Hearing Leo's pleading, Alex didn't feel sorry for the kid; he felt a sudden, sharp rush of excitement.
He was just wondering how to gain access to knowledge about high-level professions or whether to join an organization to gain more knowledge.
Although the current situation of the Night Whispers was a complete mess, with his own strength and their intelligence-gathering network, he thought, "why not just take over this place for myself?"
"If you can make yourself useful, I'll definitely protect you," Alex said, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone of authority.
He paused, leaning back slightly in his wooden chair. "However, first I need you to gather all the information you have on the Windrake family."
"And I need it done in two hours, can you do it?"
Leo let out a loud gulp, his eyes widening as he stared up from the carpet.
"The... the Windrake family?" he stammered, his hands nervously wiping the remaining drops of ice water from his forehead.
"They're one of the big noble houses backing the underground coliseum!"
"Our branch leader gathered tons of dirt on their trading routes and guards before he ran off. It's all stored on the encrypted drive down in the back office safe!"
"Then go get it," Alex said simply, crossing his arms over his chest.
Even through the soft denim shirt, he could feel the unfamiliar weight of his own breasts shifting against his ribs, a steady reminder of his changing body.
"You have two hours, buddy. Bring me everything you have on them. If you do a good job, I'll help you hide somewhere safe until everything's calmed down or clear out those killers hunting you down. If you try to run or play tricks..."
Alex didn't finish the threat. He just let his Feral Gaze flash in the dimly lit room, causing the air temperature to drop by several degrees.
"I won't run! I swear!" Leo scrambled to his feet, ignoring the lingering, dull throb between his legs.
He bowed awkwardly, avoiding looking directly at Alex's chest this time, and rushed toward the door. "Two hours! I'll bring the files straight here!"
As the heavy wooden door clicked shut behind the young spy, the bathroom door opened with a soft creak.
Liria stepped out into the bedroom, bringing a warm cloud of steam and the faint fresh scent with her.
She put on clean clothes, a tight, dark sleeveless tank top and a pair of short athletic shorts.
The fabric clung snugly to her toned body, leaving her long, athletic legs and smooth shoulders completely exposed.
Her blonde hair was damp, hanging loosely around her neck, and her pale green eyes immediately locked onto Alex.
She leaned against the bathroom doorframe, her face flushed a soft pink as she looked at Alex sitting quietly in the chair.
"What do you want to do with him?" Liria asked, her voice slightly husky and lacking all of her usual sharp arrogance.
She walked slowly over to the side of the bed and sat down on the mattress, her knees brushing gently against Alex's leg.
"Well it's better than having nothing…," Alex replied calmly, turning his dark eyes toward her. "He's fetching the layout and guard rotations for the Windrake family's coliseum."
Alex let out a slow breath and leaned back in his wooden chair, shifting slightly to get comfortable.
He looked down at Liria, his dark eyes turning serious.
"Coming back to our main problem," he said, his voice smooth and melodic, but edged with a cold tone.
"Since that bitch Clara already sent people after me and failed once, whoever she sends next is going to be way stronger."
"That's what bothers me. It's not just about my own safety anymore. If she starts digging deeper, my family is going to be in danger."
He clenched his hand into a fist, his short nails digging into his palm.
The thought of those crazy Evil God followers showing up at his doorstep or attacking uncle John or Elena made his blood run cold.
Hearing the dark, protective anger in his tone, Liria suddenly shifted on the edge of the mattress.
Her bare knee pressed a little harder against his leg, sharing the warmth of her wet skin.
She looked flustered, her pale green eyes darting away from his face to stare down at the worn carpet.
"If... if that's what you're worried about," Liria stammered, her husky voice breaking slightly, "then you really don't need to stress over it right now."
Alex raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"
Liria bit her lower lip hard enough to leave a temporary white mark. She twisted her fingers together in her lap, looking completely guilty, her usual sharp arrogance nowhere to be found.
"Actually... Lady Clara didn't order to capture you yet," she whispered, her shoulders slumping.
"It was me. I was the one who got so frustrated and desperate that I tricked those cultists. I faked the orders and followed them out to capture you on Clara's behalf."
She looked up at him through the damp strands of her blonde hair, her eyes wide and pleading for him to understand. "No one else knows what I did."
"As far as everyone concerned, you're completely off their radar. You're safe until Clara herself decides to make an actual move against you."
"Huh?" Alex blinked, completely stunned.
The heavy tension in his chest evaporated, replaced by pure confusion.
He stared at the gorgeous woman sitting beside him, totally lost for words. "You brought them? What the hell did I even do to make you that mad at me?"
Liria let out a dry, bitter laugh. The faint pink flush on her cheeks drained away, leaving her skin pale.
Despite the warm steam still drifting out of the bathroom, goosebumps formed along her arms.
"Well... it wasn't really your fault," she answered, her voice dropping to a small whisper. "It's just... that bitch made my sister and me go through hell over the last few days. All because of you."
Alex didn't say a word. He just watched her closely, noticing how her breathing had turned shallow and uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly under the tight tank top.
"It started out fine on the first day," Liria continued, staring blankly at the wall as the memories came rushing back. "My sister and I really thought we had tricked her."
"We thought we played our cards right and saved ourselves from being executed. But we were so stupid... so naive."
She wrapped her arms around her own waist, holding herself tightly as if she were freezing.
"Everything fell apart on the second day. Whenever that psycho bitch got into a bad mood, she would summon the two of us to her private rooms just to vent her temper."
"Day by day, her obsession with you grew worse. She couldn't get you out of her head, and every time she got frustrated about not having you, she dumped all that pent-up rage onto us."
"I didn't know why she didn't capture you yet but," Liria's voice began to tremble, a dark, haunted look filling her green eyes.
"She tortured us. She beat us, cut us, and broke us down until we were screaming and crying on the floor."
"And then... then she would call someone to use their high-level healing spells to heal our wounds. She would fix our bodies back to normal just so she could start hurting us all over again without killing us."
A heavy, suffocating silence filled the bedroom. Alex felt a cold chill run down his spine at the sheer cruelty of it.
He could actually see the lingering terror in Liria's posture, how even a strong, proud woman like her had been completely broken down by the psychological nightmare of being healed just to be tortured all over again.
"I couldn't fight back against her," Liria whispered, a single tear slipping down her cheek and dripping off her jaw. "I wasn't strong enough to do anything."
"I felt so helpless and trapped. So, I secretly dug up your details and found your location. I figured if I just captured you and brought you to her myself, her obsession would finally be satisfied, and she would leave my sister and me alone..."