Chapter 308: Chloe and Kelvina (1)

Kelvina had faced monsters that could level cities. She had survived family disputes that would have sent ordinary people running for the nearest continent. As an SS-Rank, she possessed enough power to make most awakened individuals think twice before provoking her.

But none of that could help her now because Chloe wasn’t a monster she could fight. She was Silas’s girlfriend, one of the women he had chosen.

"What if she hates me?" The question escaped her before she could stop it, but she immediately shook her head. "No. Don’t be ridiculous."

Chloe had been polite on the phone. Her voice hadn’t carried any obvious hostility. But politeness could mean many things. Perhaps Chloe wanted to establish boundaries, or perhaps she wanted to make it clear that Silas was already involved with several women and that Kelvina should stay away. Perhaps she intended to ask Kelvina what exactly she wanted from him.

That last possibility made Kelvina’s stomach twist, because she already knew the answer. She wanted to be near him. She wanted to know him beyond the brief encounters they had shared. She wanted to hear him laugh, discover what irritated him, learn what made him happy, and perhaps one day become someone he looked for when he entered a room.

The realization was frightening in its simplicity.

Kelvina had spent years mastering her powers, surviving the complicated politics of her family, and maintaining a carefully controlled public image.

She had never expected a pink-haired young man to make her feel like an inexperienced girl facing her first confession. And the worst part? He had no idea who she really was.

Kelvina glanced at the clock. It was still early in the morning. She could sleep a bit. She absolutely needed to sleep, but instead of that, she stood up and began pacing.

"What should I wear?" She exclaimed, halted, and stared at herself in her mirror in disbelief. "Why am I asking that? I’m meeting his girlfriend!"

She resumed pacing.

"Exactly! His girlfriend. I should dress respectfully. Something simple. Nothing too flashy." She walked to her wardrobe, but stopped again.

"Wait. What if dressing too simply makes it look like I don’t take her seriously?" She opened the wardrobe. "What if dressing too formally makes it look like I’m trying to challenge her?"

She stared at the clothes hanging before her. They weren’t much, but enough. For perhaps the first time in her long life, Kelvina wished she could transform into a cloud and disappear.

Her phone vibrated, and she received a message from Chloe. The café’s name and address appeared on the screen, followed by a short message.

[Chloe: Twelve in the afternoon. I’ll be there]

Kelvina read it three times before she typed a reply.

[Kelvina: Thank you for inviting me. I’ll be there]

She hesitated before sending another message.

[Kelvina: I hope we can have a good conversation]

Chloe replied a minute later.

[Chloe: That’s the plan.]

Kelvina stared at the response, and it somehow made her more nervous. She placed the phone on the bed and took a deep breath.

"All right. I can do this."

She had negotiated with powerful families. She had faced dangerous opponents. She had maintained her composure while standing in rooms full of people who would happily exploit the smallest sign of weakness.

Surely, she could manage one conversation with a woman. Kelvina pressed her palms against her cheeks.

"Why did it have to be him?"

Her mind supplied the answer immediately. Because it was Silas: He had looked at her without treating her like a trophy, a threat, or an SS-Rank powerhouse.

Kelvina slowly lowered her hands. She wasn’t going to abandon her feelings simply because the situation was complicated, but she wasn’t going to disrespect Chloe, either. If she wanted a place in Silas’s life, she would have to face the people already in it, and if Chloe wanted to talk, Kelvina would listen, answer honestly, and try to understand.

That was the least she could do.

With a renewed sense of determination, she chose a simple outfit for the afternoon, laid it neatly across a chair, and finally prepared to rest a bit, something she knew would be difficult with how nervous she was feeling. But who knows? She was asleep less than an hour later.

Unfortunately, her dreams were not nearly as peaceful as she had hoped.

In one, Chloe stared at her across a café table and asked why she thought she deserved Silas. In another, Silas appeared, smiled at her, and then announced that he had decided to become a hermit. Kelvina woke up at some point and buried her face in her pillow.

"Absolutely not."

She would not let him become a hermit- not after all this. She would respect his choices, of course, as she was not going to force him into anything.

But if Silas ever seriously considered abandoning society to live in a cave, Kelvina was prepared to fund an extremely comfortable cave with excellent food, reliable internet, and a private hot spring.

She fell asleep again before she could question the absurdity of that plan.

***

The afternoon arrived far too quickly. Kelvina woke before her alarm and lay motionless for several seconds, staring at the ceiling. Then she remembered she had a meeting with Chloe at the café. It was a very important conversation they were going to have. That was how it was to her, at least. She sat upright, exclaiming as she checked the time.

"Oh, no."

She showered, dressed, and carefully arranged her long golden braids. After changing twice, she finally settled on a modest cream blouse, a dark skirt, and comfortable shoes, forgetting she’d already put one on her chair just a few hours ago.

She added only a little makeup and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Normal. I look normal."

She paused, looking at herself in the mirror again.

"Do I look normal?"

Her reflection offered no assistance. Kelvina sighed, picked up her bag, and left her apartment.