made with the best intention behind.¡± I had a message to convey, and it was the best bet. ¡°I am not angry. Much less betrayed or some other silly stuff. But I am disappointed.¡±

    My words made Kouzuki Miya pale.

    ¡°Let me repeat myself. I trust you; I really do,¡± I continued my speech. ¡°I also believe that it was a good plan.¡±

    I made another pause.

    ¡°But I am not a chess piece.¡± I locked my eyes with the Lady in Black. ¡°I don¡¯t mind playing along, but I won¡¯t stand being played around behind my back.¡±

    In reality, this whole situation didn¡¯t bother me all that much, but this was an important enough issue to put my foot down. The earlier, the better. I had a solid hunch this was, at least in part, yet another test.

    ¡°I am sorry, Tian,¡± the Lady in Black apologized.

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    Well, this looked good enough in my books, and I was about to accept it when Kouzuki Miya decided to throw in a haymaker and add the bow to her words.

    For fuck¡¯s sake. Of course, I wasn¡¯t about to let her do so.

    The footwork I copied from shadows came in handy as I caught my grandmother in an embrace.

    ¡°That''s overkill,¡± I chided her. ¡°How can I accept something like that?¡±

    The Lady in Black responded with a weak smile and nod.

    I ignored the suspicion that this result was what she was aiming for from the beginning. Even if she did, I could only bow down to the perfect execution.

    The gaze of Kouzuki Miya departed from my face as she shifted her focus towards something situated behind my back.

    Oh, right. It was about time.

    ¡°How about you introduce the two of us, Tian?¡± The last traces of vulnerability left the outer shell of the Long clan matriarch.

    I smiled at such an abrupt change. Not unlike my own.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I kept my smile on. ¡°This is Isabella Alvarez, the most important woman in my life, and simply someone incredibly special to me.¡±

    Bella, who so far had been watching the show with a puzzled look on her face, followed my words with a ceremonial bow.

    ¡°And this is Kouzuki Miya, my grandmother and one of the most powerful people in this city.¡± I finished the introduction.

    The Lady in Black accompanied my words with a graceful nod.

    For a long moment, the two sides of my family quietly studied each other.

    ¡°The men of the Long clan are prideful and stubborn. The men of my Kouzuki clan are cold and fickle. Since someone with the blood of both families in his veins called you special and is ready to die for you, then it must be the truth.¡± Kouzuki Miya was the first to break the silence. ¡°As such, as Kouzuki Miya, the wife of the current head of the Long clan, I welcome you to the family.¡±

    ***

    I looked into the cup in front of me. It was the fifth one. Or was it seventh? I gave up on this line of thinking and took a sip instead, enjoying the familiar taste.

    The introductions were followed by a retelling of the story of how we met. With plenty of my commentaries as well.

    The follow-up story gave birth to a wave of complaints about the men of the Long clan, with me and Long Hao being used as examples.

    I¡¯m sorry, old geezer. You caught some flak because of me.

    If I were honest, I had been enjoying the way Kouzuki Miya masterfully used this conversation to establish rapport with Bella, bringing them ever-so-slightly closer by the minute.

    If I were to make an educated guess, Bella was aware of all of that and still enjoyed this conversation just as much.

    And if all it took was me getting some well-deserved dressing, so be it.

    I took another sip of my tea, trying to focus on the current topic.

    ¡°If you need advice on how to play the lead, my sister is someone much better suited to do so,¡± the Lady in Black was in the middle of saying. ¡°My expertise lies more in playing a supporting role, guiding everything from behind the curtains.¡±

    ¡°Please enlighten me!¡± Bella responded to her words.

    ¡°Instead of being in the spotlight and making myself exhausted by fighting against the world AND him, I just let Hao take the lead. He trusts and respects my opinion enough to come and ask for my advice whenever it¡¯s something he deems important. Otherwise, he is perfectly happy to stand in front of me, ready to act as my shield against anything and everything. Mmm, that wide back to hide behind¡­¡±

    I took another sip, cutting off my focus on the conversation. Yeah, the preferences and kinks of my grandmother weren¡¯t the knowledge I had any wish to hear.

    A scene from my first life¡ªmy attempt to hit on the Lady in Black in our first meeting¡ªsurfaced in my mind¡¯s eye. Ugh.

    Good thing no one will ever know this piece of dark history.

    I took another sip.

 I would.

    The talk between the two women kept going on and on. Unsurprisingly enough, I wasn¡¯t feeling bored by this fact. Both Bella and the Lady in Black were people I enjoyed spending time with. Why would spending my time with both at the same time be any different?

    I couldn¡¯t say I was all that interested in the actual things they talked about, though.

    Welp. You win some, you lose some.

    Instead, I decided to use this time to think about...

    Things.

    The people who already had my interest. Bella, Helen, and Olivia.

    What could be done? What should be done? How is it going to be?

    Those questions, along with the endless number of little worries that my second life kept giving me, raced through my mind, creating an interconnected web of day-to-day decisions that had to be made.

    Then in came Claire, whom I wasn¡¯t about to give up on either. Yeah, it was quite obvious, even to myself, that I had developed enough interest in Counter Girl.

    I left the questions I had about her unclear reasoning out of this particular brainstorming session. That wouldn¡¯t change my mind anyway.

    Then there were all those women I ¡®knew¡¯ were interesting but were inconvenient to pursue in the given moment. At best.

    Nicole Roah.

    Full disclosure¡ªI had no fucking idea what to do with her.

    I wasn¡¯t romantically interested in her, and the twenty-five-year-long separation completely killed any inkling of familial feelings the younger me may have had once upon a time. And yet¡­

    Oh, so much yet. Nicole, in a certain sense, was the person I wanted to get involved with the least. And the most. At the same time. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t making much sense, even to myself.

    I shook my head, preventing myself from going into a loop over this topic, and signaled to the shadow that I had spotted them.

    Right, there was this strange game of hide-and-seek going on. The three bodyguards of the Lady in Black were taking turns to hide in the field of my vision. I took the time to find them. It was a fun little exercise for both sides.

    The next woman in question was Su Yin.

    Su clan¡¯s first bitch, to be precise. The bane of my existence from the future that would never come.

    Heaven¡¯s see, the only reason I never quite tried to get a romance between the two of us going was her evident hatred towards me. And she almost succeeded in killing me so many times!

    I pictured the prot¨¦g¨¦ of the Lady in White in my head and fought down the animal grin.

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    Her current version, Su, my silly girl¡¯s petite friend, had a long way to go to reach that level. Both mentally and physically. Oh, I couldn¡¯t deny she was adorable when flustered, but I wasn¡¯t into kids. And she looked like one.

    Adding the fact that no matter which way I used to approach her, Yin wouldn¡¯t be able to accept it at face value, and I could only place her in the ¡®to be seen at a later date¡¯ folder.

    If there was meant to be something between the two of us, the way Kouzuki Maya had planned, it would need to wait. For me to get over my bias and for Yin to mature.

    I signaled to both shadows that I had found them, adding a few signs in the Long clan¡¯s secret code that they needed to try harder.

    Which brought me to the third woman on the list.

    Kon-Kon. And, yes, now that I thought about it, I had no idea what her name actually was.

    I worked with her a bit toward the end of my first life, most likely the doing of my grandmother, and even had a brief fling together. But I was too far gone by that point, so I would love to redo it properly.

    On the other hand, I barely knew anything about her except her appearance and solid skill set, and Michael Roah of the later years wasn¡¯t someone I would trust with making a judgment in romantic pursuits.

