Chapter 474

After a long hesitation, Malik finally signed the contract.

He genuinely wanted to complete the deal, and when he looked over the terms again, they were basically just confidentiality clauses.

It wasn’t as though he had any intention of exposing the arrangement.

So why not sign?

Evenson nodded in satisfaction.

This was the first time he’d conducted a transaction under Umbrella’s name while openly operating as himself, so keeping things quiet was preferable. Umbrella’s existence being exposed was one thing. His own identity was another. He wanted to keep that hidden for as long as possible.

What Evenson didn’t know was that, elsewhere, a meeting of considerably greater historical importance was already underway.

"Boss, I’d like to buy this frog statue. I’d like to take it home and worship it. How much?"

"I’m busy."

"Boss, I’m buying these black-framed glasses this time, no matter what. The priest at my church said wearing them will help me live to a hundred."

"Take them and go."

This was not the usual behavior at Clea’s shop.

Normally, she was perfectly happy to serve her customers.

Today, however, she hadn’t even glanced at the merchandise.

She stood behind the counter with her arms folded, staring straight ahead at two unwelcome guests.

The Eredar twins.

The two demon women had taken on the appearance of beautiful human sisters. Both wore sharp business suits, black stockings, and red high heels. Their hands rested on their hips as they smiled at Clea.

The three women had been locked in this silent standoff for more than half an hour.

It was beginning to look less like a business meeting and more like the opening scene of a very expensive corporate power struggle.

Several customers who had been ready to pay suddenly returned their purchases to the shelves.

They began browsing with renewed enthusiasm while stealing glances toward the three women.

Only the two customers desperate enough to be worried about whether they’d survive much longer were still in a hurry to leave with their purchases.

"Hmm."

"Hmm."

"Hmm."

After another round of silent intimidation and competitive staring, all three women suddenly smiled.

That only made the spectators more interested.

Anyone who had been hoping to witness some sort of dramatic showdown leaned forward.

The three women immediately turned toward them.

"What’s so interesting? Get out!"

Their voices hit the room with enough collective force to make the ordinary customers reconsider every decision that had brought them there.

Within seconds, everyone was gone.

Customers grabbed their purchases, sprinted through the door, pulled the curtains shut behind them, locked the entrance, and even hung the CLOSED sign outside.

Clea’s mouth twitched.

Not one of them had paid.

She ground her teeth for a moment.

Fine.

She’d put the tab on Evenson.

Her expression immediately transformed into a warm smile.

"So, sisters, what brings you here? Come, sit down. Let me make you some tea."

The twins blinked.

"Sisters?"

Aurecelyss looked offended.

"You wouldn’t know it from our appearance, but we have existed longer than the human race."

"Hmm. Age is certainly one factor..."

Clea brought out a purple clay teapot.

Although she looked completely Western, she had grown up in Kamar-Taj and had retained a fondness for Chinese tea.

Her slender fingers reached for a generous pinch of Tieguanyin.

At the last moment, however, she changed her mind.

She grabbed the cheapest tea dust instead and dropped it into the pot.

"But in certain circumstances, the terms ’older sister’ and ’younger sister’ aren’t determined by age."

Aurecelyss immediately understood the insult.

Was Clea implying that because she’d entered the picture later, she was automatically the junior?

The demon’s temper flared.

She nearly snapped back that Clea had no idea who had arrived first, and she certainly had no idea what Evenson was like behind closed doors.

Fortunately, Salorass interrupted before things could escalate.

"Your tea selection isn’t very impressive."

She casually lifted a tiny cup with one elegantly curved finger and took a sip.

"I’ll bring something better next time."

She set the cup down.

"Names and titles aren’t important. The sands of time erase everything eventually."

Aurecelyss’s irritation faded.

Why fight over something as meaningless as being called sister?

Clea was mortal.

No matter how much time she had with Evenson, how long could it possibly last?

She calmly took another sip.

"She’s right. This tea isn’t very good. Whenever Evenson visits us, he gets much better drinks."

"I suppose that’s true."

Clea knew exactly what the demon was implying.

She was human.

Her life was brief.

Her youth would vanish.

Compared to the Eredar twins, she was a candle burning on borrowed time.

Yet Clea didn’t seem bothered.

"Neither of us is exactly ordinary," she said. "We should both know that immortality isn’t impossible."

She lifted her teacup.

"Someone has already promised to spend eternity with me."

"I expected as much."

Aurecelyss knew exactly who she meant.

Yet surprisingly, her response was calm.

"But constantly taking without giving anything in return won’t end well. We’re actually more interested than you are in understanding what kind of person a Warlock truly is."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Evenson is practical. For someone like him, romantic fantasy might stir his passions for a while. But the people who can continually provide him with something valuable are the ones he’ll truly treasure."

"Is that so?"

Clea set the teapot aside and picked up her own cup.

"Perhaps that’s why he always seems to stick so close to me."

She paused.

"I don’t particularly care what a Warlock is supposed to be. But..."

Clea raised her eyes toward the twins.

"He’s still a man. He has his pride. He may need what you two can offer him, but deep down, he probably still wants a woman who needs something from him too. Someone who’ll stay at his side and let him feel wanted."

The words instantly wiped the smiles from both demons’ faces.

Forcing themselves to abandon their pride and act meekly, like lovestruck women trying desperately to please a man?

That would be more painful than death.

Then the twins looked at each other.

And their expressions relaxed.

Evenson?

Pride?

Did that man even have such a thing?

"Honestly, I have no idea what you think makes you special."

The twins shook their heads in perfect synchronization.

Now that there were no humans around to witness it, they dropped their disguises.

Their demonic forms emerged in full.

They stood back to back, arms folded across their chests.

"Whatever category you choose, we’re better than you."

Their appearances were no longer human.

Their features were exotic and striking, their slender horns rising gracefully from their heads, their tails curling behind them.

Combined with their twin-like beauty and overwhelming demonic allure, they possessed a kind of otherworldly charm that few could possibly rival.

Clea simply snorted.

She straightened her posture and thrust out her chest with absolute confidence.

The twins froze.

"Uh..."

They looked as though they’d just suffered a devastating blow.

Both instinctively took a step backward.

That was...

That was an unfair advantage.

Then, unwilling to concede, one of them stubbornly protested.

"We could look like that too if we wanted..."

Clea’s confidence only grew.

She smiled.

"Completely natural. No padding. No enhancements."

The twins fell silent.

For once, they had no comeback.