Chapter 128: Sneaky sister.

After polishing off his breakfast in the morning, Achilles tapped nanny Rosita’s arm. The older woman had not been eating at all like she was not interested in the meal, more like she was there to keep him company. Every once in a while, she looked at the small golden watch around her wrist and sighed pathetically.

"Nanny today we are heading to Hunter’s new place as soon as I’m done with my business." Achilles said, adjusting his collar. "You can stop sighing now, we shall set off around afternoon. Get ready."

Nanny Rosita’s face lit up so fast you would have thought she’d just ascended to the heavens. "Oh, finally. I thought I would have to pretend to drop dead before getting you to move." She was impatient and thrilled to finally escape the suffocating, dusty city.

And, she had spent countless sleepless nights worrying about Hunter. To her, he was still the little boy who used to scrape his knees and cry in her arms because his mother refused to comfort him. "I’m finally going to see my boy. Let me pack his favorite snacks. Does he have enough blankets? He always kicks them off_"

"Nanny, please, just pack your clothes. He is a grown man that can pack his own blankets." Achilles chuckled, stepping out of the room.

Just as he was reaching the edge of the door, Achilles jumped back, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. "What the_ !" he stopped and exhaled.

Standing right in his path, grinning like a mischievous imp, was his little sister, Bianca. She had a terrifying habit of sneaking up on people, a trait she had clearly picked up from her bonded half-life beast, an inferno lynx.

Bianca casually waved a small, wicked-looking silver knife_ the very one she was currently using to slice an apple. She chewed loudly, pointing the blade at his nose. "I knew it," she said, her eyes gleaming. "All this time, you’ve been lying through your teeth about not knowing where Hunter was. Uncle and aunt pleaded with you to find him and bring him home but no_ you decided to lie and avoid being in the city as much as possible."

Achilles sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. He reached out and gently pushed her shoulder to slide past. "I do not know what you are talking about and the next time you decide to break into my house, Bianca, at least have the decency to knock. Or just send a message, or don’t come at all."

"Oh, please," Bianca scoffed, shaking her head in defiance. She took another bite of the apple. "Since when do I need permission to visit my own brother? And don’t try to change the subject, big bro. Is Hunter at your business headquarters in the Iron Vale Confederacy?"

Achilles frowned, his mind blanking for a second. "Why on earth would I be in the Iron Vale Confederacy?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He had momentarily forgotten that this was the exact lie he had spun for the rest of the family to cover his tracks.

Bianca winced, shaking her head with mock pity. "Wow. So that was another lie. You really are terrible at this."

"Go home, Bianca," Achilles muttered, shooing her away with his hands as he hurried down the corridor.

She jogged to keep up, her playful demeanor cracking just a bit. "Come on, Achilles! Please? I miss Hunter. He’s my favorite cousin, you know that!"

"Yeah, right," Achilles snorted, not buying it for a second. "Even if you are right and I do know where he is, Hunter doesn’t want to see anyone from the family. Especially not the troublemakers."

"What did I even do?" she cried out dramatically, putting a hand to her heart. "We were the best of friends growing up."

Achilles didn’t answer. He practically bolted out the front door, rushed across the courtyard, and vaulted onto the back of his giant eagle. If he used a car, she would drive after him. Flying away was easier. "Let’s go."

With a powerful sweep of its wings, the beast took off into the sky, kicking up a gust of wind that ruffled Bianca’s hair.

Standing in the courtyard, Bianca watched him shrink into a dot in the sky. She didn’t look upset at all. Instead, she let out a low laugh and popped another slice of apple into her mouth. Her dear brother was a capable hunter, but he had incredibly lowered his guard. While she had been dramatically pleading, her fingers had lightly brushed his coat.

"You underestimate me, brother," she whispered. She was one of the top operatives of the black flower guild. A tiny, high-grade tracking device was now firmly stuck to his back. "See you soon, cousin."

After flying a few wide loops to make absolutely sure Bianca wasn’t tailing him on some flying beast, Achilles left the city, taking the most direct path to the outskirts of Greenwich. He quickly made his way to the Thorn Guild stores. He needed to check the sales ledger. Knowing Zyra, she would skin him alive if a single energy stone went missing.

The moment he stepped into the back stores, Rocket ran up to him with a grin so wide his face looked like it might split in half.

"Boss! You’re back!" Rocket flung himself at him.

Achilles sidestepped the man, rolling his eyes as Rocket bounced off the wall and landed like a cat, before rising. "You need to see this to believe it. Follow me, quick!" Rocket shot off down a corridor.

Achilles followed slowly, like a boss who was in no hurry. His hands were buried in his pockets as he was trying to act cool. "What is it? Did we make a decent profit?" He asked, when he found Rocket again.

Rocket didn’t answer. He just unlocked the heavy, reinforced iron doors of the main warehouse and shoved them open.

Achilles stepped inside, ready to inspect the rows of Beast Valley goods_ the rare foods, the herbs, the beast luxuries.

He stopped dead in his tracks. The warehouse was completely, empty. Dust motes drifted lazily in the empty space where mountains of crates should have been.

"What...?" Achilles gasped, his jaw dropping. He walked over to a corner and literally kicked a few leftover wooden splinters just to make sure he wasn’t trapped in an illusion barrier. "Where is everything?"

"Boss, we’re rich!" Rocket practically bubbled over with excitement, bouncing on his heels. "I didn’t even have time to set up an auction! The moment the word got out about high-quality, unique supplies, the black-market buyers went absolutely feral. They bought the entire stock in bulk! They paid premium prices, no haggling! We are rich. We are going to be richer than every nation if this continues."