    I scanned the room, finding the fourth shadow¡ªthe only one who wasn¡¯t playing our little game. Well, I also had to discern which shadow was hiding this time around, and she was the only unmasked one, so it made sense. Or maybe she was sulking about me playing with other shadows.

    The ninja girl wasn¡¯t the most stable person I ever knew, even in comparison with me. And that was saying something.

    I took a few rounds to contemplate it.

    Meh, she wasn¡¯t here nor there in my list of priorities, and she was the one person who I could be sure to stick by my side for an indefinite time, so I decided to use her as a test.

    How long will I be able to resist temptation?

    I signaled to the shadow that three times was the charm, and they should give the other two a chance to play.

    The last one, but not the least, was Anne-Marie Lumierre.

    Anrie.

    To put it lightly, my history with her was a complete mess.

    We met by chance. There were many things good, bad, and ugly alike between the two of us. I saved her life twice. I tried to kill her twice.

    And all of that in the span of five short years. I had a hard time even thinking about what a disaster our meeting would be at this stage.

    Even worse, I already had her curiosity piqued. And that was a force of nature in its own right. On par with my interest.

    Fuck.

    Screw that. I affirmed my decision to focus on my current relationship for the next while.

    ¡°Do you think he still listens to us?¡± Bella¡¯s phrase, which contained enough red flags, brought my attention back to the conversation.

    ¡°He is a Kouzuki. We always listen,¡± the Lady in Black responded. ¡°He won¡¯t necessarily remember the entire conversation, unless it¡¯s something interesting to him, but he still hears, analyzes, and profiles.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I decided to deny it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was too lost in my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°See,¡± my grandmother ignored my words, ¡°as soon as he picked up potentially troublesome words, he got back into the talk.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Bella nodded.

    Judging by the expression on my special woman¡¯s face, she will definitely remember this. Eh, not like I minded.

    ¡°So, what were you two, dear ladies, talking about?¡± I asked, not quite hoping to switch the topic.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know, dear/Tian?¡± The chorus of two voices answered me.

    If I had no idea who those two were, I would¡¯ve been happy at how well they got along on such short notice. Alas. Well, it was all good as long as they had fun.

    ¡°I would,¡± I easily agreed.

 So, what do you think about her?

    Obviously enough, this exchange led nowhere.

    I wasn¡¯t all that serious in my attempts at getting answers, and both of them were perfectly aware that was the case. Neither of them were actually upset at my lack of attention, which I, in turn, understood.

    As such, the topic went elsewhere. This time, being inclusive enough to accommodate me.

    ***

    Time flew by, as it usually was with enjoyable things, all too quickly.

    The ringtone of Bella¡¯s smartphone interrupted an improvised lecture from Lady in Black about the specifics of clans¡¯ inner workings. The whole distinction between main and side branches, hierarchy, power succession, and struggles.

    My special woman looked at her phone¡¯s screen, the expression of irritation and urgency marring her beautiful face, and excused herself.

    I followed her retreating figure with my eyes, absentmindedly noting that one of the shadows accompanied her outside.

    ¡°So, what do you think about her?¡± I asked once the door closed behind Bella¡¯s back.

    ¡°Will my opinion change anything?¡± Kouzuki Miya responded with a question of her own.

    I took a few moments to mull it over.

    ¡°Not really. She is special.¡± I told her what was on my mind. ¡°But I won¡¯t bring her with me when visiting, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±

    It was Lady in Black¡¯s turn to think.

    ¡°You can bring her whenever,¡± she said.

    ¡°I guess she made quite an impression, huh?¡± I joked back.

    ¡°I am thinking about mentoring her,¡± my grandmother said, dropping a bombshell. ¡°Of course, it would depend on whether she agrees or not.¡±

    I whistled. A mentorship from one of the Kouzuki Twins held immense weight in upper society.

    ¡°The girl is obviously important to you,¡± the Lady in Black continued. ¡°And with you serving as her front, my teachings would suit her very much.¡±

    I nodded.

    To be honest, even fifteen years later, there were too many people who looked down on Bella for being a woman. Well, most of them paid dearly for underestimating That Alvarez Woman, yet the whole process went much more smoothly once she stepped down from being official leader and became the nominal advisor and chief of operations.

    Truly, people¡¯s stupidity and bias knew no bounds.

    ¡°She refuses to become my Lady Long,¡± I informed my grandmother.

    ¡°But you are going to do so anyway?¡± she replied.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I affirmed.

    Another brief pause followed.

    ¡°What if some of the more tradition-oriented elders oppose your decision?¡± The tone Kouzuki Miya used was gravely serious.

    ¡°Then the Long Clan will need a few new elders,¡± I shrugged.

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    ¡°That¡¯s a risky move,¡± my grandmother chided me.

    ¡°Well, what can I do?¡± I spread my arms. ¡°I am the brute, and Bella is the wise woman who can rein me in. Alas, unless she is a Lady Long, she won¡¯t have a say in matters of clan.¡±

    My words lingered in the air as Kouzuki Miya used refilling my cap as an opportunity to think some more.

    ¡°For the Three Families, blood is everything,¡± she said, placing the kettle back on the table. ¡°But it works both ways. Tian, this way of thinking would work for a Kouzuki, but the Long clan is different.¡±

    I felt a wave of anger rising inside.

    ¡°What then? Should I just bow my head and let them walk all over someone dear to me?¡± It took quite a bit out of me not to scream.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± she snorted. ¡°But using force isn¡¯t the right approach. They all have the blood of the Long clan; they are stubborn and ready to die for the things they hold dear. You force one to break, and three more will stand in their place, and three more for each of those as well.¡±

    The cold gaze of the steel eyes of the Lady in Black met my own. I looked away first.

    ¡°I am Lady Long myself, Tian. I don¡¯t want to see my clan go down due to some misguided infighting that could¡¯ve been easily avoided.¡± Kouzuki Miya shook her head. ¡°You are a Kouzuki as well, so use your cold rationale to think like one. Make them submit, and they will follow you to hell and back.¡±

    I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. This wise woman was one hundred percent right, and I knew it.

    ¡°What should I do, grandmother?¡± I asked, bowing my head.

    A small, soft, and pleasantly cool palm landed softly on my cheek, making me raise my face.

    ¡°Make them see your worth. Not just as a symbol but as a leader worth following. As for the details, just leave it to me and this special girl of yours. That will be a great way to teach her about the things she needs to know as a Lady Long, don¡¯t you think?¡± Her words were reassuring.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to tell me the plan this time.¡± I reminded her, only half-joking.

    ¡°Tian¡­¡± my grandmother started.

    ¡°I trust you,¡± I interrupted. ¡°But miscommunication like that can lead to all sorts of complications. I managed to salvage the things with Helen, but it could¡¯ve been easily avoided if I only knew about it beforehand.¡±

    The sound of the door being opened and closed served as a signal to end this conversation.

    Bella came back, obviously enough. And judging by the fact that she looked pissed off, the phone call was far from pleasant.

    My special woman took her place and gulped down the lukewarm tea. Then she took a moment to look into an empty cup and turned to the bartender with a contemplative expression.

    ¡°Bad news?¡± asked the Lady in Black.

    ¡°One of my workers fuc¡­mbled some things, and now my day off needs to be cut short,¡± Bella responded with a sigh. Then she shook her head, sighed again, and turned to me. ¡°Dear, it seems there is a change of plans. I¡¯ll need to be in the club around ten.¡±

    I looked at the time¡ªfour p.m.¡ªand nodded.

