Chapter 21\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 21\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared down at the pouch in Evelyn\u2019s trembling hands, there were so many coins that the bag strained against its own\u00a0<\/p>\n
seams.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers twitched. If these people could hand over this much without even blinking, then they weren\u2019t just dangerous, they were filthy rich.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could earn more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deep voice broke my thoughts. I looked up sharply, my gaze locking onto the man in front of me. I still couldn\u2019t see his face, the hood shadowed everything, but his voice\u2026 gods, it was the kind of voice that could make anybody obey. Especially with how deep and hot it was, there was no debate, this man in front of me was really attractive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything inside me whispered I shouldn\u2019t respond. My well-trained instincts warned me that this man wasn\u2019t someone to play games with. But everything else, my curiosity, my greed, that annoying itch in my chest, told me to keep listening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was strange, though. The more I looked at him, the more that feeling gnawed at me. Have I met him before? His presence felt familiar somehow. I\u2019d been trying to ignore it, but it lingered stubbornly. Then again, I had lived through many lives, faces and names blurred together after a while. Maybe he was just another forgotten shadow from a past life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was stranger, were the people standing behind him. They kept glancing at him in disbelief, as if they couldn\u2019t recognize the man before them. Especially when he spoke to me, it was like they were hearing something impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEarn more?\u201d I found myself saying before I could stop it. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well, curiosity and money were my greatest weaknesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t hesitate. \u201cThere is an auction going on. If you get us there safely, I\u2019ll pay you four times more than that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought I\u2019d misheard. My ears rang, the words echoing in my mind like a play on repeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four. Pouches. Of. Gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked, staring at him, my mouth opening slightly. Was he serious? One pouch alone could last me for months, maybe a year if I stretched it right. But four more? That would be enough to turn everything around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that money, I could finally buy Evelyn the dresses she always admired but never dared to ask for. I could get Silas a new sword and armor, maybe even something enchanted. And I could buy more items at the auction house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But still, there was a catch. There had to be. A man like that, hidden behind a hood with an aura that screamed danger, why would someone like him ask me for help? It didn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I was lost in thought, Evelyn tugged at my sleeve. She leaned closer, her soft voice brushing my ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady, I think I know what is going on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tilted my head slightly toward her. \u201cYou do?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn nodded eagerly, her eyes wide with excitement. \u201cI do. I might not know much about things like this, but I\u2019ve heard the other servants talk about it before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I was curious. I crossed my arms and arched a brow at her. \u201cOh? Then by all means, enlighten me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:41 Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 21\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s grin widened. She raised her hand and started counting on her fingers. \u201cYou saved a man,\u201d she said, holding up one finger. \u201cHe paid you a huge amount of money,\u201d she added, raising another. \u201cAnd now he\u2019s offering to pay you even more just to take him somewhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tone grew more dramatic with each word, and by the time she held up her third finger, I already had a bad feeling about where this was going.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all leads to something simple and obvious,\u201d she said proudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what would that be?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelyn putted her chest out, smirking like she\u2019d just solved a grand mystery. \u201cThat man is in love with you, my lady! It\u2019s love at first sight!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, I didn\u2019t know what to say. My entire mind went blank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I glanced back at the group of cloaked figures, the reaction was even worse than I imagined, the three behind him froze, staring at Evelyn as though she had just grown a second head. As if their lord falling in love was the most absurd thing they have ever heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only one who didn\u2019t react was the man himself. He just stood there. If anything, I swore I saw a faint curve on his lips. Was he\u2026 amused?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh, this was getting interesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to Evelyn, who looked far too pleased with her own theory. \u201cI doubt that\u2019s what\u2019s going on, Evelyn,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She frowned. \u201cThen why would he do this, my lady? This is too good to be true.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shrugged, looking at the pouch of gold again, then at the man. \u201cYou\u2019re right. This is too good to be true. I said. \u201cMaybe the goddess really is watching over me today. Who knows?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Either way, I was definitely going to take that deal, and turn it into an advantage\u00a0<\/p>\n
If they meant harm, I\u2019d protect myself and Evelyn, and escape with all their money. It wouldn\u2019t be easy, every instinct in me screamed that this man was dangerous, but when had difficulty ever stopped me before?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my gaze toward him, studying the tall figure. That strange, suffocating aura of power surrounded him. I had this eerie feeling that if I so much as made one wrong move, he could crush me like a bug without blinking an eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet, I smirked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the most exciting part, wasn\u2019t it? The thrill of standing so close to danger, of challenging something greater than yourself. Foolish, maybe, but that wild, reckless part of me wanted to fight, and test him. To see what kind of monster hid beneath that calm exterior.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fighting someone stronger than me was the faster way to be stronger,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled at him. \u201cFine, I\u2019ll help. You just need to follow us, and I\u2019ll make sure you\u2019re safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded almost as if he\u2019d been expecting me to say that. His inen shifted, exchanging glances, clearly uncertain about their lord\u2019s sudden cooperation. But I didn\u2019t care who he was. None of this had ever happened in my past lives, and that was the best part. It meant fate had lost its script.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t going to live this life the same way as before, no more letting destiny decide for me. Change was needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I couldn\u2019t wait to see what kind of change this man in front of me would bring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:41 Tue, Dec 23 MG.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 21 Chapter 21\u00a0 Chapter 21\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 I stared down at the pouch in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-ruthless-tycoons-obsession-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27815\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}