Chapter Twenty Seven
"Man! One of these days, you’ve got to tell me how you got Miss Alex to turn this high-end gym into a personal apartment for you. There’s a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a massive gym made just for your stay of three weeks!"
A young man with a broad chest and blue hair laid sprawled on the cold floor, staring at the ceiling.
Ren pressed his lips into a thin line and dropped the dumbbells right beside the guy’s head.
BAM!
The impact jolted the young guy upright as his heart almost jumped out of his ribcage.
"BROSKI! ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK MY HANDS?!" the guy screamed, rubbing his arms as if checking they were still attached. He shuddered at how close the weights had come.
"You’ve been yapping about Alex for three weeks. That’s literally your duration of being my gym trainer. Do you like her?" Ren scrunched his eyebrows at the so-called trainer, then sat down and gulped water from the plastic bottle the guy had brought. ’If not for that gold lock above his head, I would have broken his face for talking about my woman.’
"Do I look crazy to you, bro?" The guy scrambled to his knees and jabbed a finger dramatically at Ren’s face, one eye scrunched shut.
"Do you want me to answer honestly, Sian?" Ren raised an eyebrow at him as he crushed the empty plastic bottle and tossed it aside.
"Of course! Do you think a handsome man like me can’t handle the truth?" Sian puffed out his chest with pride, staring at Ren, waiting for his answer.
Ren sighed as he got back to his feet, stretching his muscles and flexing his abs before letting out a huge yawn.
"So?" Sian pressed.
"You do look a bit retarded."
"Ren! You—"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Looks like Miss Alex is here. Today is the last day of your seclusion, after all." Sian sighed as he got back on his feet, staring at Ren’s back. The playful, childish atmosphere turned cold. "You remember your promise, right?"
"Mhn. Go open the gates." Ren pressed his lips into a thin line, picking up his discarded shirt from the floor and dressing as Sian quickly left the training room.
’Why am I having this feeling of unease?’ Ren sighed, quickly buttoning up his shirt. ’System, how much time do I have left before the tutorial mission ends?’
[15 minutes left, host.]
’Got it.’
Meanwhile, Sian pressed a red button, and the glass doors slid open.
"...Sian?"
Sian’s eyes widened at the sound of the voice. He looked up from the tiled floor at the face of the unexpected guest. "Ah! It’s Miss Lavel. I apologise, but this gym is no longer open to the public." Bile rose in Sian’s throat as his trembling hand reached for the red button to close the glass doors.
"Elena!"
Ren walked to the door as Sian immediately pulled his trembling hand behind his back.
"You know this woman, Ren?" Sian asked, looking up at Ren with trembling eyes as his hands clenched into a fist. ’Please... Anyone but her.’
"I–"
"No!" Before Ren could have spoken, Elena interrupted him as her gaze met Ren’s, making him raise his eyebrow in confusion. "W-We don’t know each other. I’m here on Miss Alex’s orders to process the fifty five million transaction and take you to the spot of Hunter Crystal Test. Miss Alex will directly arrive there with Miss Monica."
The atmosphere turned cold at Elena’s words as Ren stared back and forth between Elena and Sian. ’These two... They definitely know each other. But, why is this atmosphere so chilling? Uuuuughhh!’
"Sian, do you have some sort of relationship with Miss Elena?" Ren questioned, curiosity filling his veins as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Relationship?" Sian let out a dry, humorless laugh as his eyes glinted with hatred and grief. "No, Ren. We don’t have a relationship anymore."
’... Anymore?’
Elena’s composed mask cracked. Her hands trembled at her sides.
"Sian, I—"
"Don’t." His voice was ice. "Don’t you dare speak to me."
Ren glanced between them, frowning. He didn’t know what history they had, and frankly, with the timer ticking down, he didn’t have time to care. But the hostility rolling off Sian was suffocating.
"Sian," Ren said, cutting through the tension. "Are you coming with us for the test?"
Sian finally tore his gaze away from Elena as lips twitched. Then he shook his head. "No. I have my vehicle." He shot Elena one last look of pure venom. "I’ll meet you there. I know the way."
Ren studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Don’t be late."
Sian nodded before he started walking toward the exit. As he passed Elena, he noticed her staring at the floor, her jaw clenched so tight the muscles in her neck stood out.
Sian’s shoulder slammed into Elena’s with enough force to send her stumbling backward. Her heel caught on the threshold, and she went down hard, palms scraping against the polished concrete floor.
Ren’s hand twitched forward instinctively, but it was too late. His gaze snapped from Elena’s fallen form to Sian’s retreating back, wanting to give him an earful. However, Sian had already disappeared into the blinding afternoon sunlight.
"Lena, are you okay?" Ren rushed to Elena, picking her off the floor, carrying her inside and setting her on a chair. "Lemme get first aid."
Elena caught Ren’s wrist before he could move, her grip firmer than expected for someone who’d just hit the floor.
"It’s just a scratch, Ren." Her voice was steady, though her eyes remained fixed somewhere past his shoulder. "Forget it."
Ren frowned, glancing down at her palms which were now red with tiny bits of grit embedded in the skin. "That’s not just a—"
"I said forget it. There’s a card scanner in my bag. Just make the payment so we can depart."
Ren gritted his teeth as he glanced around. A small black leather tote sat slumped against the leg of the chair where Elena now sat. He knelt, unzipped it, and pulled out the scanner. Then, he pulled out the card from his pocket quickly entering the amount in the scanner.
[Transaction Amount: 55,000,000.00 Dollars]
Ren tapped his card against it without ceremony.
BEEP.
[Transaction Successful!]
As soon as the scanner beeped in approval, fresh tears rolled down Elena’s cheeks, falling on the screen, distorting the huge green tick that covered the screen.
"Lena?"
[Congratulations Host! You have successfully completed the tutorial mission!]