    ¡°Sure thing, dear.¡± I said, not without a certain level of reluctance.

    Not being able to spend another night in her company was certainly a regrettable turn of events, but it would make the situation with Helen a bit more manageable instead.

    ¡°Are you going already?¡± My grandmother chimed in.

    Her unwillingness could¡¯ve been heard clearly.

    ¡°How about we stay here, dear?¡± Bella offered before I could do so myself.

    I glanced at her, trying to confirm what she was up to. My gaze was met with a shrug, a soft smile, and a nod. Well, it looked like good impressions went both ways.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see why not,¡± I readily agreed. It was all the same to me. ¡°If somebody is going to feed me, that is.¡±

    With a brilliant smile on her face, the Lady in Black clapped her hands.

    ¡°Men,¡± she ordered. ¡°You¡¯ve heard Tian.¡±

    Well, I guess starvation wasn¡¯t a concern.

    ***

    About an hour later, the Lady in White decided to join in, accompanied by the Su clan¡¯s first young lady.

    I couldn¡¯t be sure if Kouzuki Twins planned it beforehand or Kouzuki Maya decided to visit entirely on her own, but one thing dawned upon me with a fury of a thousand suns.

    Between everything that happened since last Friday, I completely forgot to tell Bella about her role in my plans for world dominance.

    I fucked up.

 Everything in this life comes with a cost.

    Everything in this life comes with a cost.

    Su clan¡¯s first young lady. In the mind of Su Yin, this title always sounded

    more like a joke than anything else.

    Sure, she had been lucky to be born into nobility, but her father was too weak to protect her from the ambitions of clan elders. Which meant that her status as the first young lady was nothing more than a gilded cage.

    Another stroke of luck had been her meeting with her mentor and a role model¡ªKouzuki Maya. Student of Kouzuki Matriarch, this title changed her life considerably.

    Sadly, due to numerous unwritten rules, her teacher couldn¡¯t interfere in her matters freely, so Yin still had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way to get back her freedom.

    The next stroke of luck was meeting her best friend. Olivia was another role model in her life. Despite, arguably, an even worse family situation, the girl in question kept a cheerful front, an act of defiance against everything that tried to bring her down.

    Yin felt both happy and concerned after seeing her friend smiling dreamily while looking at her phone. And her concern only grew after meeting the reason for that expression.

    Michael Roah. Known womanizer, troublemaker, and scumbag in general.

    To put it simply, this guy was a problem. And, once more, the Su clan¡¯s first young lady was completely powerless to help her best friend. The scumbag was well-connected, having close ties with both Isabella Alvarez and Nicole Roah.

    Neither of those two women would¡¯ve been easy to deal with, even for someone backed by the full might of the Su clan, much less for someone like her.

    And, once more, Su Yin could only grit her teeth and watch how her best friend would deal with the situation on her own.

    ***

    ¡°Sold,¡± he said, clapping his hands. ¡°From now on, you are the mistress of Kouzuki Shinji. Use this name freely. If you need something from the Kouzuki Clan, tell it to my advisor, Kouzuki Maya; she will accommodate your needs.¡±

    ***

    And just like that, she acquired yet another title, which changed her life once more, and Su Yin had no idea if this change would be for the better or for worse.

    Paradoxically, the last week had been both the most relaxing and stressful in her short life.

    The new title worked. All those arrogant elders, who refused to even acknowledge her previously, started to seek her out, trying to get into her good graces. All those schemes and plans she wasn¡¯t able to put into action due to a lack of funds or sufficient power turned out to be as easy as asking her mentor.

    Her ambition to take over the Su clan wasn¡¯t an empty dream anymore. That much was clear.

    But, like everything else, it came with a cost.

    Two years. The young master put a time limit on her. Su Yin could only blame herself for being so overconfident.

    Why couldn¡¯t she say three or five years?

    ***

    Michael Roah.

    This person and his ever-changing antics made her head spin. One moment he could act like her friend¡¯s romantic lover, then change completely into a cold and calculating grandson of her mentor, only to change again, acting like a devil out for her soul or a raging beast barely held back by a flimsy chain.

    Just what was he after?

    ***

    Kouzuki Maya came to visit her twin¡¯s bar and brought Su Yin with her. This was a part of the Lady in White¡¯s routine, something Yin has long since gotten used to.

    A moment of awkward stare down went by.

    ¡°Shinji. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

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    The Kouzuki Matriarch apologized, surprising Yin. A moment later, the shock of Su clan¡¯s first young lady grew exponentially as her mentor tried to bow down.

    Only for the man in question to blink into existence by her side, preventing her from doing that.

    ¡°Grandma, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    Michael Roah, Long Tian, Kouzuki Shinji¡ªwhichever name the young master had chosen to use today, was there already.

    And he wasn¡¯t alone.

    Isabella Alvarez, donned in a Beijing-style royal purple qipao adorned with rich floral ornaments, was sitting at the same table as Kouzuki Miya, and they both looked at this situation with barely hidden amusement.

    Su Yin couldn¡¯t help but feel envious of this woman. She was everything that Yin ever wanted to be. Strong, independent, and free.

    ¡®Not to mention how good that cheongsam looks on her figure.¡¯

    An errant thought flashed through her mind. Her physical appearance had always been a sore spot for Su Yin.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°I trust you. But, please, do not try something like that again.¡±

    The continuation of the grandson-grandmother pair exchange brought her back.

    ¡°Will you say the same words to Hao as well?¡±

    The lady in Black joined the conversation.

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll tell him that I will teach my kids to call him ¡®Elder Hao¡¯, while calling Frank Smith ¡®great-grandpa¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s plain evil, Shinji/Tian. I approve.¡±

    Accompanied by the chorused words and followed by a bout of laughter, the young master led her mentor to the table.

    Su Yin felt even more lost.

    ***

    Su Yin continued to feel more and more lost with every passing moment.

    She was standing by her mentor¡¯s side, listening to the conversation the three people sitting by the table had. Oh, she certainly recognized the words, but the entire meaning kept eluding her.

    Three Families. Consolidation of power. Something about corporations. Names of people she heard about before.

    The strangest thing was the manner in which this conversation was going. The young master asked pointed questions, and the Kouzuki twins responded with the possible solutions.

    It was an absurd thought, and Su Yin knew that, yet it didn¡¯t look like he was being taught. More like¡­

    ¡®Two advisors consult their ruler.¡¯

    The only male voice present, calling her name, ended her train of thought.

    ¡°Yin.¡±

    ¡°Young master?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The question caught her off guard.

    ¡°I''m sorry, young master.¡±

    She bowed her head, praying her apology would work.

    ¡°I was asking if your estimate still holds.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Su Yin took a deep breath, fighting back the instinctual shiver under the scrutiny of those cold eyes.

    ¡°I will give you an additional year,¡± he said, disregarding her bluff. ¡°But I will expect a complete takeover.¡±

    ¡°Yes, young master.¡±

    Once more, Yin felt conflicted. On one hand, she had gotten an extra year; on the other hand, she didn¡¯t know why, but it felt quite bitter.

    Following this exchange, the conversation took another turn.

    This time it was about the ¡®extra¡¯ side of the law.

    Isabella Alvarez, who had been attentively listening so far, joined in. Which made Yin feel another bout of envy.

