Marcus looked as if he had been waiting for a while eagerly, and walked up the moment Rhys stepped out the car.
“Rhys! Hey, man!” Marcus called out heartily, striding forward with his arms open. “I was just in the area and thought I’d drop by to see you and Lira again!”
Rhys froze on the gravel, his brain short-circuiting as he tried to process his friend’s unexpected presence. “M-Marcus... hey...”
Before Rhys could explain why he was stepping out of a luxury sedan with a disheveled collar, the rear passenger door opened again. Vespera stepped gracefully out of the car, her long legs catching the soft orange light of the setting sun, her silver hair shimmering as she offered Marcus a dazzling, breathtaking smile.
Marcus stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened, his jaw slacking slightly as he took in the sight of the stunning, aristocratic cat-elf woman stepping out of his friend’s driveway. In an instant, the brave, seasoned veteran turned into absolute putty.
“Oh... wow... hello,” Marcus stammered, his cheeks flushing as he instantly straightened his posture, trying and failing to act suave.
Vespera let out a soft, melodious laugh, stepping smoothly into the conversation. She engaged Marcus with effortless charm, tossing her silver hair, complimenting his broad frame, and plying him with warm, intoxicating banter. Marcus was entirely blinded by her radiant appearance, practically drooling over the predator standing before him, completely oblivious to her true nature.
Rhys stood mortified, a sickening spike of guilt and horror knotting his stomach. He had to stand there in silent, agonizing defeat, watching his trusted brother-in-arms swoon over a woman who had just used Rhys like a pleasure slave—a woman who had just helped him dominate another one of their former mortal enemies just a few doors down.
What made the situation even more agonizingly awkward was Marcus’s total, blissful ignorance. As Vespera chatted casually, she leaned uncomfortably close to Rhys, her shoulder brushing his, her spotted tail lightly grazing Rhys’s calf behind his legs. Marcus was so blinded by her stunning appearance that he completely failed to register the intense, unnatural physical intimacy between the landlord and his retired friend.
The poor fool, Rhys thought in bitter, total defeat, watching Marcus practically drool over the predator standing right next to him.
Suddenly, the front door of the house clicked open.
“Rhys? Is that you?”
Lira stepped out onto the porch, her hair shimmering softly in the fading dusk light. She smiled warmly at the sight of Marcus, but as her eyes traveled over to Rhys and Vespera standing together in the driveway, her expression subtly shifted.
“Oh! Marcus, Vespera,” Lira greeted politely, stepping down the porch stairs toward them. Her gaze lingered on Rhys, noticing the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead, his slightly disheveled collar, and the oddly tight proximity between him and their landlord.
Lira tilted her head, her hazel eyes narrowing with cosmic stars swirling to view. A curiosity that sent a cold spike of terror straight through Rhys’s heart.
“What a...surprising group,” Lira said softly, her tone polite, yet intensely inquisitive as she looked directly at her husband. “Rhys... how did you end up coming home with Vespera?”
Time froze in that moment.
A cold, prickling sweat broke out across Rhys’s forehead, his heart hammering against his ribs like a frantic drumbeat. He stood frozen on the driveway, feeling the suffocating, razor-thin boundary between his quiet suburban lie and the absolute, destructive truth. If Lira pushed just a fraction harder, if her cosmic hero instincts picked up on the faint scent of orchid perfume, sweat, and cheap leather clinging to his skin, everything would implode right here on the gravel.
Before the silence could stretch into suspicion, Vespera took a smooth, effortless step forward. Her silver hair shimmers in the dying orange sunlight, her voice chiming with an easy, aristocratic warmth that instantly smoothed the tension.
“Oh, Lira, darling,” Vespera cooed, flashing a bright, professional smile. “You mustn’t worry! Rhys was simply helping me lay the groundwork for a new business venture.”
A What now?, Rhys puzzled
Lira’s cosmic hazel eyes blinked, her sharp brow furrowing in genuine surprise. “A... business venture?”
“Indeed!” Vespera purred, slanting a fond, affectionate look toward Rhys that made his blood run cold. “After enjoying his incredible cooking during our dinner the other night, I realized his talents are far too magnificent to keep hidden in a private kitchen. I’ve offered to fund and partner with him to start his very own high-end catering business.”
Rhys’s jaw nearly unhinged. He stared at her in utter, silent disbelief. The sheer, terrifying genius of the cover story left him speechless. It accounted for his missing hours, his sudden trips with her, the disheveled appearance, and even future ‘meetings’ they would inevitably have to attend. It was a golden, airtight cage—and Vespera had just locked the door from the outside.
