Arriving inside the Owner’s Private Lounge, Mabel slipped out of my hold and immediately snapped her fingers, muttering a short chant under her breath. A faint shimmer of magic passed over her body, restoring herself to her earlier state as if nothing had happened.
She smoothed down her dress, checked her reflection in the polished surface of a nearby grandfather clock, and finally looked at me.
"Thank you," she said, her voice still carrying a trace of lingering tension. "I’ve never frozen like that before. I don’t know what happened. Their stares and laughter... that smile of his dragged my consciousness into a darkness so deep that I was too afraid to move a muscle."
She took a slow breath, her fingers briefly tightening around the edge of her dress before she relaxed them.
"But you could have ended it with the first punch."
"Trust me, that is not the kind of guy who learns his lesson with a single punch," I said, heading toward the balcony, my attention immediately drawn by the breathtaking view beyond the glass doors.
A small lake stretched across the grassland below, its surface shimmering beneath the sunlight. Tall pine trees surrounded the grassland in every direction, their dark green crowns swaying gently in the breeze. The view was so peaceful that it felt almost disconnected from the ugly scene we’d just left behind.
I stepped closer to the balcony railing, taking in the scenery. After all that noise, a little silence felt damn good.
Mabel soon joined me at the balcony. Facing the lake, she rested both hands on the railing, one of her palms settling against mine.
She was standing close enough that I could feel the faint warmth of her body beside me and smell her scent in the air.
Closing her eyes, she lifted her chin to the breeze and took a slow, deep breath. The movement drew her chest upward, her collar shifting just enough to reveal her neckline. As the cool breeze washed over her face, a few strands of her hair slipped loose and fluttered against her cheek before settling back against her neck.
Perhaps it was the way she stood so comfortably beside me, or maybe it was simply the angle. My gaze slowly drifted from her neckline to the nape of her neck, following the delicate line of her collarbone before moving to her rosy cheeks and soft lips.
Tempting.
I lingered a moment too long.
As if sensing my gaze, Mabel’s eyelashes trembled. Her eyes suddenly opened and caught me staring.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. She didn’t look away, neither did I. The faintest hint of a smile touched her lips as our eyes remained locked. The space between us suddenly felt much smaller than it had a moment ago.
Neither of us said a word. Instead, almost instinctively, we leaned toward each other, our faces drawing closer as our lips slowly puckered. However, just before they could connect, a familiar, booming voice shattered the moment.
"Good god, woman! When I said to stall him, even if you have to give him your virginity, I didn’t mean for you to take it literally. You do know our firm frowns upon fraternizing with clients, right? You can get fired for this."
It was Lucas.
Arnar had arrived before him and had been sitting quietly nearby the entire time, watching the scene unfold without saying a word. She appeared visibly irritated as he killed the mood.
Lucas’s attention suddenly shifted toward me, and his expression hardened.
"How dare you, sir? Have you no shame, sir? Taking advantage of our junior associate after what she just went through, when she was at her lowest—"
"Lucas, shut the fuck up."
Embarrassed, Mabel interrupted him and hurried toward him, her glare becoming increasingly dangerous with every step.
Lucas blinked at her.
"You can’t talk to me like that. I’m your superior—"
"If you don’t shut up and take your seat right now, I will crush the balls that you very much hold dear," Mabel whispered, stopping directly in front of him.
Lucas’s mouth snapped shut.
Without another word, he crossed his legs, reached toward the nearby sofa, and sat down.
Arnar finally broke. She burst into laughter, covering her mouth as her shoulders shook.
Mabel’s face turned beet red.
Just when I was struggling to explain what had just happened, Arnar greeted me, "We meet again, stranger."
"Just following your advice, Ma’am. Trying to get registered as a Hunter as soon as possible," I replied with a faint smile, stepping away from the balcony.
"Those were some moves. No wonder you survived that monster outbreak alone." Arnar leaned back in her chair, casually resting her legs on the tea table, much to Lucas’s annoyance. "If I didn’t know you were loaded, I’d invite you to try out for my guild."
"It would have been my honor, Ma’am."
I walked toward the lounge bar and picked up two glasses. After pouring myself a glass of Scotch, I poured another and handed it to Arnar.
She accepted it, raising an eyebrow at my casual demeanor.
"Do you even know who you just knocked out?"
There was a hint of curiosity in her voice. She seemed genuinely surprised by how calm I was, considering the deep shit I had just stepped into.
Perhaps she thought I was unaware of the trouble I’d caused. Or maybe I simply didn’t care.
"A rich brat from a powerful family," I replied, handing her the glass. "If I had to guess, I’d say the Reinfields family."
Arnar’s expression changed slightly.
I took a sip of my Scotch before explaining, "I heard him bragging about being here to celebrate contracting his first Spawn. And as far as I know, every Spawn Summoner in the country belongs to the Reinfield family."
I shrugged.
"So it wasn’t exactly difficult to connect the dots."