    ¡®When will I be able to join into a talk of this level?¡¯

    ¡°Bella, this girl¡¯s name is Su Yin. Su clan¡¯s first young lady.¡±

    ¡°Charmed.¡±

    Su Yin cursed herself for letting the momentary gap in her attention. It looked like she missed something important in their conversation.

    ¡°Yin, this is Isabella Alvarez,¡± the young master continued. ¡°The future Lady Long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡±

    Despite feeling shocked by the dropped bombshell¡ªand judging by the lack of surprise on the Kouzuki twins¡¯ faces, this was something they expected¡ªYin managed to respond in a timely manner.

    ¡°Dear¡­¡±

    ¡°We can talk about this later,¡± the young master interrupted whatever that Alvarez woman was about to say. ¡°For now, it¡¯s business talk.¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear.¡±

    And another moment of envy took over Yin.

    ¡°Ladies, if I asked you to take over the criminal underbelly of this city with full support of the Three Families, of course, what would you do and how long would¡¯ve it taken?¡±

    Once more, no surprise or objection from either the Lady in Black or the Lady in White followed.

    ¡®So that¡¯s why he wants me to take over Su clan.¡¯

    The final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

    ¡®He is serious.¡¯

    And here it was again. The smile of the devil, offering a deal. And what a deal it was!

 Huh.

    I closed my eyes, trying to rest my overworked brain. This damn talk took too much out of me with all those details, decisions, and estimates. Kouzuki twins had entirely too much fun with this whole ¡®taking over the world¡¯ idea.

    Fortunately, this overly luxurious car¡¯s seats were extremely comfy, so I had an opportunity to relax.

    ¡°Dear,¡± Bella said, sounding quite irritated. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me something so important?¡±

    Yeah, I expected at least this much.

    ¡°I forgot,¡± I replied, refusing to open my eyes.

    Time trickled by as I waited for the moment my special woman exploded.

    ¡°You fucking what?!¡± Bella roared, not betraying my expectations.

    I let out a long groan, fighting off the ringing in my ears.

    ¡°Between everything that happened since last Friday, this completely escaped my mind,¡± I tried to explain myself. ¡°And our yesterday''s talk, not to say anything about morning continuation, distracted me even more.¡±

    ¡°What else have you forgotten?¡± My explanation failed to calm her down.

    ¡°No idea,¡± I responded with a shrug, my eyes still closed.

    Her screams started setting me off, to be honest. What the fuck was her deal, anyway?

    I heard my special woman cursing something in Spanish under her breath.

    ¡°Michael.¡± Her tone became level.

    I hummed, indicating my attention.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t start treating things like that seriously, count me out,¡± Bella finished her words.

    Well, it was a great run while it lasted. A wave of complete apathy washed over me, killing the building-up irritation. Since the result I wanted just became unreachable, should I try Plan B and see how accurate my estimates were about Helen route?

    With Boredom trying to take over, I opened my eyes to look at Bella.

    She was fuming, judging by the little signs I had grown used to over the years. The expression on her face, the body language, and the look in her eyes.

    In the next moment, she most likely noticed my own expression, judging by how noticeably paler she went all of a sudden.

    Using the cracks that were already in place, I wrestled back control.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I squeezed out the answer.

    The lifetime of trial and error already showed me how much of a pipe dream that was, though. Twenty-something years of attempts at changing myself¡ªand failing to do so once and again¡ªwere a good indication.

    I closed my eyes again, breaking this line of thinking. It led nowhere.

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    Awkward silence filled the car¡¯s interior.

    I couldn¡¯t trust myself to say something without escalating this situation any further, and, to be completely honest, I felt rather hurt that Bella, of all people, chose to say this out of a long list of things I did wrong. And yet, she went straight where it was the most painful.

    Bella, in her own turn, knew that she had gone too far, but she also thought she was on the right side of the argument.

    I wasn¡¯t all that new to this whole ''relationship'' thingy not to be aware that it was par of the course. But, for fuck¡¯s sake, it still pissed me off royally.

    Worst of all, we still had a decent chunk of the road ahead of us.

    ***

    I stood in a parking lot, trying to decide where I should go now.

    Well, I had three choices in mind, and one of them would lead straight to a disaster, so I vetoed it outright.

    Going into the night, looking for some obscure ¡®distraction¡¯. Yeah, the junkie in me still craved a relapse. Fuck that.

    Which left two more: Olivia and Helen.

    Helen was, well, Helen, and was a better choice from an objective viewpoint. I couldn¡¯t choose someone else instead of her twice in a row without it having some bullshit consequences down the road.

    I chose to ignore the fact that I was grasping at straws. Thinking otherwise was simply too boring.

    Olivia was a solid choice as well. I could really use that sense of peace and comfort she brought to me.

    I spent five more minutes mulling it over before taking a coin out of my pocket. Yeah, to hell with it all.

    ***

    I steered the car into the private parking lot of Helen¡¯s apartment complex.

    Yeah, that whole coin toss was rigged from the start, and I knew what side it would land on at the same moment as my thumb finished the initial motion.

    No matter how out of shape I was, a trick as simple as that was well within the scope of my abilities. Not to mention the fact that I could just catch it at any moment.

    I lacked the remote control for the outer gate, so I had to leave the car and press a key card onto a reader.

    Helen slid it into my wallet last Sunday¡ªor maybe Saturday night, I wasn¡¯t quite sure¡ªafter seeing I had one for Bella¡¯s place. My best guess would¡¯ve been that it sparked some sort of competitive spirit inside her, but, eh, who actually knows?

    The elevator brought me up, and, just as I reached for the last door in my way, a realization dawned upon me.

    I forgot to call Helen. Or message, for that matter.

    If she wasn¡¯t home or wasn¡¯t alone, then what? Well, quick shower and sleep if it¡¯s the former, and some extra distraction if it¡¯s the latter.

    With this in mind, I opened the door and took a step inside.

    Huh.

    What a surprising picture that caught my eye first thing inside.

    Helen, wearing, for some reason, my hoodie and a pair of comfy-looking undies, with her lush hair gathered into some hybrid of a lazy bun and a tail, with a greenish beauty mask on her gorgeous face, was sitting on a couch in a living room, watching some drama on TV and painting her toenails.

    Huh.

    All that was missing was a half-empty wine bottle and, maybe, a cat or a few.

    Huh.

    Helen finally noticed me, judging by the way she dropped¡ªhowever that thing was called¡ªthe thingy she used for the pedicure and the change in her expression.

    Huh.

    Yeah, not in any number of lifetimes could¡¯ve I imagined ever seeing Helen Smith looking like that. Such a possibility never even crossed my mind.

    Maybe I was too used to Bella looking fabulous in any given situation. Even back when she drank entirely too much, and I had to hold her hair as she barfed her stomach out.

    Fuck it, whatever I was concerned about stopped looking so impossible in comparison.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, greeting her with a wave. ¡°Remind me to tell you something important tomorrow. In case I forget.¡±

    Not waiting for a response, I left toward the shower.

 Perfect.

    I took a long shower. A really long one.

    Helen needed time to doll herself up, even if my opinion differed.

    The color of that mask was a bit off, sure, but it wasn¡¯t like it could hide the overwhelmingly beautiful features of her perfect face. The clothes she was wearing were definitely on a ¡®comfort¡¯ side, opposed to the ¡®looks¡¯ side, but between her exquisite proportions of her body and how much of it was exposed, I had no complaints whatsoever.

