............"Brother-in-law, what took you so long to come here?" Bella asked, leaning against him again, unintentionally nudging her side against his elbows."Hmm, I got off work right when I received your message, so it took me a little time to get here," Aarav replied, adjusting himself in the chair uncomfortably."Well, I'm glad you arrived on time. Otherwise, I don't know how much that scumbag would have humiliated me," Bella said, smiling sweetly as she remembered how he defended her and made her feel secure.She hugged his arm from the side, smiling coyly."Hmm, by the way, why did you come to Crystalbrook City?" Aarav asked, feeling his arm being enveloped in her soft touch again."It's just... I wanted to see my brother-in-law," Bella said softly, with a shy look, glancing down."Hey... be serious, Bella!" Aarav lightly pinched her arm, his tone becoming serious.Aarav also kept glancing at his ex-parents-in-law. Seeing them sitting there, frowning and looking sour, he unde
............"Hey... calm down and just eat. Don't frown so much, you might get wrinkles on your forehead!" Aarav squeezed her hand to calm her down, teasingly."Moe... don't tease me, Brother-in-law," Bella said, her glare at her parents fading as she turned towards Aarav, flashing a cute expression, relieved to see her brother-in-law returning to normal and opening up to her a bit.Aarav, noticing Bella's adorable gesture, wondered where she had picked it up, before refocusing on the dishes on the table.Glancing at Bella's parents, he observed them eating quietly, heads bowed, seemingly wounded in their pride, unable to speak.Shaking his head and shrugging, Aarav returned to enjoying the meal, Bella beside him, nudging dishes his way with a playful smile.Meanwhile, Winston Shade parked his car just outside the Culinary District and stepped out, seething with anger."Damn it... I've never felt so humiliated before... Damn it...!" He kicked his legs against the pavement, cursing
............"What's with your attitude, man? Are you trying to provoke me?" Viper glared at Aarav, their eyes locked in a tense stare-down."Huh...ain't you the one pickin' a fight, you dumbass!" Aarav glared at the ruffian, towering over him by a few inches.Aarav studied the ruffian, narrowing his eyes.Viper, a wiry guy with a perpetually cocky grin, had hair dyed a bright purple, and sported dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. His style leaned towards edgy streetwear, with leather jackets covered in patches."You lookin' for trouble, huh...!" Viper sneered, trying to intimidate Aarav with his arrogance.But a chill ran down his spine as Aarav's eyes met his. Aarav was contemplating how to deal with these thugs, his impatience growing.Aarav suddenly remembered he hadn't finished his work for the day and needed to get to the church quickly before he kept the believers waiting."Viper...what's going on? Why are you arguing with him? Just figure out if he's our target or not!" A femal
............"Don't you already know who I am? I thought you came after me knowing who I was. By the way, who has the guts to collude with you lowlifes and even think about trying anything behind my back!" Aarav said in a mocking and disdainful tone before throwing a probing question to Shadowcaster."Damn it... Fuck... I'm not gonna tell you!" Blaze cursed his own misfortune, feeling his legs turn to jelly from the pressure he felt from the beast in human form standing in front of him.Despite the fear, he still felt the need to maintain his dignity in front of his enemy and remained stubborn."Are you now? But don't worry, it won't take much for you to spill everything!" Aarav looked at him with a nonchalant expression as he grabbed his head and landed a powerful smack on his face."Phaaa...Phaaaa....!" Aarav's slaps left palm prints on both of Blaze's cheeks, but Blaze didn't speak and still looked stubborn."Let me try something I've had in my head for a while now," Aarav muttere
............In front of a not so Luxurious Hotel,"Alright, see you later, Bella. Call me if you need me to show you around the city!" Aarav said as Bella and her parents got out of his car."Okay, I'll call you tomorrow, Brother!" Bella nodded and waved at Aarav, who waved back before starting his car and driving away.He didn't even glance at his ex-parents-in-law, who also ignored him as they immediately went inside the hotel."Seriously, when are they going to grow up and give up their useless pride, acknowledge their mistakes!" Bella muttered in frustration, watching her parents walk away in disappointment.After today, she decided to seriously consider what to do about her parents. If they could set aside their pride and genuinely change, she might give them a chance to be a family again. If not, she would take her big sister and live separately from these two huge disappointments.After dropping Bella and her parents off, Aarav drove directly to the church, as he was running
............"What do you think we should do for Aeliana to help her forget about her sadness and get over it? We don't know how much she might be hurting. Any ideas, ladies?" Aarav asked in a slightly gloomy tone, and the atmosphere in the hall shifted from playful to a little sad.Aarav had shared with them about Aeliana's grandfather's situation, and everyone had the same thought: they were sorry for not being there for Aeliana when she needed their support the most."Brother, isn't Sister Aeliana coming here the day after tomorrow?" Aria asked, a bright idea forming in her mind."Yes, why... did you think of something?" Aarav asked, noticing her excited smile."Yes, how about giving her a welcoming party? We could have also celebrated her birthday, but we don't know when it is," Aria nodded as she shared her thoughts."Actually, I might have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's accurate. I think it might be the 2nd of next month," Phia said with a thoughtful look, unsure but hopeful
............"Arrest him, now!" Aarav shouted at the other guard, who was still in a daze. Aarav then went over to the injured guard and began checking his gunshot wound."Ahh... yes!" The guard snapped back to his senses and moved to arrest the unconscious man."Phew... it's fine now. You shouldn't move unnecessarily for now. Wait for emergency treatment before trying to move forcefully!" Aarav gave the injured guard basic treatment and warned him."Th-thank you, mister!" The guard, overwhelmed by pain and how quickly Aarav had handled the situation, expressed his gratitude.Other people and guards who had rushed over were also staring at Aarav with questioning looks in their eyes. They had just witnessed a dramatic scene: one second, a crazy man was pointing a gun at the guards, and the next, he was lying on the floor, unconscious, with a small crater around him."It's no problem. I am Aarav Veridian, by the way," Aarav introduced himself. "I already tried to warn others that this
............"Boom... crash!" The knights eliminated the stronger beasts while driving the weaker ones back toward the forest."Wow... look at the seniors, handling such strong beasts so effortlessly. Watching them fight so heroically makes our blood boil!" The new recruits gasped and praised their seniors' fighting, feeling their bodies shake with excitement and adrenaline, eager to get down and chop those beasts with their sharp weapons."Oh, please, you newbies won't even last a moment down there," mocked another senior as he approached the enthusiastic new recruits."Haha...you're probably right, Senior. But let us dream a little!" The new recruits were angry at being mocked, but seeing it was a senior, they cooled down and laughed awkwardly."What the fuck are you talking about? Get the fuck down and grow some balls, you bastards!" The senior knight glared at them menacingly before shouting in anger, making the newbies scramble to grab the rope and climb down the wall."Roarrrr.