Chapter 153: Family Dinner

Evening had fallen over the Capital, and the streetlights were glowing outside the tall windows. In the master bedroom of Meridian Tower, Calista was sitting in her new magitech wheelchair, looking at herself in the mirror.

For the first time in two years, she was not wearing cheap hospital clothes or dungeon rags. She wore a clean, soft silk dress that Evren had bought for her, and Amber was standing behind her, fixing a silver pin in her hair.

"Look at you," Amber said with a bright smile. "You look amazing, Calista."

Zephyra stepped up and draped a warm velvet shawl over Calista’s shoulders. "The top floors can get a little breezy. Keep this on so you stay warm."

Calista touched the silver pin with her own fingers. Her hands were still getting used to moving again, but they were steady. "I hardly recognize myself," she said softly.

"That is because you are finally safe," Evren’s voice came from the doorway.

Calista turned her chair around. Evren was standing in the hall, wearing a dark charcoal suit jacket and a clean black shirt. He looked sharp and relaxed, with a friendly smile on his face.

"You look great, Calista," Evren said.

Calista’s cheeks turned pink, and she lowered her eyes shyly. "Thank you, Evren..."

Amber walked over and hooked her arm through Evren’s.

"Our Chairman looks pretty good himself," Amber teased. "Shall we go? My stomach has been growling ever since we left that canyon."

"Let’s go," Evren said with a laugh.

Calista pressed the control ring on the armrest, and the chair lifted an inch off the floor. It moved smoothly across the room, gliding alongside Evren as they took the private elevator down to the garage.

A black armored car was waiting in the private bay. Evren lifted Calista into the passenger seat, made sure she was buckled in comfortably, and folded her chair into the trunk.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the front entrance of The Celestial Spire. It was a high-end rooftop restaurant sitting on the ninetieth floor of the district’s tallest commercial tower, known for having the best city views in the Capital.

When the car doors opened, Evren got the chair out and lifted Calista back into it. The moment they stepped onto the plaza, the people nearby went quiet.

News about the rifts had already spread across every television and phone in the city. The hunters, merchants, and wealthy guests in the plaza recognized Evren right away as the man who held Zone One and killed the giant hydra in Zone Two.

"Wait, isn’t that Chairman Evren from Apex?" an armored hunter whispered to his friend.

"It is him," an older woman said, stopping on the steps. "They said on the news that he saved the entire front line this morning."

Then their eyes landed on Calista in her floating chair, and the whispers got louder.

"Wait... is that Calista Vesper?" an older merchant muttered, staring in disbelief. "The daughter from House Vesper?"

"That is impossible," someone else said. "The cartel claimed she got sick and died in a clinic two years ago!"

"She is alive," another hunter pointed out, staring at the chair. "And look at that frame," the hunter added in a low voice. "That is star-silver alloy with anti-gravity runes. Evren is taking care of her like family."

Evren ignored the stares. He walked straight through the glass doors, with Amber and Zephyra walking beside him.

The restaurant manager spotted Evren’s face and hurried over.

"Chairman Evren, it is an absolute honor to have you tonight," the manager said with a quick bow. "Your private table on the terrace is ready. Follow me, please."

He led them through the dining room and out onto a private open-air glass terrace.

Below them, the entire Capital stretched out into the distance, covered in bright yellow and white streetlights. A cool evening breeze blew through the open balcony, and quiet music was playing from the main hall.

Evren pulled out a chair for Amber, and Zephyra sat down across from her. He then moved Calista’s chair right up to the head of the table beside him so she could look out at the city lights.

"Order whatever you want," Evren told them, placing the menu in front of Calista. "Tonight is about celebrating."

Calista opened the menu, her fingers tracing the pages. Before the cartel locked her away, House Vesper had often hosted banquets in District 1, and she knew these high-end dishes well.

But after two years of having cold paste pumped through a tube, holding a menu and having the freedom to choose felt completely surreal.

She closed the folder and looked at Evren with a fond smile. "It has been so long since I sat at a table like this. Would you choose for us, Evren?"

"Gladly," Evren smiled.

He called the waiter over and ordered a hearty spread tailored to her recovery: creamy crab soup, braised beef with sweet truffle sauce, roasted potatoes, baked pears, and a pot of warm herbal tea.

Twenty minutes later, the waiters brought out the food on silver trays. The steam rising from the plates smelled incredible, filling the cool terrace with the scent of roasted meat and butter.

Calista looked down at the bowl of crab soup placed in front of her. The surface had a golden tint, smelling of sweet cream and fresh seafood.

She reached out and picked up her spoon. Her fingers held it firmly. She dipped the spoon into the soup, lifted it, and took a small sip.

