"You have to believe me, I don't know anything about that. I don't involve myself in my family's matters."
"It's impossible you're not involved in this, Julius. MEGAN is owned by your company."
"By my family's company!"
The rising voices of Julius and Hannah started to fill the entire store, causing Charlotte, who was busy fiddling with her cashier terminal, to roll her eyes.
She just applied here to at least have a normal life after she retired from the Hope Guild and the Superhero industry in general. But now, here she was, watching some sort of teen drama come to life. To think she would actually be more stressed here because of this was something she did not expect.
"…" Charlotte took one final glance at the arguing couple… who was now hugging and could only once again roll her eyes. She was going to stop it initially if it gets violent; but seeing as how the English guy wasn't even bothered by Hannah's flames burning him, Charlotte decided not to butt in. If he didn't care, why would she?
And so, with that thought, Charlotte just went back and focused on her own tasks.
"I swear, Hannah…" Julius's pleading voice trembled in Hannah's ears as he wrapped his arms around her, "I'm not involved in whatever it is you're trying to accuse me of."
"L… let go of me!" Hannah tried to pull herself away from Julius, but was not able to,
"Y… you're gonna get hurt if you don't let go!" Hannah's entire body began to flicker as flames started to sputter from her limbs– it was a good thing that she was wearing her superhero outfit under her casual clothes; if not, then their situation would have been easily misunderstood by a bystander.
The flames around Hannah combusted even further; snapping in the air in a sort of hesitating flicker that seemingly reflected the complicated emotions circling inside her heart right now.
"I will let go of you," Julius then said; his eyes almost reddening from the tears he was trying to stop, "But please believe me that–"
And before he could finish his words, his eyes could not help but widen as a subtle presence suddenly appeared beside him and Hannah– Riley Ross.
"My sister told you to let go of her, Julius Reuben," Riley then said as he looked at his sister, "Please do it before I pull your arms off from your body and gouge your eyes out with its sharp splintered bone."
"R… Riley!" Hannah once again tried to pull herself away from Julius, but this time, she was finally successful in doing so as Julius seemed to just let himself be pushed away; his eyes, looking directly at Riley's face.
"I… have no intention in harming your sister, Riley Ross," Julius then said; the tone of his voice slightly vigilant.
"Are you hurt, sister?" Riley, however, did not respond to him as his eyes remained on his sister.
"No, just…" Hannah slightly patted and brushed her arm as she shook her head, "…I could've handled this myself."
"Hannah, I'm not the bad guy here," Julius breathed out as he once again focused on Hannah, "You have to understand that."
Julius was about to stretch his hand towards Hannah once more; this time, however, Riley grabbed his wrist before he could do so.
"I believe my sister is uncomfortable with this situation now, Julius Reuben," Riley muttered; his eyes still with his sister, "Please, leave."
"…" Julius slightly furrowed his eyebrows as he immediately looked at Riley's hand, before taking a glance at his face.
"Do not touch me with your dirty hands, boy," a small scowl then crawled on Julius's face; his tone, slightly turning cold.
"…What did you just say to my brother!?"
And as soon as Hannah heard Julius's words, she quickly rushed towards Julius and tried to push him away. But alas, she found herself the one backing away as it felt like she just tried to push a steel wall.
As for Julius, he was still looking at Riley's face; Riley, however, was still looking at his sister.
"Are you hurt, sister?" Riley once again asked.
"Why are you always asking me that!?" Hannah let out a small and frustrated wail, "No, I'm not! Please, just don't fight!"
"Okay," Riley then let go of Julius as soon as Hannah's words reached his ears. Hannah seemed to want to say something, but before she could do so, another scream joined to fill the noise inside the store even further.
"What's going on here!?"
The sounds of a bell chiming loudly rang in the store as the rest of the Baby Crew entered its premises. Seeing more people join them, Julius could only let out a small breath before shaking his head.
"I am not the bad guy here," he repeated his words to Hannah,
"Soon, you will understand that," he then muttered before putting weight on his cane to walk away; his leg, limping even worse than earlier.
