We continued talking for a while.
In the end, even Juliana couldn’t convince Michael to move on. Which, let’s be honest, was a lost cause from the beginning.
But she didn’t take her defeat gracefully. She was just about to try a different, likely more aggressive approach when a guy who looked like he’d spent way too much ti in a tanning bed approached our table.
He seed like the quintessential rich kid with a permanent smug look plastered on his face. Judging by his posture alone, you could tell he had never heard the word "no" in his entire life.
He ignored Michael and entirely, zeroing in on Juliana.
"Hellooo there! You look like you’re searching for sothing, milady," he said, leaning over the table with a greasy smirk.
Juliana turned her head slowly, looking him up and down like he was a bug she was deciding whether to squash or study.
But then her expression changed just as quickly. She gave him one of those charming smiles of hers that I had seen her put on far too many tis when she was in the mood to ruin soone.
"Oh, am I?" she said softly, inclining her head just enough to let her hair fall over one shoulder. "And what might I be searching for?"
The guy straightened imdiately, clearly encouraged by what he mistook for genuine interest.
"A good ti," he said smoothly. "Lucky for you, I specialize in that. Hi, na’s Kyle."
He extended a hand, which she took imdiately, her smile widening just a bit more.
If you’d asked a few months ago, I would’ve called it a pretty convincing smile.
But now that I had seen her real laugh and her real smile, I could imdiately spot the difference. This one lacked even a hint of warmth or amicability.
That’s not to say it wasn’t a beautiful smile. It really was, to the extent that I felt a little annoyed for so reason I didn’t want to rationalize.
"Juliana," she replied to the introduction, her voice dropping into a deep, sultry tone that was smooth as silk and full of attractive confidence. "And I do like specialists."
Kyle chuckled, his shoulders loosening as his confidence swelled. The poor guy was hooked.
I leaned back in my seat, watching the exchange unfold with mild interest... and a touch of pity.
Juliana pulled her hand back slowly, letting the touch linger while batting her lashes and holding his gaze.
I didn’t know how he missed her eyes briefly drifting to his watch, then his shoes, then the family crest pinned to his collar.
It was probably because he was too captivated at this point. Or maybe he wanted her to notice his wealth.
Either way, she had just done a complete scan to reach a full evaluation of his net worth, lineage, and insecurity level. All in under three seconds.
Efficient as always.
"So, how do you use your... specialty, handso?" she asked, lightly tracing the rim of her empty glass with one finger. It was such a slow and intentional motion, making the guy think he was the one in control.
"Oh, you know," he smirked, leaning closer. "Making sure beautiful won such as yourself don’t spend their nights bored. Co on, why don’t you join on the floor?"
Juliana’s lashes lowered.
"Mm," she humd. "How generous. But currently, I’m parched."
Michael sniffled beside . "This reminds of her..."
"Shut up," I muttered under my breath.
Kyle, blissfully unaware of the tragedy sitting two feet away from him, focused entirely on the girl and pressed on. "Oh, well, why don’t I get you a drink first?"
I wanted to facepalm. What a dumbass! Couldn’t he see she was obviously leading him straight into a pit?
But I guess he wasn’t entirely to bla. n have always been easy victims for a pretty face.
Juliana paused just long enough to make it feel like he’d have to earn the answer, then she smiled at him again. "Yes. That would be very nice."
He grinned like he’d just conquered a nation. "Great! What are you having?"
Juliana glanced at her empty glass... then, very discreetly, her eyes flicked to .
Oh, dear heavens. I realized exactly what she was doing.
She was going to make a complete buffoon out of this poor soul.
God, she was evil.
...Was I enjoying this?
She turned back to Kyle. "Sothing strong. I trust your judgnt."
"Of course you do," he said, puffing out his chest slightly.
If you didn’t catch that, she just gave him validation.
Validation... is the cheapest currency in the world, and yet the most effective.
Her prey turned to leave, but before he could even take a single step, she called out, "Wait."
Kyle stopped dead in his tracks like a puppy on a leash. Juliana rested her chin lightly against her knuckles, looking as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
"It would be rather... awkward," she began, sounding really apologetic, "if I were the only one drinking."
Kyle seed confused. "Oh?"
So she gestured lazily across the table. "My friends."
Michael, who still looked like soone life had personally wronged, raised his head slightly. I also gave Kyle my most pleasant smile.
Juliana continued in that sa coquettish tone. "They’ve had a... long evening. It would an a lot."
Kyle hesitated for a fraction of a second, but no more than that. The lure was too strong. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. No problem. What are you guys having?"
I didn’t even wait and said cheerfully, "Surprise . I also trust your judgnt."
Michael sniffed in response. "Sothing that makes forget I exist."
Kyle laughed awkwardly. "Haha... yeah, I got you."
He didn’t. But he was certainly going to try.
Juliana’s smile deepened just a touch as she watched him walk away. Then, once he was safely out of earshot, she leaned back into her seat as the mask slipped away.
"Idiot, right?" She looked far too pleased with herself.
...Hmm.
So this was what she looked like when she was actually having fun.
The look on her face right now...
It wasn’t anything like the composed and calculating stillness she usually wore like armor. Nor was it the cold and detached glare she carried into fights.
Right now, there was a fervent glint in her eyes... and a very slight blush across her cheeks that was barely visible under the club lights.
It was no secret to that she usually felt either nothing at all or a very dampened version of normal human emotions.
But controlling soone like a puppet was one of the few things that gave her a rush.
I let out a quiet chuckle. "You’re evil."
She glanced at and feigned offense, though the glint in her eyes only intensified. "I’d say I’m a provider. I just provided for the group."
I rolled my eyes. "I have enough money on to buy the entire bar, you know?"
Juliana went silent, raising an eyebrow before giving a smile that was entirely different from the one she’d given Kyle.
Ba-dump—!
...W-What the fuck?
Until that exact mont in my life, I don’t think I’d ever truly understood the phrase "heart skipping a beat."
I... think I did then.
The sound of my own heartbeat was insultingly loud in my ears, and all of a sudden, I felt ridiculously out of breath.
Using that sa sultry tone from before, she regarded this ti. "Taste the free drink and tell it isn’t more satisfying."
Before I could reply, assuming I was still capable of finding useful worlds and arranging them into a comprehensible sentence at all—
Michael wiped his nose. "Lily never manipulated strangers for alcohol..."
That broke the mont, and our eye contact... and Juliana’s smile. She had to physically pinch the bridge of her nose to restrain herself from committing a felony in the middle of the VIP lounge.
Then, she went right back to lecturing him.
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