With Lira’s intense, hopeful eyes fixed on him, Rhys had no choice. He forced a strained, rigid smile onto his face, nodding along like a puppet on a string. “Y-yeah... that’s right, honey. We were... discussing the logistics today.”
“Rhys! That’s incredible!” Lira gasped, her face lighting up with pure, unadulterated joy. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Rhys’s waist and kissing his cheek. “I’ve been telling you for years you should cook professionally! Oh, Vespera, thank you for pushing him!”
Beside them, Marcus let out a hearty laugh, clapping Rhys heavily on the shoulder. “Look at you, hero! From saving the world to feeding it! Man, I’m thrilled for you!”
Rhys’s mind was an absolute blur of horror. Instead of finding a way out of Vespera’s web, her lie had just cemented his dynamic with her right in front of his wife and best friend. Under the guise of a ‘catering business,’ Vespera could demand his presence anytime, anywhere, dragging him into whatever twisted, debauched scenario she pleased—and Lira would willingly pack his lunch and wave him goodbye at the door.
Rhys shot a burning, razor-sharp glare at Vespera over Lira’s shoulder, his eyes silently screaming: What the hell are you playing at?!
Vespera simply offered him a sweet, innocent tilt of her head, her slitted amber eyes glinting with a dark, triumphant promise. She wasn’t just managing her investment; she was building an empire out of his secret life.
Before Rhys could even begin to process the nightmare, Lira turned her bright smile toward Marcus. “And what about you, Marcus? What brings you by this evening?”
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his weight on the gravel. His usual bold, unyielding hero persona completely evaporated, replaced by a sheepish, blushing grin that made Rhys want to strangle him on the spot.
“Well... I came to catch up with you two, of course,” Marcus admitted, his voice dropping into a shy, nervous register as his eyes drifted over to Vespera. “...and, honestly, I was hoping I might run into Miss Vane here again.”
Vespera cocked her head up, her cat-like ears twitching forward in subtle, amused intrigue. “Oh? Is that so?”
Rhys’s soul left his body. No. Marcus, you idiot. No.
Ignoring every unwritten rule of former hero camaraderie—and completely oblivious to the dire warnings Rhys had tried to hint at before—Marcus took a brave step toward the predatory landlord.
“I know it’s sudden,” Marcus stammered, offering Vespera a handsome, charming smile, “but I’d really love to take you out for dinner sometime, Miss Vane. Just the two of us.”
Rhys’s heart stopped. He glared at Vespera, his eyes practically screaming, begging, pleading with her to shut it down, to turn him away, to keep his innocent friend out of her twisted, sadistic web.
Vespera’s lips curved into a wicked, devilish smirk. She let out a soft, regretful sigh, placing a manicured hand over her chest. “Oh, Marcus... you are terribly sweet,” she said smoothly, letting him down with practiced, polite grace. “But I’m afraid my schedule is far too chaotic right now for dating. I must decline.”
A massive, overwhelming wave of relief washed over Rhys. He let out a long, silent breath. Thank God. It’s over.
Then, the universe delivered its cruelest punch yet.
Lira, seeing Marcus’s crestfallen, disappointed face, couldn’t bear to see their dear friend rejected. Driven by her warm, loving nature, she stepped right into the line of fire.
“Oh, come on, Vespera!” Lira teased playfully, nudging her landlord with an encouraging smile. “Marcus is an absolute gentleman! He’s a an active hero, reliable, and single! You two would have an incredible time. Give him a chance—just one dinner!”
Rhys’s eyes went as wide as saucers. His breath hitched in his throat as he watched his own wife—his pure, loving, completely oblivious wife—actively hype up and convince the predatory woman currently blackmailing her husband to go on a date with their best friend.
Vespera’s slitted amber eyes slowly drifted over to Rhys.
She took in his mortified, pale, utter breakdown of a face, watching his entire reality collapse in real-time. A slow, terrifyingly radiant smile bloomed across her face.
“Well...” Vespera purred softly, her gaze locked dead on Rhys’s trembling frame, “...if the legendary hero Lira herself vouches for him so strongly, how could I possibly say no? I’d love to go out with you, Marcus.”
“Yes!” Marcus beamed, his face lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. “That’s awesome! I’ll pick you up this weekend!”
Rhys stood frozen on his own driveway, the world spinning out of control around him. His wife was smiling happily, his best friend was glowing with romantic pride, and the monster standing between them was looking at Rhys like he was her favorite toy. Everything was falling apart, and the cruelest joke of all was that his beloved wife had just handed Vespera the keys to the entire nightmare.