"Hey. I know you're in there. I need a favour."

Callista opened her bedroom door, her messy hair framing her face. She stood topless, wearing only a pair of panties that barely covered her.

"It's 7 in the morning. You'd better have a good reason for breaking into my home and disturbing my beauty sleep. If you don't, I will use you as punishment."

Theodore took off his coat and offered it to her. "Cover yourself. You look terrible."

Callista raised an eyebrow at him as she took his coat. Covering herself with it, she leaned against the door frame.

"I could say the same about you, psycho. The only thing you look good in is being naked, and that's generous. So, why did you disturb me?"

Theodore looked at her earnestly. "I need something on Seraphina. Anything."

Callista's expression shifted to one of seriousness. "Why would you need anything against her? By now, you should know I'm a partner with them, and I have to do things that benefit my interests and theirs."

She scoffed. "Even though I don't want to, I am their partner now. You'll need to give me a really good reason for why you need leverage against her."

Theodore pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket.

"I want her but to do that, I need to get rid of Aric."

Callista grabbed him by the throat and pushed him onto her bed, locking the doors behind her. Her expression turned increasingly confused.

"Really, Aric? I've tried twice to get to him, and both times, he outsmarted me. This plan we devised, you know, the one I brought you into that was in the works for months and yet, we still lost."

Theodore propped himself up on his hands. "We? I didn't lose."

Callista looked at him mockingly. "Yes, you did, you baboon. Don't lie to me; you initiated a fight with him so you could accidentally kill him. You did that knowing my teacher was there. Are you ten years old? Does mommy need to change your diaper?"

"Hey!" Theodore said, visibly angry. "Watch your tone."

Callista raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What are you going to do about it? Want me to tell the Royal Court what you did to little Vayne to get her? Would you like me to remind you how much you owe me and what I had to do for you?"

Theodore looked defeated, covering his face with his hands.

"Okay, okay. Shut up. What do you have? I can give you acres of land or whatever you want. Just give me something."

Callista's mind was racing despite her dislike for mornings. A smirk crept onto her face, making Theodore uncomfortable. She stepped closer and caressed his jaw.

"I have something, but the cost this time will be double."

Theodore's gaze followed her fingers as they grazed his face, recognizing he shouldn't pull away or things would get worse.

"What is it?"

She chuckled softly. "I want you, pretty boy. You will be my partner for a while while I use you. Then, with my knowledge, you'll bring Aric to me as well. You can have your little Seraphina at the expense of your body and the assurance of bringing Aric to me."

She gripped his face, forcing him to look at her. "Think you can do that?"

He met her gaze with fervor. "I'd rather die on the street than be in bed with you."

She frowned mockingly. "Aww. Still protecting your little ass for her? You are quite pious. I'll allow you to skip sleeping with me for this deal, but you still have to play the role of my partner when I ask."

She placed her fingers on his lips, sensing his discomfort. She smiled, finding pleasure in his unease.

"It doesn't matter if you're the prince of this country or a baron of a small town. You will obey me, however I ask, and you will be rewarded for it. Be as uncomfortable as you want — I am the reason you got so close to succeeding before. You didn't account for Lira being there. You're smart, exceptional at adapting on the fly, but you really suck at long-term planning."

She closed the distance between them until their lips were just a few centimeters apart.

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"So, be a good man for me. I'll bring you the leverage you need."

*******************************

"Aric… help me…"

Seraphina was standing on top of a chair in her office as Junky wagged his tail, looking up at her with curiosity.

"Woof!"

"ARIC! HELP!"

Aric was walking down the hallway with Evelyn and Thorin when he heard her frantic call.

"You did what?" Aric exclaimed, shock spreading across his face.

"What?" Evelyn responded defensively. "I just bought the dog from a legitimate person. Maybe they were a little too attached to her."

Thorin facepalmed. "Even if I don't own any pets, taking someone's beloved animal feels wrong."

Evelyn's expression shifted to guilt. "But… I didn't mean it. She was ready to let Junky go, saying he was going to a better place. I had no bad intentions. I even told her she could come here as much as she wanted to see him."

As Aric considered questioning her further, he heard Seraphina call out again, more urgently this time.

"ARIC! HELP!"

The three of them rushed into the office to find Junky standing on his hind legs, his paws reaching for Seraphina's legs while she clung to the chair in fear.

The moment she saw Aric, without a second thought, she leaped into his arms. He caught her with ease. Her heart thumped hard against his chest as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, trembling with fear.

