Chapter 8: My opportunity
At the same time.
In the most bustling central district of the safe zone, a club luxurious to the extreme was open under brilliant lights. The ceiling was inlaid with dark gold magic patterns, melodious music flowed throughout the great hall, and the aroma of fine wine along with the perfume of beautiful women blended together, creating a bewitching atmosphere that made it hard for anyone to take their eyes off it the moment they stepped inside.
Saraya was sitting in a private seating area on the second floor.
In her hand was a glass of red wine, but from beginning to end she had only taken two sips. Her beautiful face still carried a gloomy look, and her amber eyes brimmed with discomfort along with unwillingness.
Sitting beside her was a red-haired woman.
Her fiery red hair fell to her shoulders like burning flames, each lock slightly curled, standing out all the more under the lights. Her clear blue eyes carried a mature seductiveness very hard to describe, and the moment she smiled, the person across from her would naturally get the illusion that all the light in the room was converging onto her.
She wore a short black dress that hugged her body tight, revealing hot curves that were almost perfect. Her full chest, slender waist, and long, straight legs were all accentuated to the utmost by that dress. On that beautiful face there always hung a lazy smile, as if anyone who looked at her too long would be drawn into a sweet trap.
That was Vylana.
A Succubus whom Saraya had known from before.
At this moment, Vylana was resting her chin on her hand, her gaze looking gently at Saraya, her voice so soft it seemed it could melt.
"So, in the end he really did report you to the Connection Center?"
Saraya clenched the wine glass in her hand, her expression turning even uglier.
"That’s right."
Just the mention of Erik immediately made an inexplicable anger rise in her heart.
"I just needed a little more time to adjust, that’s all. And him? Not only did he refuse to understand me, he actually ran off to the Connection Center to process a rebate."
Saraya gritted her teeth, her voice growing colder and colder.
"A man like that really is selfish to the extreme."
Hearing that, a sly glint flashed in Vylana’s eyes, but on the surface she still sighed, as if she were truly taking Saraya’s side.
"A man like him really is too awful."
She shook her head, her plump red lips curling up slightly.
"No background, no clan, and I heard that before he even had to work all sorts of jobs to save up money just to go and connect. A man like that, even if he becomes an Awakened, will find it hard to go very far in the future."
Hearing that, Saraya’s expression sure enough softened quite a bit.
Seeing that reaction, Vylana continued, her tone both like comforting and like putting Erik down.
"You’re a rank S Succubus. With your aptitude, wanting to find someone better than him isn’t that too easy?"
Saraya bit her lip lightly.
She wanted to nod in agreement, but in her mind an image unconsciously surfaced of Erik toiling away cooking in the kitchen, sitting outside her bedroom door at night keeping watch while she went into hunger, and every time she flew into a rage and smashed things, he still patiently cleaned everything back up.
Over these three months, Erik had never once raised his voice at her.
Even today, before he left, all he had said was that going hungry too long would put her life in danger.
Thinking of that, a very small trace of guilt suddenly rose in Saraya’s heart.
"Actually..." She hesitated slightly. "He... isn’t entirely useless like that either."
Vylana immediately grew wary.
But the smile on her face didn’t change at all. She hurriedly cut in, her tone extremely skillful.
"I understand. After all, he did take care of you for a while, so it’s normal for you to feel soft-hearted."
Hearing that, Saraya nodded, as if she had just found a reasonable justification for her own wavering.
Vylana continued to speak, every word deliberately dragging Erik’s image lower in her eyes.
"But what use is taking care of you? In this world, what matters most is still ability, background, and future. If all someone knows is cooking and cleaning, then isn’t that just a servant who’s a little better at saying pleasant things?"
Saraya was stunned.
That sentence was like a small needle piercing through the sense of guilt that had only just formed in her heart.
That’s right.
So what if Erik took care of her?
He had no clan to back him, nor was he the kind of lofty, high-and-mighty man that countless Succubi fought over.
Seeing Saraya’s gaze gradually stabilize, Vylana immediately let out a sigh of relief inside, while on the surface she smiled even more gently.
