Chapter 413: A Small Detour...

Closing the door behind him, Stan casually walked to the elevator and got inside...

The elevator was empty. He watched the numbers count downward and, in the small quiet that always seemed to gather inside a descending elevator, permitted his thoughts to move for a moment across the shape of the day.

Sacha, in the past two days, drifting into small unfocused inward looks he had told himself were tiredness.

Sophie, three thousand miles away, sitting up in the dark at three in the morning because her body had known his was on fire.

Amelia, boarding a flight within twenty-four hours of learning he was back, arriving in Inksea, and, with the small careful hurry of a woman who had been afraid the answer might be no, asking to see him.

Three different people. Three different developments. His life, quietly, complicating itself along multiple lines at once.

He found, to his mild surprise, that he did not dislike it.

There was something warm about being wanted.

He smiled faintly. ’I suppose I’m not completely alone anymore.’

The doors opened onto the lobby.

The doorman inclined his head. Stan returned the nod and walked out into the fading gold of the late afternoon, down the small private drive toward the parking area at the side of the building.

The Lamborghini waited in its slot, catching the low sun in long liquid streaks along its dark paint.

He unlocked it. The car answered with the soft mechanical click of a vehicle that had been designed by people who thought a lot about what a door should sound like.

He slid into the driver’s seat. Before starting the engine, he looked, one more time, at Amelia’s message.

’I finally get to see him again’ would not have shown up in the text. The text was a hotel and a suite number and nothing else. But Stan, in the small quiet of his parked car, could hear it under the letters just the same.

He smiled.

"Alright."

The engine came alive with the low unhurried growl of an aggressively expensive piece of Italian engineering, and the Lamborghini pulled smoothly out of the private drive.

The sun was beginning its slow descent toward the horizon.

The coastal road unspooled ahead of him in long warm bars.

At the other end of it, in a hotel suite nine floors above the promenade, a woman he had not intended to matter this much to him was standing in front of a mirror trying, and failing, to compose her heart.

Stan pressed the accelerator down, easy and unhurried.

The Lamborghini moved smoothly along the coastal road, its engine a subdued growl beneath the fading sounds of the city.

Stan drove with one hand resting comfortably on the wheel, the other occasionally shifting gears as the road opened ahead of him.

His thoughts, however, had already drifted away from the road.

Camilla. More specifically, Camilla pretending she didn’t like Uno.

He smiled.

She had maintained that same composed expression throughout the conversation, as though requesting more games was nothing more than a practical decision.

’I never said I disliked that one.’

Stan almost laughed again. "Right."

She had been trying remarkably hard not to admit that she enjoyed it. And somehow, that had made the whole thing more amusing.

He glanced at the road ahead. If he was being honest, he hadn’t expected Camilla to take an interest in something as mundane as a card game.

She was a vampire and a Cultivator that have probably seen many things... Yet somehow, Uno had managed to catch her attention.

Stan shook his head with a faint smile. "Maybe I should’ve introduced her to modern entertainment sooner."

He had actually been considering it. Games consoles, modern video games. Perhaps even some multiplayer games he could play with her.

But that could wait. For now, she had specifically asked for games she could use to pass the time, and he had promised to find her some. Uno was obvious. Chess was another.

A game based on strategy, prediction, positioning, and reading an opponent’s intentions.

Camilla would probably enjoy that. Beyond those two, though, he couldn’t immediately think of anything else that would suit her.

There were plenty of modern strategy games, but most required some kind of device.

He’d introduce her to those later. For now, cards and chess would do. His eyes wandered briefly toward the storefronts passing by.

Then one particular sign caught his attention. Stan slowed.

A small game and hobby shop sat along the roadside, its front window displaying board games, playing cards, puzzles, and various other items.

His eyes lingered on the display. He glanced toward the road ahead. Then back at the shop.

"...Worth a look."

He indicated, turned into the small parking area, and brought the Lamborghini to a smooth stop.

The contrast between the expensive sports car and the modest little shop was almost comical.

Stan stepped out, locked the vehicle, and walked toward the entrance.

The bell above the door gave a soft chime as he entered.

"Welcome!" A young woman behind the counter looked up with a practiced smile.

Then her expression changed. Her eyes widened.

She stared at him for a second as a soft shocked voice came out the next second, "...Wait."

Stan stopped with a bit of surprise by the sudden unexpected outburst... He could only watch as the woman’s mouth fell slightly open. "You’re..."

She immediately straightened and added, "Student Tycoon Stan?"

Stan gave her a polite smile. "Yeah."

Her face lit up, "Oh my God."

She quickly stepped out from behind the counter, "I’m a huge fan of yours!"

Stan blinked.

The enthusiasm was genuine. She seemed almost embarrassed by how excited she had become.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I just, it’s really surprising to see you here. I never imagined someone like you would actually come into a shop like this."

Stan gave a small laugh, "I’m still a customer."

"Of course!" She nodded rapidly. "Of course. I’m sorry."