Chapter 159: Confirmation

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Confirmation

Chapter 159: Confirmation

"Could you make me a Bloody Mary?"

Vera Sable did not even glance at the menu.

She sat down at the bar and looked directly at Cyrus Calder as though she had chosen the drink long before walking through the door.

Cyrus said nothing about the choice.

He simply started preparing it.

The Bloody Mary was not especially popular at The Full Moon Lounge. Customers ordered it occasionally, but nowhere near as often as the sweeter cocktails or the lounge’s signature drinks.

Vera choosing one felt strangely appropriate.

She had always enjoyed being different when she could make someone else notice.

While Cyrus worked, Vera settled into the seat beside Helena Baird.

For a while, the two women watched him in silence.

At least, that was how it appeared.

Vera’s attention moved between Cyrus and Helena more often than Helena probably realized.

Helena was difficult to read.

Even while sitting quietly at the bar, she possessed a calm presence that made people instinctively give her space. Her face was gentle, almost soft, yet the emotions behind her eyes rarely surfaced clearly enough for anyone to understand.

Vera found that mildly impressive.

No wonder Cyrus had so much trouble figuring Helena out in his memories.

Vera had tasted those memories herself, and even with that advantage, she could not confidently say what Helena wanted at any given moment.

Interesting woman.

A short while later, Cyrus pushed a full glass toward Vera.

The drink was a deep, cloudy red, thick enough that under the lounge lighting it looked uncomfortably close to blood.

Vera placed one hand near the glass.

She did not drink.

Instead, one elegant fingertip slowly traced the rim.

Cyrus noticed.

A familiar sense of impending trouble appeared immediately.

Vera never touched anything that theatrically unless she wanted attention.

Sure enough, her lazy voice followed.

"Speaking of interesting things, Cyrus has become surprisingly popular at school lately."

Cyrus had planned to ignore her.

Helena responded first.

"Popular in what way?"

Vera did not answer immediately.

She turned her eyes toward Cyrus.

So did Helena.

Cyrus had little choice but to speak.

"It is nothing important. People started talking after I cut my hair."

Helena considered that for a moment.

Then she nodded.

That sounded harmless enough.

Her attention rested briefly on Cyrus’s uncovered face before returning to the coffee he had made for her.

A subtle satisfaction passed through her.

It was hardly surprising that other people had finally noticed.

Cyrus was the only person in a very long time whose appearance had genuinely caught Helena’s interest.

Other students appreciating the same thing was not remarkable.

As long as Cyrus continued coming to work and appearing behind this bar, Helena had no reason to care about school gossip.

Vera, meanwhile, felt deeply disappointed.

That was all?

No tension?

No trace of jealousy?

She had brought up the subject specifically because Helena was sitting here.

Vera had been hoping for at least a little sourness in the atmosphere.

Something she could enjoy alongside the drink.

Instead, both of them had reacted as though she had mentioned the weather.

Boring.

Vera finally lifted the Bloody Mary.

Cyrus quietly watched.

She took a small sip.

Her expression did not change.

Then she put the glass back down as though nothing had happened.

Cyrus noticed immediately that she had barely swallowed any.

Vera rested her hand near the stem.

"By the way, does St. Alder actually allow students to work outside school?"

Cyrus looked at her.

Officially, the answer was obviously complicated.

A private academy like St. Alder did not exactly encourage students to spend late nights working behind a bar.

He glanced at the red drink Vera had barely touched.

"I help out a distant relative sometimes."

Vera nodded as though the explanation answered everything.

"I see."

She had known perfectly well that Cyrus worked here.

The question had only been an excuse to keep the conversation moving.

Her fingertip returned to the glass.

Then her eyes curved with renewed amusement.

"Actually, are you free after your shift tonight?"

Cyrus said nothing.

Vera continued.

"I have something I need your help with."

The surrounding lounge seemed to become quieter.

It was not truly silent.

Music still played.

People were still talking.

Glasses still touched tables.

Yet several nearby conversations noticeably softened.

Vera smiled.

"Just like the other times. I will pay you too."

Cyrus slowly turned toward Helena.

Her expression remained calm.

She lifted her coffee and took another sip without revealing what she thought.

Cyrus looked back at Vera.

She was still smiling at him openly.

His employer was sitting right beside her.

Vera had walked into the lounge and publicly asked whether he wanted to take another private paid job after work.

The situation carried a deeply unfortunate familiarity.

Cyrus’s attention shifted toward the Bloody Mary.

Only one sip was missing.

He spoke calmly.

"You have not finished your drink."

Vera’s expression froze for the smallest moment.

Around the lounge, muted conversation gradually returned.

A few customers appeared to drink slightly faster than before.

Cyrus allowed a faint smile to appear.

"Wasn’t that how it worked before?"

Vera stared at him.

Then she looked down at the glass.

