“I-I’m sorry, but I-I should leave now. I just realized I have some matters that require only me to attend to, so I have to go,” Shelvin muttered hoarsely while looking at Darius. He then turned to leave but failed to take one step ahead as the latter grabbed his wrist. Simultaneously, Darius’ grip caused the flames beneath his skin to spread, making the pain even more unbearable. It was so intense that Shelvin bellowed in agony. His cries ripped through the air and startled everyone at the scene, fear crawling into their hearts. What shocked Shelvin was that Darius remained unbothered. He had noticed it while he was screaming earlier, so once the pain soothed, he gazed confusedly at Darius.Knowing what Shelvin’s inquisitive gaze meant, Darius immediately explained, “I’ve seen this before. Dream Investment Group must’ve intentionally left that guidebook behind for you and your fellow apprentices. That way, if any of you harbored plans to betray them, the book would mislead you into
“But that’s not how Darius should be,” Shelvin immediately rebuked himself in his mind. After dissecting the situation more, he shook his head and thought, “Then again, regardless of whatever Darius is plotting against me, his willingness to save me is touching.”That was when Darius cast a questioning look at Shelvin. He could tell the latter’s shoulders trembled harder once he placed his hand on them earlier. Darius did not know why Shelvin reacted that way, nor could Darius figure out a logical reason behind it. So, he took his hand off Shevin’s shoulder before folding both hands behind his back. He then narrowed his eyes and said, “Don’t get too excited, though. There’s something else I have to tell you.”Shelvin instantly fell silent upon hearing that. Still, he could not hide how anxious he felt, his gaze hardening while his muscles tensed. Darius stared more intensely and dubiously at the former, not knowing why Shelvin’s every reaction thus far seemed so dramatic. Nonethele
Shelvin could not accept that. As his face turned bright red from humiliation, Darius abruptly spoke. “There’s no need to feel ashamed. Your excessive drooling is merely a result of the bugs tampering with the nerves in your body. Also, if you don’t come over now, I can assure you those bugs will devour your entire nervous system. Although they can only chew off a small portion each, those pesky vermin can move quickly. Plus, there are many of them in your body, and they can attack your nervous system from every angle. You’re only drooling now, but you’ll randomly start giggling and excreting all foods or liquids you’ve recently eaten.”While saying those things, Darius shrugged stoically.Standing opposite was Shelvin, whose face had darkened like coal when he heard the graphic description. His mind started visualizing himself losing control as he stripped naked before everyone. Then, his entire body quivered as he walked ahead to sit before Darius, ignoring the sharp burn that happ
What Shelvin could not stand was that the very superiors he served had stolen the powers he had worked hard to cultivate. The thought made his breathing quicken as his body trembled with fury. “So, If I come across the person who stole some of my powers, I can detect the presence of said powers in their body?”Lips curving, Darius nodded and said, “Of course. It originally belonged to you, so it’s only fair that you can sense its presence. On top of that, I can tell you very responsibly that once you achieve a certain level of strength, you can master total control over your enlightened martial arts skills. That’ll allow you to radiate it beyond your body and do many more things. The cultivated energy, also known as aura, that got stolen from you can do the same. After all, those and your current auras share the same properties—they’re the type of power one releases from their body. Thus, with proper cultivation and training, you can control your stolen auras from a distance and make
Thus, Darius kept his cool while asking, “I see. Then, may I ask why you’re still here?”Alicia exhaled deeply, mustering whatever courage she had left to turn, raise her head, and look into Darius’ eyes. Still, she was so nervous that she blushed like a lovestruck schoolgirl. “I-I j-just thought you were planning to inspect the banquet’s setup since I mentioned it earlier.”She exhaled again before spinning on her heel to set foot beyond the door’s threshold. Then, she parted her lips to say, “My sincerest apologies, Mr. Reid. I understand I’ve overstepped my bounds, so I’ll be on my way now.”With that, she dashed down the hallway to leave without waiting for Darius’ response.A thought appeared in Darius’ mind, causing him to quirk his brow for the slightest second. However, he shook his head in the next second, thinking, “Nah. The relationship between Alicia and me is different. At least, I bet that’s what Alicia thinks. Although, such progression needs time, so it can’t be helped
“Grandpa’s number! That’s never happened before!” Darius thought, blood rushing all over his body with panic. He was so anxious that his phone kept slipping out of his hands, so he gave in; Darius placed his phone on the nightstand and accepted the call.James spoke on the other end of the line with an unprecedentedly austere tone. “Is there anything you wish to inform me about regarding our family company’s shares?”Darius’ eyes and mouth rounded in shock, and he failed to utter a word. Silence then ensued forever between him and his grandfather. It was as though all courage had vaporized from Darius’ body; he dared not lift his head, so he allowed it to lower while his gaze settled on the ground. Even his voice took on a tinge of bitter regret. “I know this is all my fault, Grandpa. All I can hope for is that things don’t affect the Reid family’s reputation because if it does, I’ve made a grave, unforgivable mistake.”That was when James’ voice rang out, sounding even more weighed
Edward extended his fist, frantically knocking on the door with his knuckles. “Mr. Reid, are you alright?”Only after hearing the former’s urgent tone did Darius realize how dramatic his earlier phone call sounded. Everyone had been acting oddly since arriving in Almiron City, including himself. Then again, Darius felt his strange behavior could also be because he had previously gotten forced to inhale those drugs back at Edward’s previous lab.Regardless of what the reason was, he did not have time to waste on that matter anymore, so he locked eyes with Edward and said, “You’ll have to take on both Erin’s and your assigned tasks since she’s no longer with us. It’ll likely overwhelm you.”Edward’s face turned as pale as chalk as he was unsure why Darius made him travel here over such a minor thing. Still, he nodded. “Don’t worry, Mr. Reid. I’m well aware of that, and I don’t find those tasks overwhelming. They’re much less chaotic than what I went through during bodyguard training.”
Edward feared Darius would blame him for refusing to prepare the party favors. He parted his lips, wanting to explain his reluctance but was uncertain if clarifying would do any good at this point.That was when Darius sensed Edward’s anxiety. He looked at the latter, sighing before explaining, “There’s no need to frown at me like that. I understand why you’re saying this. Although I don’t know what your oath is about—” He abruptly stood, walked over to the door, then conveniently grabbed and put on the coat that hung on the wall nearby before heading out. Time was running out when Darius thought of the party favors, so he did not bother changing into another outfit.On the other hand, Edward was in awe of how quickly Darius moved. Gulping, he calmed his emotions and strode behind the latter. He thought he could catch up to Darius, so he dashed forward with all his might. In the eyes of regular people, he and Darius were nothing more than flickering shadows. However, as Edward looke