Chapter 117 : A deal

Chapter 117: Chapter 117 : A deal The music swelled, lively and elegant, as Ethan and Alden each had one of Alex’s arms slung over their shoulders, dragging him toward the dance floor like he was a prisoner being escorted to execution. "You bastard, how dare you come with her. I will show you the dance of the devil," Ethan grinned devilishly. Alex grumbled, squirming, heels digging into the polished floor. "This is kidnapping." Just as they were a few steps away from the edge of the dance circle, three figures stepped into their path with perfect timing—like a boss fight had just been triggered. Seraphina Starlight crossed her arms with a deceptively sweet smile. Beside her stood Ophelia Sinclair, calm but with eyes sharp as daggers, and Ava Green, whose expression teetered between thunderclouds and adorable frustration. Seraphina’s voice was saccharine as she raised a brow at Ethan. "So instead of dancing with me, you’d rather drag him to the floor, huh, Mr. Hero?" Ethan froze. Ophelia stepped forward with a half-smile and gave Alex a look of faux understanding. "Junior, you’re free to go." "Ah—thank you!" Alex seized the opportunity, slipping out of Ethan and Alden’s grip faster than a bar of soap in a shower. "Don’t mind me, I’ll just—disappear." Ava, meanwhile, glared at Alden with arms folded and cheeks puffed out in a pout. Her narrowed eyes sparkled with an emotion somewhere between betrayal and mock indignation. Seeing that, Alden blinked and tilted his head. "...Are you trying to convince me that you’re a hamster?" Before he could even process what he said, Ava’s hand whipped out and smacked him square on the back of the head. WHAP! "ACK—?!" Alden reeled. "H-How are your hands that soft and that strong?!" "Grrrr." Ava turned away with a huff, but the redness in her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment. Alex, meanwhile, slowly backed away from the chaos, chuckling to himself. "Well, I’ll leave you guys to sort this... beautiful mess out." He glanced at Ethan with a sly smirk. "But Mr. Hero... isn’t your situation getting a little precarious? I mean, you came in with three partners." Ethan’s smile stiffened. Alex continued, voice almost a whisper. "Maria seems like the understanding type—she’s over at the table, minding her own business. But what about these two?" He tilted his head toward Ophelia and Seraphina, whose friendly expressions were... quickly dissolving. Ethan’s eyes widened. "Don’t you dare—" Too late. Ophelia and Seraphina turned toward each other, expressions sharpening like blades. "I’m going first," Seraphina said, a dangerous gleam in her eye. "In your dreams," Ophelia replied coolly. "Ladies, please!" Ethan stepped between them, hands raised like a desperate mediator. "Let’s all calm down. I have... enough hands to dance with everyone, right?!" Alex, already slipping away from the battlefield, waved cheekily. "Enjoy yourselves, guys!" As the chaos escalated behind him, he made his way back toward the refreshment tables, humming a victory tune. But fate wasn’t done messing with him. Two figures suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path like gatekeepers. He stopped with a sigh, already exhausted. "...What now?" It was Charlotte—and right beside her, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, was Lorenzo. "Char," Alex said, tilting his head with mock surprise. "Seems you’ve found yourself a fine partner for the evening. I won’t get in your way. Please, go enjoy the dance." He stepped to the side, gesturing like a gracious host. They stepped in front of him again. "...Seriously?" Alex muttered. Charlotte merely smiled, radiant and unreadable. Lorenzo, on the other hand, was sweating buckets. Alex’s tone sharpened. "Step aside, or do you want me to make your life even more complicated?" He stared directly at Lorenzo. "Remind me again—what was your name?" Lorenzo’s mouth twitched. He doesn’t even remember my name?! the poor boy screamed internally. Charlotte’s smile widened. "Actually," she said, "Lorenzo wanted to talk to you about that." Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what exactly does he want to talk about?" Charlotte didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she glanced toward an empty table nearby—most couples had already gone off to dance. "Let’s talk over there." Alex hesitated. "...And why should I?" Charlotte sighed, her confident demeanor giving way to slight frustration. "So you already knew." Alex tilted his head with a faint smirk. "Who do you think threw that pizza at your face?" Charlotte let out a laugh, quiet and brief. "Of course. No matter how idiotic you act, your mind’s always sharp as a blade." Alex took it as the compliment it was and grinned. "I try." Charlotte stepped toward the table. "Let’s sit. I’ll explain. And before you refuse, I promise—it’ll benefit you too." Alex stood still for a moment, thoughtful. Then he said with a smirk, "Okay. If it’s about benefits, I already got the things I want." He looked directly at both Lorenzo and Charlotte, his eyes glinting with layered meaning. Both of them