Chapter 71 K.A in the Celestria District Members' Group Chat
Finally holding Amelia, who he had been longing for, Michael felt a wave of relaxation wash over him.
It was as if the emptiness that had haunted him all day had finally been filled, leaving him with a sense of belonging.
He loosened his tight embrace around Amelia, gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, and in a low voice said, "So, did you send Eric away just so I could stay here tonight?"
"Yep," Amelia replied bluntly, pointing to her bed. "But the bed isn't very big, so you'll have to hold me tight to fit."
"Alright." Michael glanced at the modest-sized bed, a smile creeping onto his face.
He kissed her earlobe softly and whispered in her ear, "Even if the bed was huge, I'd still hold you tight."
Just then, Shadow suddenly sprang from under the covers and jumped into Amelia’s arms, wedging himself between her and Michael.
"Your cat?" Michael asked, slightly surprised.
"Yeah," Amelia nodded.
"It seems like it's checking me out," Michael said, noticing Shadow's wide, round eyes. "Does it not like me?"
"No," Amelia laughed, rubbing Shadow's head. "If it didn't like you, it would have scratched anyone else holding me like this."
Amelia's room was actually a guest room in The Martinez Mansion.
The bathroom cabinet had new disposable toothbrushes, cups, towels, bathrobes, and slippers. There were even spare underwear.
Knowing the room was well-equipped, Amelia had sent Eric away earlier.
After they each took a shower, Amelia gave Michael another acupuncture treatment. By the time they were ready for bed, it was nearly midnight.
Amelia turned off the main lights, leaving only a dim, warm floor lamp by the bed. She then climbed into bed where Michael was waiting.
Michael wrapped his strong arms around her, being careful not to touch her bandaged right hand.
Amelia's body was cool, but Michael's warm embrace quickly heated her up. The scent of their shared body wash mingled in the intimate air.
Although they had been close before, this was their first time sharing a bed. Yet, their movements were perfectly in sync and natural.
Amelia nestled in Michael's arms, feeling the soothing energy from his presence, repairing her soul that had been damaged from stopping the runaway truck the day before.
She felt a sense of peace she had never known before, instinctively wanting to be closer, wanting Michael to hold her tighter.
The room was silent. Suddenly, Amelia looked up and asked, "Before I gave you acupuncture yesterday, had it been a long time since you had a good night's sleep?"
Michael paused. "Yeah."
"How long?" she pressed.
Michael seemed to drift into memory before lowering his gaze and slowly replying, "About ten years."
Ten years.
It wasn't just the recent effects of the rare herb. Since witnessing Stefan and Kennedy die in front of him ten years ago, Michael hadn't had a restful sleep.
Amelia's heart ached for him.
Despite these emotions typically being human, she had lived as one long enough to feel them deeply.
She sensed Michael's long-standing loneliness, a loneliness that mirrored her own.
Amelia asked, "Have you found the source of the rare herb?"
"It's Efrain," Michael's voice turned cold at the mention. "He bribed Brad from the Johnson family to place that tainted pillow on my bed."
This matched up with Eric’s suspicions from the day before.
Amelia frowned.
Recently, blood-red ginseng, red lychee flowers, rare herbs... these were all extremely rare plants.
They usually grew on remote cliffs, high mountains, and deep valleys, making them scarce and hard to find in the market.
Why were so many appearing now?
Where were they coming from?
A sudden intuition led Amelia to think of someone.
Or rather, something. Her old nemesis when she was still a Rose Dryad, the Clam Demon—Pearl Loomis.
He used to profess his love for her, trying to get close every day, but then he stole her divine medicine during her final stage of cultivation, delaying her arrival in the human world by several years.
After obtaining her divine medicine, Pearl disappeared.
Her divine medicine could turn any ordinary plant into a rare one.
Could Pearl be selling these plants?
Amelia had always wanted to find Pearl and reclaim her divine medicine since she was Rosie. But she had never found any trace of him.
"What are you thinking about?" Michael asked, noticing her distraction.
"Nothing." Amelia shook her head. "We have to get up early tomorrow. Let's sleep."
She leaned in to kiss Michael, but he turned his head slightly away, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Seeing her confusion, Michael took a deep breath, held her tightly, and rested his chin on her head.
His voice was hoarse.
"Be good, just sleep."
"My self-control isn't that good."
Holding the person you love so closely in bed would test anyone's restraint.
But Michael simply held Amelia, patting her back like a child, lulling her to sleep.
After some time, Michael fell asleep too.
In the dim light, Amelia opened her eyes.
She kissed Michael's sleeping lips, making up for the missed goodnight kiss, then quietly got out of bed and walked barefoot to the desk.
On the desk was the laptop Tobias had bought for her at the mall. Amelia opened it and powered it on.
Connecting to the internet, her fingers flew over the keyboard, quickly bringing up a group chat interface.
The K.A. Club's Celestria district members' chat.
It showed thirty-five members.
The K.A. Club's members were geniuses with IQs over 150, excelling in various fields. Asking about things here could yield quick results.
In a country across the ocean.
In a presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
A red-haired teenager was lounging on a sofa, boredly flipping through his laptop, when he suddenly spat out his milk onto the screen.
"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed.
"This person with the codename Rose, who never logs in, has a six-star rating?"
The boy next to him frowned at the milk-stained screen.
He was thin, with a sickly pale complexion that suggested he rarely saw sunlight. His delicate features were almost perfect, with deep black eyes and a tear mole at the corner. His long black lashes cast a shadow, adding a touch of danger.
"Instead of worrying about someone else's rating, you should focus on tomorrow's mission and make sure there are no mistakes."
The boy stood up, tossed a gun onto the sofa, and said, "Don't drag me down," before walking further into the room.