“Twelve hundred,” Damon sighed to himself, staring at the peeling wallpaper.
“Troublesome.”
He walked back into the apartment and dropped onto the old, sagging couch.
He had promised to pay his rent, which was easy to say.
Actually getting the money in this mundane world was another matter entirely.
He checked the empty pockets of his worn jeans anyway.
Nothing.
Not even a single coin.
He leaned back, closing his eyes as a familiar, cold blue screen manifested in his mind.
[Wealth: $0]
He almost laughed.
The easiest solution to his financial crisis would have been to find another woman, seduce her, and begin rapidly building his system strength.
But Damon didn’t want to rush.
Claire had already proven that his demonic nature could easily influence a human mind.
That baseline testing was enough for now.
Eleanor, however, was different.
She had actual money, a business, structural connections, and deep ambition.
If she eventually became a Bonded Partner, her growth potential would be extremely valuable to his future goals.
But he couldn’t force it.
Eleanor was defensive, hyper-vigilant, and sharp.
If he pushed too hard, he could ruin the seed of interest he had planted.
A broken target was useless to him.
He needed her absolute trust first.
Only then could he decide whether she was truly worth a precious Bond Slot.
First, he needed to completely understand her.
He stood up, his joints popping.
“Food first.” His stomach answered him with a painful growl.
He looked down at his hollow chest.
“Right.
I almost forgot…
this pathetic mortal frame is still recovering from literal starvation.”
By late evening, he had managed to dig up enough scattered coins from the apartment corners to buy a cheap, packaged meal from a nearby convenience store.
It wasn’t high-tier spiritual meat, but it was enough to stop the hunger pangs.
After eating, he walked casually through the bustling streets of Vesper.
The modern city looked completely different at night.
Bright, neon signs reflected across the wet pavement.
Streamlined cars moved through the busy intersections, and high-end restaurants remained crowded with wealthy elites.
Damon walked without a specific destination, simply observing.
This world was entirely different from the brutal realm he had ruled before.
There was no cultivation, no roaming demons, no powerful ancient sects, and absolutely no one carrying enough localized strength to destroy a mountain.
Just humans.
Weak, fragile humans.
Yet, these weak creatures had created something fascinating:
Money.
Businesses.
Advanced technology.
Power through systemic influence.
He smiled faintly.
“A different kind of world.”
He continued walking until a familiar figure caught his sharp eyes near a high-end restaurant district.
Dark hair, a tailored cream blazer, and high heels.
He slowed his pace.
Eleanor?
He hadn’t expected to cross paths with his beautiful landlord again tonight.
She was staring intensely at her phone screen, apparently waiting for someone.
He watched her from the edge of the crowd for a moment.
She looked completely different outside the confines of the apartment building less like a strict property manager, and more like a corporate woman finishing an exhausting day.
She rubbed her forehead, letting out a heavy sigh.
Damon smoothly crossed the street, stepping into her line of sight.
“Still tired?”
Eleanor looked up sharply, her eyes widening in surprise.
“You?”
He smiled .
“Me.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, adjusting her blazer defensively.
“Walking.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him, bewildered.
“Do you just wander around the city blindly at night?”
“Sometimes.”
She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his faded clothes.
“You’re still wearing those exact clothes.”
He glanced down at himself.
“They’re mine.”
“That wasn’t what I meant,”
she grumbled.
“I know.”
She shook her head, a hint of exhaustion breaking through her professional mask.
“You’re really different from anyone else I’ve met.”
“You said that already.”
“And it’s still true.”
He stepped up to stand beside her, looking out at the passing traffic.
“You’re waiting for someone?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“A business partner.” He nodded slowly.
“Important?”
“Very.”
“You look annoyed.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s twenty minutes late,” She snapped, glancing at her watch.
“And I despise people who waste time.”
She gave him a pointed look.
“You’re terrible with time concepts yourself.”
“I’ve been dead before,” Damon replied smoothly.
“Time loses its meaning when you’re in the void.”
She froze, staring at him blankly.
He looked back at her, his eyes twinkling with dark amusement.
“A joke.”
“That wasn’t funny at all.”
“I thought it was.”
She sighed deeply, running a hand through her hair.
“Sometimes I genuinely can’t tell when you’re being serious or when you’re joking.”
“Good.”
“Why is that good?”
“It means you’re paying close attention to me,”
He murmured.
She quickly looked away, a small, involuntary smile almost appearing on her lips.
Almost.
Before she could respond, her phone rang loudly.
She answered it immediately.
“Hello?
No, tomorrow won’t work…
I already told you, I absolutely need the raw numbers tonight.”
A long pause followed.
Her fingers tightened around the casing until her knuckles turned white.
“No.
I am not borrowing more money from the bank.
We discussed this.”
