Chapter 10: Pretentious

From the speed of reaction of the person living in the apartment, you could see that it was a appointment. The fact that a person was behind the door earlier looking through the peephole only makes this even clearer. The person who answered the door was a short man. He looked only 5’5’’ feet tall, but was physically strong, with a muscular body. Seeing who answered the door, the man in suit gave a dismissive smile that did not escape the sight of Lucas.

‘What’s going on here? Something seems strange.’

It didn’t seem like a appointment between friends, especially because the person who answered the door looked at the man in suit with anger. He was trying to control himself, but it was impossible to hide the anger on his face. The man in suit, however, pretended not to notice and said.

“Hello Jonas, I came to see your sister, is she home? We arranged to have dinner together.”

Seeing the man in suit pretend not to notice the look of anger on the man named Jonas, Lucas couldn’t help but wonder how right he was about what kind of person the man in suit was.

“Clovis, I cannot say that I am happy with this reunion. Why do you need to do this with May? She did nothing wrong with you.”

Jonas wanted to break the pretense from the beginning, he didn’t like these little games that Clovis played. If he didn’t break this pretensious act, Clovis would probably keep talking as if nothing was happening, as if they were friends. This was one side of Clovis that Jonas hated most, apart, of course, everything else.

“There is no way she could have forgotten our appointment. She’s in there, right? Could you call her?”

Unfortunately, Clovis completely ignored what Jonas said, he didn’t want to end the pretensious act ... yet.

“I’m here, Clovis. You may come in.”

A woman appeared behind Jonas, and as soon as he saw her, Clovis showed the most disgusting smile he could make. Even Lucas had to agree that this was the most disgusting smile he’d ever seen. He’d seen a lot of smiles like that before, but it seemed that Lucas’s opinion of Clovis, with an overwhelming downward trend, made it the ugliest smile he’d ever seen.

This disgust only became bigger when he saw the beautiful woman Clovis smiled at.

As soon as he saw her, and thinking of all the information he had received so far, he couldn’t help but think.

‘Seriously? My neighbor is too hot. What is this coincidence? ‘

‘I told you about it before, Master, that ability, Touch of Fate. Don’t be surprised by this, Touch of Fate is a skill that grows with you. At this point, at most she gives you some casual encounters. In the future, she will become much more powerful. Anyway, it is important to take every opportunity that appears in front of you. ‘

Caritas’s voice rang in Lucas’s head, answering his earlier question about the coincidence of this whole situation. Who would have expected that the next-door neighbor would be an incredibly beautiful and hot woman?

She was 5’ 8’’ feet tall, with long brown hair, huge breasts that seemed to want to burst from her clothes, clear skin, and graceful and delicate features. In a quick comparison, although only an inch smaller than Rose, her breasts were larger, as well as the rest of the body as a whole was plump. Rose was thinner, while this woman had a more erotic body. Overall, she was about the same level as Rose’s beauty.

One thing Lucas had to agree with, though. It is important to seize every opportunity that comes before you. Seeing the beautiful woman who was his neighbor, and the situation she’s in, he thought it would be good first to make a connection with her. Starting, of course, with the presentations. Fortunately, though pretentious, Clovis was well-mannered, since he had not forgotten him.

“Wait a minute, May, there’s a guy here who came especially to greet you.”

May had already seen Lucas, and was wondering who he was, as she had never seen him with Clovis before.

“Hello, my name is Lucas, I moved to the next apartment. I came to greet my neighbor ... Do you two live together?”

“No, I’m just here at my sister’s request. May lives here alone now.”

Lucas noticed the strange word “now” in Jonas’s words, but pretended not to, and turned to May.

“Miss May, I just moved to San Diego, and I don’t know anyone here. Since you are my neighbor, I wanted to forge a good relationship with you. I was wondering how to approach you, and that’s when this gentleman here, Mr. Clovis, decided to help me with my presentation.”

