I ignored the notification for the time being, mostly because what I was really after was the bonus rewards.
Noticing it was still early afternoon, I grabbed my phone and sent a message. Seconds later, a response popped up.
"Perfect," I muttered, a grin spreading across my face.
"Ella, clean yourself and follow me."
"I… I can't stand up. My thigh hurts," she replied weakly.
Scanning the room, I found the medicine cabinet and brought her painkillers and a glass of water.
We hadn't gotten off to the best start, but considering it had been her first time, the least I could do was help her.
I let her rest for a few minutes. Once the medicine took effect, she got up slowly and headed to the bathroom, still limping. Alice must have been in the same state on our first night.
What a dilemma—it seems being well-endowed has its own cons.
We left the building, and her lackeys didn't say a word. No one seemed to suspect anything.
As we walked down the hallway, I noticed the three girls glancing at me. I reached out and patted Ella's head, prompting her to bow slightly in apology to them.
Rika looked thrilled, but she only smiled and said to call her later.
I nodded, amused at the idea of their company. I've always gone by the saying that there's no such thing as having too many women.
By the time we reached the parking lot, we split into separate vehicles, but our destination was the same. Home.
To avoid raising suspicion, I let Ella head back first while I stopped at the park to get some fresh air.
The park was quiet, with the late afternoon sun making long shadows on the paths. A few people walked along the paths, and some kids were laughing as they ran near the fountain.
I saw a couple sitting on a bench, holding hands and talking quietly.
It felt peaceful, and for a moment I forgot that this world was filled with powerful monsters that could turn this place to hell in an instant.
In the distance, holographic posters of the so-called High-Ranking Seekers shimmered.
They wore colorful combat gear, but what caught my attention the most was a poster of a young woman in her twenties. Her black-and-white combat suit matched her dark eyes and hair, and she held a thin, one-handed sword.
If my memory was correct, that girl was Hai-Yen, an S-Rank Seeker, also known as the Checkered Sword Maiden.
I had to admit, she was really pretty, easily a ten out of ten. Her monolid eyes made her look almost unreal.
And her waist? It was slim, yet her hips were wide. The older folks would probably say she got the kind of body made for bearing children.
Alright, enough admiring the picture. Time to head home for the real thing.
Just as I was about to leave the park, an odd feeling made me pause.
Closing my eyes for a second, I activated the Monk Card to increase my sensitivity. There it was—a strong killing intent, about thirty meters to my right.
In my peripheral vision, I spotted a man in a black coat, pretending to read a newspaper. Sunglasses covered his eyes, but I could feel his gaze locked on me.
He didn't even try to conceal his presence. If not for that, I would never have sensed him.
For the time being, I decided to act normal while staying on guard. My first guess was that Daniel had finally decided to take me out for good.
That way, he could cover up his wife's infidelity and be done with me once and for all.
I expected something like this might happen, but I thought he would be more subtle about it—maybe give me some time. I didn't think an assassin would already be on my trail.
My next guess was that this was Ethan's doing. He might be young, but he had the money and the motive to have me killed. I was the only obstacle keeping him from inheriting the company.
All this family drama was giving me a headache, and I hadn't even started dealing with monsters yet.
Was I even capable of winning right now?
Beating up normal humans was easy with my enhanced physique. But hired killers were different — they didn't fight fair. Confidence was one thing; getting killed because of it was another.
Easy. Calm down first ; assess the situation before doing anything stupid.
There were plenty of CCTVs around the park and too many people nearby. If my opponent really intended to take me out, he would've done it already. Most likely, he was just here to watch me.
Acting normal, I made my way back to the parking lot. I stuck to crowded paths the whole way, never letting my guard down. Once I reached the car, I climbed in and told the driver to head straight home.
I couldn't relax yet. My instincts screamed at me to stay alert because anyone working under Daniel couldn't be trusted right now.
"Hey," I casually break the silence. "You've been working for my family for how long now?"
"Almost a year sir."
It was a short time, which meant I could turn this to my advantage.
"So, how do you like working for my father?" I asked, testing my ability. It didn't work—no surprise there.
"No complaints, sir. The pay's good, and the work isn't too difficult."
A typical employee's answer. But even that told me a lot. This person definitely hadn't been ordered to hurt me.
"So as long as you're paid well, everything's fine, huh? Then how about you work for me instead. I'll pay you triple whatever you're getting now."
His eyes glowed, the temptation of money was too hard to resist. That was the thing about greedy people—they were always the easiest to control.
Feed them enough, and you'll earn more loyalty than you ever would from real family. Scratch that—family's usually the first to stab you in the back.
"What do you want me to do, sir?"