"Are you happy?"
An hour has passed, both are naked on the bed. At his question, she takes a while to respond, not until she places her hand on Lawrence's chest does she do so.
"I am."
Despite everything he has done, she will never forget that regression.
It is then that Lawrence reveals a fact, an obligation simply by virtue of being his wife. From now on, she, like Serene Will and Sky Petal, are mothers to Ryan.
"I must return, I will be in the spotlight for a long period of time. Oh, right. I don't care what relationship you have with the others, as long as you don't kill each other."
"..."
When Lawrence returns to the Divine Plane, Coldness Divine remains silent lying in her bed staring at the ceiling.
"Mother... Me?"
Without knowing when, such words emerge from her mouth.
+++
"Hah, here we go again..."
Sitting on the only piece of furniture still standing, Lawrence emotionlessly stares at the door.
"Lawrence! Open the door! I know you're there!"
Without any courtesy, strangers bang on the door as if it were anything but the home of a respected person.
"If you don't open it, we'll have to--!"
"Damn, you don't even give time for it to open. How do you expect me to react?"
He hates having experience in these situations, because even though the door is about to be broken down, he is able to greet the unwelcome guests without a grimace.
"Come in, make yourselves at home--"
"Search everything! Let not a single piece of furniture remain upright!"
"..."
Lawrence has to grit his teeth to endure how malefactors enter his home to search, while their leader takes the audacity to assess the contents of his storage ring without his consent.
"All clear, sir."
He is not even surprised when his money mysteriously decreases by a few figures.
After the men leave, he calmly approaches a sofa and after cleaning it, lies down on it. His house is a complete mess, but he will do nothing about it until he is certain they will not return to search it a third, fourth, or thousandth time.
He couldn't sleep all night, and when he finally felt sleepy, it was time to go to work. Reluctantly, he gets up from the sofa.
The underground city of Agares receives him like any other day, nothing seems to have happened. Only Lawrence's eye can discern the changes.
The search for Coldness Divine continues, although they try to hide it.
The damage she caused is substantial, the possibility that she did all this only to subsequently die is low. For the first time, the partners of the underground city of Agares are seriously considering the possibility that third parties are involved, but their traces seem to have simply vanished into thin air.
Everyone who had even the slightest connection with the case has been subject to repeated tests, from reevaluating their abilities to searching their homes. Those who have been acquitted are kept under strict surveillance, such is the case with Lawrence, who has not been lost sight of for a moment.
In the coming days, the partners' meeting will take place, an opportunity that many do not view favorably.
Days pass, and a week has gone by since the disappearance of Coldness Divine. While Lawrence continues his life without showing signs of suspicion, the partners' meeting is scheduled for today.
"Hah..."
Dark Root is not someone who usually sits behind a desk, but in these days, he has had to do so. The partners' meeting is not a simple matter, it is a place where power lies in words. The slightest suspicion and it's all over.
"This is not something that could have been planned overnight, if no one can find an answer... a new seat will be vacant."
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In his eyes, someone is plotting against them.
Competition? Possible. A quest for power? Even more so.
There is so much uncertainty about it, that considering the idea that this was carried out by a single person for personal reasons is not entirely unquestionable. The problem is that it seems implausible that someone could achieve this with only two hands.
After storing all the documents he will present at today's meeting, a shiver runs down his spine.
There's a note on his desk, one that wasn't there before.
Dark Root breathes quickly, looking around his office for something. Someone was here, managed to bypass all security and left a note in front of him.
Sweat falls from his forehead. Until the inspection is complete.
Whoever was here is no longer here. They could have had his life in their hands and yet his neck remains intact, his goal was not him, but the purpose this note serves.
He reads the note and his expression darkens with each second. "There are innate abilities that can only be perceived through... It can't be..."
He rises from his desk, the note in his hands shreds under the pressure of his fist.
"Someone is hiding their innate ability!"
He leaves his office and slams the door with hatred, the sound echoing down the hallways. When nothing seemed to happen in the room, a person appears.
Their mere presence would make any observer blush.
"The time is running out, I hope this manages to end this cycle... my cycle."
This person looks out the window and sighs, just as they appeared, they disappear. Dark Root's office returns to tranquility once more.
