Chapter 84: So terrifying...

Out in the hallway, Corvina walked quickly.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Her black boots struck the stone floor in a steady rhythm, the sound echoing down the corridor. The employees who saw her expression immediately moved aside. No one dared greet her, and Corvina did not look at anyone. She marched straight to the emergency stairwell and shoved open the door.

BAM!

The moment the door closed, Corvina stood motionless for several seconds.

Then her shoulders immediately slumped.

The fierce aura surrounding her vanished completely.

Corvina descended a few more steps before dropping heavily onto the staircase and wrapping both arms around her knees. Her normally cold face quickly crumpled into the expression of someone who regretted her actions so deeply that she wanted to crawl into a hole.

I did it again...

She buried her face against her knees.

I did it again.

The terrified expression on Vylana’s face when she had been lifted off the floor immediately appeared in Corvina’s mind. Merely remembering it made her want to cry even more.

Waaah... I only wanted to ask where Laviana went.

She clutched her head with both hands.

Why did I grab her by the collar?

I even lifted her into the air...

She’s afraid of me now.

She definitely is.

In truth, Corvina did not enjoy bullying others. Her problem was that she was incredibly awkward at communicating. Whenever she became irritated, her face naturally looked more intimidating. When she was nervous, her voice became even deeper, and when she felt embarrassed, her hands usually acted before her mind could catch up.

For an ordinary person, having their hands move before their brain might only result in someone receiving an overly forceful pat on the shoulder.

For a Titan—

The consequences tended to be slightly more severe.

Corvina bit her lip.

But I can’t speak softly in front of my subordinates.

I’m the Boss.

How am I supposed to manage them if I act weak?

She had maintained that image for far too long.

Strong.

Cold.

If someone caused trouble, she hit them.

Even in the face of danger, she never retreated.

At first, Corvina had behaved that way simply to prevent the Succubi in her group from being bullied. But at some point, more and more people began calling her "Boss." Eventually, even Corvina no longer knew how to step out of the role she had created.

She sighed, then suddenly remembered something.

Laviana had said she wanted to introduce Corvina to a man.

A very strange man, completely unlike any man Corvina had ever met. Laviana had even spoken about him with a degree of seriousness she rarely displayed.

"If you get the chance, you should meet him at least once."

Corvina immediately stiffened.

Wait.

An extremely terrifying thought emerged.

What if Vylana is angry with me?

Her eyes widened.

What if she tells that man I’m violent?

What if he hears about it and decides he doesn’t want to meet me anymore?

Corvina’s heart immediately plunged to the bottom of an abyss.

No.

She had not even met him yet.

Surely she deserved at least one chance to explain herself.

But the moment she imagined having to explain, Corvina became even more hopeless.

What am I supposed to say?

Hello, I’m Corvina. Whenever I get nervous, I usually smash tables and lift people into the air?

"...AGHHHH!"

Corvina sprang to her feet, her face burning red with embarrassment.

BOOM!

Her fist slammed directly into the wall, instantly leaving a deep crater in the concrete.

"Idiot!"

BOOM!

"I ruined everything again!"

BOOM!

"I’m such an idiot!"

White dust continuously fell from the crater.

The more embarrassed Corvina became, the harder she punched.

...

Inside the office—

BOOM!

Vylana flinched, and everyone simultaneously turned toward the hallway.

BOOM!

The glass of water on the table trembled.

Vylana swallowed dryly.

"What is that?"

One of the biker Succubi looked toward the stairwell and sighed.

"The Boss is probably trying to restrain herself."

Vylana felt a chill run down her spine.

"Restrain herself... from doing what?"

"Coming back and hitting you."

Vylana: "..."

BOOM!

The wall shook again.

The woman nodded as though she had grown completely accustomed to this.

"The Boss is always like that. When she wants to hit someone but knows she shouldn’t, she finds a wall instead."

Vylana slowly raised a hand to touch her neck.

Her face began turning deathly pale.

"You really are lucky," the woman added with complete seriousness.

Vylana looked toward the hallway.

Mother.

I’ve changed my mind.

Don’t take your time coming back.

Fly back here immediately!

...

About five minutes later, the office door opened.

Corvina walked in with her face having completely regained its cold expression. Her back was straight, both hands were tucked inside the pockets of her leather jacket, and her steps were perfectly composed—as though the person who had been punching a wall out of embarrassment in the stairwell had nothing to do with her.

Only the white dust clinging to her right glove suggested otherwise.

The moment Vylana saw her, she immediately sat up straight.

Corvina stopped in front of her.

Countless words instantly crowded into her mind.

I’m sorry.

I didn’t mean to.

I went a little too far earlier.

Does your neck hurt?

But when she opened her mouth, only three icy words emerged.

"Call Laviana."

