Chapter 93: 93 | The Coward’s Promise
Another day passed quickly.
Dante went to work with Emma in the morning and came back at noon to continue his training with Natasha.
After making sure he had the mana circulation down properly, she handed him a dozen storage rings filled with cultivation resources and spent the rest of the day teaching him about the world of awakeners.
Before any of them realized it, the day of the gala had arrived.
***
The black car rolled to a stop in front of the Grand Zenith Tower, the tallest building on the Tempest Bay waterfront.
A red carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the curb, lined with photographers on both sides.
Inside the car, Emma checked herself in the mirror one last time.
She was wearing a long ice-blue evening gown that matched her hair perfectly. It hugged her body from the chest down to her waist before flowing out elegantly below. Her shoulders were bare and a thin diamond necklace sat against her collarbone.
She looked like an ice princess.
"Are you ready?" She glanced at Dante beside her with a smile.
He was wearing a tailored black suit, a white dress shirt underneath, and a dark tie. His hair was styled properly.
"I’ve always been ready." Dante said with a grin, tilting his head at her after adjusting his cuff.
That grin made her remember the hallway incident where she got completely bullied.
’Hmph! Don’t think everything will go your way just because you caught me off guard once.’ She pouted at him cutely and nudged him with her elbow.
Maybe before it would have actually hurt, but now after reaching Body Reformation, he barely felt a tickle. He still put on a pained look and glared at her though.
Seeing the triumphant smile on her face, he immediately got the urge to bully her. ’Let’s see how long that smile lasts.’
The next moment, a robotic voice sounded in Emma’s head.
[Triggering Task 2...]
[Task 2: Walk into the gala holding Dante’s hand. This is the first step of letting everyone know he’s yours! Be aggressive from the start!]
’H-hold his hand?’ Emma’s heart jumped but she kept her expression calm. ’In front of all these people?’
After the wall slam, she had some trouble looking him in the eye.
If she held hands with him, it was basically the same as announcing they were together. Natasha, her big sisters, her friends, everyone she knew would hear about it by morning.
Thinking about how she would face them and their teasing, a wave of nervousness hit her.
[What happened to all that courage? If you don’t want other women approaching Dante, you have to let them know he’s yours!]
’Shut up. I know.’ She took a breath and collected herself. There was some hesitation but not once did she consider backing out.
"Let’s go." She turned to Dante with a smile and grabbed the door handle.
He stepped out first, walked around the car, and reached his hand out to help her up.
Seeing the hand stretched toward her, Emma’s eyes lit up. ’This is it!’
She took his hand and stepped out of the car. But instead of letting go, she smoothly hooked her arm around his and locked it in place before showing him a proud look.
’Oh?’ Dante glanced at her with some surprise. ’I guess she wasn’t wasting all her time on work like before.’
He couldn’t help but sigh internally.
He wanted to be the gentleman who offered his arm first, but in the end, he got taken advantage of.
’But this isn’t bad either. It would be too boring if she just let me have my way every time.’ An amused glint flashed in his eyes as they stepped onto the red carpet, walking side by side.
Emma could feel every photographer’s eyes locking onto them.
’T-this is nothing. We’re just holding hands.’ Her heart was racing and she was doing everything she could to keep it under control. ’Get it together, Emma. You’ve done harder things than this. You run a company worth trillions. This is nothing.’
"Big Sis, are you nervous?" Dante turned to her after noticing her tension and whispered in a teasing tone. "Why do you always make things harder for yourself?"
Those words immediately spiked Emma’s pride.
She threw all the distracting thoughts out of her head and whispered back with a cold face. "At least I’m not a coward like someone."
"Haha, who are you calling a coward?" Dante said, still smiling.
"Obviously you." Emma chuckled, covering her mouth before continuing.
"You got cured two days ago and got chosen as a successor. But you can’t even find the courage to confess to someone you like."
Dante had planned to keep teasing her but he didn’t expect her to be this direct. It made his confident expression crack for a second.
He did have feelings for her. There was nothing stopping him from confessing. The only thing standing in the way was himself.
He wanted her to fall for him first.
But from where she stood, he was still the same coward he had always been.
There was an awkward silence between them as they walked. Emma thought she had gone too far and was about to change the subject when Dante spoke.
"You’re right." He said, looking straight ahead. "I am a coward."
Emma turned to him, not expecting him to agree that easily.
"But not for long." He added with a quiet smile.
Before she could ask what he meant, they reached the photo area.
The couple ahead of them, some tech CEO and his wife, stood there smiling stiffly. A few photographers raised their cameras out of courtesy and took a couple of shots.
They stepped aside and it was Emma and Dante’s turn. The moment the two of them walked into the frame, the entire carpet lit up.
Every photographer fired at once. The flashes were so rapid and blinding it felt like standing inside a lightning storm.
But Emma didn’t notice any of it. Her mind was still stuck on those three words.
’Not for long?’ A sense of anticipation started building in her chest.
Ba-thump!
And along with it, a gorgeous smile bloomed on her face.
Comments