Chapter 50: Angel's Arrogance.

10 advanced chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

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(Angel's P.O.V)

Dinner was an active time.

Sitting at the head of the table, I couldn't help but marvel at the filled up seats.

A few months ago it was me, Scandal and Father alone in the dining hall. But now, not including Scandal, there were 4 new people eating with us.

Ravager on my left followed by Jinx, and Goku and Cheshire on my right. Or as they had decided to call themselves, The KingsGuard.

The seat furthest from me- at the end of the long table, was reserved for the main guest of the night.

And no, it wasn't Orm. Our arrangement was meant to be kept secret. Even from my own people. The only person that knew about him was Shade.

And both were missing from the Mansion as I had Shade transport Orm back to Atlantis.

Speaking of the devil- a few minutes into dinner, I felt him merge back into my Shadow.

"Young master, it is done. Prince Orm gave his gratitude."

He whispered through my ear's shadow.

Now that I was back home, Shade had returned to his duty as my bodyguard.

"Mmmh, thish food ish shooo goood."

Goku stated, wolfing down everything in his plate and adding even more.

I felt Candie shift on my lap, where she had chosen to sit, staring at Goku with widened eyes. The Saiyan was inhaling everything.

"Whoaa...he's so fast..."

"More like a glutton."

Jinx countered, trying and failing to get him to slow down.

My sister turned to face me, a question in her wide eyes.

"Big brother, are you a glutton too?"

The others stared between Goku and I, as if comparing us.

Oh come on, I know I eat a lot but I'm still a normal human. Sorta. Trying to compete with a Saiyan is dumb.

Time to activate my Ex rank big brother skills. I cleared my throat,

"Candie, what do I always say?"

"Cheating is bad but only if you're caught?"

My little sister innocently answered.

"No, the other thing."

I corrected.

"Oh, meat is life?"

She eagerly replied.

"So true."

I agreed but shook my head,

"The other other thing."

Her eyes lit up in realization.

"Oooh, Eat while you can, coz you never know when you can't. I got it, right?"

"Exactly."

I patted her head with pride.

"You know what that means?"

She opened her mouth to respond, only for me to shove chicken leg inside. Suffice to say, she understood what I was getting at pretty quickly. Just because I was laughing at her puffed out cheeks didn't mean I had done that intentionally.

Looking up, I was met with strange expressions from my team.

"What?"

They said nothing, returning to eating and conversation. Meanwhile, my sister was regaling me with her time in preschool.

It was during such an affair, that the table quieted down.

I heard a slight gasp from Goku.

The reason being- a black haired woman dressed in an elegant red dress, was slowly walking down the stairs, led by the Head Maid, Mrs. Gordon.

Talia, under the other's watchful and unfriendly eyes, walked the length of the room to the seat directly to my opposite. The one reserved for her at the end of the table.

"Miss Al Ghul, I'm glad you could join us, please have a seat."

I spoke up, motioning to the empty chair.

Talia's eyes fell on mine. There was a flash of hatred in them that she quickly gone, in favor of adopting a small but warm smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Savage."

She responded in a gentle tone.

It was almost hard to believe that this was the same woman who had attempted to kill me several times.

But now, here she was- in my home. Not of her own will but nonetheless sitting on the same table as her enemy.

I can't think of a better turn of events.

Unfortunately, I seemed like the only one to share the sentiment. The animosity from the KingsGuard was palpable, turning the remainder of dinner into a tense affair.

At least Goku enjoyed the food.

-0-

After dinner, Ravager joined my bed once again.

We messed around like the morning and even had a shower together.

Naturally, I found myself tempted by the sight of her beautiful naked form and told her.

To reward me for my appreciation of her body, she put her mouth to work- draining my balls of my pent up horniness.

I was too tired and content to kick her out, so we simply fell asleep.

In the morning though, she was ready with a few questions that I had been expecting.

My head rested on her lap as she played with my hair, then out of nowhere,

"What are you planning to do with her?"

Rose questioned, her hands pausing.

"You mean Talia, Right?"

I asked and her silence confirmed it.

"Out of everyone I wanted to take revenge on, she was at the top of my list."

I sighed truthfully, recalling the disgust and dismissal from Talia when we finally met on the Island.

"I hate that she tried to kill me. I hate that she almost ruined my plans. But I don't personally hate her. Killing her is not how I want my revenge. No, I want her to watch me as I take over and lead her precious League of Assassins. I want her to witness as I utilise them and build an Empire bigger than she could have ever imagined. I want her to watch as I achieve her dreams."

Out of everyone I have met in this short life of mine, there were only two people similar to me- at least in terms of ambition. One was Orm. And the other was Talia.

Born to powerful families, we all wanted to escape the shadows of those that came before us. Talia wanted to cement her legacy by taking over from her Father.

Thus, the best revenge I could have on her was beating her ambitions by giving life to mine while she watched on the sidelines.

And then when she sees what she could have had, had she accepted to become my wife, she'll taste the bitter pill of regret and beg to join me.

It was...perfect.

"You think I'm getting arrogant, don't you?"

I stared up at Rose.

The corner of her lips twisted in thought, taking a brief pause before responding.

