Chapter 35: Ghosts Of The Past
"It’s actually the hidden Heiress!!" One of the twins stepped forward, watching as Juliana and Asher got out of the car. His voice dripped with mocking theatricality, completely shattering the quiet exclusivity of the company entrance.
"Juliana Royal Wood... I thought you’re dead, didn’t know you were hiding somewhere with a broke guy." He added, his eyes raking over Asher’s cheap clothes and the battered SUV with undisguised contempt.
The eldest twin stared at Juliana for some seconds, then turned to Asher; he remained silent, not saying a word, but his cold gaze was just as oppressive as his brother’s loud insults.
"Who are you?" Juliana asked, a bit confused. She tilted her head, trying to search for a familiar face in the void of her mind, but found absolutely nothing.
"Stop pretending, we went to the same school when we were kids... Don’t tell me you also lost your memory? Well, there is nothing of value in your life anyway." He said with a smirk, casually weaponizing the brutal downfall of her noble family for his own amusement.
"...?!"
Juliana was truly confused; she doesn’t remember the guy standing in front of her. She doesn’t even have memory about her school life. The trauma had completely locked away her past, leaving her vulnerable to the cruelty of strangers.
"Alright, we were once classmates, I should invite you to a meal... What do you say? Will you have dinner with both brothers?" He stretched his hand towards her, his smile bright but laced with predatory intent.
Juliana moved back from his hand, instinctively repulsed by the sinister aura masking his charm, and grabbed Asher’s arm, standing behind him. Seeing her action, seeking refuge behind a seemingly powerless man, the two brothers finally fixed their eyes on Asher, treating him as a sudden obstacle.
"Who is this? Your boyfriend or husband?"
"Alright dog, that’s enough... If you’re in heat, search somewhere else. My wife is way out of your league." Asher finally spoke, his right hand in his pocket, as he stared at him with a scowl. His voice was utterly devoid of fear, vibrating with a quiet, lethal authority.
"Did you just call me a dog in heat?"
"No, I am wrong, a dog has a good hearing, but you don’t... You’re worse than a dog." Asher answered flatly, entirely unfazed by the sudden drop in temperature around them.
"You?!! How dare you insult me, do you know who I am?!" He snapped, as a wave of energy burst out from him, spreading all over the place, stunning the staff. The sheer spiritual pressure cracked the pavement beneath his expensive shoes.
’An S-Rank awakened.’ Asher thought, staring at the blonde-haired twin, then turned to the second, who stood calmly on his spot; he hasn’t said or moved an inch, perfectly content to let his younger brother play the attack hound.
"A useless dog using his energy before ordinary civilians, no matter how strong your background, once you hurt innocent people, you will face Awakened law; can you handle this?" He asked, his tone calm.
The guy before him was two ranks above him, not to mention they were two present. Asher didn’t come here to fight, and he doesn’t plan to fight in front of Juliana. He knew his Divine-Tier passive, Soul Defense, would effortlessly reflect their attacks, but exposing that power here would draw unnecessary attention from the entire country.
The only way is to use the law placed down by the Awakened Association. It was the one chain that still bound the arrogant nobles.
"You?! Are you trying to back out?! Besides, you two aren’t ordinary people!! You’re both awakened, so dealing with you isn’t going against any law!" He yelled, pointing a finger at Asher, desperate to initiate a slaughter.
"Do you seriously think you can defeat me?" Asher asked, placing Juliana behind him. He didn’t want to fight, but if this dog wasn’t going to listen, he will just have to--
"Enough... Let’s go."
The eldest twin finally opened his mouth, and without waiting for his brother’s reply, he walked towards the stunned staff. He had calculated the social variables and decided a street brawl wasn’t worth their time, not one bit.
"But brother!! He insulted me!!" The guy yelled, pointing his finger at Asher’s nose, while staring at his brother in disbelief.
"Don’t forget our current objective, you can continue your play after we are done here." He said, not looking back at them, his eyes locked on the prize waiting inside the company.
"Argh!" The youngest turned to Asher and Juliana: "Just you wait!! After this, I will deal with both of you!!" He yelled, forcing his murderous aura back.
"Oh my!! I am so sorry for keeping you waiting!"
Everyone turned to the entrance, seeing two people running outside, sprinting as if their lives depended on it. One was the owner of Sky Hill Estate Company, and the second was the Manager, both sweating profusely through their tailored suits.
"Good day, Mr..."
The first started, only to freeze in place, as the two rushed past him, not even sparing him a glance.
"....?"
The two brothers, staff, and the onlookers watched as the two people stopped in front of Asher and Juliana, then bowed their heads so low they nearly touched their knees.
"Good afternoon Sir, everything is ready for your Number one Villa in Silverspire Sky Hill! Please come inside, let’s start the signing process." He said with a smile, treating the man in the cheap clothes like an absolute emperor.
"...?!"
Everyone was dumbfounded. The sheer absurdity of the wealthiest real estate magnate bowing to a man driving a scrapped SUV short-circuited the brains of the elite crowd.
"Alright, let’s go inside." Asher held Juliana by the waist, nodding his head, completely ignoring the shell-shocked twins.
"Come on, Sir!"
"Hold up!!" The first twin yelled, drawing everyone’s attention towards him, his face flushing crimson with profound humiliation.
"You said the number one Villa on sky Hill?! Why?! We are here for that villa, how can someone like him buy it? Take a look at him and his car? They don’t even match!" The youngest quickly yelled, pointing a finger at Asher’s car, unable to process the cosmic injustice of a peasant outbidding a Warsaw.
"Oh, it’s actually the Warsaw Twins." The Owner said, registering their presence for the first time, then gestured to Asher: "But there is no mistake here, he is indeed the owner of the villa."
"...?!"
The youngest was stunned, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
"I don’t believe this." The senior stepped forward, his arms tucked in his pockets, his calm facade finally cracking under the weight of a bruised ego:
"Mr Andrew, we are here to get this villa, I can’t leave empty-handed. Besides, I don’t believe he has the capital to get that Villa."
"This?"
The owner was lost; he couldn’t offend the Warsaw family, who held massive influence in Vaeloria, and he also couldn’t offend the guy behind him, who had somehow bypassed every financial firewall to purchase a five-hundred-billion-dollar estate in cash. What should he do now?
"What will make you believe?" Asher asked, stepping forward, his gaze cold, tired of the relentless yapping.
"Let’s bid on the house!" The oldest said with a smirk, confident that no single individual could out-liquidate the treasury of the Warsaw noble house.
"Are you stupid? Or do you take me for a fool?"
"What do you mean by that?" He asked with a frown, insulted by the immediate shutdown.
Asher rubbed his ear with a bored expression: "The Villa is already mine, so why would I bid with you?" He asked, staring at the twins like they were slow children failing a basic math test.
"Hmm... Then let’s go to the next luxurious dealership!! The one who buys the most expensive car wins!! If you lose, you will hand over the house to us for free!" The eldest said with a smile, shifting the battlefield to a contest of raw, burning cash:
’Hehehe... If you dare accept this, I will crush you with my personal wealth. I won’t even have to use the five hundred billion given to us for the Villa. If I complete this, I can pocket the five hundred billion and also teach this guy a lesson, two birds with one stone.’ He thought, his smirk widening as he set his brilliant trap.
Asher stared at his SUV, and nodded his head. He does need a car, but his ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz will arrive in one week. Using this broken SUV when he has trillions in his account is kind of foolish, so he nodded his head again, accepting the absurd challenge:
"Alright, But if I win, both of you will apologize to my wife, and also give her all the money you plan to get the Villa with, do you dare?"