    If anything, I found this ¡®human¡¯ side of the perfect creature named Helen Smith made me much more intrigued. My darling changed a lot in comparison to my distant memories.

    So.

    Interesting.

    Alas, Helen wanted to present her best side to me at all times, and arguments made with logic would be ignored anyway. Not like she didn¡¯t know how beautiful she is.

    And I wasn¡¯t about to piss off a second woman in the span of a few hours by being a complete idiot.

    ***

    There weren¡¯t many things I was willing to think about right now, but the top-of-the-class shower setup made the time spent inside quite enjoyable nonetheless.

    My decision paid off.

    As I left the shower, deciding that enough is enough, a breathtaking vision entered my eyes.

    Helen went above and beyond.

    From the violet lingerie expertly made to match her figure and my younger self¡¯s tastes, to the light makeup, enhancing her stunning looks without being overpowering. Followed by the mix of lighting and light music to create the ¡®right¡¯ atmosphere.

    All of this, in addition to the deliberately enticing pose she took on the aforementioned couch, coupled with the welcoming expression on her face and a mix of emotions in her eyes.

    Yeah.

    It did take my breath away. For quite a while at that.

    Well, I came here because distraction was needed, and I got what I was looking for. Yay.

    I let the wet towel fall on the floor.

    ***

    I woke up.

    The reason was simple.

    Apparently, between everything else, Helen and I forgot to close the blinds in the bedroom, and the giant panoramic window that served as one of the walls was all nice and dandy, but it let entirely too much sunlight inside unobstructed.

    My right arm felt completely numb, as my darling spent the entire night clinging to it. And that¡¯s the only thing worth complaining about right now.

    I didn¡¯t feel myself quite completely rested yet, and my thoughts were still a bit too unpleasant to think them through, so I focused my attention on the still-sleeping beauty.

    And, yes, Helen even slept beautifully. So unfair. Olivia had her messy sleeping posture, Coala Girl had that sloppy expression, and even Bella let herself drool sometimes. Not to mention hundreds of other examples my memory showed me.

    Even if I had a hard time matching names to all those faces.

    I extended my free hand and swiped away a strand of her extra-long honey-blonde hair, which was serving as a makeshift blanket to both of us. For a long moment, I just savored how beautiful this woman actually was, something that managed to surprise me again and again.

    Failing to fight off temptation, I started tracing her features with my finger.

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    Frankly speaking, trying to picture Helen with words led to a boring description. Perfect eyebrows arched splendidly an ideal distance away from an exquisitely shaped and positioned pair of perfect eyes. Flawless lines of the nose and cheekbones led to a¡ªonce again¡ªperfect pair of lips, culminating in a chiseled jawline.

    Her skin was unblemished, reminding me one more time about how futile an exercise was her insistence on using makeup. I couldn¡¯t deny it did put a layer of icing on top, somehow uplifting the overall appearance, but¡­

    I wanted a version of Helen, preferably without all of those additions, that would belong to me and me alone.

    Perfect neck led into pristine collarbone. Once again matching to my younger self taste, which was very much influenced by Bella, Helen had a fresh tan, albeit on a lighter side.

    No shit Sherlock, she just returned from a tropical island vacation.

    Tan lines formed a picture of a quite risky bikini, creating an enticing contrast with her natural fairly pale skin tone, pink nipples on a perfectly shaped pair of breasts, and the color of her hair.

    Yes, of course the carpet did match the drapes, adding a bit more to the variety in my life.

    I shuddered, recalling the¡­ Jenny? Jeanne? I was almost sure her name started with J. Almost. The last party girl my older self picked up in the club before taking a step into the past.

    She looked, acted and sounded exactly like at least four more before her. I couldn¡¯t remember past those four, and even they already half-blended into some sort of Jane Club, ultimate party-girl amalgamation.

    Same hairstyle, same makeup, same job done on the nose, same lip-filler. Same tits, same body shape.

    Same. Same. Same.

    Fuck.

    No wonder I had been so fucking bored out of my mind.

    ¡°What time is it?¡± I heard a sleepy voice.

    Looks like my touch woke Helen up.

    ¡°No idea. But the Sun is already up,¡± I responded truthfully.

    Helen muttered something I wasn¡¯t quite able to understand, hugged my arm even more tightly, buried her face into my shoulder and fell asleep again.

    I could only sigh at those actions. After a moment of consideration, I tossed her onto the other side of the bed, which led to some protests from my darling that I ignored.

    ¡°My arm is dead already, time to switch,¡± I pacified the grumbling beauty.

    A bit of sulky mumbling later my darling¡¯s breath calmed again. I closed my eyes and followed her example.

    ***

    The second awakening came in the form of Helen¡¯s phone receiving a call. Judging by how long it played, as well as the fact it was a non-default ringtone and set to a max volume, it was someone important.

    I shook the beauty by my side.

    A sleepy hum was all I got as an answer.

    ¡°Your phone,¡± I explained.

    Helen raised her head, most likely to hear who it could¡¯ve been. Then she finally opened her eyes and left the bedroom at a rapid pace.

    I guess it was important in the end.

    I left the bed as well, opting to do a short mobility routine.

    ¡°Good morning to you too, grandpa.¡± I heard from the other room.

    Well, that explained urgency.

    ¡°Anyway, how are you?¡±

    ¡°Good. I am doing great as well.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Fine, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Do I need a partner then?¡±

    ¡°Then how about darling?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I mean him. Who else?¡±

    ¡°I am not upset.¡±

    ¡°I really am not.¡±

    ¡°Well, I will need to meet them at some point, so this is a good opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, I¡¯ll wait for a call.¡±

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    With the last word, Helen returned to the bedroom.

    ¡°Grandpa asked me to attend a high-society event,¡± she explained, not waiting for me to ask.

    I nodded, switching into the next position.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll need to bring a companion with me,¡± my darling continued.

    I nodded again.

    ¡°And Elder Hao offered for it to be one of the twins,¡± she finished her words.

    I laughed out loud.

    ¡°Sure thing. Which one would you prefer?¡± I asked, after calming a bit.

    ¡°Michael Roah.¡± Her tone did sound determined enough.

    ¡°Works for me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°They are me. I am them. Let other people guess which one is there with you.¡±

    ¡°Darling!¡± So much happiness in response to such simple words.

    Before I had time to say something else, the default melody started playing on my own phone. If I had to guess, this was Long Hao with the same news.

 An unexpected greeting.

    The short conversation with Long Hao went about as I expected: he apologized, briefed me about the new circumstances, and asked¡ªyes, asked¡ªme to go along with the plan, reinforcing my idea that everything was to test my future behavior.

    Well, I would¡¯ve been even more skeptical about working together with a stranger, even more so with someone like younger Michael Roah.

    Of course, I could make a grand stand here, but to what end? Just to show that I was an unreasonable and immature brat who needed everything to be exactly as he wanted?

    Yeah, loads of good it would do for me.

    So, after a brief discussion, I accepted both parts of his proposition.

    ***

    Of course, Helen¡¯s kitchen was completely barren of anything resembling groceries. What a shocker, right?

    The quest for breakfast led us to the usual caf¨¦. Oof.

    No, I liked the place, and their coffee was great, but the food variety was severely lacking.

    Nothing out of ordinary happened this time around, so our time there went by in relative peace as we talked about a myriad of unimportant things.

    Bliss.

    ***

    For the second time in less than a week, I stood in front of a tall mirror while people were busy working, doing all those measurements, fittings, and adjustments.