"No, I think I understand now. Father always said you think of every possibility before planning extra steps ahead of everyone. It's one of the reasons he likes and hates you."

She told me.

I couldn't help the snort that escaped me.

Deathstroke and I had a complicated relationship. A few years ago, I had taken his eye when he tried to doublecross me. I would have killed him if it wasn't for Rose.

"Does he still..."

"Complain about the eye?"

Rose snickered.

"Yeah, he does. But you did pay for the cybernetic replacement- he can aim almost as good as Deadshot now. In my books, you two are even."

"That's good. Because the next time he shows his face around me, I'm killing him."

I grunted.

Remembering the 15 million dollars Father had me spend on the replacement eye, irks me to this day. It was half of what I had made in all my missions. But Deathstroke was one of his useful tools. That loss set me back.

Rose giggled at the statement, as if I hadn't said I would kill her Dad.

It was a nice laugh. Too bad I had work to do, I wouldn't have minded staying in bed a little longer, she was really good with her hands.

(General P.O.V)

It was Goku's turn to watch Talia.

Despite the warnings given to him by the girls, Jinx being especially vocal in her distrust for the black haired woman, he didn't think Talia was all that bad.

In fact, as they walked down the hallway, she actually congratulated him on his participation in the tournament, calling him a 'standout'

"Really?!"

The young Saiyan asked in disbelief, studying her face to see if she was lying.

Talia looked at him with a sweet smile,

"Of course. If it wasn't for facing Angel so early, you would have definitely made it to the finals."

"I think so too!"

Goku was elated she agreed with him.

"The girls don't believe it though."

"They doubt your strength."

Talia nodded in understanding.

"You just have to prove to them how powerful you are."

"But how?"

Goku asked in evident frustration.

"How about sparring with them?"

Talia suggested as they rounded a corner.

"Beat them to a pulp and they won't dare question your strength."

Goku shook his head, too distracted to notice the bloodthirsty glint in Talia's eyes.

"We're too unevenly matched. Besides, after I broke Ravager's sword with a punch- I don't think fighting any of them will do much. What I need is a powerful opponent, you know? Someone that can pose a challenge. Someone strong."

Goku said with longing.

Talia's face twisted into something evil. But when Goku turned her way, her face was back to normal. She was even tapping her chin as if trying to help him find a solution.

'Then why not ask Angel?' This response was on the very tip of her tongue.

She opened her lips to suggest it before a feeling of dread washed over her. A warning from her subconscious.

No. That was too direct. She had no idea how Angel would react if he found out she was trying to sow discord among his team, by manipulating the kid.

She regarded Goku from the corner of her eyes.

'He needs to come to this conclusion by himself. I just need to lead him there.'

"There's no one else around you can ask?"

Talia questioned.

"Not really."

Goku shook his head, as they climbed up the stairs.

"Maybe Angel, he did promise me a duel but he's busy right now. I guess I'm out of luck. I just have to keep on training..."

Goku continued talking, but Talia ignored the rest after hearing the little detail about the duel.

She stopped in the hallway leading to Angel's office. Goku did as well, noticing he was walking alone.

"Miss Talia? Are you okay?"

"Sorry. Just had to catch my breath. This place is really big, you know."

Talia lied.

"Oh."

Came Goku's innocent response.

"Anyway, Goku. If he promised you a duel, it's only right if you ask him now, right? I mean, it's been a few days since the tournament. Who knows, he might not be as busy anymore."

Talia advised, a sweet smile on her face.

'Wow...she's so pretty.'

Goku thought, finding her words reasonable.

-0-

(Angel's P.O.V)

There was a knock on the door to my office.

Without waiting for confirmation, (I was already expecting an interruption) the door opened and in walked Goku.

"Hey Angel. I brought Miss Talia, just like you wanted."

He waved, stepping to the side and letting her walk through.

"Thanks Goku."

I told him,

"Hope I didn't interrupt your training."

He shook his head.

Satisfied, my focus shifted to Talia.

Today she was wearing a too tight white T-shirt, that emphasized her body, jean shorts and cowboy boots that reached below her knees, covering her shins.

Her hair was left loose, reaching the middle of her shoulders while framing a face that only had light make up.

It was a casual get up, completely different from what she wore during dinner yesterday.

She looked good. She really really looked good.

"Talia."

I nodded in greeting, leaning back on my seat.

"Mr. Savage."

She replied with an emotionless face.

"Why don't you take a seat?"

I offered, and without a word, she pulled out the chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. We were now facing each other across the desk.

Goku was still in the room. I went to ask him to excuse us, only to notice a strange expression on his face.

"Is everything alright Goku?"

I asked, slightly frowning. Was something bothering him?

He threw a nervous glance at Talia before turning to me, determined.

"I was hoping we could have our duel. Today maybe? But I'll totally understand if you can't..."

He hastily breathed out.

I'll admit I was caught off guard. But this wasn't a completely unexpected development. It was perfectly in line with his love for fighting. Plus I did promise him.

However, I couldn't help but feel as if it was a little too sudden. I threw my eyes towards Talia, reading her face.

Her expression gave nothing away. And that, more than anything told me she was somehow responsible. I see. This is precisely what Ravager was worried about.

The risk someone like Talia Al Ghul carried. Maybe it was easier to just kill her...