Chapter 340: Chapter 236: Smoothing the Fur
After Paige Summers met with Jean Shields, it was about time to make camp for the night.
At Kent Kane’s insistence, she and Marcus Monroe stayed behind as well.
Of course, it was a peaceful night. Even though they were sharing a tent, Marcus Monroe wasn’t reckless enough to try anything with her while surrounded by the camp.
Paige Summers suddenly thought, ’Maybe running into a few unexpected things now and then isn’t so bad!’
Since they had already told the others they would be leaving first thing in the morning, they turned in early.
Paige Summers found it a little strange. Aside from nodding to each other when they ran into one another outside the tent, Jean Shields and Marcus Monroe showed absolutely no intention of speaking.
’Compared to Bloodfall, isn’t Jovitas a more valuable ally to win over?’
She got her answer the next day after they had left on Sweetie.
When they landed for a rest, Marcus Monroe listened to her question and sneered. "That guy... He had a run-in with Black S a while back and has been nursing a petty grudge ever since!"
"What kind of grudge lasts that long? It doesn’t involve the previous generation, does it?"
"Not exactly."
At this, Marcus Monroe suddenly brightened. "Give me a kiss, and I’ll tell you."
A vein throbbed on Paige Summers’ forehead. "Don’t you think... you’ve been acting a little... childish lately?" ’How can he say something so dumb!’
Marcus Monroe didn’t argue. He just lifted his chin slightly and gave her a sidelong glance. His expression seemed to say, ’You foolish mortal. I’m condescending to lower my intelligence to your level, and you still don’t appreciate it!’
Paige Summers wiped a hand over her face. She felt completely out of sorts.
’Ever since this guy cast aside his emotions, he’s been fine in public. He used to be serious; now he’s just a bit colder and more arrogant. But in private... he’s constantly finding new ways to hit rock bottom. He’s jumped straight from mature, steady, and tolerant to domineering, haughty, and difficult...’
She silently watched the man who stubbornly maintained his sidelong glare, wondering if he had unconsciously hidden his true personality all along, subconsciously crafting the perfect image of an ideal lover!
’One minute, two minutes, five minutes... Wasn’t he worried his eyes would get stuck like that?!’
Paige Summers closed her eyes and surrendered. She turned to the side, preparing to give him a peck on the cheek.
But just as she leaned in, Marcus Monroe’s hand shot out, pressing against the back of her head as he planted a firm kiss on her lips.
It was a long moment before he finally let go.
Paige Summers collapsed against his chest, breathless, her heart pounding in her throat. ’S-So strange... I don’t remember him being this good at kissing. It feels like he’s trying to steal my very soul!’
Where she couldn’t see, a hint of smug satisfaction appeared in Marcus Monroe’s eyes.
’Now that’s more like it!’
But he quickly schooled his expression, taking the opportunity to pull her closer as he said in a serious tone, "It’s nothing, really. Jean Shields is a good-looking guy, isn’t he? Black S hit on him once, even said he wanted to top him, and he’s held a grudge ever since."
Paige Summers, "..."
’For a grown man to be treated like that by another man... If it were her, she’d probably want to hack the guy to pieces. In a way, that *is* a big deal!’
As if sensing her silent criticism, Marcus Monroe said dismissively, "It’s not like anything actually happened. Black S was just messing around. If he were serious, do you think Jean Shields could have escaped? The problem is all in his head; he’s just got a hang-up and blames everything on Black S. As a person, he’s decent enough, but he obsesses over things. He’s got a compulsive streak and is always backing himself and everyone else into a corner. So don’t take what he told you too seriously. When the time comes, just do what needs to be done."
The comment snapped Paige Summers out of her daze. She sat up straight. "You knew?"
Marcus Monroe answered vaguely, "Kent Kane mentioned it."
He hadn’t planned to say more. He figured that as long as she stayed by his side, no real harm could come to her. But he couldn’t hold back when he saw Paige Summers looking at him so earnestly, clearly unsatisfied with his brief answer. Her expression made him want to lick his lips, but he forced himself to suppress the urge and continued, "This whole thing isn’t as simple as Jean Shields thinks. They’re short on troops, so they’re eyeing the Hunting Parties? You think the Hunting Parties are that easy to persuade? Does he think everyone’s an idiot who’ll sell their life for cash? Not a chance. Besides, who would organize it? If the military gets involved, The Government will never agree. But if you hand it to The Government, their people can’t command respect. Not to mention all the issues with the various Noble Houses and the distribution of spoils... In short, it’s a huge mess."
After a moment’s thought, he added, "Of course, if they can actually pull together and make it happen, Bloodfall could take the lead. It would be an opportunity to gather more followers and become the undisputed top Hunting Party. That would certainly come with its advantages. But let Claire Chapman worry about all that. You stay out of it."
Paige Summers shook her head. "It’s a huge pain, I know, but I can’t just dump it all on Claire. I’m the second-in-command, after all, and he’s busy with building the new base right now..."
"New base?" Marcus Monroe cut her off, his expression instantly darkening.
Paige Summers didn’t look at him. She sat back down beside him and stretched her legs. "Yeah, did I not tell you? Hmm. You were injured at the time, so I didn’t get a chance to bring it up. I forgot about it later."
"Where?" Marcus Monroe’s voice was dangerously low. "The new base, I mean."
"It’s The Foundry we visited. We’re planning to convert it..." As if oblivious to his displeasure, she explained the general situation.
Marcus Monroe was on the verge of objecting several times.
’The familiarity in her voice when she mentioned Claire Chapman grated on his nerves, but what infuriated him even more was that she was actually building a new base—one so far away!’
’What kind of joke was this?!’
’Were they supposed to start some kind of long-distance romance, meeting only once a year? Was she really that confident in him? Did she have any idea how many women in the city were throwing themselves at him, trying every trick in the book to climb into his bed?’
’Or... did she just not care?’
Flames of fury roared in his heart, pushing him to the brink of an outburst. But when he saw the way her eyes lit up as she talked about the blast furnaces and the equipment, he somehow managed to swallow his anger and force a calm expression onto his face.
’This is pathetic,’ he thought with self-loathing.
After finishing what she’d been wanting to tell him for a while, Paige Summers turned to soothe him. "Most of your men from Southreach have already gone over. They only went to help out of respect for you, of course. Once this business with Nora Lowell is settled, we’ll go over together. You’ll love it, I’m sure. We’ll have all the weapons and food we could want, right? And when that happens, Jovitas will have gained a powerful new ally!"
Her last sentence finally seemed to placate Marcus Monroe.
’That’s more like it...’ he thought.
He mulled it over for a moment and decided the idea wasn’t entirely without merit.
’The place could serve as a base, yes, but Paige Summers absolutely could not be stationed there permanently. At most, she could train some people and visit occasionally to provide technical support.’
With a plan already forming in his mind, he finally nodded, giving his approval of her decision.
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