Out On The Road Lies The Frozen Bones Of The Poor

After an hour or so, Carole entered the lounge with a set of clothes in her hands. The area was a mess, with clothes spilled around the place. Judging from the torn clothes, she could tell that Kiba really had some nice refreshments.

She wondered how she could agree to a date with a playboy like Kiba. She knew he wasn't boyfriend material, much less husband material, but she agreed because she thought he would be fun. At least he didn't try to pretend to be someone he wasn't just to get in her pants.

"Carole, you're here," Kiba's faint voice came from the sofa. His head was resting on Olivia's breasts while his legs were placed on Katey's belly.

"You look refreshed," Carole observed without any emotion.

"Indeed," Kiba got to his feet. He gave a final glance to the perfect bodies of Olivia and Katey before moving to Carole. He was fully naked, and Carole couldn't help but admit that he had a perfect body that could make any woman go crazy.

From Olivia's and Katey's expressions, she could see that they had enjoyed their time instead of just giving pleasure to Kiba.

"Satisfying a woman and not just himself can be counted as his only positive trait," Carole thought.

"Thank you for the clothes, but I hope you can step out. I feel uncomfortable with a gorgeous woman like you staring at my naked body," Kiba said with a smile as he took the clothes from her.

"Really? I thought you wanted me to stare at you, otherwise you wouldn't have left the sofa but waited for me to leave after placing the clothes," Carole replied with a smile. She wasn't some eighteen-year-old virgin who would get embarrassed or flustered by flirtations.

Kiba gave a light cough and started wearing clothes.

In reality, he wasn't as shameless as he displayed during his speech on 'Beauty Not Appreciated Is A Sin'. He gave that speech because he got a kick out of slapping Jack and Richard.

He was rather straightforward when it came to his sexual desires, or at least that's what every woman felt. Even Carole and Eva agreed on that when he gave the monologue on appreciating beauties.

Carole actually enjoyed the feeling of triumphing over Kiba with her words. Not knowing he let her win because letting her win was also a win for him.

"Perhaps the date idea was not that bad," Carole thought. She helped Kiba by getting his cell phone and some miscellaneous items from his discarded clothes.

Carole and Kiba left the lounge area shortly, leaving behind two naked women.

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The party hosted by Chairman Hanks was on the 89th floor, one floor below the current location of Kiba and Carole.

Kiba and Hank had a meeting planned after the end of the party. For now, Kiba had to indulge himself in the vanity of the rich society.

Kiba and Carole arrived on the 89th floor where the party had already started. The floor was filled with guests, comprising couples and singles alike. On the stage, Bella Advins was singing. She was one of the most famous singers on Earth, with patrons even among senior officials of the World Government.

The guests enjoyed Bella Advins's voice while losing themselves in the extravagant food on their tables. There was every type of food available, with the best of drinks that Delta City had to offer.

The meat dishes were from mutant beasts while vegetarian cuisines were made from mutated crops. The food was not only tasty but highly nutritious, even for strong mutants who were in dire need of powerful nutrients.

Carole left to carry out her other duties. Kiba, on the other hand, took a glass of whiskey from a waiter and went to the balcony. He took a sip of the whiskey in the presence of the night winds.

He was alone with nothing but the winds and whiskey accompanying him as he gazed at the city. His eyes flashed with a golden glow as his vision passed through the electromagnetic field and then swept past a hundred buildings in the city. Finally, his vision stopped after arriving in a region that belonged to the city only in name but not appearance - the slums.

He observed the ruined buildings in which poor families took shelter. He examined the corpses of children who had either starved to death or died of cold.

His vision then passed on to a beggar killing a woman for bread. And finally, his eyes stopped on a mother. She split the little food she had into two for her children and slept starved.

On the balcony, Kiba gave a deep sigh. He drank the entire drink in one go as if trying to forget the things he had just seen.

On one side, there was this party with the rich and influential enjoying themselves in extravagant food, but on the other side, there were people starving to death.

"Behind the red doors of the rich, the meat and wine go to waste, while out on the road lie the frozen bones of the poor.

"When I was a kid, all I wanted was to become someone who could indulge in the vanity only the rich can afford. Now that I have achieved it, I feel sad for those who are suffering what I had."

Kiba mused to himself. He laughed, thinking his current mood was an aftereffect of sex, though his eyes flashed with sadness.

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"In all the parties I've seen you at, you always look in the west direction of the city with a melancholic expression," a feminine voice came from behind.

"Agatha..." Kiba said while still gazing in the direction of the slums. Agatha was Jack's wife, with whom he had a fling a few months ago.

"Men always have a melancholic expression when they think about their past, or so I have heard," Agatha added.

"You want to know about my past?" Kiba asked as he turned towards her.

"You have never revealed it to anyone, including Hanks, so I doubt you will tell me," Agatha replied.

"That's because I hate talking about myself in front of a man. If a beautiful woman like you was asking, I don't mind," Kiba said as his eyes feasted on her body. Agatha had a slight bulge on her belly, denoting her pregnancy, but her beauty was breathtaking.

"You're back in your character," Agatha responded with a smile.

"What can I say? Beauties like you can bring me from the clutches of death, much less some temporary emotional instability."

He gave her a tight hug.