"If you get returned, all the better."
Saraya lifted her head to look at her.
Vylana took a sip of wine, her tone extremely natural.
"I can introduce you to someone else a hundred times better than Erik."
Saraya was a little surprised.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Vylana smiled.
"Not only that, if you’re short on a betrothal gift, I can even lend you a small sum first. We’re friends after all, I can’t just watch you suffer a loss."
Saraya’s eyes immediately lit up.
The last bits of unease in her heart nearly dissolved away.
"Vylana, you’re so good to me."
Vylana gave a light laugh, not the slightest bit of anything unusual showing in her gentle gaze.
"Do we really need to be so formal with each other?"
She set the wine glass down on the table, then stood up.
"Anyway, since things have already come to this, you don’t need to go back and find Erik anymore. A man that awful, just leave him be."
Hearing that, Saraya nodded.
Right now she didn’t want to go back and see that cold, indifferent face of Erik’s either.
Vylana lightly snapped her fingers. A beautiful maid immediately bowed and walked over.
"Take Miss Saraya up to the VIP room on the upper floor to rest."
"Yes, Miss."
Saraya stood up, picked up her handbag, and before leaving turned to thank Vylana one more time.
"I really am lucky to have you as a friend."
Vylana smiled and watched her gradually walk away.
It wasn’t until Saraya’s figure had completely disappeared at the staircase that the smile on her face slowly changed.
In those beautiful blue eyes, the gentleness from a moment ago instantly dissolved, replaced by a joy taken to the extreme along with a trace of greed that was almost impossible to conceal.
"Finally it’s my turn."
Vylana muttered a line, then, without delaying any longer, immediately stood up and left the private seating area.
She quickly went through a private corridor, stepped into a dedicated magic elevator, and headed straight up to the highest floor of the building.
The topmost floor was completely separated from the lively area below.
There was no more music, no more sounds of laughter and toasting. This place was quiet, luxurious, and guarded many times more strictly.
Vylana pushed open the door of the largest office.
Inside, a woman was sitting behind a desk, and only lifted her head upon hearing the sound of the door.
The moment she saw that person, even Vylana unconsciously slowed her steps a little.
That woman’s appearance looked very much like her own.
Fiery red hair fell down behind her back like a soft flame, and her beautiful eyes were so deep that just looking into them gave the feeling of being dragged down into a bewitching abyss. Unlike Vylana’s somewhat mischievous seductiveness, this woman carried a maturity and ripeness taken to the utmost.
A dark red dress hugging her body tight wrapped around her hot figure, accentuating her full curves without the slightest concealment. Just sitting there quietly, the aura she gave off was already enough to make others hold their breath.
That was Laviana.
The owner of the most famous bar in this city.
And at the same time, also Vylana’s mother.
"Mother."
Vylana called out.
Laviana set down the pen in her hand, her gaze sweeping over her daughter’s face.
"For you to be this worked up... it seems there’s good news?"
Vylana couldn’t hide her smile.
"That’s right. Saraya has already been reported to the Connection Center by Erik."
Laviana’s eyes immediately flashed.
"Really?"
"Completely accurate." Vylana walked over quickly, her voice faster than usual out of joy. "He’s already completed the rebate on her. Saraya arrived here not long ago, still blaming Erik for being useless, saying he has no background and isn’t worth caring about."
Hearing that, Laviana stopped all movement.
Then, a satisfied smile slowly bloomed on her lips.
"Good."
She said just one word, but her voice carried a satisfaction taken to the extreme.
"We’ve finally waited for this opportunity."
Vylana nodded, but very quickly knitted her brows again.
"But I heard Saraya say that Erik has very likely already been paired up again with another partner by the Connection Center."
Hearing that, Laviana only gave a light laugh.
"That’s a normal thing."
She rose from her chair and walked step by step to stand before the large glass window, the brilliant lights of the entire city reflecting onto her seductive figure.
"After Erik was dragged out for three months, the Center will definitely want to compensate him. It’s only natural for them to find a new partner for him."
"Then do we still have a chance?" Vylana asked.
