Watching the way Moon looked at Arthur, the contempt barely veiled beneath that pleasant grin, the Association representative realized he needed to make his own stance crystal clear.
The last thing he wanted was to be seen as aligned with the Richter Group against Moon, not when Moon was the Association's golden boy, backed by a Sword Saint and an Ascender.
Although he valued his friendship with Arthur, he didn't value it over his own job and path.
"Arthur," the representative said solemnly, "Is this true?"
In his heart, he hoped it wasn't, even knowing it almost certainly was. The Richter Group's reputation for strong-arming young talents wasn't exactly a secret in certain circles.
Arthur recovered his composure smoothly, smiling through it all, attempting to damage control the situation.
