Beyond

Chapter 33

Jesse

We gathered at Pierre's room, all 'dressed-up and fully makeup' as we waited for Hilda to come. Since Payne was using an illusion, we don't have to worry about our appearances. And the moment we took a step outside the Underground Lair, the people we met would forget about our faces and wouldn't recognize us once the illusion had been lifted.

Pierre was the one who opened the door when someone knocked. "Good evening! Oh dear, you're all very beautiful! He's there, as usual. I'm hoping that you all learned the art of seducing a man in your free time?"

"We didn't!" Pierre said with confidence. "I'm sure with just Jesse's smile, he—she'll take their hearts in a second!"

I forced a laugh.

"Oh dear! I think I could second to that!" Hilda smiled. "Now, let's get going. The man is waiting for his doom to come," Hilda said, winking at us.

"That's him," Hilda said, pointing at the man with long hair that was tied up into a messy bun while drinking some whisky and smoking cigar with his friends. He has the aura of a troublemaker. "Then I'll leave the rest to you."

"Leave everything to us," Pierre said, winking at Hilda.

"I'm sure Cole will know that we're aiming for him if I come with you. I'll meet the three of you later," Hilda said before leaving.

The three of us entered the tavern and took a seat next to Cole's table. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling nervous. Payne's cold hand went on top of mine for a moment, easing me up a bit.

"So how should we do this?" I asked Pierre, knowing he was the one in charge.

Pierre grinned. "Do you even have to question that? Of course, we'll approach their table!" Pierre said. He was about to stand up, but Payne touched his wrist, stopping him.

"You're acting rash," Payne said. "He might find it suspicious. Instead of showing ourselves out there, we should work on our body language by giving them subtle glances."

Pierre took a seat. "You're right. Jesse! You're up!"

"What? That soon?" I asked with a shaky tone.

"What? You're his type," Pierre said.

I looked at Cole's table, and chills ran down my spine when our eyes met. My heart started to beat fast in nervousness. Pierre's voice echoed in my mind before we entered. Smile and wave.

I mustered every ounce of my courage to wave and tried my best to give him a sweet smile. Cole smirked and raised his glass a little before drinking it in one go. A wave of panic surged through me when he started walking towards our table, and his friends behind him started cheering for him.

"Look at these new faces... Hello there, lady?" Cole intentionally looked straight into my eyes, not even bothering to look at Payne and Pierre.

"Jesse," I said, forcing a smile at him and trying my best to make it look natural. Payne and Pierre also introduced themselves.

"My, my, what do we have here? We're just sitting here on the table, and you've already caught someone's eye." Pierre smirked.

"Your friend here indeed caught my attention," Cole said, smiling at me. I couldn't help but mentally gag in disgust. "Would you like to join our table?"

Payne wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "We're certainly not leaving her alone with a stranger that we just met."

Cole chuckled. "My name's Cole, and rather than inviting her alone, I would like to invite all of you. I'm sure my friends would be fine with that," Cole said, winking at me.