Chapter 161 | You’re Truly Beautiful When You Smile

Chapter 161: 161 | You’re Truly Beautiful When You Smile

Rosalind’s eyes locked onto Dexter with blinding, murderous rage.

"You..."

She wasn’t able to finish the word.

A hand landed on her shoulder.

Instantly, the entire aura erupting out of her body dissipated like smoke, collapsing back into her body as though it had never existed.

The heavy pressure that had been pressing down on the entire neighborhood evaporated rapidly.

One second, an Ultra-Rank hero was radiating enough killing intent to silence the entire street, the next, she felt like an ordinary woman standing in the road in her bare feet.

Rosalind’s eyes went wide in confusion and shock as she turned around.

There, she saw an old woman standing behind her.

The old woman was short, slightly hunched, with her white hair pulled back in a bun, with deep wrinkles framing a pair of bright, mischievous eyes.

She wore a faded gardening apron over a simple cotton dress, and her hands were still dirty from working in her flowerbeds.

The old lady was smiling warmly as she held softly held Rosalind shoulder like a neighbor who had just stopped to chat with a fellow neighbor about the weather.

"Hey kid," the old woman said in a warm tone. "Who are you looking for?"

Rosalind stared at the lady and her mind went blank. That single tap on her shoulder had retracted her entire aura against her own will!

’What the hell is this woman?’

Although this was her first thought, she didn’t dare to voice it out!

For someone to be able to casually withdraw an Ultra-Rank hero’s aura with a single touch meant only one thing.

This old woman was stronger than her.

Far, far stronger.

Her mouth opened and closed twice before she managed to produce sound.

"I... my... I came here to visit my sister."

She stuttered like a little girl caught doing ai something bad.

At that moment, Dexter just reached the gate.

He stopped and took in the scene.

There, he saw Grandma Lucy’s holding Rosalind’s shoulder and she seem to be cooperating?

Grandma Lucy ignored Rosalind completely and turned toward Dexter with a warm smile.

"Little chef. I heard some commotion from your place. Is this girl bothering you?"

Dexter blinked.

He looked at Rosalind and he saw her face was pale and her eyes wide with terror.

Dexter raised an eyebrow and looked at Grandma Lucy. And his eyes narrowed slightly.

He had specifically came outside to vent and teach Rosalind a lesson about speaking with respect but it seems he was late.

Dexter let out a small smile and shook his head.

"Sorry for the disturbance, Grandma Lucy. It was just a slight argument between sisters, nothing serious. Moreover, this young lady was just leaving."

Rosalind shot Dexter a venomous glare but she didn’t dare say otherwise. So she forced a smile and managed to speak.

"Y-yes," she stuttered, nodding rapidly. "Yes, yes. I was just leaving."

"Alright kid. Take care of yourself then." Grandma Lucy smiled and patted Rosalind’s shoulder three times and then retracted her hand.

Each tap made Rosalind face pale even further as her body rumbled. Blood spilled from the corner of her lips.

Rosalind didn’t dare say anything but gritted her teeth and stared at Dexter with deep hatred.

But whatever words she wanted to deliver died on her lips under Grandma Lucy’s cheerful gaze.

She turned and walked toward her BMW with unsteady legs.

She didn’t have her handbag nor her shoes. She was walking barefoot on the street, stepping on the same dirt, and germs that she had been so careful to avoid inside his house.

Now she was stepping on all of it with full confidence because she had no choice.

And that made her even angrier.

She shot Dexter one final, ugly glare over her shoulder before yanking open the car door, sliding into the driver’s seat, and slamming it shut.

"Vroooom!"

The engine roared to life as the BMW pulled away from the curb, accelerating down the street, and disappeared around the corner.

Dexter watched her go then he turned to Grandma Lucy and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry for the disturbance, Grandma Lucy."

Grandma Lucy smiled and nodded. "It’s alright, little chef. These things happen when you have family." She paused, her bright eyes twinkling. "Just remember your promise about giving me a taste of your cooking."

