Free Web NovelChapter 63: _Playing Hard To Get
Four Days later — Aurelia City.
"It’s been four days since top guilds from all parts of the continent were mobilised to the Cataclysm Level Rift at Norfolk, Virginia." A female reporter gave the update on a global news network.
"While the city and its closest neighbours have been completely evacuated, other cities like Suffolk, Williamsburg, Richmond and Elizabeth City are still struggling to do a mass evacuation."
"All hopes lie on the SS Rank Hunters as they battle for what might be the fate of the Americas..."
Ambrose watched this on his phone as a sigh left his mouth. He sat on a free bench in Aurelia city’s main park. It was almost afternoon but today he decided to go out.
Touch grass... literally.
Not because of any system missions or anything—sigh, who was he kidding? He was outside mostly because of today’s daily quest:
[Get Devon and Orion to bond with you outside leisurely.]
He’d gotten the first part right. Devon was currently shoving Orion in a swing, the brightest smile lighting his face when the kid giggled.
Ambrose smiled at that. "If only I could let myself ’bond’ with them."
He was anxious. Tense. All any news network could talk about these past four days was the Norfolk dungeon break. It was beginning to mess with his mind.
Flashbacks of how he’d almost gotten killed fighting an A-Rank beast still got him twitching in his sleep at night. The suffocating feeling from watching the SS-Ranks battle against the Leviathan was also still present.
Basically, he was traumatised.
"Daddy!" Orion’s excited squeal snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come on... come sit on this other swing so papa can push you too."
Devon’s smile faltered for a beat. "Don’t you think Papa would be too tired to do both at once, buddy?"
He only said that because he noticed Ambrose’s mood since they got here. He knew he was still shaken by all he saw at Norfolk. Truth be told, Devon was too.
But years of dungeon raids have mostly made him desensitised.
"Papa, please," Orion pleaded, big eyes blinking slowly. "He’s sitting all alone over there."
Ambrose’s cheeks flushed.
Orion would definitely drag this if he doesn’t agree to it. So, he rose off the bench, raising his hands in mock defeat.
"Alright, you little runt. You win."
"Yay!"
Ambrose sat on the swing beside Orion, finding it hard to adjust at first because of the size. But when Devon helped, placing his hands on his waist while at it, he got the hang of it.
"Don’t push too hard." He murmured.
However, Devon and Orion shared a subtle grin. The Esper’s grip on Ambrose’s waist tightened before he shoved him forward until his feet pointed skyward.
Ambrose’s eyes bulged. "I said not too—ahh!"
This went on for minutes, Orion laughing whenever Devon shoved his swing while Ambrose clutched his for dear life. He begged a few times for Devon to stop but it was futile.
Across the park, two young women saw this and gawked with doe eyes.
"Isn’t that Hunter Devon?"
"Oh my gosh, it is. I knew I recognised that red hair from somewhere."
"Is that little boy his son?"
"Wait—who’s that man he keeps staring at like that?"
One of them pulled out her phone, taking a quick picture. "This would look so good on my Instagram."
The other one seemed critical. "Aren’t we invading his privacy? Maybe that’s just a friend and—"
"A friend?" The one who took the pic laughed. "Come on, girl... isn’t he bi or something? I’m telling you, that’s not just a ’friend’."
Minutes after she posted, her page blew up. Hundreds of comments, likes, reposts and downloads flooded in. It didn’t take long for the wholesome-looking picture to spread to other social media apps.
And when that happened... a certain S-Rank Esper on the other side of the city came across it...
★★★★★
"Sir, I don’t see why you’re so pressed about this... Guide." Viktor’s assistant struggled to follow his pace as the young S-Rank stormed down the stairs of his mother’s mansion. "If it’s a Guide you want to settle with, Guide Han—"
"This has nothing to do with ’settling down’, Solomon," Viktor grunted, flinging his phone over his shoulder.
Solomon caught it on time, wondering for a split second if these outbursts were worth keeping his job.
"It’s about dignity." Viktor went on, grabbing a glass of wine from a butler on standby. "My ego, if you will. This Guide has blatantly ignored me. Insinuated that I wasn’t his type."
The assistant opened his mouth to speak but Viktor just couldn’t stop.
"Viktor Morozov is everyone’s type," he snorted, downing his wine within seconds. Another butler hurriedly pried it off his fingers as he sat down. "I feel insulted. I can’t understand why this Guide can play hard to get when he’s clearly not in a relationship."
He snapped his fingers, signalling Solomon to hand him his phone again. Once he had it, he scrolled down to the post that ticked him off.
A picture of Devon, Ambrose and... a little boy he’s never seen before.
"Am I imagining things or does this boy seem oddly like Ambrose?" He squinted, noting the similar blonde hair. "... And his eyes... golden like Devon’s..."
Anyone who stared at the child long enough would quickly see the similarities.
Now Viktor was even more puzzled. "Devon definitely doesn’t have a child. He hasn’t been with a girl since our freshman days."
How did he know? They’ve been friends for years and he made it his duty to dig up anything and everything vital about the man.
"And Ambrose is gay," Viktor added.
Solomon cleared his throat. "That hasn’t always stopped people in the past, young master."
Viktor didn’t answer him.
Right now all he could think about was that despite all his background searches on both Devon and Ambrose... he knew nothing about this mystery child.
And lack of information, no matter how little, was a weakness.
"Make reservations for two at Pinnacle Pavilion Restaurant." A smirk played on his mouth. "For tonight. I don’t care who you have to bribe..."
He swiped out of the picture, exhaling once. "... Looks like I’m cashing in that favour earlier than expected." His smile deepened. "Let’s see how long you keep playing hard to get... naughty bird."