"…" He halted his stuttering steps, however, as Gary suddenly blocked the door to the outside.
"Where do you think you are going, pal?" Gary scoffed; his towering figure almost filling the entire doorway.
"Outside."
"W–"
And before Gary could even say another word, Julius placed his palm on his chest… and soon, Gary's vision shifted as he suddenly found himself rolling on the floor.
"What… the–" Gary could only blink several times as he almost felt like he was hit by a truck– that is if that was what it felt like since he hasn't really been hit by a truck before.
A tapping sound then whispered into his ear; growing louder and louder as Julius made his way towards him. Gary quickly put up his guard; contrary to his expectations, Julius only let out a small sigh; his eyes, looking down on Gary and obviously showing their disappointment.
And with another small sigh, he walked away.
"W… what's with that condescending sigh!?" Gary then roared as he stood up, "Just because you're rich, you are acting like some sort of young master!? I've read enough xianxia novels to know you're just side characters! You hear me!? Side characters!"
Gary continued to rile Julius; Julius, however, just ignored his fading roars as he quickly limped his way out of the mall– where a car and a couple of bodyguards were already seemingly waiting for him.
And as soon as the men in suits saw Julius's trembling leg, they immediately rushed towards him.
"M… Master!" One of them immediately grabbed Julius's arm and gently placed it over his shoulders to help him. One then swiftly opened the door as they all helped Julius to gently step inside the car.
And as soon as they closed the door, a deafening whistle screeched in the air as the wheels quickly drove away– almost masking the eerie screams that were escaping from Julius's mouth.
"Drive!"
"Y… yes, master!"
The driver stepped on the gas even heavier. It was no problem, however, as the campus roads were wide enough to accommodate even half a dozen tanks to cross them. Perhaps his only problem was his erratically beating heart as Julius's screams resounded throughout his entire body.
"F… fucking wanker!" Julius continued to scream, "You think I am doing this for myself then, you fucking cow!?"
"Fuckin' cow!"
And with every word; Julius's accent became different– a thick Scottish accent that was almost indiscernible. It didn't help that his breaths were also becoming hoarse.
His left leg, almost vibrating with the way it was trembling.
"Yer off your head if ya think–"
"M…master, your vitals are spiking!"
"Ye think I don't know that you fuckin' cunt!?" Julius lightly kicked the driver's seat, causing him to slightly cough from the force.
Julius then grabbed his cane, before quickly twisting its handle and pulling it off… revealing some sort of needle attached to it.
"I told you not to get me f'ckin' expensive trousers!" He roared before ripping his pants off from its left hem… revealing a wrinkly exterior attached to his flesh.
The skin on his leg was almost akin to that of the Pope's– that of a dying man. He looked at his leg for a few seconds, before stabbing it with the needle in his hand.
"Grah!" Another roar then escaped his throat as the veins on his leg throbbed; the pain, crawling throughout his entire body. The veins on his neck, almost popping out as the throbbing web continued to crawl through his face. And as soon as the web reached his eyes, they quickly lit up in a red glow.
"Kh!" Another pained roar then escaped his mouth as a small sizzle whispered in the air; his eyelids, burning apart due to the heat coming out of his eyes.
Soon, however, with the light in his eyes dying down, his screams too, slowly disappeared. The sound of something chittering then whispered in the air as his ruptured eyelids began to build themselves once more.
And with his breaths calming down, so did the driver's as he let out a long and deep sigh of relief.
Julius then cleared his throat and fixed his hair, before once again letting out a small and relaxed breath, "I apologize for my rude behavior, Fred."
"It… it's quite alright, master."
"Young master, Alfred."
"…Yes, young master," the driver looked at Julius in the rearview mirror, before nodding and continuing to focus on the road.
"…"
"…"
And after a few bouts of silence, Julius uttered a word,
"MEGAN."
[Yes, Master Julius?]
"Tell my brother…
…to meet me in the Family Villa."