Chapter 83: A Dangerous Gentleman

[Why is she so sharp with him? Do they have some kind of history?]

[I can’t think of anything. I’ve never even seen them in the same frame before.]

[But I swear this feels familiar somehow. Meh, maybe I’m imagining things.]

[You’ve been inhaling too much catnip, bro.]

[Why?! It’s made for cats! And I’m a cat!]

Outside the livestream, Balian smiled at Saddie.

It looked polite, but there was something about it that made people naturally become more careful around him.

“Please, do not misunderstand why I’m here, Miss Halcrest. I—”

“McKay,” Saddie cut in. “I already changed my name.”

“I see. I had no idea. Please forgive my ignorance.” Balian spoke in such a soft, magnetic voice that even Saddie slowly began to lose some of her tension.

[Wait, wait, wait! Her name isn’t Saddie McKay?! Since when?!]

[Halcrest? Why does that name sound familiar?]

[OH, SHIT! HALCREST!]

[That’s the family with all those genius doctors, right?!]

[That explains why she’s so good at medical work!]

[I thought she was just that good because she used to be a military doctor?]

[Well, two things can be true at the same time.]

[Guys… why did I just find an old article saying Balian was once married to one of the young misses from the Halcrest family?]

[They’re husband and wife?!]

[Divorced! They already got divorced!]

[Holy shit, Saddie! I thought you were 100% gay!]

[Well, maybe she is. Maybe that’s why they got divorced? It was an arranged marriage anyway.]

[Valid.]

“It’s not like I ever told you about that anyway,” Saddie finally said.

Balian did not seem bothered by her tone. “I’m here with the medical team to collect some samples from Zone 33,” he explained. “Since we were closer to your location, we decided to answer your SOS call.”

Balian’s blue eyes then moved from Saddie to Summer. The movement was subtle, but somehow, Summer had a feeling that Balian looked more interested in her.

“You must be Miss Beaumont,” Balian said as he stepped closer. He gave her a soft smile. “I’ve heard quite a few things about you these past few days, but I didn’t expect that we would meet like this today.”

The comment section immediately went wild.

[Damn, this man just kissed his ex-wife goodbye and is already hunting for a new woman.]

[What do you mean “hunting,” you asshole?! He’s literally just talking to Summer like a normal person!]

[Normal, my ass! His body language is SCREAMING that he’s interested in Miss Bunny!]

[Alright, Mr. Body Language Expert.]

[I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this. I actually AM a body language expert!]

Summer replied in a slow pace, “I hope it wasn’t anything bad.”

Balian chuckled, and even his laugh somehow sounded expensive.

“Oh, it’s actually quite the opposite, Miss Beaumont,” he said. His blue eyes stayed on her as he continued, “Everything I’ve heard about you has been impressive. You managed to guide two dangerous Sentinels and lower the danger they posed to everyone around them.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “That’s not something just anyone can do.”

Summer watched him for a moment before glancing toward the broken window. “What did you do to the assassin outside?”

Balian followed her gaze. “I only restrained him,” he said calmly. “It seemed better to keep him alive so we could question him later.”

Summer thought about that for a second. “Can we question him now?”

Balian looked back at her. “If that’s what you want.”

He moved his hand a little bit. At first, nothing seemed to happen, then a loud shout came from outside.

The assassin, who had still been hanging in the air, suddenly shot toward the abandoned bar at high speed and flew straight toward the broken window.

Unfortunately for him, the opening was much smaller than his body. His upper body made it through first, but his legs slammed hard against the sides of the window frame.

A horrible crack echoed through the room, and the assassin immediately screamed.

His body dropped onto the wooden floor with both legs bent at painful angles.

Julie winced at the sight. Without even thinking about it, she slowly stepped behind Saddie and hid there.

Saddie noticed and let out a small laugh. “It’s alright,” she said, trying to calm her down. “He’s pretty harmless.”

She paused for a second. “Sometimes.”

Julie peeked around Saddie’s shoulder and looked at Balian again. “Sometimes?” she repeated quietly.

Saddie smiled. “That’s the important part.”

Balian heard her, of course. He turned his head slightly in their direction, but instead of defending himself, he simply looked at the assassin on the floor.

The man was still groaning in pain as he tried to drag himself backward with his arms.

“You should stop moving,” Balian said calmly. “You’ll only make your legs worse.”

The assassin glared at him. “Go to hell.”

Balian smiled. “That can be arranged later.”

[HE SAID THAT SO CALMLY?!]

[Why does the Ice Prince sound scarier when he’s polite?]

[Someone save the assassin.]

[No, don’t.]

[Fair.]

Summer shifted slightly on the couch and watched the assassin more carefully.

After the medical team placed an IV in the back of her hand, Balian gave them a small signal to leave. The two medics understood right away and quietly stepped out of the building.

“Who hired you?” Summer asked right away.

The man immediately looked away, but Summer was not surprised by his reaction.

Before she could say anything else, Balian stepped closer to him. “You heard her,” he said in a low voice.

The assassin clenched his jaw. “I’m not telling you anything!”

“Interesting.” Balian crossed his arms, then touched his chin. “That kind of loyalty usually means you’ve known the person who sent you for a long time. This doesn’t feel like a simple job you took for money.”

Summer agreed with him. She narrowed her eyes for a moment before turning toward Balian.

“Mr. Deve…” She honestly found his name difficult to pronounce.

“Balian.” A smile returned to his face, and even his voice softened when he spoke to her.

“For you, Miss Beaumont, you can call me whatever you like.”

[EXCUSE ME?!]

[“You can call me whatever you like” SIR???]

[Body Language Expert, report for duty!]

[I TOLD YOU ALL. HE IS INTERESTED.]

[Miss Bunny, please be careful. The snow leopard has entered hunting mode.]

[Why are you making him sound like a predator?!]