Anton
leaned back in his seat, a slow smirk curling at his lips.
"Didn’t think you had it in you, Bai."
Lucas
chuckled, sliding into the booth across from him. "You wound me, Anton."
Ava
followed, keeping her expression neutral, but her mind was already working.
Anton
wasn’t just some random rich survivor.
He was
comfortable. Connected. The kind of person who thrived in Level One because he knew how to move in silence.
And Lucas Bai?
He was making a statement just by sitting here.
Anton’s
eyes flicked back to Ava, assessing. "You look new."
Ava
tilted her head. "I learn fast."
Anton
laughed. "Oh, I like her."
Lucas
grinned. "So do I."
A waiter arrived, setting down a bottle of something expensive-looking, pouring glasses with practiced precision.
Anton
raised his drink, swirling the liquid. "So, Bai. I assume you didn’t crawl back up here just for a social visit."
Lucas
took his own glass, golden eyes gleaming over the rim. "Of course not."
Anton’s
smirk didn’t fade. "Then let’s skip the bullshit. What do you want?"
Ava
exhaled slowly.
Because
this
was it.
The real reason Lucas had come here.
Lucas
took a slow sip of his drink, completely unbothered.
"Anton," he murmured, golden eyes gleaming,
"can’t a man just visit old friends?"
Anton
arched a brow. "Not when that man is you."
Ava
hid a smirk behind her glass. At least someone here had common sense.
Lucas
sighed dramatically. "You make it sound like I’m up to something."
Anton
leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. "Aren’t you?"
Lucas
tilted his head. "If I was, you’d be the first to know."
Anton
chuckled. "Right. Because you’re so generous with information."
Lucas
grinned. "I am when it benefits me."
Anton
exhaled, shaking his head. "So, if you’re really just here to visit, tell me—how’s exile been treating you?"
Lucas
smirked. "Oh, you know me, Anton. I land on my feet."
Anton
huffed. "Still a cockroach, I see."
Ava
snorted, earning a side glance from Lucas.
Anton
leaned back, swirling his drink. "Fine. Let’s pretend I believe you. You just came here to catch up?"
Lucas
shrugged. "I wanted a drink."
Anton
laughed. "Bullshit."
Lucas
grinned wider. "And yet, here we are."
Ava
exhaled slowly.
Anton
sighed, setting his drink down with a quiet clink.
"Fine," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "I give up."
Lucas
tilted his head, all lazy amusement. "Already? I was just starting to enjoy myself."
Anton
shot him a flat look. "Bai, I’ve known you too long to play this game. If you say you’re just here for a drink, fine. I’ll pretend to believe you."
Lucas
grinned. "See? That wasn’t so hard."
Anton
ignored him, turning his attention to Ava instead. "And you? Are you actually here for business, or are you just stuck babysitting?"
Ava
smirked. "Both, apparently."
Anton
chuckled. "Smart girl."
Lucas
raised his glass. "The smartest."
Anton
exhaled sharply. "You’re insufferable."
Lucas
winked. "And yet, you missed me."
Anton
grumbled something under his breath before finally waving them off. "Fine. You’ve had your visit. Enjoy your drink. But if I find out later that you dragged me into some mess—"
Lucas
smirked. "You’ll what? Complain about it?"
Anton
glared. "I’ll raise your prices."
Lucas
laughed, leaning back. "Now that? That would be cruel."
Anton
shook his head but didn’t argue. He had already folded, and they both knew it.
Ava
hid her smirk behind her glass.
Because whether Anton wanted to admit it or not—
Lucas Bai was back in the game.
Anton
leaned back, watching Lucas with the tired frustration of a man who knew better but still played along.
"Alright, Bai," he muttered. "You got your drink, your nostalgia, your little reunion. What’s next?"
Lucas sighed dramatically. "Anton, you make it sound like I’m plotting something."
Anton
arched a brow. "Aren’t you?"
Lucas
grinned, swirling his drink. "Always."
Ava
rolled her eyes but stayed quiet, watching the way Anton’s fingers tapped against the table—subtle, calculated.
The man was
uncomfortable. Not panicked, not threatened, but wary.
And that meant one thing—
Lucas being here had already disrupted something.
Anton
finally exhaled. "Fine. Since you’re here anyway, let me give you some advice."
Lucas
smirked. "Oh? A freebie?"
Anton’s
eyes sharpened. "Leave."
Ava
stilled.
Lucas
chuckled. "Now why would I do that?"
Anton
didn’t blink. "Because Level One isn’t the same as when you left."
Lucas
tilted his head, golden eyes gleaming. "That so?"
Anton
sighed. "Bai, I don’t care what grudge you’re holding or what game you think you’re playing. But if you start making noise again, the wrong people will notice."
Lucas
grinned wider. "That’s the idea."
Anton
exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "Of course it is."
Ava
watched the exchange carefully. "So, who’s in charge now?"
Anton
hesitated just long enough for Lucas to catch it.
