Chapter 26
Lyra's POV
Three days later, in the evening, I prepared to leave the apartment for my usual motorcycle practice as scheduled.
With the race against Vex drawing closer, I had to seize every minute to familiarize myself with the track and hone my skills.
I changed into my riding gear, grabbed my helmet and keys, and tiptoed toward the door.
But the moment my hand touched the doorknob, the door was pushed open from outside.
Kael stood in the doorway, the mixed scent of smoke and alcohol from the bar still clinging to him.
When he saw me dressed in riding gear, a flash of suspicion immediately crossed his eyes.
"Where are you going in the middle of the night?" His voice was low, carrying obvious skepticism.
My heart pounded wildly, but I tried to keep my face calm.
"I... my motorcycle broke down. I just wanted to take it in for repairs."
"Repair the motorcycle?" Kael let out a cold laugh, suddenly stepping forward and grabbing my throat with one hand, pinning me against the wall.
His fingers tightened, the immense force making it nearly impossible to breathe. "Lyra, I've been tolerant enough with you. Don't try to test my limits again."
The suffocating sensation made my vision start to darken, but I forced myself to stay calm.
I couldn't turn against him at this moment, absolutely not.
I hadn't yet obtained the Blood Moon Cult's leads—I had to stay in the Crimson Fang Pack and continue this charade.
With this thought, I looked at him with reddened eyes, forcing out a few tears, my voice deliberately filled with grievance and weakness.
"I... I really just wanted to get the motorcycle repaired."
My voice became hoarse from the suffocation, but this actually made my current display of submission appear more genuine.
"You know how much I used to love riding. Now that it's broken down in the parking garage, seeing it every day makes me feel terrible. I just... I just wanted to get it fixed."
As I spoke, I tried to move him with emotion, hoping to erase his suspicion.
Kael's grip loosened slightly, but he didn't completely let go.
I seized this opportunity, lowering my eyes and letting tears stream down my cheeks.
"Besides," I continued, my voice full of helplessness.
"You're always out at night, and I feel so empty staying alone in the apartment. I just wanted to secretly take the motorcycle in for repairs to pass the time."
After speaking, I looked up at him, my eyes full of pleading. "I promise I won't let anyone see me pushing the motorcycle. I won't embarrass you. Please, Kael."
Kael stared at me for a long time. Seeing my swollen, reddened eyes, the force in his hand gradually lessened, and eventually he completely released my throat.
Then he let out a derisive laugh, that smile filled with superiority and contempt.
"Where else could you go if you left me?" His words were like a knife, viciously stabbing at my self-respect.
But I just kept my head down, saying nothing.
At this moment, any so-called resistance would be foolish.
Kael straightened his somewhat wrinkled collar and said coldly, "Just this once. If I catch you sneaking around in the middle of the night again, I'll throw that piece of junk motorcycle straight into the dump. Understand?"
"I understand," I said submissively. "Thank you, Kael."
Just as Kael was about to say something more, his phone suddenly rang.
He answered with a frown, his tone very impatient. "What is it? Didn't I say not to disturb me at night?"
But then, whatever the person on the other end said made Kael's expression change instantly.
His look shifted from impatience to surprise, and finally to barely suppressed excitement.
"What did you say? Blackwood Group agreed to cooperate with us?"
He was so excited he could barely speak coherently, his eyes widening, his voice rising several octaves.
The person on the other end apparently confirmed the news again.
A look of wild joy appeared on Kael's face. He said repeatedly, "Good, I'll come right away."
Hearing Orion's name, my heart jolted sharply.
But my face showed no trace of a crack in my facade.
I maintained that same aggrieved and submissive expression, as if I hadn't understood what they were talking about at all.
After Kael hung up, his mood had clearly improved considerably.
He straightened his collar again, a smug smile on his face.
Blackwood Group agreeing to cooperate with his company was absolutely tremendous news for him.
It meant his business would rise to an entirely new level, meant his status in the Crimson Fang Pack would become even more secure.
Before leaving, he glanced at me, the threat in his tone diminishing somewhat, replaced by a magnanimous tolerance that felt more like charity.
"Push it back after it's fixed. Don't go showing off everywhere."
"I understand," I said quietly.
Kael nodded with satisfaction, then left the apartment without looking back.
The instant the door closed, the tension in my body released all at once, and I nearly collapsed to the floor.
I leaned against the wall, gasping for air in great gulps, my trembling fingers reaching for my throat—it must already be bruised and purple.
But I had no time to deal with these injuries.
Instead, I immediately took out my phone and sent Orion a message.
"Why the sudden decision to cooperate with Kael's company?"
The phone vibrated quickly. Orion's reply came fast, as if he wasn't at all surprised that I knew about this news.
"Through business cooperation, I can legitimately make contact with Kael and obtain more leads on the Blood Moon Cult."
I stared at the text on the screen, a complex emotion surging in my heart.
To help me investigate the Blood Moon Cult, Orion was actually willing to set aside his pride and cooperate with a businessman of Kael's caliber.
You have to understand that Blackwood Group was a commercial empire in the North, while Kael's entertainment company was at best a local small enterprise. This kind of cooperation held absolutely no commercial value for Orion.
Just as I was about to say something to dissuade Orion from this decision, the phone vibrated again.
Orion had sent another message.
"This way I can also see you sooner."
I stared at those words, my heart feeling as if something had gently struck it.
That sensation was very subtle, like an indescribable flutter.
I held the phone, standing for a long time in the dark apartment.
The neon lights outside the window flickered, casting colorful light inside, but in my eyes there was only that sentence on the phone screen.
Those words were so direct, yet like a beam of light, they shone into the darkest corner of my heart.
Letting me experience once again the feeling of being cared for.