Chapter 576: My Scumbag, Always
Chapter 576: My Scumbag, Always
She walked away. Her hips swayed with deliberate provocation. Her hair caught the fading light. Her ass looked perfect in that combat suit and she knew I was watching.
Emi appeared at my side. Her healing aura washed over me. Her sapphire eyes showed concern mixed with something warmer.
"That looked intense."
"Natalia is intense."
"Are you okay?"
I thought about the question. My ribs hurt. My muscles ached. My pride swelled from victory. My heart raced from the kiss. My future promised complications and confrontations and beautiful women who wanted pieces of me I wasn’t sure I could share.
"I’m perfect."
"Liar."
"Expert liar. Get it right."
She smiled. Bright and genuine and absolutely devastating.
"Come on. Veronica Cabana is waiting. Cel said the meeting room is on the third floor of the administration building."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"Can I at least shower first?"
"No time."
"I smell like sweat and desperation."
"You smell like victory."
"Same thing, honestly."
We walked toward the administration building. The setting sun painted the Atoll in shades of orange and gold. The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction. The world felt bigger than it had this morning.
The meeting room occupied a corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbor. Veronica Cabana sat behind a desk that probably cost more than my childhood apartment. Her blonde hair cascaded in perfect waves. Her emerald eyes sparkled with barely contained energy. Her smile promised everything and nothing simultaneously.
"Satori Nakano. The Stray Dog himself. Please, sit."
I sat across from her. Felt the weight of her attention like a physical force.
"Miss Cabana."
"Veronica, please. Miss Cabana makes me feel old."
"You’re not old."
"Flattery will get you everywhere with me."
She leaned forward. The motion revealed cleavage that could launch a thousand ships. Her dress probably cost more than my semester’s tuition. Every inch of her screamed money and power and danger.
"You saved my sister today."
"She didn’t need saving."
"She absolutely needed saving. Her arm was broken. Her sleeve was failing. She would have been eliminated at best. Crushed at worst. You sacrificed your lead position to help her survive."
"I finished third. That’s not really a sacrifice."
"You could have finished first. You chose not to."
I shrugged. Didn’t have a good answer for that.
"My sister is everything to me. I built Olympus Rising for her. I cultivated my image for her. Every decision I’ve made for the past decade has been designed to give Reyna the platform she deserves."
"She’s very talented."
"She’s extraordinary. But today she almost died because she’s too stubborn to admit when she’s hurt. And you saved her. Despite being her rival. Despite the complications it would cause with your own relationships."
Her eyes flickered toward something behind me. I didn’t turn around. Didn’t need to. I could feel Natalia’s presence like a cold front approaching.
"I want to offer you something."
"I’m listening."
"An alliance. Olympus Rising and whatever empire you’re building. Together."
"I’m not building an empire."
"Aren’t you?"
Her smile suggested she saw things I hadn’t noticed about myself yet.
"You have the Okoye girl. The recommended student who rejected every elite guild. You have the Kuzmina girl. The telekinetic prodigy with A-Rank potential. You have the Amane girl. The phantom blade. You have the Vance girl’s attention, even if she hasn’t admitted it yet. And now you have my sister’s interest."
"Reyna isn’t interested in me."
"Reyna challenged you to dinner. In front of twenty million viewers. My sister doesn’t do anything without intent."
I didn’t have a response for that.
"I’m not asking you to date her. I’m asking you to consider what an alliance between us could accomplish. Olympus Rising has resources. Connections. Influence. You have talent. Charisma. The ability to inspire loyalty in people who shouldn’t give it."
"What do you get out of this arrangement?"
"A partner who understands that the Hunter world is a business as much as a battlefield. Someone who won’t bore me. Someone who might actually be worthy of my sister if things develop in that direction."
She stood. Walked around the desk. Her heels clicked against the marble floor. Her dress swayed with every step. Her presence filled the room in ways that had nothing to do with Aspects or supernatural abilities.
"Think about it. No pressure. No deadline. Just... consider the possibilities."
She extended her hand. I shook it. Her grip was firm. Professional.
"I’ll think about it."
"That’s all I ask."
She released my hand. Walked toward the door. Paused at the threshold.
"Oh, and Satori? Treat my sister well at dinner. She pretends to be tough but she’s never actually been on a date before. Don’t embarrass her."
She left.
I sat alone in the expensive office. Stared out the windows at the darkening ocean. Let the implications of the conversation sink in.
Natalia entered behind me. Her coldness preceded her like a herald.
"What did she want?"
"An alliance."
"With you?"
"With us. Apparently."
She walked around the chair. Stood between me and the window. Her silhouette blocked the dying light.
"And?"
"And I told her I’d think about it."
"That’s not a no."
"It’s not a yes either."
She studied me. Searched for something. Seemed to find it.
"You’re collecting powerful women."
"They’re collecting me."
"Same result."
"Different process."
She sat on my lap. Her legs draped over the armrest. Her arms wrapped around my neck. Her weight settled against my chest like she belonged there.
"I should be angry."
"Are you?"
"Furious. Jealous. Terrified."
"But?"
"But I watched you today. Really watched you. You fought like something out of a legend. You won every event. You saved your rival despite the cost. You made Julian Valerius follow your orders. You impressed a corporate empress enough that she wants to partner with you."
Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of my neck.
"You’re becoming something, Satori. Something bigger than a C-Rank nobody from the slums. Something that attracts attention and power and beautiful women who should know better than to fall for a scumbag like you."
"I prefer ambitious visionary."
"Scumbag."
"Romantic opportunist?"
"Scumbag."
"Misunderstood genius?"
"Complete and total scumbag."
She kissed my forehead. Soft. Tender. Nothing like the possessive brand from earlier.
"My scumbag."
"Always."