"Get off me!" Sonia yelled, her voice sharp but steady as she finally regained control over her bloodlust. Her eyes burned with resolve, no longer wild or feral madness. Hearing her speak in complete sentences instead of growling like a wounded beast or howling like a predator on the hunt, Matthews raised an eyebrow but relented. With a flick of her wrist, the pressure pressing Sonia to the ground vanished.
The moment Sonia stood upright, she inhaled deeply, her sharp senses scanning the room. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she began sniffing out the crowd of curse users, intent on identifying the curse master who had restrained and tortured her for four agonizing minutes.
Before she could pinpoint her target, the Werefur head draped over her shoulder growled and barked, its gaze darting to her left. Sonia's nose followed its direction, narrowing as her stare locked onto a young male curse master in the group. He was wearing round glasses with a wooden frame, and his demeanor was calm yet calculating.
"You and me," Sonia said coldly, her voice dripping with menace. She stepped forward, her posture tense, ready for a fight. "Right here, right now. Till one of us is dead, do you dare?"
The young curse master adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, a deliberate, mocking gesture. He didn't bother responding with words—his actions said enough. Only a fool would accept a death match with her. The idea of battling someone who grew stronger with every death, someone whose very existence defied reason, was beyond reckless. He wasn't ready to gamble his life being provoked by her. As a fight with her would be exhausting and tiring, trying to uncover the mystery of what made her so indestructible in order to figure out a way to kill her.
Sonia's lips curled into a sneer at his silence. "Fine," she said, her tone laced with icy disdain. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze boring into him. "But don't you ever step out of line? Even if you're just another McSuile family dog, I only need the tiniest reason to kill you."
The Werefur on her shoulder let out a low growl, almost as if echoing her sentiment. Sonia's nose twitched as she and her curseling locked in on the young curse master's scent, committing it to their memory. Whether he realized it or not, he had just been added to their list of prey.
Matthews raised her left eyebrow slightly as she listened to Sonia's words. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't help but nod in approval—Sonia was adapting to her role as a C.I.B. agent remarkably fast. So what if these guys were from the McSuile family? They weren't above the law. As long as Sonia hadn't killed that curse master, Matthews was fully prepared to back her up and even join her in plowing through the curse users, despite their friendship with the McSuiles. The nerve of these people trying to stop her, knowing exactly who she was.
"Aurelian Eyes cannot meet you at this moment," Evil Eyes finally said, his tone neutral but his frown betraying his disapproval. His gaze flicked to Matthews, clearly displeased by her visible support of Sonia's bold stance. Not everyone in the C.I.B. dared to challenge the authority of the McSuile family, but Matthews and her team were a different breed altogether.
Still, the McSuile family had always treated Matthews with an appropriate degree of respect—they knew better than to provoke her. But her newest subordinate? She was turning out to be even crazier than the older ones.
Sonia, without hesitation or warning, had kicked a man unconscious simply for attempting to stop Matthews. The McSuile family wasn't used to that level of blatant disrespect, especially from a rookie C.I.B. agent.
Evil Eyes glanced back at Sonia, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. 'This one might grow into bigger trouble than Matthews,' he thought to himself. Though Matthews seemed to notice his thoughts through his gaze, she didn't react outwardly, but the gleam in her eyes said she wasn't about to rein Sonia in anytime soon.
"So, she's still here. I know where to find her. No need to escort me," Matthews said, dismissing Evil Eyes with a wave of her hand as she headed toward the nearest exit. The latter didn't even bother looking back, knowing full well he wouldn't try to stop her. If he did, she'd probably end up fighting him instead of reasoning like someone of her rank was expected to. Also, he was here, guarding Aurelian Eyes, as a punishment for breaking family rules. He did not want to go a extra mile for something like that.
Ace scrambled to keep up with Mrs. Martin, his steps hurried and awkward. There was no way he was staying a second longer next to Evil Eyes. Sonia followed too, but her pace was deliberately slow, her posture challenging—practically daring the McSuile curse users to test her. Her sharp gaze swept over the crowd before locking briefly on Evil Eyes. Even then, her defiance didn't waver.
As a former member of the Everhart Guild, Sonia was keenly aware of how much authority the C.I.B. carried within the country. To them, anyone not tied to the president or the Supreme Court judges was beneath her—especially these McSuile family curse users.
Seeing Ace climb into the two-seater golf cart Matthews had chosen to drive, Sonia casually leaped onto its roof. Her movements were graceful and controlled as she used the Feather Step art to keep the roof from caving under her weight. She perched there with a smug grin, unfazed by the stares she was drawing from every direction.
Matthews drove off without so much as a glance at the crowd gawking at them. Sonia's rooftop antics clearly didn't bother her. Ace, however, couldn't match their indifference. He shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting toward the phones pointed at them. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he raised his shirt collar and buried his head in his chest, awkwardly trying to shield his face from them.