Calista froze.

The warm, rich flavor filled her mouth. It was savory, creamy, and soothing, sending a wave of warmth straight down into her chest.

As much as she tried not to remember the last two years, her mind couldn’t help but flash to when for two long years, her only food had been cold, gray nutrient paste fed through a tube in a dark concrete room.

She had almost forgotten what cooked food smelled like, and what it felt like to taste something hot.

A tear slipped from Calista’s eye, running down her cheek.

"Calista?" Amber leaned forward quickly. "Is it too hot? Does it hurt?"

"No, no," Calista said, shaking her head as a bright, tearful smile broke across her face. "It is just so good," she said, wiping her eyes.

Evren took a clean napkin and gently dabbed a tear off her chin. "Take your time, Calista," he said with a warm smile. "From now on, you are going to eat like this every day. No more cold rooms, and no more starving."

Calista nodded quickly, taking another spoonful with a happy smile.

As they ate, the mood at the table grew relaxed and cheerful. Calista watched Amber and Zephyra, curious about how they had all ended up together.

"How did you two meet Evren?" Calista asked between bites.

Amber chuckled, taking a sip from her glass. "You should have seen me back in Veridia, Calista. I had been paralyzed for six months after a bad rift raid, burning with fever in an old wheelchair."

Amber looked across the table at Evren, her eyes full of warmth. "My clan refused to pay my medical bills and signed papers to hand me over to a corrupt guild heir like trash," she said. "I thought my life was completely over."

Amber smiled softly, leaning back in her chair.

"Then this stubborn delivery guy walked in, took one look at them, and wheeled me straight out into the cold rain," Amber continued. "He spent his last dollar on my medicine, rented a penthouse so I had a clean place to rest, bought out an entire clothing showroom to get me out of hospital gowns, and cooked for me every single day until I could walk again."

Zephyra set down her cup and looked at Calista.

"I was locked in an iron cage under Arena Number Nine," Zephyra said in her quiet, calm voice. "My veins were filled with shadow poison, and the arena bosses treated me like an animal. But Master Evren walked down into that dungeon, broke my chains, and paid twenty million dollars on the spot to take me home."

Zephyra looked right into Calista’s eyes.

"He gave us our lives back, Calista," Zephyra said firmly. "In this house, nobody gets left behind. You are one of us now."

Hearing those words, Calista felt a heavy weight lift off her chest.

For two years, the cartel had told her she was just broken trash. But sitting here under the night sky with hot food in front of her and three people who cared about her, she knew she was finally safe.

"Thank you," Calista whispered, smiling at all three of them. "Thank you for everything."

They finished their meal and ate the sweet baked pears while chatting on the terrace until the restaurant started winding down for the night.

The drive back to Meridian Tower was quiet and smooth. The gentle hum of the car made Calista drowsy, and by the time they took the elevator back to the penthouse, she could barely keep her eyes open.

Evren and Amber helped her into the big, soft bed in her suite. As soon as the blanket was tucked around her, Calista closed her eyes and fell asleep with a peaceful smile on her face.

As Evren stepped back from the bed, he caught Amber watching him from the doorway. Her dark eyes were filled with soft, deep affection.

A familiar chime sounded in his mind, and gold text flickered across his vision:

[HEROINE #3: CALISTA VESPER DEVOTION SURGED: 48% ➔ 50%!]

[50% DEVOTION MILESTONE REACHED!]

[REWARD UNLOCKED: 1x S-RANK FORTUNE WHEEL SPIN (STORED IN SYSTEM QUEUE)!]

[HEROINE #1: AMBER STERLING DEVOTION: 97%!]

[STATUS: NEAR-PERFECT SOUL RESONANCE ACHIEVED!]

[HEROINE #2: ZEPHYRA NIGHTSHADE DEVOTION SURGED: 95%!]

[STATUS: SOUL-BOND HARMONY ENHANCED!]

Evren smiled quietly, stepping out into the hall. He closed the bedroom door with a soft click and walked back into the living room.

Amber was standing by the big glass windows, looking out at the city lights with a playful grin on her face.

Over by the couch, Zephyra was already taking off her coat, hanging it over the armrest and rolling up the sleeves of her shirt. Her ears were a little red, but she looked right at Evren.

Amber turned around, folding her arms over her chest as she walked toward him. "Dinner was great, Chairman," she teased with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Calista is fast asleep. Which means it is time to pay up."

Evren stopped in the middle of the room, looking between the two of them with an amused look. "Pay up for what?"

"Our bet in the canyon," Amber said, tapping his chest with one finger. "Zephyra and I tied on monster kills. And we both owe you a full massage."