    Apparently, my darling took the freedom to order the Smith family¡¯s tailors to make a¡ªI cringed¡ªsuitable suit back last Saturday.

    Was it just my imagination, or did the women in my life have a propensity for knowing a little bit too much about myself?

    I glanced at my darling, happily discussing the various details of my garb with the head tailor.

    Well, this much had been within acceptable limits.

    ***

    The overly luxurious¡ªand something told me I should give up and accept that this was a new normal in my life¡ªthe car brought Helen and me closer and closer to the venue of tonight¡¯s event.

    White and violet, the color scheme that Helen Smith liked very much, dominated our chosen attire. It was far enough from my usual reds and blacks, but, as I told Olivia way back then, ¡®as long as my current company is happy.¡¯

    Helen looked... well, as usual. Perfect.

    I had a hard time forcing myself to stop myself from simply staring at her with a sloppy expression. My darling would¡¯ve been happy with such an outcome, but I was not in the mood.

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    Eh, I will have enough time to do that afterward.

    For now, I had my head full with planning what role I should play for the evening.

    ¡°Darling,¡± Helen called out to me as I argued with myself about how much Michael Roah, Kouzuki Shinji, and Long Tian I should put into the mix and in what proportion. ¡°What was that important thing you needed to tell me?¡±

    Oh, right, thank you, past-me, for doing something smart for a change; I had completely forgotten about this. And she even had enough patience to wait until we were alone.

    ¡°Things happened, so I am going to take over the world. And I¡¯ll need your help in doing so,¡± I stated the facts.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Helen accepted my words with a curt nod.

    ¡°You can work the details out together with both of my grandmothers,¡± I added a bit after.

    Helen nodded again.

    Her reaction was within my expectations, albeit not in the top five possibilities. Well, this would make my life a bit easier.

    ¡°Can you tell me more about people I need to pay attention to, please?¡± I decided to put my words into action already. ¡°I had a preliminary briefing with both monochrome ladies already, but I would welcome your input as well.¡±

    Another nod of acceptance later, Helen started talking.

    ***

    The event was boring. As fuck. And I couldn¡¯t even use my usual excuse and just drink myself into a stupor this time.

    Damn.

    Well, I managed to find myself a distraction of sorts. My plan worked, or so it seemed.

    I was wearing the colors of the Smith clan, with a few small details that should¡¯ve been a dead giveaway of my belonging to the Long and Kouzuki clans¡ªthe same accessory set I used last Friday and completely forgot about on Saturday night.

    That alone should¡¯ve thrown most people into a loop, but I also intimately hugged my darling by her waist, something she was evidently very comfortable with.

    As I let Helen lead me along to meet the people she deemed ¡®useful¡¯, I basked in all those stares on me.

    All that jealousy, anger, and poorly masked envy. Looks of grief, disbelief, and understanding were generously sprinkled on the faces of the few present minor families¡¯ young masters.

    I slid my hand a bit lower along Helen¡¯s frame, something she accepted with a smile, and looked around, enjoying how a few facial expressions crumbled even more.

    Of course, I was petty.

    I met their eyes with my own, one by one, giving them a disdainful smile. Ah, so good to be me.

    ***

    Names. Faces. Fake smiles. And an endless amount of empty flattery and fawning.

    So damn tiring.

    I kept my posture and expression as close to my interpretation of Lady in Black as I could, though from time to time, I let some of Lady in White slip through. On purpose, of course.

    Helen, in her turn, never introduced me with anything more than a short ¡®and my companion¡¯. Neither did she ever affirm nor deny their attempts to guess which young master they had the honor to meet.

    The highlight of the evening was, no doubt, the happy expression Helen had on her face when I invited her for a dance. And for every following one as well.

    ***

    It was well into the night when we decided to find ourselves a place to take a breather. Our choice fell onto a relatively empty balcony.

    In fact, there was a single other guest present who was busy leaning onto the rails and looking somewhere in the distance.

    I led Helen to an empty bench across from the stranger, noting the positions of the hidden guards in the garden.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to finally meet you, Young Master Long.¡± An unexpected greeting reached my ears.

 Everything for the clan.

    Reluctantly shrugging off the light intoxication I let myself fall into from the pleasant evening, I got myself into a serious mode.

    It took me a few moments to recognize the speaker. Well, we never actually met before. At least not in person.

    Standing a few centimeters taller than me and about ten years older as well, his facial features and stature were evident of his belonging to the Long clan. The most eye-catching feature was an almost chin-length mop of white hair. Rarity for the Long Clan.

    Ah, so that¡¯s who it was.

    Prot¨¦g¨¦ of Long Hao, and the person who took the de facto leadership position of the entire Long clan after the death of the former. The white crow and uncrowned prince of the Long clan. The man of whom I, to speak frankly, had been afraid for a decent chunk of my first life.

    Now that I think about it, my fear was in vain, as the guy had been well aware of my existence all along. Unless Long Hao changed his orders about my surveillance before his untimely death, that is.

    ¡°Hello to you too, Long FangTian,¡± I returned the greeting.

    As the two of us stared at each other, trying to gauge, assess, and evaluate, I sorted through my limited knowledge about this person.

    He was a member of the Fang branch of the Long clan, which was obvious enough from his name alone.

    As well as being a ruthless fanatic who wasn¡¯t afraid of doing anything to push his clan¡¯s interests forward.

    No one would confirm nor deny that, but from what I had gathered from a few sources, he started at least one proxy war in an attempt to get his hands on the rare metal mining business.

    From what Kouzuki Twins told me, he also had a large support among the hardliners within the clan.

    To summarize it, this man was a problem. And one that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

    ¡°Helen, darling, could you organize a place for a private talk, please?¡± I asked my companion without breaking eye contact.

    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied curtly.

    Without missing a beat, Helen stood up and left to do what I asked her to. It was a not-so-subtle power play, a blatant show of her acceptance of my orders.

    Our staredown continued as I looked straight into the pair of cold violet eyes across.

    Should I kill him right now to save myself some trouble? The present shadows wouldn¡¯t dare to stop me. In fact, I could, most likely, just order them to do it instead.

    I noted a minute change in his stance. Hm, I really should work on my poker face, or so it seemed.

    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Helen¡¯s voice interrupted my contemplation.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I voiced my gratitude and kissed the top of her head. ¡°Follow us.¡±

    With that said, I offered my elbow to Helen and let her lead the way. The latter part was meant as an order for the man whose fate I needed to decide.

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    ***

    I was sitting in the vintage armchair with my eyes closed. Helen was standing by my side, her dainty hand on my left shoulder¡ªanother show of the power dynamics between the two of us.

    It being an actual truth¡ªor not¡ªwas something that mattered only between the two of us.

    I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the man standing in front of me. He met my gaze head-on, something I could respect.

    So¡­

    What was I supposed to do now? Fuck if I knew.

    Well, the easiest way out was obvious enough, but just wasting such a prime talent was plain stupid.

    ¡°Long FangTian,¡± I called out. ¡°I am going to ask you a question, and your answer will decide your fate.¡±

    ¡®A bit too dramatic for my taste...¡¯ Words of Lady in White flashed in my memory.

    Ugh.

    ¡°As you wish, Young Master.¡± This response could serve as another piece of evidence supporting the claim that ¡®blood is everything¡¯ had been more than just an empty claim.

    At least for this particular person.

    ¡°Long FangTian, tell me, if your death was necessary to further the interests of the Long clan, would you die?¡± I decided to be as blunt as possible.

