Ch 35: Biting chill [pt3]

"No meat. All our dishes must be cooked in virgin olive oil and made up of fresh ingredients. The one cooking must also be a master chef with previous dungeon experience. And also-"

"OK, stop. Your demands are starting to make my dead spin. Can you calm down?"

Luca asked, but Rachael shook her head. 

"But I am just getting started."

Luca groaned once he heard Rachael's words. He realized he was being toyed with and did not appreciate these notions.

'Why is this kid doing these things to me? What did I ever do wrong to her?"

Luca thought before he looked at his wallet. He needed more money and needed to remember his guild card. He would have to pay out of his pocket here.

He could claim the money back later, but he would still have to sit back with no money for some time.

'These young kids do not understand the plight of working people. We need to save every penny and make it count.'

Luca turned the car around and began to drive home. Since Rachael had too many requests, no restaurant was going to do. He would cook the dinner himself since it would be the cheapest and safest option.

"Hey, kid, are you not going to question where I am taking you? I could be trying to kidnap you or something. Be a little more vigilant when you are with me."

Luca was concerned about Rachael's safety and her moral compass. Did she not feel worried about sitting in a car with a stranger and being led around by him?

"You want to kidnap me? You can try, but you will not receive any beneficial results even if you do. I am not precious enough for you to kidnap."

Now Luca felt terrible. He did not want Rachael to reflect on this conversation and undermine her values.

He was about to say something to her when Rachael looked him in the eye.

"What will happen if I talk about this conversation to Elias? Do you think you will be pissed? Or even angry? Hmm, what do you think?"

Now, this was a terrifying thought to have. Luca was scared to open his mouth and speak about it. Anything he said now would be used against him in the future.

So, he decided to be wise and stay quiet. Rachael did not press him for answers, and she chose to wait for Luca to reach his destination.

They drove into the innermost part of the city. It was the part lived in by social elites who wanted to socialize and observe the world. The Chloracne family had quite a few homes in here. But Rachael needed to know their address.

Soon, Luca pulled his car into the basement of a tall and well-looked-after building. Buying a home in such a luxurious part of the town could not have been cheap. 

"Get out of the car, kid."

Luca opened the door and waited for Rachael to get down. She wanted to tease Luca but ultimately decided to get out of the car and follow him up.

The security guard at the entrance was half-asleep. Luca knocked at his desk, and the guard jolted awake.

"Y-You are here? I-I am so sorry for falling asleep. It will not happen again, I promise."

The guard looked up at Luca with a guilty expression. He could not believe he had fallen asleep like this. But the attempted robbery last night had made him tired.

"Make sure this does not happen again. I will not be happy to entertain it if you do this again."

Luca passed the man and watched the guard sigh in relief. The guard was happy to see Luca's anger ebb. 

The guard could not afford to mess up anymore. So, when Rachael followed Luca, the guard felt compelled to stop her.

"You cannot go up. This is a private place for some of the city's best hunters, and you are not a part of the circle. I am afraid you need to head back now."

The guard explained to Rachael, which amused her. She gestured toward Luca's back and decided to speak the truth.

"Luca brought me here with him. I am his guest, so you must treat me respectfully."

Rachael looked at the guard in front of her. The guard looked back at her with the same ferocity and growled at her. His arm blocked Rachael's way.

"Sorry, kid. But I cannot let you in."

......

"Hey, kid, do you want to eat a Caesar salad? Or would you like to have anything else? There is still time to order out and eat…"

Luca looked behind him, only to realize that Rachael was not there. And for a second, he panicked and looked around.

He retracted his steps until he arrived at the end of the road. Only after that did he realize what happened. The guard had gatekept Rachael because he had taken her as an intruder.

Rachael might be young, but she should not be underestimated. Terrorists even used some kids her age to conduct their attacks.

"You can let her in. That kid is with me, so it is alright."

Luca assured the guard. The guard looked taken aback by Luca's sudden reentry, and he let his guard down. 

Rachael used that time to cross the gap and enter the building.

"Hey, wait! There are still rules and such in these places. You need to wait for me…"

Luca blocked Rachael before the guard took notice of her. The guard looked taken aback but decided not to question what Luca wanted. 

Most of the people living in this building belonged to Dark Matter. If the guard had a problem with Luca, his life would get tough.

'I would instead let Luca do what he wants.'

The guard returned to his seat and did not think about it anymore. It was funny for him to imagine Luca with a child. He was concerned about the child and what Luca wanted with him. 

But the guard would not go out of his way to ask Luca either.

Meanwhile, Luca felt a shiver go down his spine once as he walked into the room. He was sure someone was talking about him. 

And not in a flattering way.

"Darn, these people. I am sure that the guard from before is talking smack about me. I should go back and give him a piece of his mind."

Luca raised his hand, smacked it, and fisted his hand in his palm. It made a crunchy smacking sound, but he did not turn around to follow his threat.

Rachael tugged him back into the apartment, and Luca followed.

"So, a Caeser Salad. You want to eat it?"

Luca asked, taking out everything necessary to make it. The complete silence of the room scared him, and he immediately looked at Rachael.

"I want to eat sushi now—the kind sold in the most famous restaurant imaginable. With all the heavy toppings and other things, you can get me on the menu."

Rachael demanded. She was having fun bossing an adult around.

The demand made Luca pause and glare at Rachael. He was annoyed by these constant demands.

'Patience Luca. You need to be patient with a child. No matter what kind of behavior Rachael shows, she is a kid.'

"Fine, we can get Sushi. I will order in, so tell me the toppings you want."

Luca asked, but Rachael went quiet once more. Luca tapped his arms a few times and waited for Rachael's reply.

"Are you going to tell me your choice?"

Luca asked, and Rachael's face fell. She did not say anything, but Luca could make out her feelings. The kid did not want to talk about her feelings.

'Ah, she an illegitimate child. Knowing how she is treated, there is no way she has ever eaten Sushi before.'

"Alright, let me order a variety. We will try everything we can today, and then I will send you home."

Fuck money, fuck plans. Luca will reclaim his money later. For now, he had a kid to look after and feed. 

Once the Sushi order was placed, Luca turned on the T.V. and put on a movie marathon. Somewhere between the first movie and the Sushi order, Luca called Emily and told her that Rachael would stay with her for the day.

He had called Emily and asked her when he should drop Rachael off. But Emily had sounded unconcerned. 

Luca had lied to Emily and ended up keeping Rachael for the night. It was a fun party that made Luca forget all about meeting Elias that night.

This was the best sleep Luca had gotten in a while. He woke up refreshed and with the smell of food reaching his nose. Luca had never been this blessed before, and he was getting hungry now.

He did not remember ordering room service, and he doubted a thief had taken the liberty to cook him breakfast. 

"Good morning. Do you usually wake up so late? I thought you needed to meet with Elias early in the morning."

Rachael reminded Luca of his obligations. He had forgotten all about it until that point.

But as soon as he was reminded of this, Luca also remembered the orders he had been given. Young Master Elias had asked him to report back as quickly as possible.

"Oh fuck! What time is it? Shit! It's already 10:30? Where did all the time go? No, wait, I can worry about that late. Kid, come with me."

Luca dragged Rachael out of his apartment and quickly got into his car. The guard did not even notice Luca crossing him.

Luca drove so fast that even the police cars could not catch him. (Though it was more likely that they gave up halfway and decided he was not worth it.)

By the time it was 11:00 AM, Luca had parked in front of the Chlorance estate and helped Rachael get down.

"You can get back inside from here, right? Do you need my help?"

Luca asked, and Rachael shook her head. She did not need any more help than she had already received.