Vylana immediately nodded.

"All right!"

Corvina: "..."

I scared her again.

She genuinely wanted to slap herself.

But her five subordinates were standing directly behind her.

The Boss could not do something like that.

Vylana took out her phone. In truth, she had already called several times since Laviana disappeared, but no one had answered. This time, the phone rang for a long while as well. By the third ring, Corvina was beginning to lose patience.

Or, more precisely—

She was becoming nervous.

At last, the call connected.

"Mother—"

Vylana had barely spoken when Corvina held out her hand.

She immediately surrendered the phone obediently.

Corvina raised it to her ear, but before she could ask where Laviana was, a breathless voice came through.

"Vy..."

Corvina froze.

On the other end, Laviana seemed to be struggling to steady her breathing.

"Vy... Vylana... is... is something wrong?"

Corvina’s dark purple eyes slowly widened.

She was not stupid, nor was she some innocent young girl incapable of understanding what that kind of breathing meant. Moreover, several other people could be heard amid the chaotic noises in the background. One was a familiar female voice that sounded very much like Meira, accompanied by another, softer voice and enough indistinct sounds for an adult imagination to complete the rest on its own.

Corvina opened her mouth.

No sound came out.

Heat began spreading across her face, rising from her neck to her cheeks until even the tips of her ears turned red.

Standing opposite her, Vylana saw the change and felt her heart plummet.

It’s over.

She’s furious.

Corvina is so angry that her face has turned red!

The five Succubi behind her also became tense. One noticed Corvina’s faintly trembling shoulders and whispered, "The Boss is shaking."

The woman beside her nodded gravely.

"I’ve never seen her this angry before."

Meanwhile, Corvina’s actual thoughts were entirely different.

Wh-what is this?

She swallowed dryly.

On the other end, Laviana still seemed unaware that someone else had taken the phone.

"Vylana..."

A long breath came through.

"If... it isn’t important..."

Her voice broke off again.

"...Mother will call you later..."

Corvina tightened her grip around the phone.

The desire she had always forced down suddenly stirred violently within her body.

Calm down.

Corvina.

You are the Boss.

Don’t imagine anything strange.

But the harder she tried to stop herself, the farther her imagination wandered.

Corvina gritted her teeth.

Beep!

She abruptly ended the call.

Her entire body remained motionless, her face so red that it seemed almost ready to steam.

Vylana did not dare breathe loudly. Only after a while did she cautiously call out, "Cor... Corvina?"

Corvina turned her head.

Inside, she immediately screamed:

Don’t look at me.

Stop looking.

My face must be completely red.

Outwardly, however, her gaze became even colder.

"When Laviana returns..." Corvina paused to swallow, though in Vylana’s eyes, the motion resembled an attempt to suppress her rage. "...tell her to come see me immediately."

"All right!"

Vylana answered so quickly that she practically shouted.

Corvina nodded.

"Let’s go."

Her five subordinates immediately followed her out of the office. Only after the door had completely closed did Vylana feel her legs weaken.

...

Not long afterward, the roar of engines repeatedly sounded beneath the building.

Vylana walked to the window and looked down. Six powerful motorcycles were lined up outside the company entrance.

Corvina stood at the head of the group.

She pulled the zipper of her leather jacket a little higher, put on her black helmet, then swung one leg over the motorcycle and settled her large frame onto the seat.

ROAR!

The engine thundered to life.

The five motorcycles behind her started simultaneously.

Corvina twisted the throttle, and the entire group surged away from the building before quickly disappearing into the city traffic.

Vylana watched from the top floor for a long time. Only after the motorcycles had vanished completely did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"So terrifying..."

She rubbed her still-reddened neck.

Then she remembered the phone call, and her expression gradually became strange.

"What exactly is Mother doing?"

Laviana had been almost impossible to reach since that morning, and when she finally answered, her voice had sounded strange enough to make even Corvina turn bright red.

Vylana took out her phone, examined the call history, and frowned.

For some reason, a sudden sense of injustice rose within her.

No one knew where Saraya had run off to.

Her mother had disappeared as well.

Erik had not shown up at the company either.

Now, even the guest her mother had invited had been left for Vylana to receive alone.

Vylana pouted.

Why does it feel as though everyone else is busy doing something...

While I’m the only one left here working?

She sighed and turned to return to her desk. But the moment her gaze landed on the table Corvina had nearly split in half, she stopped.

Vylana: "..."

She took out her phone and called her secretary.

"Replace the table."

"Yes, Miss Vylana."

"Get something sturdier."

The other end remained silent for two seconds.

"...How sturdy?"

Vylana looked at the deep handprint in the middle of the tabletop, then remembered the repeated booming sounds from the stairwell.

Finally, she sighed.

"Never mind."

"It won’t make a difference."