tensed at his words. Lorenzo’s hands twitched slightly, while Charlotte’s smile dimmed for the briefest of moments. Without another word, the three of them made their way to a vacant table in the corner, away from the main crowd. The music of the ballroom faded into a distant hum as they sat down, tension thickening the air between them. Almost immediately, Lorenzo lowered his head, his voice trembling. "Forgive me. I’ll never do it again. Please... help me. I can’t endure any more of the bullying." Alex leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, expression unreadable. His eyes bore into Lorenzo like a hawk sizing up prey. "Oh?" Alex said coolly. "Why not? It’s what you enjoyed doing to others. Shouldn’t you savor it now that you’re the one on the receiving end?" Lorenzo flinched. Silence settled for a beat, heavy and awkward. Then, after a long breath, Lorenzo muttered, "What if I... promise to never bully helpless people again for the rest of my life?" Alex raised an eyebrow, voice laced with dry amusement. "Well, that’s sweet. You finally understood a valuable lesson. Personal growth and all that." He leaned forward slightly. "But how does that benefit me?" Lorenzo’s face paled, and then suddenly he snapped, almost shouting, "Then what more do you want?!" Charlotte rolled her eyes and gave Lorenzo a sharp side-glance. "Do you have a brain in your head or not?" she snapped. "He wants something useful, not some cheap promise." Something finally clicked in Lorenzo’s brain. He straightened up slightly, eyes lighting with realization. "Oh! Is it money?" he asked, eager now. "You want money?" Alex gave the faintest smirk. "Now we’re talking." "How much? Two million? Four million? Eight?" Lorenzo’s voice grew increasingly hopeful. "Just name your price!" Alex tilted his head and finally spoke. "I’ll take money, obviously... but not chump change." Lorenzo gulped. He already knew he wouldn’t like where this was going. "I want two things," Alex said, voice steady. "First—I want thirty million credits." Lorenzo’s jaw practically hit the table. "T-Thirty million?!" he choked. "How the hell am I supposed to arrange that?! Even for me, that’s a ridiculous amount! Not just me—for most noble scions, that’s a fortune!" Alex leaned back, still calm. "Relax. You can pay in installments." Lorenzo released a shaky sigh. "Fine... okay." Alex’s eyes gleamed as he continued, "Second condition—your father, Count Magna, runs the Silvershade Legion guild, right?" Lorenzo swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes... he does." "I want Klassen Forgeworks to become your guild’s primary weapon supplier," Alex said. Lorenzo immediately shook his head. "No. No way. My father will never agree to that." Without saying a word, Alex casually pulled a dagger from his storage ring and placed it on the table. The blade shimmered under the soft light, gleaming with a sharpness that felt almost unnatural. "Take this to your father before you head to your assigned mission. Tell him to test it." Lorenzo hesitated but picked up the dagger. As he gripped the hilt and swung it experimentally, his eyes widened. "This is... incredible!" Alex smirked. "Bring out your sword." Lorenzo obeyed, albeit reluctantly, and unsheathed a beautifully adorned weapon. Alex took the dagger back, inspected it once, and then—CRACK!—brought it down against the sword in a single, swift motion. The sword’s blade immediately cracked with a sharp noise. The room felt quieter. Both Charlotte and Lorenzo gaped. Charlotte was the first to recover, whispering, "That was... A-rank, at least." "It was an A-rank sword," Lorenzo said, voice dry and stunned. "Forged with top-tier enchanted metal..." Alex twirled the dagger and looked at Lorenzo with amusement. "Care to guess what rank this little thing is, Mr. Chorenzo?" "My name’s Lorenzo," he muttered with a twitching eye, but Alex ignored him. Lorenzo sighed, resigned. "A-rank... I presume?" Alex grinned. "It’s a C-rank dagger." Both Charlotte and Lorenzo froze. For a long moment, they simply stared. Lorenzo finally broke into a laugh—one part disbelief, one part amazement. "If that’s C-rank quality... and you’re offering that kind of power for regular supply—my father won’t just agree, he’ll throw a party." He turned to Alex, more serious now. "Fine. I agree to both of your conditions." Alex leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. "Perfect." Before Lorenzo could breathe in relief, Alex added, tone completely casual, "There’s just one more thing." Lorenzo blinked. "What... what is it?" "You’ll need to get slapped. Three times," Alex said plainly. "Right here, right now." Silence. Lorenzo froze. His expression slowly morphed from confusion... to disbelief... to pure rage. He slammed his hands on the table again and growled, "What did you just say?!" --- A/N: So how was the Chapter? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for the golden tickets: @capnmoonfire, @peacekeepers15 @BlacKain, @CraJoy, @david_goodin, @Brunehzio, @Blu30Din, @Zephyr269, @BluuuuTea, @DaoistXNcPAc, @Kyle_Yem I really appreciate the support ????.