Laviana turned around, her eyes carrying the calm confidence of a woman long accustomed to holding the initiative.
"Of course we do."
She smiled.
"I’ll contact the Center, and under the pretext of making up for the loss Erik suffered, proactively offer up one more Succubus to connect with him alongside the other."
Hearing that, Vylana’s eyes immediately lit up.
Laviana continued: "With a special case like Erik, the Center won’t easily refuse. As long as the compatibility meets the standard and your file has no problems, the chance of success is very high."
Hearing that, Vylana finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had waited for this day far too long.
Before Erik connected with Saraya, the one Vylana had set her sights on was already him.
Not because of family standing, nor because of surface-level talent.
But because of the way he treated others.
In this world, far too many men were pampered from a young age, always treating it as a matter of course for Succubi to serve them. They liked to give orders, liked to make demands, liked to be doted on, yet rarely truly cared about how their partners felt.
Erik was different.
He knew how to cook, knew how to clean, knew how to take care of others, and also knew how to patiently listen. Over these three months, watching him treat Saraya like a princess, Vylana had been jealous to the point of nearly going mad.
A man like that, why was the one paired with him not her?
The more she looked, the more unwilling she felt.
That was why she had deliberately whispered in Saraya’s ear, time and time again putting Erik down, making Saraya constantly feel that she deserved something better.
Vylana hadn’t really wanted to do that either.
After all, in this world, a man marrying multiple Succubi was a very normal thing. If she waited a while longer, perhaps she could still openly and honestly enter the space beside Erik.
But Saraya was a rank S Succubus.
If Erik kept her, then to gain one more Succubus he would have to spend a great deal more time, and Vylana didn’t want to wait that long.
She wanted it faster.
Fast to the point of not caring if she had to resort to schemes.
Thinking of this, Vylana no longer hid it. She looked at Laviana and said in a low voice: "The way I did that to Saraya... I actually do feel a bit guilty."
After hearing that, Laviana only broke into a laugh.
"You’ve gone soft-hearted?"
Vylana pressed her lips together.
"Just a little."
Laviana stepped closer and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
"Don’t overthink it. Compared to letting a good man like Erik keep wasting time beside someone who doesn’t know how to cherish him, you pulling Saraya out of the picture actually helps him get free sooner."
Saying this, even Laviana had to let out a soft sigh.
"Actually, Erik really is a good man to the point where there isn’t a single fault to criticize."
Vylana lifted her head to look at her mother.
Laviana gave a light laugh, her tone carrying a few parts of emotion.
"With a temperament as terrible as Saraya’s, if it had been any other man, I’m afraid it would’ve been just three days before he threw her back to the Connection Center."
"And yet Erik endured it for three whole months."
Three months.
That number alone said a great deal.
Hearing that, the corner of Vylana’s mouth curled up.
"That’s why, a good man like that, I will definitely hold on to tightly."
In her blue eyes, there was no longer the shallow slyness from when she faced Saraya, but instead a very clear determination.
Laviana looked at her daughter for a while, then nodded.
"That’s my daughter."
She returned to the desk, opened a drawer and took out a long black box made with exquisite craftsmanship, and placed it on the table.
"I prepared the betrothal gift in advance."
Vylana looked at the box, her heart unconsciously beating faster.
Laviana tapped the lid of the box lightly with her fingertip.
"Once the Center confirms the information is successful, you can bring this to meet Erik."
"I’ll go myself."
"Of course." Laviana smiled. "This opportunity is yours."
Vylana walked over and carefully lifted the box up.
It was only a very small movement, but at this moment her heart felt as if it were being scorched by fire.
Finally.
Finally the opportunity had fallen into her hands.
Laviana looked at her daughter’s appearance, unable to hide her joy, and slowly added one last line.
"Prepare well. Don’t let any mistakes happen."
"Yes."
Vylana lightly squeezed the box in her hand, her plump red lips slowly curling up into a smile full of anticipation.
If everything went smoothly...
The next time they met, she would no longer be someone who could only stand on the outside and watch Erik take care of another woman.
But rather the one who brought a betrothal gift before him, officially stepping into his life.