Chapter 38

Dreamscape Manor.

Tristan took off his suit jacket and hung it on the rack.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing toned, fair forearms.

He was dying to ask Megan why she went to the hospital-

But he held back.

Instead,he gently scooped her into his arms and asked softly,"Scared?"

Megan instantly switched modes and leaned into him, "Yeah, I'm seriously freaking out."

Right then, Nova Tech poked its head out from the side pocket of a backpack and bounced down onto the carpet. In its baby-like voice, it called out, "Goddess just went stab-stab-no flinch, no blink! Blood everywhere! Liar detected~!"

Megan's forehead twitched. Seriously? This thing was totally Zeta Prime's cousin-

Both loved backstabbing their owner!

"Nova's scared~ Goddess, hughug~~"

Megan rolled her eyes hard.

Really? Betraying her and then begging for a hug? Absolutely not!

Tristan let her down and picked up the robot dog that had latched onto Megan's pants.

"Megan, you know when you entered your fingerprint, the bot analyzed your personality? It kinda...absorbed your vibe and emotional patterns."

Megan squinted. Oh, so basically-this thing took after her.Seriously? That was messed up!

She was honest, fearless, loyal, disciplined, righteous, wise and completely above board! When did she turn into such...dog material??

Nova's voice piped up again, "Warning: Emotional spike detected- Goddess's about to explode! Nova is terrified! Master,requesting immediate extraction~"

It flailed its short legs, trying to scramble away.

Tristan chuckled lowly. "Wanna dismantle it?"

Before Megan could say anything, two drops of oil dripped onto the pale pink carpet.

Wait,what the heck?

Tristan looked down, face full of disdain. "It peed itself."

Megan wrinkled her nose, just as unimpressed. "Too lame. Definitely nothing like me."

Tristan reached out and gently booped her nose. "Right, right, nothing like you. You're the bravest one here.

I gotta step out for a bit. Might be back late, don't wait up."

Megan wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up, wide-eyed. "Where are you going?"

"The hacker's in custody. We're nabbing the driver tonight."

"I wanna come with!" Megan buried her head in his chest, rubbing against him like a cat. "Take me with you,please? You're the best husband ever!"

Hearing her soft and sugary voice made him melt.

"Alright, you can come. But you have to stick close to me, no wandering, and definitely no charging in."

Megan quickly planted a kiss on his cheek."Muah!" After dinner, they changed into sporty outfits and baseball caps, then headed out from Dreamscape Manor.

The Capitol City was buzzing by 8 PM. Cars jammed the streets, neon lights lit up the skyline, and the stars were nowhere to be seen.

They parked in front of a place called Darknight Bar.

Hand in hand, they walked inside.

They passed through a hallway filled with couples making out on either side. Up ahead was a dance floor flashing with rainbow-colored lights.

The place reeked of smoke, booze, and sweat.

Heavy bass pounded like a second heartbeat in their ears.Men and women swayed wildly to the pounding beats, trying to drown out their loneliness and emptiness on the dance floor.

Tristan wrapped his arm firmly around Megan's waist, not letting the crowd pull her away.

They made their way to the back exit, where two burly bodyguards stood like statues.

Tristan pulled two tickets from his jeans pocket.

After checking them, the guards stepped aside and let them in.

The moment they passed the door, the air changed-deafening cheers and angry shouts filled the space.

The stench of sweat and blood hit them like a slap, sharp and nauseating.

They were inside an underground fight club.

Two brawny men were going head-to-head in the ring, fists flying and muscles straining.

Tristan led Megan to the front-row VIP seats.

He handed her a subtly scented handkerchief. "Might help with the smell."

Megan didn't hesitate and took it. She glanced toward the fighters. "Is it that tall one?°

Tristan gave a crooked smile, "You're underestimating him."

Megan raised an eyebrow. Clearly, the real deal hadn't shown up yet.

Well, no rush-the bastard they were after wouldn't be slipping away tonight.

Might as well enjoy the fight first.

In the ring, the slightly taller man had his arm clamped brutally around the other's neck, spitting curses through gritted teeth.

With a violent twist, the shorter man's head dropped. His body went limp like a puppet with its strings cut.

The victor raised both fists high, feeding off the cheers from the packed crowd.

Not a soul spared a glance at the man lying motionless. Instead, angry swears poured down-he'd just lost them a fortune.

Four young guys came in to drag the dead fighter off the ring.

The referee climbed in from the side steps.

Shouting into the mic, he hyped up the next round."And now for the most exciting moment tonight-let's welcome our defending champion from last month, Daniel Flynn!"

Everyone turned to where the ref pointed.

0

A tall figure in a black robe with a hood strode toward the ring.

He placed one hand on the edge, leaped up with ease, and landed smoothly.

When he threw back the hood, a rough, scarred face came into view-his left cheek marked by a long gash.

His eyes were fierce, like he was about to break someone in half.

The big guy who had just won was still putting on a bold front, but the nervous twitch at his brow gave him away. Daniel shrugged off his robe and tossed it into the crowd, setting off a frenzy among some over-the-top rich women.

"He's oozing manliness!"

"Built like that? Bet he's built in other ways too!"

"Let's just split him for the night!"

"I call dibs! 1 want him all to myself!"

"Those pecs! I'm losing my mind!"

Megan shot a glance at the drooling group of cougars and rolled her eyes hard.

They acted all graceful in public, but behind closed doors, they were no better than beasts.

She'd seen enough gossip online-rich women getting handsy with male models, even accidentally kiling one from overuse.

Rich folks played way dirtier than most could imagine-anything goes if the wallet's thick enough.

As Megan was silently judging them, the light before her dimmed.

A large hand, its joints well-defined, blocked her line of sight.

Tristan leaned close, voice low beside her ear, "Stop watching those guys. Look at me-your man's got a better body anyway."