She ended the call abruptly, her breathing shallow.
Damon glanced sideways at her.
“Bad?”
“Very.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” she lied automatically.
Damon simply nodded, looking back at the street.
“Okay.”
She blinked, surprised by his sudden drop of the subject.
“You’re not going to push and ask me for details?”
“You said it was nothing.”
“And you actually believe me?”
“No,” He shrugged carelessly.
“But you’ll tell me when you want to.
Forcing a closed door is a waste of my energy.”
For some reason, that detached answer completely disarmed her.
Most people in her life pushed, demanded, or tried to fix her problems to show off.
Damon didn’t care enough to pry, yet he remained standing right beside her like an anchor.
She looked down at her glowing screen, her defenses crumbling just a fraction.
“My boutique needs immediate capital.
The divorce took significantly more assets than I expected.
My ex-husband isn’t involved anymore, but some of our major business arrangements were legally tied to his name.”
He listened quietly, absorbing the data.
“I can manage the store,” she continued, her voice hardening with pride.
“I can manage the apartment building.
I can manage my own life without a man.”
“I know.”
She turned to face him fully.
“You don’t even know me, Damon.”
“I know enough.”
She gave a tired, breathless laugh.
“You always say absurd things like that with so much confidence.”
“Because it’s true.”
She looked toward the glittering restaurant windows down the block.
“What would you do?
If you were in my shoes?”
He raised an eye brow.
“About the capital?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t borrow a single cent more,” he said flatly.
She frowned.
“That’s your grand advice?
That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“My business needs liquid money to survive, Damon.”
“Then go make money.”
She stared at him, completely unimpressed.
“Very helpful.
Thank you, financial genius.”
“You’re already making money through your tenants and your current sales, aren’t you?” He asked calmly.
“Yes.”
“Then stop looking for outside injections.
Find the specific leak that is stopping you from making more from what you already own.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“You make it sound so incredibly easy.”
“No,” He corrected, his smile sharpening as he locked eyes with her.
“I never said it was easy.
I said it was simple.”
She became completely quiet, the ambient city noise fading into the background.
“What is the difference?”
“Easy means it requires no effort,” he paused, stepping slightly closer.
“Simple means you know exactly what needs to be done.
It just requires the ruthlessness to execute it.”
She stared at him for several long seconds, completely captivated by the sudden weight behind his words.
She smiled faintly, shaking her head.
“You really are a strange kid.”
“So you keep telling me.”
Her phone buzzed again.
She checked the text.
“The meeting is officially cancelled.
He’s pulling out.”
“Good.”
“Good?” she questioned.
“How is that good?”
“It means you can go home and rest instead of wasting your night on a coward.”
She laughed softly, the tension leaving her shoulders.
“You really don’t understand how modern business works, do you?”
“Maybe,” He said, turning on his heel and stepping out into the pedestrian lane.
“Good night, Eleanor.”
She watched him move away.
“Wait!
Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“You’re just…
leaving me here?”
“Yes.
My walk is finished.”
She hesitated, her high heels clicking against the concrete as she chased after him for a few steps.
“Damon!”
He stopped, glancing back over his shoulder.
“What?”
“Do you honestly think…
I can fix this boutique without taking another bank loan?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically vulnerable.
Damon looked at her, his expression absolute.
“Yes.”
“How?”
He let out a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming under the streetlights.
“Tomorrow.”
She frowned.
“Tomorrow what?”
“Tomorrow, you’ll take me to your boutique and tell me everything.
And then, I’ll tell you exactly what needs to be pruned.”
She stared at him, dumbfounded.
“You’re asking me to trust the business advice of a broke, twenty-year-old tenant who can’t even afford his own rent?”
“No,” His smile sharpened into something predatory yet intoxicating.
“I’m not asking you to trust me.
I’m asking you to listen.”
She didn’t answer immediately.
The sheer weight of his presence felt overwhelming for a mere twenty-year-old.
Slowly, she nodded.
“Fine.
Tomorrow morning.”
He turned back around.
“Good night, Eleanor.”
“Good night, Damon.”
He walked away, melting seamlessly into the late-night crowd.
Eleanor remained where she was for a long time, watching the empty space where he had just been standing.
She looked down at her phone, then back at the street layout.For some reason, a genuine smile spread across her face.
“What a strange kid…”
Meanwhile, Damon walked through the neon-lit night with his hands resting casually in his pockets.
He had learned something incredibly useful during this little excursion.Eleanor wasn’t simply trying to survive financially.
She was fueled by a deep desire to prove her independence to her past connections.
That emotional spite made her a far more potent piece on his chessboard.
He now had an excellent reason to closely watch her development.
His smile widened as the city lights reflected in his dark irises.
“Let’s see exactly what you are capable of, my little landlord.”