Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selene\u00a0<\/p>\n
I flipped the gold coin in my hand, caught it, and flipped it again. The rhythmic clink of metal against my fingers was oddly satisfying. I could feel the mysterious man and his group\u2019s eyes on me, but I didn\u2019t bother turning around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The truth was, the only reason I knew the ball was in that man\u2019s mouth earlier was because I had read his mind. It wasn\u2019t difficult; his thoughts were so loud and greasy it was almost insulting. I had seen all his smug little plans, his excitement at the idea of cheating another stupid noblewoman. So I played along, and let him think he had already won.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the fun part.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this lifetime, I had decided something simple, I would let my enemies think I was playing right into their trap, only for them to realize that they were the ones caught in mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The coin glimmered in the sunlight as I tossed it higher, catching it again between my fingers. The man had practically thrown it at me after coughing up that ball, before running off with his tail between his legs. The crowd had not been kind to him; I doubted he\u2019d ever show his face in that market again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Poor fool.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady, you were incredible! How did you even know the ball was in his mouth? That was amazing! I\u2019m so glad you taught him a lesson,\u201d Evelyn\u2019s voice rang beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since the game ended, she hadn\u2019t stopped praising me, going on and on about how impressive I was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that punch was perfect! The man spat the ball out the moment you hit him. Serves him right, he shouldn\u2019t have messed with you in the first place,\u201d she went on, her excitement bubbling over and making me chuckle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tossed the coin one more time, letting it spin in the air before catching it cleanly in my palm. When I lifted my gaze again, I noticed the familiar stone building coming into view. The carved symbol of the crescent moon and hammer hung proudly\u00a0<\/p>\n
above its entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The auction house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all the distractions, we had made it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced at Evelyn beside me, her face still flushed with excitement, clutching her bag of jewels like it was her entire life, then at the group following us. A flicker of guilt tugged at me. They hadn\u2019t complained once, even though I\u2019d wasted their time. And they were the ones paying me, after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the entrance, I stopped and turned toward them, or rather, toward him. The man with the unreadable expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d I said with a small smile, motioning toward the towering doors. \u201cThis is the auction house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I extended my hand, palm open and expectant. \u201cSince I brought you here, mister, you should pay me for my service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh yes, shameless. I knew it. And I didn\u2019t care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at me for a long moment before turning slightly. \u201cKaius,\u201d he said simply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tall man behind him stepped forward, bowed slightly, and handed me four pouches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smile widened. The weight in my hands was glorious. I loosened one of the strings and peeked inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tue, Dec 23\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
My grin brightened, practically glowing. Whoever said money doesn\u2019t buy happiness clearly never held four bags of gold coins before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With this much, I could fix half the problems that had been gnawing at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I inclined my head politely. \u201cThank you. It\u2019s been a pleasure doing business with you,\u201d I said, and even I could hear the satisfaction lacing my voice. Without waiting for a response, I took Evelyn\u2019s hand and strode through the doors of the auction house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Time to make some proper investments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damien\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched her disappear through the doors of the auction house without a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even look back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly, the sound barely audible in the still air, my gaze fixed on the spot where she\u2019d stood moments ago. Something stirred in my chest, Thane\u2019s low growl of disapproval echoing in the back of my mind for letting that woman slip through my fingers, but I pushed it down. He was complaining a lot today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYara,\u201d I said at last.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind me, the woman straightened instantly, head bowed. \u201cYes, Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t correct her. There was no need, they were already used to calling me Alpha.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yara didn\u2019t ask why. She never did. Her eyes glowed faintly before she gave a single nod. \u201cYes, Alpha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She bowed her head briefly, then moved swiftly into the crowd, disappearing through the doors of the auction house after the woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could turn away, a plump, overdressed man came bustling toward us, his jeweled rings clinking as he wrung his hands. \u201cAh, there you are, sir,\u201d he said, his eyes darting nervously between my guards before finally settling on Kaius.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting for you, sir.\u201d the merchant said, smiling too wide. \u201cYou were the ones who reserved the entire VIP area, yes? I might not know your faces, but I remember your attire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaius gave a curt nod before glancing back at me. \u201cThis is my lord, show your respect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s eyes widened the instant they met mine, and he bowed so low his double chin nearly brushed the cobblestones. \u201cGood afternoon, my lord. I\u2019ve never seen anyone reserve the entire VIP area before. You must be a man of great fortune. It would be my honour to serve you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the silence stretched, he glanced nervously at Kaius, who gave a subtle shake of his head. The merchant cleared his throat, fumbling for composure before speaking again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cL-let\u2019s go, my lord,\u201d he said quickly, gesturing toward the entrance. \u201cEverything is prepared, just as you requested.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a word, I followed him inside, the others falling in step behind me.\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 25 Chapter 25\u00a0 Chapter 25\u00a0 Selene\u00a0 I flipped the gold coin in my […]<\/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-27819","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\/27819","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=27819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}