Dexter smiled warmly. "Don’t worry, Grandma Lucy. When I start cooking, you’ll be the first to taste the food. I promise."

"Good kid," she smiled and turned back to her course.

Dexter watched her go with narrowed eyes.

’She’s definitely not simple.’

He shook his head, and walked back inside through the front door.

---

The living room was a mess.

Glass shards covered the floor, dust coated every surface ans curtain hung by a single hook, swaying in the breeze that blew through the enormous hole where the window used to be.

Dexter looked at the destruction and pursed his lips.

’That’s going to cost money to fix.’

He sighed and began carefully picking up the larger pieces of broken glass, setting them aside in a pile. He would need to purchase new glass, new framing, new plaster, and possibly new insulation depending on how deep the structural damage went.

He was halfway through sweeping the smaller fragments into a dustpan when Mira spoke.

"Is she gone?"

Dexter nodded. "Yes. She left."

Mira’s brow furrowed. "She left just like that?"

Dexter shrugged. "Yeah. She left just like that."

"Rosalind now knows I can use mana."

Dexter stopped sweeping.

He turned back toward her. "Yeah."

Mira’s crimson eyes were fixed on her own hands. She suddenly spoke softly.

"Things might become very difficult for you over the next few weeks," she said.

Dexter’s brow furrowed as he thought about it.

Rosalind had seen Mira use mana which meant she thinks she had fully recovered her meridians, not knowing it was the Grand CosmosTechnique.

And Rosalind would definitely not keep that information to herself.

She would tell the Calloway family. Immediately and once the Calloway family learned that their broken, discarded daughter could cultivate again, they would want her back. Afterall, Mira was an S-Rank mana affinity holder with an A-Rank Crimson Flame-Heart talent. She was also supposed to be the future family head before disaster struck and now that she was half healed, therefore, they’re definitely not let her rot with a bastard husband.

But Dexter had read the marriage contract. Multiple times after realizing he had been scammed.

He had been looking for a loophole but he realized the contract was ironclad.

Moreover, it wasn’t a normal contract but a Death God Contract.

The three families had insisted on it. They had been so determined to prevent the Ashford family from finding a loophole that they had invoked the most binding form of magical contract in existence. A Death God Contract didn’t just bind the parties legally. It bound their souls.

If any party broke the terms of the contract, their body would remain intact. Their body would continue to exist. But their soul would be ripped from their flesh.

The contract itself enforced the penalty, and no power in the world could override it.

The Calloway family, the Vance family, the Frost family, and the Ashford family had all signed it. All four families were bound by it. And none of them, no matter how powerful, no matter how wealthy, no matter how desperate, would dare break it.

Breaking the contract was the same as seeking death.

So no. The Calloway family could not take Mira back. The same ironclad contract they had designed to trap the Ashford family was now the very thing preventing them from reclaiming what they had discarded.

Dexter turned to Mira and shook his head.

"Don’t worry about it," he said, his voice calm and steady. "Everything will be fine."

Mira glanced at him. Her crimson eyes searched his face for a long moment, looking for doubt, but she saw he was completely confident.

Suddenly, something warm bloomed in her chest as it spread slowly, filling her heart. Her gaze turned gentle and she suddenly smiled without knowing.

Dexter stared, completely dumbfounded. Mira was an extremely beautiful lady and now that she was smiling so warmly, her beauty multiplied by 1000 fold!

She was, in that single moment, breathtakingly beautiful.

The words left his mouth before his brain could stop them.

"You’re truly beautiful when you smile."

Mira froze, her eyes widened as the smile vanished.

Her face suddenly flushed red as she quickly whipped her head away.

"Pervert," she muttered.

He blinked.

"What did I do this time?"

Mira refused to answer.

But as she turned her face further toward the wall, hiding her expression behind the curtain of her hair, the corners of her lips curled upward once more.

[Mira Calloway Affection: ...]