West frowned slightly while she looked down at the floor.
"The doctors say his lower half is paralyzed."
Her voice trembled.
"They don’t know when he’ll recover."
"They said it could take months..."
"...or years."
For a mont she looked like she might break down right there in the middle of the mall.
West instinctively stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.
"It’ll be okay."
He rubbed her back calmly.
"With ti."
The hug lasted only a few seconds but for her, it felt strangely comforting.
The warmth of his body, the steadiness of his voice and the faint masculine scent coming from him.
Her breathing slowly steadied.
She hadn’t realized how tense she had been until that mont.
Deep inside her mind... a small, forbidden thought stirred.
It had been a long ti since she had felt the presence of a strong man this close.
Her fiancé’s condition ant intimacy had disappeared completely from her life.
Months of frustration, loneliness and physical longing had left her defenses weakened... and now this calm, confident, strong and protective man who she had witnessed performing exploits, was here comforting her.
Everything about him radiated masculinity...
Even the way he held her felt safe...
For a brief mont, a dangerous thought crossed her mind but she imdiately suppressed it.
’Stop... You’re engaged...’ She gently stepped back while screaming in her head.
"Sorry... that was unprofessional."
West waved it off.
"Don’t worry about it."
During the hug, West had also been thinking about sothing... the chalice.
Technically, he could try to use it to restore her fiancé’s body but almost imdiately he dismissed the idea.
He barely knew her.
Trust was sothing he couldn’t just give to a random person... but comfort was another thing.
So he simply kept the thought to himself.
She cleared her throat and returned to business mode.
"Right."
"Let’s talk about apartnts."
She pulled out a tablet and began showing him listings.
"These are affordable options," she explained.
"Small but comfortable."
"Good for soone living alone."
West skimd through them before noticing another listing.
There, he spotted a far more luxurious building and tapped the screen.
"I want this one."
She blinked.
"...That one?"
"Yes."
Her expression beca hesitant.
"That’s a luxury penthouse apartnt."
"It’s... quite expensive."
West shrugged.
"That’s fine."
She studied him carefully.
"...Are you sure?"
West nodded.
"Show ."
Half an hour later they arrived at the building.
The tower stood nearly thirty floors tall, made of smooth glass panels reflecting the afternoon sunlight on the exterior.
The lobby alone looked like sothing from a five-star hotel.
There were polished marble floors, modern sculptures and ambient lighting with a concierge desk staffed by uniford attendants.
They rode a private elevator up to the apartnt floor.
When the door opened, West stepped into a massive interior.
The apartnt covered nearly 3,500 square feet.
The living room alone was larger than his entire previous apartnt.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one wall, offering a breathtaking view of the city skyline.
Modern furniture filled the space ranging from soft gray sofas to a glass coffee table, and a mounted entertainnt system built into the wall.
The kitchen featured marble countertops, high-end appliances, and a large island in the center perfect for cooking or entertaining guests.
There were four bedrooms in total.
The master bedroom was enormous, with its own private balcony overlooking the city lights.
It also had a massive walk-in closet and a luxurious bathroom with a deep soaking tub and rainfall shower.
The other three rooms could easily serve as guest rooms, training spaces, or offices.
There was even a private study room, perfect for planning operations or handling gang logistics.
And the apartnt had two additional bathrooms besides the master suite.
The realtor watched West carefully.
"This place is usually rented by executives or wealthy businessn."
West nodded.
"I’ll take it."
She blinked.
"Already?"
"Yes."
Then she ntioned the price.
"Three months upfront would be about ninety-eight thousand dollars."
She expected hesitation but instead, West pulled out his phone.
Minutes later the paynt confirmation arrived.
She stared at the screen in disbelief.
"...You paid already."
West shrugged casually.
"Moving sooner is better."
She looked at him again with newfound curiosity.
Who exactly was this guy?
And how had he beco this wealthy so quickly?
Although she knew West was an awakened, he was still new. A two month old awakened shouldn’t possess this type of money...
anwhile West walked to the window and looked out over the city.
"...Yeah."
This place would work perfectly for what he had planned next.
...
By the ti West left the luxury apartnt building with the realtor, the sun had already begun drifting lower across the skyline.
The golden light reflected off the glass towers around them, giving the city a calm, almost peaceful glow.
The realtor walked beside him toward the lobby exit, still looking slightly stunned by how easily he had paid nearly a hundred thousand dollars.
Just before they parted ways, she hesitated.
"...West."
He stopped and turned back toward her.
"Yes?"
She gave him a small smile, brushing a loose strand of dark hair away from her face.
"I still feel like I owe you properly for saving my fiancé."
West waved his hand casually.
"You already said thanks."
"That’s not enough."
Her expression turned slightly more determined.
"I’ll co visit later with so gifts."
West raised an eyebrow.
"You don’t have to do that."
"I want to."
She gave a polite nod before stepping away.
"Good luck with the move."
Then she disappeared into the crowd of people walking through the mall entrance.
West watched her leave for a mont before smirking to himself. This was exactly how he expected it to play out.
Acting like you didn’t want it only deepened a woman’s longing.
"Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind getting so compensation... sorry to your fiance in advance..." he murmured to himself before turning around and headed back toward his old apartnt to begin the moving process.
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