Veronica's Fallacy

10.

-HIM-

I felt giddy with excitement as Gunner led her up the stairs to my front door. I had been waiting for this since last night, but I couldn't have guessed that she'd want to meet me so quickly. Not that I was complaining. I was delighted.

I had burst into happiness earlier in the evening when Gunner called to inform me that Jeremy claimed she was back in the bar. Now, she was finally here— in my abode. She couldn't run away from here. Now, I had all the time in the world to talk to her, get to know her, and maybe strengthen our bond.

I was blindingly optimistic about this evening. So much so that I had even arranged a date on short notice. It wasn't much, but I had called a chef to make something impressive for her.

When I descended the stairs and turned towards my living room, I saw her standing by the window, staring outside. I was overjoyed at the sight of her.

"Miss Veronica Grant," I addressed her. Even though I wanted to sound professional, I couldn't help but smile to myself saying her name. She was all I had been thinking about since last night.

She gave a small gasp and turned to face me. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw me, and she had a look of unadulterated shock on her face. I could tell she hadn't been expecting to see me, and this quickly made me realize that she didn't know I was the Lord she was supposed to meet.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in an accusing tone as if she caught me trespassing on her property. I wanted to chuckle, but this only confirmed my suspicion that she didn't know I was the Lord. Still, I couldn't understand why she ran away last night.

Nonetheless, she was going to stay here for the night, and I was determined to get the answers from her soon.

"I live here," I told her with a smile. I didn't miss how her gaze lingered on my lips briefly before she schooled her features, her face turning blank and unreadable. "I'm Grim, the Lord that agreed to do your job," I clarified. I swear I saw her suck in a breath before she looked away shortly.

I watched her like a hawk, unable to take my eyes off her. I wanted her grey eyes to be back on me. I wanted her beside me. Being on the other side of the living room felt too far from her.

She licked her lips nervously and looked back at me.

"Er... yes," she muttered. "I'm here to discuss that," she said reluctantly.

"We'd be discussing more than that," I beamed at her, giving her hints, but she gave me another blank look.

"I'm strictly here for business," She stated sternly.

"Then I'll make it part of the business," I said. "Please, this way. We can talk about it over dinner," I told her, gesturing towards the stairs. She gave me one of those lingering looks before stepping towards the stairs.

I let her climb before me, but that soon proved to be a bad idea because I was staring at her ass more than I should. Well, I'd get a lifetime of time to stare at that ass, but for tonight, my main goal was to put her at ease and make an excellent good impression.

Though I could tell that that'd be a challenging task, me being an Underlord must've sent her walls up to the moon. On top of that, she worked for the council, and the last time I checked, they weren't particularly pleased with my existence.

Her blank face told me that she was not pleased to see me. Maybe that was one reason she ran away last night, but she didn't know about my Lordship. There was indeed a lot more to this.

I led her to the dinner table, helping her take a seat. I noticed her glancing around before her gaze settled on the window, looking out at the city.

"Do you like the view?" I asked, pouring her a drink.

"Yes, it's great," she answered dryly, fighting to keep her voice apathetic.

"I'm glad you like it. It looks even better from my terrace," I told her, sitting opposite her. I never took my eyes off her while she did her best not to look at me directly. She sat tensely in her seat, her hands clasped in her lap.

"I'm sure it does," She said. "I'm searching for a council member named Victor Stein," She told me, her tone businesslike. "He has been missing since the last six months,"

"I see," I said, somewhat disappointed that she didn't show interest in addressing the elephant in the room first. She seemed determined to ignore it completely. She was undoubtedly guarded, and I wondered why. Sure, my Lordship could be a strong reason, but it had to be something far beyond it.

"I'm not sure if he's alive or dead," She added. I took a sip of my drink.

"I could easily confirm that," I assured her.

"How?" She asked, her eyes slightly widening. She was more interested in the case than in me. I suppressed my frown and focused on her instead.

"I've my ways," I shrugged. She stared at me for a second longer before looking away. "Why don't you taste the drink? It's pomegranate wine," I offered, but she looked more defensive.

"I've been told you require payment for your service," She spoke, her eyes hard and unreadable. She was dismissive yet blunt at the same time. Definitely stubborn. I was oddly pleased by this trait of hers.

"That I do," I nodded, pinning her with my gaze. I had planned to save this conversation to take place at the end of dinner, but she seemed determined to get done with this already. Sure, I was clear about what I wanted from her, but at the same time, I was sure she wouldn't take it well after hearing it from me, especially since she seemed to be guarded. I needed to have her guard down first.

"And what is it?" She asked, her tone coming out as rash and tense. I smiled at her.

"We can always discuss business later. Let's have dinner first," I offered, and just in time, the chef walked in with the starters.

~

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