"Then wait there, I’m coming."
Tisha’s last words still echoed in Alex’s ears. Before he could even respond, the line went dead.
Alex stood frozen in the middle of his room, phone still in his hand, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets from his freshly washed hair rolled down his shoulders as he stared at the blank screen in confusion.
He had just finished taking a long, relaxing bath. Danny and Mike had left only few minutes ago, and he was finally looking forward to so peace and quiet.
But clearly, that wasn’t going to happen.
"Who was she talking about...?" he muttered to himself. "A friend who needs my help? The only person who cos to mind is Miranda... But why would Tisha bring her to ? How does she even know I can help in a situation like this?"
He ran a hand through his wet hair, his thoughts spiraling.
"And more importantly... how does she even know where I live?" Alex muttered, frowning deeply. "I don’t rember ever telling her. I was keeping it as a surprise for her after exams..."
Alex walked over to the large mirror in his room and sat down on the edge of the bed, still lost in thought.
As far as he knew, Tisha only saw him as an ordinary scholarship student... nothing more.
There was no reason for her to believe he had the kind of power or connections needed to deal with sothing as dangerous as Pierce’s disappearance.
The only ti sothing slightly unusual had happened was when Victoria had ordered Pierce to keep an eye on him at the university.
But even that wasn’t big enough for Tisha to suspect any deeper connection.
’So then... why was she coming to him now?’
Sothing didn’t add up.
Alex leaned back slightly, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. A slow, mysterious smile appeared on his lips.
"Looks like my dear Tisha is not as simple as it seems..." he murmured.
He rembered what Lilith had told him a while ago, that Tisha’s background was far more mysterious than it appeared on the surface.
At the ti, he hadn’t thought much of it. But now, after this sudden call and the way she spoke, everything started to make sense.
If Tisha truly knew nothing about him, she wouldn’t have co to him for help in such a serious matter. And she definitely wouldn’t have known where he lived.
***
Alex sat on the edge of his bed, still lost in thought about Tisha’s mysterious call. After a mont, he picked up his phone again and stared at the screen.
"Let’s check what’s going on Catherine’s side..." he muttered to himself. "I haven’t had many conversations with her since our first eting."
He scrolled through his contacts, found Catherine’s number, and dialed it. The phone rang for a few seconds before the call connected.
A sweet, cheerful voice ca from the other side.
"Hello darling~ I almost thought you forgot about ."
Alex smiled lightly at her playful tone.
"How can I forget about you?"
Catherine let out a soft laugh, but there was a hint of complaint in her voice.
"Don’t lie to . I had to do so many things just to get your attention lately. So tell ... did you call regarding that Pierce guy?"
Alex’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. ’How did she already know?’
He quickly composed himself and replied with a small, embarrassed chuckle.
"Oh... he’s part of the reason. And I didn’t want to disturb your cultivation."
There was a brief pause before Catherine’s warm voice returned.
"It’s okay, I understand. I’m actually really happy you called. It would’ve been better if we could et, but Victoria told you’re busy with exams, so I’ve been holding back until then."
Before Alex could respond, Catherine continued excitedly.
"I have a very good surprise for you though... I’ve already broken through to the Middle Stage Apex."
"Really? That’s great," Alex raised an eyebrow, acting surprised even though he wasn’t truly shocked.
After all, Viktor had also reached the sa level recently. He wasn’t sure who would win if the two of them fought... Viktor had far more battle experience, but Catherine was from the Blackwood family. Their thods were still unknown to him.
Catherine giggled happily on the other end of the call.
"And I’m not as isolated as I was before," she continued excitedly. "I even convinced a few more families who were skeptical about , and now they’re ready to support fully."
Alex smiled, genuinely impressed.
"You’re doing very well, Catherine. I’m proud of you."
Catherine’s voice brightened even more at his praise.
"Btw... what were you saying about Pierce? Where is he?"
Alex finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
There was a short pause on the other end. Catherine’s cheerful tone shifted into sothing more serious as she replied.
"He is currently with my brother," she said.
Alex’s brows furrowed slightly. A bad feeling crept into his chest as he asked, "Don’t tell ... he’s torturing him or sothing?"
He wasn’t sure what he would do if that was really the case.
Catherine let out a soft laugh on the other side of the call.
"Nothing he doesn’t deserve.To be honest, I was against doing anything extre to him at first. I just wanted to remove him from his position and let him live quietly. But after Victoria told everything he did to you... I couldn’t control myself. I ended up beating him up pretty badly."
Alex let out a short laugh, genuinely amused by how casually she spoke about it.
"Yeah, he definitely deserves it," he said with a small chuckle. "But you didn’t kill him, right?"
Catherine sighed softly.
"No, I didn’t. But I’m not entirely sure what my brother did with him afterward. He was really angry... especially because he had trusted Pierce a lot in the beginning and even gave him a lot of power. The betrayal hit him hard."
She paused for a second before adding with a cold tone,
"He can’t keep his cultivation, that’s for sure."
Alex’s expression turned thoughtful as he listened quietly. After a mont, he spoke in a calm but firm voice.
"I just want him in one piece."
There was a brief silence before Catherine asked, her voice filled with curiosity,
"Why do you want to save him that badly though?"
Alex let out a small sigh before replying.
"Pierce wasn’t a good man, that’s true. But his wife... Miranda, she’s a really good person. She helped during a difficult phase. So I’m just returning the favour. That’s all."
Catherine was quiet for a mont, then asked with a playful tone,
"Is she beautiful?"
Alex was caught off guard.
"What?"
Catherine laughed softly on the other end.
"Don’t be nervous~ If she’s beautiful, it’s good. I don’t have a problem with others as long as they deserve to be with you."
Alex felt strange hearing those words. He had always wondered how he would handle letting all the won in his life et each other. He had prepared himself for possible jealousy, argunts, or competition for his attention.
But Catherine’s reaction was completely different. There was no jealousy in her voice at all — only calm acceptance.
’Is this sothing related to the Blackwood family?’ he wondered silently.
"One more thing I wanted to ask..." Catherine suddenly said, her voice turning excited again.
"I’m organizing a grand auction for all the bigger families. Can you co with ?"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm? Auction..."
"Yes," Catherine continued enthusiastically.
"Elders have practically started considering one of the candidates now and are giving real opportunities. I want you to attend this auction with . There will be a lot of good things for you too if you want them."
Alex thought for a mont before asking,
"When is this auction of yours?"
"In 20 days," Catherine replied. "I’ll call you again... actually no, I’ll co to take you there myself."
She paused for a second, then added in a softer tone,
"And don’t worry about Pierce. I’ll send him to you whenever you ask — in one piece."
Before Alex could reply, Catherine’s cheerful voice returned.
"Enjoy~"
And with that, she cut the call.
Alex looked at the phone in his hand with a small smile on his face.
"She has really changed a lot since then..." he murmured.
The sadness that once weighed heavily on Catherine’s shoulders seed to have disappeared completely, replaced by a bright and cheerful side. He couldn’t help but wonder if this lighter version of her was sothing she only showed to him.
He shook his head lightly and stood up from the bed.
"Well... let’s get dressed. They should be arriving soon."
Alex walked over to the large mirror in his room and looked at himself. His hair was still slightly damp, and he was still wearing nothing but the towel around his waist. He let out a small chuckle at his own reflection.
He quickly moved to his wardrobe and started getting dressed. He put on a clean black shirt and dark pants, adjusting the collar neatly in front of the mirror. Just as he was buttoning up his shirt, he heard the faint sound of a car pulling up outside the estate.
’They’re here.’
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