Unfortunately, he was right.

The last time she tried getting him alone after ordering something, Cyrus had insisted she finish what she bought first.

Vera had somehow forgotten that detail when choosing the Bloody Mary.

She regretted it immediately.

The drink tasted terrible.

Too much tomato.

Too much seasoning.

Too many flavors fighting for attention.

She should have ordered something sweet.

"Fair enough."

Vera rested her chin lightly against one hand and looked at the glass as if it had personally betrayed her.

Finishing it just to convince Cyrus to leave with her suddenly seemed like far too much effort.

Fortunately, getting him alone was not actually the reason she had come tonight.

That part was optional.

The real purpose had already been accomplished.

Vera stood.

"Keep the change."

She paid for the drink without bothering to finish it.

Then she turned toward the entrance.

While walking away, her attention swept casually across the lounge.

There were more women than men tonight.

Several of them were watching Cyrus.

Not openly enough to invite embarrassment, but enough for Vera to recognize the interest.

Good.

Over the past several weekends, whenever Cyrus was not working, Vera had occasionally stopped by The Full Moon Lounge.

She had left behind a few carefully selected comments.

Nothing explicit.

Nothing directly false enough to be challenged.

Only fragments.

Cyrus sometimes accepted paid private work.

Wealthy women had hired him before.

One woman had taken him shopping.

Another had paid him an absurd amount for his company.

People naturally filled in the missing parts themselves.

Rumors grew best when the listener believed she had discovered the conclusion independently.

Tonight had been the final little push.

Vera had publicly asked Cyrus whether he was available after work.

She had mentioned paying him.

Cyrus had not denied that similar arrangements happened before.

Instead, he had referred to the previous pattern.

To anyone already familiar with Vera’s rumors, that exchange sounded very much like confirmation.

Vera’s smile deepened as she reached the door.

She was curious what Cyrus would do if the attention around him became more direct.

Would he remain cautious?

Would he keep drawing lines?

Or would enough money eventually make those lines flexible?

Cyrus liked food.

He worried about rent.

His suppressants were expensive.

He had already learned how pleasant financial security could feel.

If desire and money began surrounding him from every direction, would he eventually get lost in it?

Vera wanted to know.

If he did, many other things would become much easier.

She stepped outside and disappeared into the Grayhaven night.

Behind the bar, Cyrus watched the door close.

He said nothing.

Then he picked up Vera’s nearly full Bloody Mary and poured it directly into the sink.

What a waste.

Cyrus washed the glass and returned to his place behind the counter.

The attention around him was noticeably different now.

A few customers who had previously only glanced his way were looking with far less uncertainty.

Cyrus wiped the glass slowly.

He knew it.

Nothing good ever happened when Vera appeared.

Some customers had probably only half believed the rumors before tonight.

Now a large portion of them likely believed far more.

Still, Cyrus was not especially worried.

Most regulars at The Full Moon Lounge were restrained enough to avoid doing anything outrageous.

People like Rhea were unusual.

At least he hoped so.

There was also Helena.

Whenever she sat nearby, customers seemed far less willing to approach Cyrus directly.

She never threatened anyone.

She rarely even needed to speak.

Something about her calm presence created its own pressure.

Cyrus glanced toward her.

Helena had just placed her empty coffee cup on the counter.

Their eyes met.

She spoke without any preamble.

"You are free the day after tomorrow, correct?"

Cyrus thought about the date.

"The thirty-first?"

"Yes."

"I am free."

That was Saturday.

He had no school.

Before Helena explained why she was asking, Malcolm Baird happened to pass behind the bar carrying a bottle.

He looked between them and supplied the missing context.

"We have an event here that evening. We could use your help."

Cyrus nodded immediately.

"That is fine. I can work."

Helping with a lounge event was ordinary paid work.

There was nothing to consider.

He vaguely remembered that October thirty-first was also one of the larger holidays humans celebrated.

Halloween.

That probably explained why The Full Moon Lounge was holding something special.

Cyrus had not spent enough normal years participating in human holidays for the date to carry much emotional meaning.

To him, it was mainly another work opportunity.

Helena said something quietly to Malcolm, then stood to leave.

Cyrus watched her walk toward the entrance.

Once Helena disappeared through the door, the atmosphere around the bar shifted almost immediately.

The change was subtle.

A few women who had been keeping their distance looked toward Cyrus more openly.

One whispered something to her friend.

Another lingered over an empty glass instead of leaving.

Cyrus noticed all of it.

He continued wiping down the counter.

So Helena really had been suppressing them just by sitting there.

That realization was both useful and slightly concerning.

Cyrus glanced toward the door Vera had used earlier.

Whatever she had done over the past few weeks, tonight had apparently confirmed it.

The rumors were no longer merely rumors to some people.

And now that Helena was gone, several customers looked much more willing to test whether they were true.