I didn’t decide anything, you asked me, and I couldn’t decline, Clovis thought as he heard Lucas’s words. Although a scoundrel, Clovis was an educated man, especially with strangers, the result of his work. His polite nature could trick many people into letting their guard down in front of him, an old trick that he mastered. That is why, even if he didn’t do it on purpose, anyone who knew his true nature was disgusted to see him act so polite.

“Ah, I see, you’re the new 302 tenant ... You’re very polite...”

May was silent for a moment, and remembering the conversation until that moment, a small smile appeared on her face and she continued.

“How about dinner with us? Since you don’t know anyone in town, I’m sure I can help you with information. I’ve lived in this city half my life, I know a lot about it.”

Lucas was very intelligent, and thanks to his killer experiences and training, he was very good at reading the people and the atmosphere. Jonas and May didn’t seem to like Clovis, and had their guard very high in front of him, they seemed almost completely hostile. Jonas, in particular, looked like he was going to jump on Clovis at any moment.

Recalling Jonas’s earlier words that he didn’t live in the apartment, it was clear that Jonas came to support May. That is, May called Clovis, but was afraid to be alone with him, so she called her strong brother to not only protect her, but support her emotionally.

At this point, May asks Lucas to have dinner with them, which obviously means she wants to use him as a shield, an extra layer of protection. Lucas realized everything instantly, and couldn’t be happier. Didn’t he need to make a connection with May? What better time than this?

‘Master, a mission has appeared. The mission tells you to help May during dinner. The reward is 2000 love points. ‘

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lucas’s face, who answered without delay.

“Of course, I was really thinking about dinner. By accepting your invitation, I will be killing several birds with one stone. Thank you for inviting me, you are very kind.”

Clovis’s expression changed a little at May’s invitation, and it changed even more when he saw Lucas so blatantly accepting. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going on, and yet Lucas chose to intrude in the middle. Either he was too stupid, or Lucas did it on purpose. Clovis was a little uncomfortable with that, but in the end was silent and entered the apartment, with Lucas close behind.

“May, I’m looking forward to your food. What did you do?”

After entering the apartment, Clovis took off his suit and placed it on the couch in the living room. He looked pretty comfortable, like the house was his, and it annoyed Jonas even more, he was almost jumping on Clovis when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

“Lasagna.”

Hearing the voice, and feeling the touch on his shoulder, Jonas took a deep breath and calmed down. As much as he wanted to beat Clovis right there, he knew he couldn’t screw things up now. His sister was about to face a battle with her most important thing on the line, he couldn’t mess it up before it even started.

Lucas noticed the tension in the room, and watched the movements of each of the people present. With that, he had a better understanding of the situation. His goal, as the mission asked, was to help May, but for now he decided to do nothing and just watch. He needs to gather information first before thinking about what to do. After all, it seems that this is important to May, he can not disturb, his goal is to help.

Clovis sat in a chair at the dining table, and smiled at May, who didn’t show a very strong reaction, she just went to get the food in the kitchen without saying anything else. Jonas sat up too, though unhappy with the situation. Lucas simply sat quietly, careful not to draw too much attention.

“I hope you are reasonable.”

“I’m very reasonable, always have been.”

Jonas snorted coldly but said nothing more. For now, he had to participate in this farce. First dinner, then negotiation. Until then, he shouldn’t annoy Clovis too much, or he could end up making things difficult for May.

May quickly brought the lasagna along with various side dishes. Clovis seemed eager to eat as he paid no more attention to May or Jonas and simply began to help himself.

This relaxed attitude is also a strategy, Lucas thought as he watched the act. Clovis was an intelligent man, and knowledgeable, he knows better than anyone that who has the greatest bargain has the most advantage, and so are the most relaxed. They don’t care about the situation, and take it easy. On the other hand, the one with the lowest bargain is the one who is at a disadvantage, so they are the most impatient. Those who have the most advantage gain even more advantage by stirring the other side of the negotiations, while those who have the least advantage get the least advantage by getting impatient.