Chapter 159 - 158: Can’t You Be a Little More Proactive?

Leo Grant had been keeping one eye on the situation, so he saw Yvonne Lowell’s actions with perfect clarity.

He was shocked, but also amused, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile.

’This girl of mine is always full of surprises,’ he thought. ’Deciding to be a kept man was seriously the smartest decision I’ve ever made in my life. It’s a damn good life.’

Yvonne Lowell, oblivious to his thoughts, was in a great mood and let out a sharp whistle.

"Linnea, aren’t you going to go watch over our only survivor? Your master might have a use for him later. Don’t let him get offed so soon."

"Yes, Miss Lowell." With a blank stare, Ian Lynch stiffly got out of the car, roughly hauled the man up, and tossed him aside.

’Anyway, in the dead of winter, blood flows slowly. Plus, he wasn’t hit anywhere vital. This bastard isn’t going to die anytime soon.’

The assassin-turned-survivor: ’Why don’t you just kill me? A little sooner or later won’t make a difference.’

During this short trip, Ian Lynch’s train of thought had gone from, ’This couple is so calm,’ to, ’This couple is so twisted,’ all the way to, ’I, Ian Lynch, am completely useless.’

His emotions had cycled from tense to shocked, finally settling into utter numbness.

There was a time when he thought his master was the most powerful person in the world. He never imagined his future mistress would be his equal, if not his superior.

’Two absolute bosses. Both just as ruthless, both just as badass, and both just as unhinged. Who could see the two of them together and not say they’re a perfect match?!’

After getting out of the car, Yvonne Lowell glanced at the vehicle Leo Grant had crushed and at the assassin inside who’d been squeezed into a bloody pulp. Her tone was teasing.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Now, I’m not one to criticize, President Grant, but your methods are a bit too brutal, don’t you think? Look at this ’soda can.’ I mean, crushing the car is one thing, but did you have to crush the contents too? A piece here, a piece there... you’ve turned him into a complete casserole. It’ll be a nightmare to reassemble."

Leo Grant lowered his gaze to hide the laughter in his eyes, putting on a troubled expression as he looked at the two charred lumps on the ground.

"What can I do? My technique is only at this level, after all. Not like Eldest Miss Lowell, with her masterful grilling. Golden-brown on both sides, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside... just sprinkle on a little cumin and chili powder, and they’d be ready to eat, wouldn’t they?"

Yvonne Lowell pursed her lips, looking at her own handiwork with disdain. "Let’s not. Be good, dear, we’ll wait for next time. These two are overcooked. I’m afraid you’ll get the runs if you eat them."

Leo Grant laughed, half in anger, half in amusement. He pulled her in and gave her a hard kiss. "You’re already waiting for a ’next time’? You’re a real keeper, you know that? Can’t you wish something nice for me for once?"

’Ugh... fine. Deep down, he knew it too. There should... could... probably... maybe... absolutely, definitely would be a next time.’

’Whatever. Kiss first, think later. Only a fool passes up a perfect opportunity.’

"Hey, hey, hey! I’m not one to judge, but do you two have some kind of weird fetish? Getting all fancy and making out in a pile of dead bodies."

The pair turned to see Nolan Crawford walking over, rubbing his arms with an utterly indescribable expression on his face.

Nearby, Ian Lynch stared at his own nose, pretending to be oblivious, while screaming internally: ’Young Master Crawford, you’re a legend for saying that! From now on, you’re not just my brother, you’re my god! You are my one and only mouthpiece in this world!!’

Nolan Crawford and his men had been waiting at the end of the road for ages. When no one showed up, he figured the attack had happened en route and came to find them himself.

He’d been relieved to see his Brother Grant and the little fluffball completely unscathed, and the knot in his chest had finally loosened.

But just as he got out of his car to help with the cleanup, he saw the two of them kissing! No, wait—he saw his Brother Grant *forcefully* kissing the little fluffball!

’It was already annoying enough having to work overtime on New Year’s Day, and now I get hit with this out of nowhere! Is shoving PDA down single people’s throats the new trend or something?’

’Ha! This is just great! Everyone, take a lesson from these two! Just forget us single people even exist! Who cares if we live or die!’

Leo Grant shot him a look. "Get to work. Being on the clock isn’t enough to shut you up?"

Yvonne Lowell had to think of every sad thing that had ever happened to her in her life just to keep from bursting out laughing.

’So this is the power of his sharp tongue. He’s every bit as venomous as my second brother.’

Nolan Crawford was fuming but didn’t dare say anything back. He could only shove his own men forward. "Didn’t you hear him? Get to work! Is being on the clock not enough to shut you up!?"

His men: ’...So? Did our speech centers just malfunction? Did our mouths start talking on their own?’

Not wanting to deal with that black-hearted pair anymore, Nolan Crawford went over and slung an arm around Ian Lynch’s shoulders. "Not bad, kid. Your skills have really improved. You burned these two to a perfect crisp on the outside, tender on the inside."

’Ian Lynch heard a faint RRRIP. Oh, that was just the sound of his fragile little heart—which had only just been stitched back together—cracking open and shattering all over again.’

’They’re both Fire Element, so how is the gap between us this huge?! My power is a tiny little flame, while hers is a divine inferno.’

Ian Lynch’s expression became a little strange. "Young Master Crawford, these two... were Miss Lowell’s handiwork. All I did today was drive the car. Nothing else."

"What did you say?!" Nolan Crawford was so shocked that his voice jumped an octave without him realizing it.

Seeing this reaction, Ian Lynch instantly felt a whole lot better.

’Tremble, you out-of-the-loop cavemen!’

’At least he was the first one in their group to know that Miss Lowell is a Dual Ability User! Now he could smugly watch the rest of them have an existential crisis!’

Ian Lynch put on a perfectly calibrated, professional-yet-fake smile. "That’s right, Young Master Crawford. You heard me correctly. The fire was Miss Lowell’s doing."

Nolan Crawford whipped his hand up to point at Yvonne Lowell, his voice trembling. "Holy shit! You... you... you!!! You’re not just... you’re a... a monster!"

’The man next to her is already a monster, and now there’s an even bigger one. It’s one thing to be a Dual Ability User, but the crucial part is that one of her powers is the terrifying Spiritual Ability.’

’Nolan Crawford offered a silent moment of mourning for any idiot who crossed paths with them in the future. If you pissed off this black-hearted pair, they wouldn’t even leave your bones behind.’

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Of course I’m not a monster."

"Yvonne, why didn’t you tell me you were a Dual Ability User sooner?" Nolan Crawford looked at her reproachfully. "This sudden reveal nearly gave me a heart attack. I feel like some country bumpkin who’s never seen anything."

Yvonne Lowell shrugged innocently. "Oh. You never asked."

’Besides... I’m not actually a Dual Ability User.’

"Couldn’t you have taken the initiative?! If you’re not proactive, how are we supposed to build a story together!" Nolan Crawford clutched his chest in mock despair.

Leo Grant shot him a cold look. "That’s enough. Clean this up, take the survivor back, and start the interrogation. We’ll be there tonight."

’The nerve of this guy, wanting a ’story’. Believe it or not, I can give him an ’incident’ on New Year’s Day.’