CHAPTER 240: CHAPTER 240

It’s already been five days since that news about Whitney’s guild blew up, and it’s still raging on without any resolution. Is this the right moment to go pay her a visit?

I stood up, changed into something more presentable, and turned to the two lazy lumps sprawled out and doing jack shit. "Glacier, Macaron, you guys wanna tag along for a quick visit to someone?" I asked.

Glacier’s ears perked up right away, and Macaron zipped over to my shoulder, excitedly pointing toward the door. "Let’s go on an adventure!"

I chuckled. "Nah, it’s just a visit, nothing wild."

Glacier just growled low, scratching impatiently at the door.

"Okay, fine, we’re going," I said, "but let’s grab some takeout first."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Whitney was pacing back and forth in her room, eyes glued to the news feed on her screen, her stomach in knots.

When that monster outbreak hit right in the middle of Monfort, she’d figured it’d bury the guild drama under all the chaos. But nope, that wasn’t how it played out.

Instead, starting the very next day, more articles about their guild started popping up everywhere, and by day three, fake rumors were flying left and right, snowballing into this whole mess.

"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!" She let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her temples.

Her phone was blowing up nonstop—calls, texts, you name it—and her social media was a war zone. People were tearing into her left and right, calling her out as undeserving, saying she only got where she was by flashing her looks or pulling strings through family connections.

She usually sniffed out these kinds of attacks way before they blew up, but this time? It was like someone had planned it all out perfectly, catching her totally off guard.

"I’ve been way too relaxed," she muttered to herself, bitterness dripping from every word. She’d poured all her energy into her information guild to sniff out outside threats, but let the internal ones slip right past her.

Sure, most of her cash came from her mom, but she’d still dipped into the guild’s funds to invest in her own businesses. It wasn’t against the law or anything, but yeah, the guild’s money had gone into boosting her ventures.

As the leader of the Emberflame Guild, which was all over that Scarlet Phantom website, getting exposed would mean getting expelled from the academy for sure. That’d tank the whole guild too. But what really twisted her gut was how crushed her mom would be.

"Which bastard leaked it...?" She gnawed on her fingernails, pacing harder.

Way too much internal guild data had spilled out. Had to be someone from inside, probably that vice-leader’s crew. The weird part? No one from there should’ve had that much dirt on her.

"Argh! Stop hurting, damn it!" Her stomach was in full revolt from the stress. She slumped over her desk, clutching it tight.

And the timing? Just awful.

Remillia Lockhart’s past.

Raphael Forbes’ death.

Royal Dominion’s mess...

Thinking about it all made her head throb, her stomach flip, and her eyes burn. She hadn’t eaten or slept a wink because of this nightmare.

She suddenly heard a knock at her door. "Excuse me, Young Lady," her personal butler, Sebastian, called out.

She lifted her head from the desk. "What is it now?"

"Someone has come to see you," Sebastian replied.

Annoyed, she yanked the door open and snapped at him. "I told you to boot all those reporters out!"

"Actually, they’re claiming to be your friends, Young Lady," he said calmly.

"Friends?" Whitney frowned, confused.

"Yes, the girl has an owl on her shoulder and what looks like an extinct monster trailing behind her...?" Sebastian trailed off, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he’d seen. "And a boy."

Whitney’s eyes widened—she knew right away it was Remillia. But who was the other one? "Escort them to the garden."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

After grabbing the takeout from the fast-food joint, someone yelled out, "Hey, witch!"

I glanced around and spotted Rex waving at me from his car. I walked over as he told the driver to pull over.

"Where you headed?" he asked.

"To Whitney’s place," I replied.

"Perfect timing! I was just about to head there myself when I saw you. Let’s go together," he said with a grin.

"I don’t think we’ll all fit," I said, glancing back.

His eyebrows knitted together. "What do you—oh, I see." His eyes followed my gaze to Glacier and Macaron perched on my back, and they went wide. "How the hell do you have that monster?! I thought they were extinct! Wait, don’t tell me you bought it illegally—"

I smacked him on the head to shut him up. "His name’s Glacier, and I rescued him. I’ve got certificates proving I legally own him, and I’ve registered them both as tamed monsters."

He sat there stunned for a second, then nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, right, I forgot about that new law recognizing ownership of tamed monsters."

I gave him a quick nod. "We’re heading out now."

"Wait! I still have a question," he called after me.

I paused, turning slightly. "What?"

He hesitated, then asked, "Five days ago, were you the one who took out those monsters on Fairview Street?"

"No," I shot back fast and spun on my heel.

Without missing a beat, I shot back, "No," and spun on my heel, already walking away.

He smirked, voice teasing. "Should I tip off the reporters that it was you?"

I let out a heavy sigh, tired of the game. I marched back over and snapped, "Scooch over."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Move," I said firmly, yanking the car door open and shoving him aside so I could squeeze in.

Once inside, I gazed out the window and silently reached out to Macaron through my mind. ’Macaron, teleport to my location in five minutes.’

"Got it," Macaron chirped back.

"What are you doing? Let’s go already," I said, glancing back at Rex.

"Huh? But what about your—" He looked outside, noticing Glacier and Macaron were already gone.

"Don’t worry about them," I replied. "They’ll find their way to me. Now, drive."

Rex nodded, giving the driver the signal to go, then turned to look at me. "Are you really going to eat all that?" he asked, pointing at the take-out.

"Yeah and no," I said casually. "This bag’s for Whitney, and these are for Glacier and Macaron."

"Whitney likes... fast-food?" Rex said, raising an eyebrow.

Oh right. This boy also liked Whitney. I smirked slightly. "You like her, huh? If you ever want to ask her out, just take her to some fancy restaurants that also serve fast food. I recommend Cosina Del Caza," I said with a grin, thinking the place could expand more so that I can earn more money. Hehehe. Inside my mind, I was chuckling at my own plans.

I didn’t notice Rex looking at me with a strange mix of sadness and happiness. It was like he wanted to say he doesn’t like Whitney anymore—he’s into someone else now.

Meanwhile, the driver kept glancing in the rear view mirror at both Rex and the girl. He couldn’t believe it. His master, the Owen heir, only ever liked one girl—the heiress of the Owen household. But now? It was like... his master had feelings for this girl, but he was holding himself back.

I glanced back at him when I didn’t hear him say anything. "Hey, why aren’t you talking?" I asked.

Just then, he was back to wearing that smirk. "Well, can I be the one to give that to Whitney instead?" he said, reaching out for the paper bag.

I slapped his hand away. "No, go order your own," I said firmly.

Exactly five minutes later, we rolled up to the imposing iron gates of the Owen mansion, the kind of place that screamed old money.

The driver cranked down Rex’s window and leaned toward the intercom, his voice casual. "Hey Whitney, we’re here to visit you," he said.

There was a beat of silence before the crackly response filtered back. "May I ask who’s speaking?"

Rex smirked, leaning in a bit. "It’s a surprise. Just tell her we’re her friends."

Another pause. "Can you step out of the vehicle and look at the camera on your side?"

Rex smirked, leaning in a bit. "It’s a surprise. Just tell her we’re her friends."

Another pause. "Can you step out of the vehicle and look at the camera on your side?"

We exchanged a quick glance, then both climbed out of the car. The cool morning air hit me as I stood there, feeling the weight of the mansion’s surveillance. Without missing a beat, I mindlinked Macaron: ’You guys can come here now.’

In a flash, they burst from the edge of the forest, a blur of fur and feathers, running and flying straight toward us like a whirlwind.

"You may now enter," the voice finally said, and the gates groaned open with mechanical precision.