"Ah," Lucas murmured, smirking. "That’s interesting."
Anton’s
jaw tightened. "I said too much already."
Lucas
leaned forward, voice smooth. "Which means you’re more scared of them than you are of me."
Anton
didn’t answer.
Lucas
sighed, shaking his head with mock disappointment.
"Anton, Anton..."
he leaned forward, golden eyes gleaming.
"You’re always so generous with your warnings. Makes me feel like I should return the favor."
Anton
exhaled sharply. "Bai—"
"Since you’re being so nice,"
Lucas cut in smoothly,
"let me give you something in return."
Ava
watched as Lucas reached into his jacket, pulling out a small data chip.
He
set it on the table, tapping it once with a lazy finger.
Anton
didn’t touch it. Didn’t even look at it.
His jaw
tightened. "What’s on it?"
Lucas
grinned. "A little insurance policy."
Ava
stiffened.
Anton
sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Bai, if this is one of your power plays—"
"It’s not."
Lucas’s voice dropped slightly, all amusement fading.
"It’s proof that whoever’s pulling the strings up here? They’ve been busy."
Anton
hesitated.
Ava
narrowed her eyes. "Define busy."
Lucas
tilted his head, studying Anton’s face carefully. "I think you already know, don’t you?"
Anton’s
fingers twitched.
Ava
caught the slight tension in his shoulders, the way his breathing had changed.
He did know.
Anton
exhaled sharply, reaching for the chip. "If you’re lying, Bai—"
Lucas
smirked. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Anton
gave him a flat look.
Lucas
laughed. "Okay, fine. But not about this."
Anton
studied him for a long moment, then tucked the chip away.
"Whatever you’re doing, Bai," he muttered, "be careful."
Lucas
leaned back, flashing a grin. "Oh, Anton. Where’s the fun in that?"
Ava
rolled her eyes, but her pulse was steady. Calculating.
Lucas
stood, stretching lazily as if he hadn’t just upended an entire conversation.
Ava
watched him carefully. "We’re done here?"
Lucas
grinned, golden eyes glinting. "Not quite."
He
offered a hand. "Dance with me."
Ava
blinked. "Excuse me?"
Lucas
tilted his head toward the center of the lounge, where couples swayed to the slow, elegant rhythm of a live quartet.
"Come on, Beauty," he murmured. "Let’s give them something to talk about."
Ava
folded her arms. "Why?"
Lucas
smirked. "Because I want them to see me."
Ava
exhaled sharply. "You’re really trying to make a statement, aren’t you?"
Lucas
chuckled. "Always."
Ava
rolled her eyes but placed her hand in his. "You better not step on my feet, Bai."
Lucas
laughed, pulling her onto the dance floor. "I would never."
The moment
they stepped into the light, eyes turned.
Whispers rippled.
Lucas Bai
—exiled from Level One—
Was back.
And not just back.
He was leading a woman no one recognized, effortlessly commanding attention.
Ava
felt the shift instantly. The weight of every stare. The calculation behind every glance.
Lucas?
He thrived in it.
His grip
was firm but not forceful, his steps smooth, effortless.
Ava
matched him, letting the rhythm guide her, feeling the tension in the air shift around them.
Lucas
leaned in, voice a warm whisper against her ear. "They’re watching."
Ava
exhaled. "I noticed."
Lucas
grinned, golden eyes locking onto hers. "Then let’s make it worth their while."
And just like that,
he spun her.
Ava
felt it before she saw it.
The shift in the air.
The weight of something dangerous pressing against the edges of the room.
Lucas
was still leading her through the dance, but his golden eyes flicked past her shoulder.
His smirk
didn’t drop.
"Well,"
he murmured, voice smooth,
"looks like we have company."
Ava
twisted slightly, just enough to glimpse the entrance.
And there they were.
Shifters.
Not just any Shifters.
Level One muscle.
Bigger.
Faster. Enhanced past the limits of what a human body should handle.
And they were
watching Lucas.
Ava’s
pulse steadied. "Friends of yours?"
Lucas
chuckled. "Depends on your definition of ’friend.’"
One of the Shifters
stepped forward—broad-shouldered, thick scars running up his forearm, eyes burning too bright.
Ava
recognized the look immediately.
A man who had shifted too many times.
Lucas
finally let go of her waist, stepping slightly in front of her, casual, unbothered.
"Enjoying the music, gentlemen?"
he drawled.
The lead Shifter
didn’t smile. "Boss wants a word."
Lucas
tilted his head. "Which boss?"
The Shifter
exhaled sharply. "You know which."
Ava
kept her posture relaxed, but her mind was already calculating.
Whoever sent them
wasn’t playing games.
Lucas
sighed dramatically, turning to Ava. "Beauty, seems I’m in high demand tonight."
Ava
arched a brow. "Should I be jealous?"
Lucas
grinned. "Always."
But when he turned back to the Shifters?
The amusement in his eyes was ice-cold.