Ch. 56 – Business Matters

Rhys’s face sank.

He couldn’t believe he had forgotten the final string still tying him down. In the midst of the chaos with Dione, Arthur, Vespera, and Marcus, his brain had completely sidelined the fact that Ariadne was still lingering on his peripheral horizon, waiting for her pound of flesh.

He immediately put a hand up to block the threshold. “Ariadne, no. I can’t do this today,” Rhys said sharply, his voice dropping into a warning register. “I have a guest in the living room.”

Ariadne didn’t budge an inch. A sharp, villainous grin spread across her lips as she leaned in, completely unbothered by his rejection. “Oh, don’t be like that, neighbor,” she purred smoothly. “I’m just here to check on my... order for the catering business.”

She was far too good at slipping right back into her old, manipulative habits.

Rhys opened his mouth to protest again, but before he could plant his feet, Ariadne stepped forward with practiced, terrifying grace, barging her way straight past him. You know that agonizing, helpless feeling when you miss a perfect catch—when something slips through your fingers and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it? That was exactly how Rhys felt as Ariadne glided right past him and walked casually down the hallway toward the living room.

“Ariadne, wait—” Rhys hissed, turning on his heel to chase after her.

He rounded the corner just in time to see Ariadne stepping into the living room, her sweet, harmless “housewife” persona instantly dropping over her like a seamless mask.

“Oh, hello! I didn’t realize Rhys had company,” she chirped, offering a warm, dazzling smile.

Rhys panicked on the inside. His chest seized up. Ariadne wasn’t just some local civilian; she was an infamous, highly dangerous villain from his past. During Rhys’s era as Omen, Marcus had fought alongside him in countless high-stakes operations. Marcus had traded blows with Ariadne’s syndicate. He knew her file, her combat style, her face. If Marcus recognizes her right now, Rhys thought, his pulse spiking to lethal levels, this whole house turns into a warzone.

Marcus stood up from the couch, looking at her with a polite, casual expression. “Oh, hey there. I’m Marcus, a friend of Rhys’s.”

Rhys buffered for a split second, his mind short-circuiting as Marcus greeted her cordially, completely oblivious to the legendary rogue standing three feet away from him.

Then Rhys’s tactical instincts kicked into overdrive. His mouth moved faster than his brain could even process the words.

“This is my kind neighbor, Ariadne!” Rhys blurted out, stepping between them and putting an unnatural, heavy emphasis on the word kind.

Marcus, entirely trusting and unbothered, launched into standard, friendly small talk like any normal person would. Meanwhile, Rhys stood there feeling like the ultimate pariah in his own living room, his nerves frayed to the absolute limit as he watched this quiet catastrophe unfold.

He has no idea who she is, Rhys realized, taking a slow, internal breath to steady his racing heart. I guess... I guess it’s a good thing Marcus isn’t the most observant guy off the clock.

With the immediate threat of exposure temporarily defused, Ariadne effortlessly seized total control of the room, deploying her charm with terrifying precision. Before Rhys could even intervene, she smoothly redirected the conversation toward the catering business.

Marcus’s posture lightened instantly, the bitter tension from his and Rhys’s earlier argument melting away. “Oh, right! The catering startup,” Marcus said, smiling faintly. “Rhys was just telling me about it.”

Ariadne smiled like a prowling cat cornering a bird, her eyes gleaming with wicked amusement. “Yes, I’ve been... assisting Rhys in my free time,” she said smoothly, casting a fleeting, loaded glance at Rhys. “In fact, I actually have some urgent business matters we need to finalize regarding the logistics.”

Marcus, ever the polite, innocent gentleman, nodded understandingly. “Oh, man, I totally get it. Business comes first.” He reached for his jacket, preparing to head for the door. “I’ll get out of your hair, Rhys.”

Rhys knew exactly what was about to happen if Marcus walked out that door. He was utterly baffled by the sheer audacity of Ariadne—how she could just waltz into his home, hijack his living room, and immediately pull the reins right out of his hands.

He decided to snatch them right back.

“Marcus, you don’t have to go,” Rhys blurted out firmly, stepping forward. “This will be extremely quick.”

He shot a cold, thoroughly unfriendly look straight at Ariadne, driving the point home with zero subtlety. He was silently putting his foot down, establishing that she didn’t call the shots in his house.

Ariadne didn’t falter for a single second. Her smile remained perfectly locked in place, her eyes glinting with dangerous challenge. “Well then... let’s discuss it elsewhere, shall we?”

Without waiting for his permission or an answer, she turned on her heel and walked casually toward the back of the house, heading toward his private office.

Rhys had no choice. With a heavy, exhausted sigh, he gritted his teeth and followed after her, leaving his clueless, innocent friend sitting alone in the living room without a single idea of the landmine he was sitting on.