Chapter 213: The Final Boss
Martin had thrown the question out as a joke, but the sisters’ stunned faces made the truth hit him with the force of a lightning bolt.
Three celebrities. I somehow ended up with three celebrities in my party. How the fuck?
Elisebeth was one of the biggest singers in the world, and judging by the sisters’ reactions, both of them were famous as well. Somehow, all three had ended up in his party and become his friends while keeping their real-world identities hidden.
His gaze settled first on Chaosgraphy, who was still curled around one of his arms with her palm resting against his cheek. Her unfamiliar face was gorgeous, but beauty alone gave him no clue who she was.
Chaosgraphy noticed him studying her and immediately understood what he was trying to do. Her thumb slowed against his skin as she lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes. A cool, seductive smile appeared on her lips, and without moving away from him, she seemed to slip into a completely different role.
The playful woman clinging to his side vanished beneath the polished confidence of someone who knew exactly what a camera wanted.
Martin felt an invisible gun press against his forehead.
Recognize her. Come on, think.
She leaned a fraction closer, keeping his arm snug against her warm side. Her half-lidded gaze never left his, while the subtle pressure of her thigh against his leg made concentrating far more difficult than it should have been. She clearly knew exactly what she was doing.
Stop staring and use your damn brain.
Martin dug through his limited memories of movies, short clips, and advertisements. He had definitely seen those sharp eyes and that confident smile somewhere before, but the answer refused to surface until her expression finally connected with a half-forgotten memory.
It came from that advertisement.
Alexandra had appeared in a promotional video for Monster Hunter Academy Online, inviting people to play while the comments and accompanying clips hyped her upcoming role as a villainess who fought with dual swords. Martin could still vaguely remember the flashy effects, dramatic camera angles, and the effortless confidence with which she had delivered every line.
Back then, he had thought celebrities had it easy. They stepped in front of a camera, smiled, said a few rehearsed words, and somehow earned more than most people made in years. Now that Alexandra was recreating that presence from only inches away, he could no longer think that way.
Every small change in her expression felt deliberate. She knew how to draw his attention and keep it where she wanted without making the effort visible. Maintaining that level of control probably took far more work than Martin had ever considered.
She must work insanely hard to make it look this easy. Yeah, becoming a famous actress takes more than talent. Chaos, you’re awesome!
"Seems like you recognized me," Alexandra said.
The amusement in her voice told him she had enjoyed every second of his struggle.
"Ah, yeah. From that ad." Martin nodded.
Her seductive smile stiffened for half a second.
"An ad, huh?" Alexandra licked her lips and tightened her hold on his arm. "Well, a win is a win."
Martin was still wondering whether he had disappointed her when the woman on his other side gave his arm a gentle but insistent tug.
He turned toward Crimson Halo. Her palm remained against his other cheek, leaving him caught between both sisters. Unlike Alexandra, she did not put on a dramatic performance. She simply tilted his face a little farther toward hers and waited, her orange eyes warm with expectation.
Her quiet confidence somehow made the pressure worse.
The hope in her expression made her look like a beautiful mommy asking her child for attention, and that struck Martin harder than he wanted to admit. The soft press of her body against his arm grew firmer as she drew him closer, leaving him even less room to think.
Unfortunately, there was something he wanted to admit even less.
I have no damn clue who she is.
His knowledge of celebrities had always been terrible. He barely used social media and spent even less time watching television. Unless someone appeared in an advertisement he happened to see or starred in something impossible to avoid, Martin usually had no idea who they were.
Crimson Halo waited patiently, but as the silence stretched, her smile weakened and her lips formed a small pout. The brightness in her orange eyes gradually dimmed while the fingers against his cheek pressed a little more firmly.
She drew his arm closer against her side, almost as though keeping him there might squeeze the answer out of him, but the added closeness only made thinking harder.
Mommy, please. I’m trying.
Alexandra leaned back just enough to see her older sister’s face, and satisfaction curled at the corners of her mouth.
"Looks like he doesn’t recognize you," she said.
Katherine’s pout deepened as her fingers pressed more firmly against Martin’s cheek.
A few steps away, Elisebeth raised one hand to her lips and released a perfectly theatrical laugh.
"Hahaha!"
Her shoulders shook with barely restrained delight. She tried to maintain a diva’s elegance, but the triumph shining in her eyes gave her away. Katherine was suffering the same humiliation Elisebeth had endured moments earlier, and she was enjoying every second of it.
Beside her, Rias gave the diva a flat look. Elisebeth noticed and immediately composed herself, although the victorious curve of her lips remained.
That graceful little jab awakened Katherine’s villainess side. The disappointment in her orange eyes sharpened into something far more dangerous. Her hand slid from Martin’s cheek to his chin, guiding his face fully toward hers while she kept her other arm linked with his.
The touch remained gentle, but her sweet smile carried a clear warning.
"Then I’ll make sure you recognize me properly, Martin," Katherine declared.
She leaned closer until her warm breath brushed his skin, speaking with the patient confidence of someone who already knew he had nowhere to escape.
"I already have several selfies prepared, and tonight, you’re spending the entire evening with me on a private call. I’ll show you my social media, my best photos, and the greatest scenes from every movie I’ve appeared in."
Her thumb swept slowly across his chin.
"By the time I’m finished, you’ll know everything about me."
Martin swallowed as Katherine’s orange eyes burned with renewed determination. Alexandra still occupied his other side, leaving him trapped between the sisters while Elisebeth watched the exchange with one hand still near her lips.
"Don’t you dare refuse me," Katherine continued. "An angry momma is one thing, but an angry mommy villainess?"
Her smile sharpened as she held his gaze.
"That’s something you definitely don’t want to deal with."
Martin turned both palms upward as far as the sisters’ grips allowed. "Yes, Mom!"
Katherine brightened at once. Her hold softened, though she made no effort to release him.
Alexandra clicked her tongue at how easily her sister had secured an entire evening alone with Martin. Elisebeth’s triumphant smile disappeared for much the same reason, while Rias quietly watched the competition grow more dangerous by the second.
Before any of them could start arguing over Martin again, a new presence pulled their attention toward the edge of the gathering.
Alexandra’s playful expression settled, and Katherine’s thumb went still beneath Martin’s chin. Elisebeth turned so quickly that her midnight-violet hair swept across her shoulder, while even Rias straightened at the sight of the approaching woman.
The woman Martin least expected to see there had arrived, bringing an entirely different kind of pressure with her.
The Final Boss.
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