"Well," Aric said, adjusting his grip on her with a teasing smile, "how do you do, wife?"

Seraphina was too terrified to feel embarrassed. "Just… tell this dog to stop coming into the house. I don't know how he got up here!"

Aric wanted to put her down, but her grip was too tight. Reading her hesitation, he turned to Junky.

"Go outside. Seraphina is scared. She's still not used to you. Let's go, boy."

Junky obeyed with a small whine. He carried Seraphina to the door, with Junky following closely behind them.

Aric's heartbeat had begun syncing with Seraphina's as he started to feel something familiar, as if he'd done this before. As he glanced towards Seraphina's face, helpless yet so delicately composed. Her face was as fair as a daisy, and her hair running down his arm as smooth as silk. His heart began to beat faster.

She's beautiful, I think she's the most gorgeous person I've ever laid my eyes on. She's just like a snowflake, cold, sharp, and pretty on the outside, but melts so easily.

I can tell she loves the shampoo I gave her cause her hair smells lovely.

His thoughts started to become more intrusive,

What if… I kiss her cheek?

[Whoa, pretty bold claim there. I didn't think you had it in you.]

SHUT UP, IVY!

[Oooo, feisty just how I like em. Alright, Alright, I'll give the couple some room.]

"You uh, sure you want to do this? You can come down anytime." Aric said while looking at her

Seraphina glanced around the room and saw Evelyn, who was struggling to contain her laughter, her cheeks flushed red. Thorin maintained a stoic expression, though his ears betrayed him, which were also reddening.

WHAT DID I JUST DO? AM I CRAZY? LEAPING INTO HIS ARMS LIKE A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS.

"Mmm… sure. Just… keep him away from me." She said while being as red as a tomato.

Aric gently tapped Junky's thigh to encourage him to walk ahead. He set Seraphina down, and together, they moved towards the exit, Junky leading the way.

"It's been a week since Junky joined us. How do you feel? Minus this incident, of course." Aric asked, looking over at her.

"Umm…" Seraphina replied, taking a deep breath. "It's… going okay. This exposure therapy every evening is exhausting, but I'm getting better. I can at least touch his fur without freaking out now, so that's a start."

Aric nodded as they walked along. She continued to talk but he began to zone out, feeling strangely at home. Seraphina was by his side while Junky trotted in front of them, and they navigated the stairs and hallways together. It reminded him of the days when he would walk with his kids and Natasha.

[FUTURE PERK ACTIVATED!]

[PRESS HERE!]

Huh? Aric thought, feeling a sense of confusion. I haven't seen this in a while.

Ivy? Why is it activating now?

Ivy was sipping her tea while reading a manga.

[It means you finally changed your relationship with Seraphina,] she replied, her book covering her face.

Changed? Why now? Don't we already have a great relationship?

She looked up from her book, peering at him over the top.

[Do you really want an answer to that?]

Of course. I want to know why the perk is activating and why there's a glowing golden button right in front of me. Actually, this is the first time a button like this has appeared.

She sighed and closed her book. Her outfit had transformed into a modest professor look, complete with a lab coat and glasses.

[Because, you. Yes, you. Finally, you have something of equal value to what you had before. The FUTURE perk activates when you change your relationship with important people like Claire and others. However, it also activates when you find something that you once had on Earth.]

She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.

[In other words, you're beginning to see Seraphina the way you once saw Natasha.]

Aric blinked in surprise and wanted to ask more, but Ivy held up a sign that read, 'Busy. Watching a movie.'

WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME?

Ivy's voice sounded muffled as if she were walking away.

[Because I want to watch the new movie about a girl going to a café to meet a boy. I heard it's amazing. Buh-bye!]

He felt annoyed, God… I guess I don't have to click it now. I'll do it after I finish making stuff.

Seraphina waved her hand at him. "Aric? Are you okay? You were zoned out to the point where Junky was barking at you."

Aric blinked, focusing back on her. "Uh… yeah. Sorry, I might have a headache."

"Are you sure? I can help with some remedies."

Aric shook his head. "I'm fine. What were you saying?"

Seraphina opened the main door, and Junky ran out. "What I was saying is that we have to move to Onastin in two days. You should really start preparing yourself and fulfill any outstanding requests you have."

Aric nodded, realizing what she meant by preparing. "So how am I going to protect myself over there? Everyone is ready to attack me the moment they see me."

She closed the door and crossed her arms, looking at him seriously.

"It's okay. I have a plan. For now, just focus on finishing those gifts, especially Claire's."

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