    ¡°Everything for the Long clan.¡± He didn¡¯t hesitate in his reply, even for a moment.

    It was hard not to recognize the fervor in his gaze.

    Fanatic.

    And one who sincerely believed in his cause at that. I¡¯ve seen enough of them in later years to be completely sure.

    Fuck.

    Was killing him really the only way out?

    I felt a squeeze on my shoulder. Oh, right, rash and stupid decisions again.

    ¡°Long FangTian,¡± I called once more. ¡°If I told you that you could help the Long clan take over the world, but it needs you to change your perspective just a bit, would you?¡±

    This time, he didn¡¯t hurry with his answer. Were my words not clear enough?

    Maybe.

    ¡°Long FangTian. Blood is everything. Do you agree?¡± Leading question one.

    ¡°Yes.¡± First instant answer.

    Sigh.

    ¡°Long FangTian. If clan is everything, does it mean that the interests of the clan are my interests?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Second instant answer.

    Hardly a surprise.

    ¡°Long FangTian. If blood is everything, does it mean that, my grandfather aside, my interests are the clan interests?¡± It was a bit of a stretch, but it served as question three.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Third instant answer.

    Fanatic.

    ¡°Long FangTian. My grandfather spent his life building the Three Families faction, but it only works because he is here. Once someone else takes over, what do you think will happen?¡± Leading question four.

    ¡°Chaos.¡± Fourth instant answer.

    I took the seal of the Kouzuki clan from my chest pocket and rolled it on my palm.

    ¡°Long FangTian. I have the blood of two clans coursing through my veins. Two direct lines. With your previous answers in mind, doesn¡¯t it mean that the interests of both clans are mine, and mine are theirs?¡± I smiled, asking the fifth question.

    ¡°It does¡­¡± It took him almost a minute to respond.

    Great. One more push.

    ¡°One way or another, Helen Smith will follow along with my decisions.¡± Because she was one of those who would help me make them. ¡°Long FangTian. With my kids having the blood of all three clans, wouldn¡¯t it mean that the interests of the Three Families are the interests of the Long Clan?¡±

    His beliefs aside, this man wasn¡¯t stupid.

    ¡°Everything for the Three Families, young master.¡± The final answer.

    I looked at how a feral grin split his face¡ªnot so unlike my own. Both a grin and face alike.

    And I met it with one just like that as well.

 Hands down.

    I looked at the grinning man in front of me.

    What could I say? This talk went as well as it possibly could, I suppose.

    Long FangTian wasn¡¯t my friend by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he could barely be called an ally at all. At best, our interests were aligning for now, and that was it.

    I was a nobody, appearing out of nowhere, and my reputation made me a questionable choice at best for any sort of leading role.

    The only thing that made me credible in any capacity was the tacit acknowledgement of my status by Long Hao. The head of the Long clan had long since proved everything to everyone, so people had no choice but to take whatever he did, no matter how unorthodox it was, with full seriousness.

    Kouzuki twins were serving as a second layer of legitimacy for me. As a puppet leader, perhaps, but it was a fact.

    And the presence of Helen Smith by my side was another tipping factor for those scales. Frank Smith¡¯s doting on his granddaughter had been well known.

    So, in short, Long FangTian had to make a rational choice and bid his time to see how badly, if at all, I would fuck up.

    This was something I could respect.

    ***

    Helen Smith and Long FangTian were talking business. Something or other about possible avenues to expand the cooperation between two clans.

    Perhaps this was the core reason for their attendance in the first place. This event would¡¯ve been a bit too small-scale otherwise.

    I closed my eyes, trying to unravel the entire thought process of two old foxes¡ªLong Hao and Frank Smith.

    Yeah, no luck with that. I should¡¯ve spent more time honing my skills in politics instead of simply wasting my time. Duh.

    Luckily, I still had some time to catch up on some slack.

    The status quo wouldn¡¯t change before Long Hao¡¯s retirement.

    I had no idea what exactly happened to him in the first round, and for all I knew, it was something that could repeat itself.

    It would be best to assume that I have three years left.

    Should I really take it seriously?

    Bella would certainly be happier if I did, and it would make my relationship with Helen much easier as well.

    It would also give me an excuse and a reason to spend more time with my grandparents. Including, and what a weird thought it was, Long Hao.

    I stopped my train of thought and completely cleared my head.

    A long moment later, I came to a decision.

    I opened my eyes and completely focused on the conversation between Young Lady Smith and Long FangTian.

    It was so damn tiring. With an extra of ¡®boring¡¯ on the side.

    The rest of the night had been spent in back-and-forth talks about everything all at once and nothing in particular at the same time.

    ***

    By the time Helen and I got back to her place, both of us were tired enough to wish only for some sleep.

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    My darling looked completely spent physically. And I had no mental capacity left for anything.

    To actually hold Helen Smith in my arms and only think about how comfortably warm she was. What a fascinating feeling.

    ***

    Familiar interior of Kouzuki Miya¡¯s bar.

    No surprise there; both my grandmother and my darling were well acquainted.

    An exchange of pleasantries. A short retelling of the story of how we met in the first place.

    Lengthy discussion about the plans and future.

    Yet another round of business talk. This time between Young Lady Smith and Lady in Black. Inner politics of two clans. The history of exchanges and deals. Traditions involved. All of it made my head spin.

    How were they doing it, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder.

    So I asked just that. Much to the surprise of both parties.

    Then they started to explain things to me.

    It was a true house of cards. Things stacked on top of each other, struggling to hold their shape, were always just one push away from starting to fall down.

    Worst of all, it started to make sense to me.

    Bit by bit.

    One thing at a time.

    ***

    I excused myself and left the premises of Kouzuki Miya¡¯s bar, leaving the two women to continue their talks. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Lady in White would join them a bit later as well.

    As for me, yeah. I was tired to death.

    Oddly enough, I wasn¡¯t feeling all that bored.

    Maybe there was some hope left for me, however slim the possibility of that actually was.

    ***

    As a cherry on top, I got myself stuck in the traffic jam yet again.

    Motherfucker.

    Today was only a Thursday, but I was completely done with this week already.

    The whole situation with Bella still needed to be resolved as well. But I still felt irritated by just thinking about this one, though mostly at myself.

    I heard the sound of a horn from behind and fought down an impetus to leave the car and cause a road rage incident.

    Yeah, today was definitely not the day to deal with Bella.

    ***

    I opened the door and stepped inside my apartment. With a sigh of relief, I took off the damned pair of shoes from my feet and went to the bedroom to get changed into something less stifling.

    Yeah, sure, the Smith family¡¯s tailors did a fantastic job, making this suit as comfortable to wear as possible, and it was perfectly fitted as well, but...

    Well, actually, there were no real buts. I simply found wearing suits to be mentally taxing. Just a ¡®me¡¯ thing.

    ¡°Honey,¡± Olivia noticed me as soon as I stepped inside the room.

    She was in the middle of¡ªwhat looked like¡ªdoing her homework.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I responded with a wave of my hand and proceeded toward the wardrobe, taking off my necktie.

    The jacket and shirt followed soon after.

    ¡°You look tired.¡± Olivia¡¯s tone was full of genuine concern.

    A strong feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu accompanied those words.

    ¡°Feel the same way as well.¡± I replied with a sigh and plopped onto the bed, finally done with my attire.

    Fuck it, ¡®boxers only¡¯ was a very legit form of home wear.

