Chapter 61: 61 Gifts & Forgiveness
Selene’s lips curved into a small, delicate smile.
For some reason, that beautiful, gentle smile sent a cold shiver straight down Dexter’s spine. It felt incredibly dangerous.
"You haven’t kissed your wives," she said, her voice quiet and even. "But you kiss strangers."
Step.
She moved half a step closer to him.
Dexter instinctively stepped backward, his heel hitting the wooden baseboard of the front door.
Step.
She moved closer again, her pale, cool hand reaching out to touch the wooden door frame beside his shoulder, pinning him in place.
For the first time since he had met her, Dexter realized that Selene was genuinely, incredibly scary when she wanted to be.
He let out an awkward, nervous laugh. "I... I didn’t think you girls would appreciate me kissing you. Given our situation, and how much you value your personal space..."
Selene tilted her head slightly, her blank eyes fixed on his face.
"But kissing beautiful, wealthy strangers is acceptable?"
Dexter shook his head violently. "No! Absolutely not! It’s not like that at all. She... she didn’t know I was married at first. She thought I was single, so she acted a bit forward."
He coughed rapidly, trying to find a way out of the conversation.
"But now that she knows I have three lovely, beautiful, and incredibly cute wives living here with me, she definitely won’t do anything like that ever again. I will make sure of it."
Selene remained silent, her pale face just inches from his. She seemed to be listening to his heartbeat, verifying if he was telling the truth.
Eventually, she slowly nodded her head. "I see."
Dexter secretly let out a massive sigh of relief, his muscles relaxing slightly.
Then, Selene asked another quiet question.
"If she is no longer interested..."
"Why did she stay to have tea?"
Dexter immediately replied. "Because it was polite! And... and she’s our main contact at the Association. We need to maintain a good, professional relationship with her so we can get our licenses and resources without any administrative delays."
Selene slowly nodded again. Then, without another word, she turned around and carefully guided her way back toward the dining table, sitting down in her chair once more as if nothing had happened.
Dexter released a long, shaky breath, leaning against the front door.
Thankfully... that crisis was finally over.
Or so he thought.
He had barely taken five steps down the hallway when he froze in his tracks.
Lyra was standing silently at the entrance of the corridor.
Her dark AI glasses were active, the tiny red lights on the frame blinking slowly.
Even though her eyes were hidden behind the dark lenses, Dexter could feel her gaze. She was staring directly at his face, judging him.
Dexter swallowed hard. Had she heard everything from her room?
He had no idea. But as he walked past her toward the kitchen, he could still feel her eyes tracking his every movement like a silent, judging shadow.
Meanwhile, the temperature in the living room remained incredibly high. Mira’s fire talent was clearly still active, the hot air radiating from her direction practically screaming: ’Danger. Do not enter.’
Dexter wisely decided to avoid the living room entirely.
He quietly retreated to his own small bedroom.
The moment the door closed and the lock clicked, he sank onto his bed and wiped the thick sweat from his forehead.
"Phew..."
"Those girls are absolutely terrifying."
He lay back against his flat pillow, staring at the ceiling.
"Not one."
"Not two."
"Three of them. Three terrifying, powerful women living under my roof."
He suddenly paused. A strange, unexpected thought appeared in his mind.
Were they...
Jealous?
Dexter immediately shook his head, dismissing the ridiculous idea.
Impossible. That couldn’t be it.
They had only been living together for a short time, and their relationship had been primarily focused on survival and recovery. There was no way they had developed those kinds of feelings for him so quickly.
After thinking about it for a few minutes, he arrived at what his practical, logical mind considered the correct, obvious answer.
"They’re just protecting their property," he muttered to himself, nodding with confidence.
"It’s like how kids get angry when someone tries to touch their favorite toys. They don’t want some outsider from the inner districts interfering with their household."
Completely unaware of how hilariously wrong his conclusion was, Dexter nodded to himself, feeling highly satisfied with his logical deduction.
A few minutes later, after ensuring the temperature in the living room had returned to normal, he walked back out.
Mira was still sitting in her wheelchair near the window, her arms unmoving on her laps as she stared at the television screen. Her expression remained cold and stubborn.
Without saying a word, Dexter walked over. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful, delicate necklace.
It was the ’Type-5 Protective Amulet Necklace’ he had received from his system rewards.
The necklace was stunning. It was made of a rare, silver-colored metal that looked like liquid starlight, with a small, deep blue gemstone hanging in the center.
He leaned down and gently placed it around Mira’s neck, fastening the small clasp.
Mira froze. She looked down at the beautiful gem resting against her collarbone, her eyes widening.
Then, she immediately turned her head and glared at him. "Do you think giving me expensive gifts will make me forgive you for flirting with that woman?"
Dexter shrugged, offering a small, playful smile. "Will it work?"
Mira lowered her eyes back to the gemstone. It was incredibly beautiful.
Far more refined and high-grade than any jewelry her family had owned during their prime. She could feel a gentle, warm energy flowing from the metal, soothing her tense nerves and making her feel remarkably safe.
For several long seconds, she simply stared at it.
Then—
"Hmph."
She turned her head away.
But she did not ask him to remove it.
Dexter smiled. That was already an answer.
Unfortunately—
Lyra had witnessed the entire scene from the hallway.
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