Contrary are the thoughts of Dark Root who, after reading that note, is doubting even his own mother. It's not that he doesn't trust the people close to him, it's just that he simply trusts no one.
After arriving at the agreed place, he casually greets the partners who arrived before him. He confidently sits in his position and waits for the rest to arrive. Quickly all the seats at the table are occupied. Until the Founding Partner sits in the last of them, in the most important of all.
"Good morning to all present, good morning Founding Partner."
The Founding Partner nods without saying a word, he is the only one who receives an exceptional greeting at each meeting.
"I will begin this meeting by presenting the facts..."
In each meeting, a different partner is in charge of the presentation, today Dark Root is responsible. He narrates faithfully what happened, until he says all there is to say.
From now on, the meeting begins.
"Before talking about that woman, I would like to ask something of the founding partner."
The respectful attitude he had at the beginning, he only maintains when addressing the Founding Partner, the rest returns to being him. Dark Root does not hold back when speaking.
"May our underground city of Agares acquire a war artifact."
His words cause immediate commotion, the partners were ready to argue before being stopped by Dark Root.
"Not just any, I am offended that you thought of what I believe."
He laughs at the gaze of the others. "Innate abilities. There is a method to obstruct the magic artifact we currently use and that we cannot allow. Whether it is related to the current case or not, only a war artifact will give us reliable results!"
Everyone holds their breath. Is it even possible? But if so...
Only then did the partners understand why Dark Root wanted the first word. If what he says is true, a sea of possibilities will open before them.
The Founding Partner listens to the arguments of the others, until he makes a decision.
"The war artifact... We will have it. Continue with the meeting."
The topic returns to its origin, being one of the partners who takes the floor.
"All previous dao protectors of Coldness Divine have disappeared without a trace, except a few who had no idea what was happening. One of them must be her accomplice, the intermediary. The rest is just part of the deceit."
This sub-space is governed under established rules, only an organization of great power would have the possibility to find a breach in security and act rampantly before their noses.
"Have her contacts been investigated?"
"Ha! Investigating such a thing is useless. Whoever did this would be a fool not to have hidden their tracks."
Each of the partners has a unique personality, they are not afraid to offend others because their power, wealth, and heritage are on equal footing.
"I'm afraid that's the case, nothing was found."
For a second there is a ceasefire, but quickly an partner finds the opportunity to attack another, for as minimal as the suspicion may be, he is willing to do anything to destroy his reputation.
"There was a dao protector involved in another disappearance case, what was his name...? Right. Speak up Dark Root, you know him better than I do."
"..."
Dark Root, who had remained silent until now, directs his gaze towards Wicked Fortune, a man of apparent 30 years of age, of arrogant look and well-dressed, the partner with whom on more than one occasion he has fought and who has just offended him.
Dark Root responds without any expression. "Lawrence. The only connection we have is that he once helped me in the past. I don't see the reason to bring up the topic again. Don't you think so, Wicked Fortune?"
"Hahaha, of course there is. That Lawrence was in charge of the two missing bitches, even if he has no connection, he must die! Those women know too much to leave them unwatched."
Dark Root clicks his tongue and, infuriated, searches through his documents, until he found the information he was looking for.
"In less than two years that guy will have been here for ten years, except for what everyone already knows, there is no stain on his record. I knew this would happen so I investigated him myself, didn't you receive the report a few days ago? What do you gain by bringing it up again? The same day he was followed and captured under my own order, in the end nothing was found!"
It is then that he stops talking, he can feel the pressure of a superior being, just one look from the Founding Partner was enough to bring him back to his senses.
Dark Root clears his throat and lowers his tone. "If there is something that should be taken into consideration, it's that this guy was in charge of two women with innate abilities never before seen... You understand what I mean, right?"
Despite the warning from his grandfather, Dark Root cannot stop being himself. He scoffs as he says what these fools have not mentioned.
"Whoever is behind all this, expects to have them in the palm of their hand. If there is a third, she must meet those conditions!"
Giving them the chance for a new life without fearing that their past will resurface, because the brothel lost all trace of them! Even if they know they are being manipulated, they will jump into the trap without hesitation.
With this information, the meeting takes a turn, one that Dark Root and the Founding Partner would not let pass. If today an partner does not lose his seat, they will not sleep peacefully!