    In the mirror, I saw how Olivia put her pen down and stood up. Hm, now that I think about it, from additional furniture to decorations and little cute details, this room felt a lot more ¡®lived in¡¯ since my girlfriend appeared in my life.

    Our eyes met through a mirror image, and my silly girl smiled at me. Then she sat on the bed and patted her thighs.

    Oh. There was no need to ask me twice.

    I put my head on the offered lap pillow, enjoying the already very familiar mix of sensations. A sense of peace followed shortly after, chasing away all the mental exhaustion that I had accumulated from dealing with the outside world.

    As I slowly drifted away into a nirvana state, a not very surprising thought occurred to me once again.

    Inviting the curious stray on a date was one of the best decisions I ever made.

    With a great effort, I cracked open one eye, only to see a gentle and caring look on Olivia¡¯s face as she played with my hair.

    Hands down.

 Tian.

    Today wasn¡¯t a good day for a widowed Lady Long.

    Kouzuki Miya, Lady in Black, looked down as if trying to find the truth in the wine glass.

    ¡®In vino veritas.¡¯

    An old quote, which wasn¡¯t exactly all that right in her situation, flashed inside her mind. A number of unpleasant thoughts tried to follow, but she stopped them with another sip of her favorite red.

    Today wasn¡¯t a good day for a widowed Lady Long.

    A double anniversary. The day when two of the most important men in her life left. On the same date, in different years.

    Another wave of sadness rose somewhere deep in her soul. Another sip showed that her glass was empty, failing its duty.

    ¡®First Chen, then Hao.¡¯

    And now she was left all alone, drifting along with her life, trying her best to keep appearances, if not for her own sake, then for her sister and Hao¡¯s memory.

    ¡®Oh, Hao, how much I miss you. For how much longer do I need to keep up with it all?¡¯

    She made a gesture, and faithful Jakub, an indispensable part of her small bar¡¯s interior, appeared by her side to refill her glass.

    The Lady in Black showed her appreciation with a nod and took another sip.

    Today wasn¡¯t a good day for a widowed Lady Long.

    It was an important thing, and, as everyone knows, important things should be repeated three times.

    Maybe it was all the wine in her talking, but Lady in Black found this misplaced thought quite funny.

    Once more, Kouzuki Miya found herself staring blankly into a half-empty glass of wine.

    She was alone. All alone.

    On this cursed day, anyone who knew about this place also knew better than to bother her with their trivial problems. As for the... She paused momentarily, trying to find an accurate description. ¡®Fated¡¯ people, those guests that were led here by fate or sheer chance, were a rarity.

    As is often the case, a coincidence, fate, or Heaven''s cruel joke interrupted her contemplation. The door leading into the bar opened, letting an unexpected guest inside.

    Due to the special design of the interior, Lady in Black could perfectly see the newcomer while staying hidden herself, a precaution to give her time to decide whether they would pique her interest.

    And pique he did.

    The guest was a tall, easily over 190 cm, incredibly built man dressed in a red dress shirt with short sleeves, black jeans, and a pair of peculiar leather shoes, also black. A matching set of silver accessories, from a simple locket on his neck to a simple yet stylish buckle on his belt to an intricate timepiece, finished his wardrobe.

    Black with a bit of salt and pepper mixed-in hair, styled into a crew cut, a five-o¡¯clock shadow on an angular jawline, as well as a collection of old scars visible on his exposed arms, created the impression of a rugged man with quite a story to tell.

    But the thing that did catch the most of her attention was, undoubtedly, his face.

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    Even Lady in Black, with her rich experience in meeting all kinds of people, couldn¡¯t help but admit that the stranger was very handsome.

    ¡®More handsome than that brat FangTian... Or Chen¡­ Maybe even more than Hao...¡¯

    Yes, the new guest was definitely handsome in that particular way that all men from the Long clan were. That is, if she looked only at the right half of his face.

    A long, ugly scar crossed the left half of his face, starting from the middle of his forehead and heading downward, across the eye socket, his cheek, and to the side, stopping just before reaching his neck.

    Considering the fact he had an artificial eye, whether it was one of RobCo''s cybernetic ones or Big Pharma¡¯s bionics, as well as current-day cosmetic surgery levels, this scar was being kept deliberately.

    ¡®A reminder to himself or some sort of sentimental value?¡¯

    Widowed Lady Long wasn¡¯t sure, but her curiosity had already raised its head.

    While she was busy ogling the newcomer, the man in question spotted Jakub and decided to approach the bar counter. His unsure footsteps revealed the fact that he was less than sober.

    ¡®A bit of a letdown, but punishing a rude guest would be entertaining in its own way.¡¯

    Yes, Kouzuki Miya, the Lady in Black, was sad and bored enough to invite a pretty suspicious merc into her bar. Of course, the hope that it was Chen had been long-since gone, after all those false claims, but, even if it was yet another faker, she would help to repatriate him into the clan.

    ¡°Oh, a customer.¡± She voiced her traditional greeting, honed with years of such encounters. ¡°What brought you here? Was it sorrow? Or happiness perchance?¡±

    Her mellow voice, admittedly a notch colder than usual, reached the ears of the suspicious man, making him turn around.

    A mismatched pair of eyes, a dull red glow of an artificial one, and his natural brown one, which was just as cold and apathetic, met with her own gaze.

    The stranger then took another moment to give her a once-over, something that Lady in Black hadn¡¯t experienced in so long that she almost forgot what it felt like.

    Instead of feeling offended, this gesture of his made her even more curious. The look in that brown eye of his was still completely void of any emotion.

    ¡°Both.¡± He replied with a smile that sure didn¡¯t move any further than just his mouth. ¡°The happiness of such a pleasant meeting. And sorrow that I am running from.¡±

    It was a calculated response, targeted at hooking a lonely woman sitting in a seedy bar with a glass of wine, evidently not her first one. And she knew that perfectly well.

    Alas, today, in particular, she was looking forward to any sort of company. Obviously, there wouldn¡¯t be anything boorish enough to tarnish her oaths to Hao, but this suspicious man was just the right sort of company to forget herself for just one evening.

    ¡°How curious, indeed. Maybe we have something in common then.¡±

    She let out a smile, just as artificial as the one this man had. The stranger, in his turn, read her cue and made a step to join her table, only to stop abruptly.

    ¡°Oh, pardon my rudeness, but where is a washroom? I would really love to wash my hands first.¡±

    He raised his hands as his smile got an apologetic undertone, and only now she noticed fresh blood on his knuckles, evidently not his.

    She gestured toward the inconspicuous door to the side of the hall, and he thanked her with a nod, turning around.

    For an endlessly long fraction of a moment, this wide back caught her eye. Three figures overlapped together. Hao, who walked out of her bar for the last time; Chen, who left forever; and now this stranger, who clearly had at least some blood of the Long Clan in him.

    ¡®So I still have those useless hopes. How curious.¡¯

    Lady in Black wasn¡¯t sure what made her do this; perhaps she was way more tipsy than she thought, but another question left her mouth:

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t something that she should ask, not if she wanted a distraction, but Kouzuki Miya just couldn¡¯t help herself.

    The stranger halted his steps and looked over his shoulder, showing her the right side of his face. His brown eye was still as unfeeling as ever. The pause dragged on, making it obvious that he, as expected, planned to lie.

    He turned back and went inside the washroom, leaving behind his reply. The pleasant hue of alcohol intoxication left the widowed Lady Long instantly as soon as the one-word answer reached her ears.

    ¡°Tian.¡±