"Not funny," Delores snapped, glaring daggers at him. Still, she loosened her grip when she felt him tapping vigorously on her hand—a clear surrender.
Only to hear him cough dramatically and quip, "Cough—cough—so we're starting with choking and public s—guh—"
"Do you have a death wish?" Delores yelled, tightening her grip instinctively. God, she really wanted to snap his neck. But she couldn't. For the first time in her life, she actually regretted being too damn loyal. If not for that annoying sense of gratitude, she wouldn't be holding back right now.
During the entire exchange, Matthews just watched, arms crossed, not saying a word—or lifting a finger to stop Delores. Not because she didn't care. But because she, too, kind of wanted to break a few of Ace's bones after getting confirmation from him that Delores hadn't been exaggerating earlier.
And yet—she liked him too much to act on those thoughts.
For his age, he was scarily resourceful and calculating. What impressed her the most, though, was how he didn't hesitate to put his body—hell, even his life—on the line to push his agenda.
It was obvious to her now—Ace had figured out Delores, and he was toying with her. Though, of course, the imagery suggested otherwise.
The very things she admired about him also made him an absolute nightmare to tame. But Matthews had built her career on taming wild horses to run for C.I.B. for the rest of their lives. She had come from nothing and fought her way up to become the youngest EAD in C.I.B. This was just another challenge. And it was only a matter of time before she tamed this one too.
Ace's face had turned red, but his mischievous gaze never wavered. He wasn't mad at Delores for suddenly grabbing him by the neck or mocking him for being weak.
He knew exactly what she was doing. This was her way of engraving the lesson into his brain—unless he had the strength to back it up, he shouldn't go around wagging his tongue and flashing his wealth. People died for a lot less in the World of Curses.
Delores sighed, shaking her head seeing Ace wasn't backing down let alone give up. Realizing she had no choice, she let go, dropping him onto her surfboard with an exasperated huff.
She had to pull back—because if she held on even a second longer, Ace wouldn't just pass out. He'd be brain-dead. And instead of teaching him a lesson, she'd end up killing him. She went in too strong and he'd called her bluff. She hated this about him.
"Love me or hate me, you're stuck with me," Ace grinned, rubbing his sore neck before continuing, "But don't worry—I know better than to flaunt my wealth around. I only did it because I trust you guys. Yes, even you, Evil Eyes."
"Whatever," Delores muttered, rolling her eyes, pretending she didn't care. But when she noticed Ace stepping closer, she immediately blurted out, "Alright, I trust you, okay?"
Not because she actually wanted to say it. But because she knew if she didn't, Ace would definitely get handsy—and worse, he'd do it in front of company.
Across from them, Evil Eyes narrowed his gaze, murmuring under his breath, "Fascinating…" He was thoroughly impressed. In all his years, he'd never seen anyone—not a single soul in their family—manage to get Delores to speak her true feelings. Except, of course, for the old gentleman. And now, somehow, this teenager had done it.
But the secret to Ace's success was clear. Delores felt like she owed him. If he hadn't saved her life, Ace would've lost a few bones the very first time he ran his mouth let alone when he got handsy with her.
"Luck's on your side, young man," Matthews suddenly announced, drawing everyone's attention. Then, with a knowing look, she added, "My C.I.B. branch headquarters is holding an auction right now—they're auctioning off the innate curse tools we collected last month. There are three Sky-Tier innate curse tools among them. If we hurry, we should just make it in time."
Ace's eyes lit up, but then he hesitated, glancing at Mrs. Martins. He'd noticed her stealing glances at the sky of her dusk dominion again and again—as if keeping tabs on something. Or someone.
"What about Cyclops?" he asked, narrowing his gaze. Knowing that he was the one-eyed man's target.
Matthews followed his line of sight, then waved off his concern assuring, "Don't worry, I already reported it to the higher-ups. Someone will handle him soon." Then, turning to Delores, she added with a smirk, "You guys owe me one."
Delores and Evil Eyes exchanged looks before nodding in acknowledgment.
Satisfied, Matthews pulled out the canoe-shaped curse tool Janice had lent her. But just as she was about to activate it, she muttered in regret, "Damn shame. We should've captured one of those low-tier S.S.S. members alive—could've figured out why so many of them had gathered here."
She sighed, shaking her head before recalling her dusk dominion. Evil Eyes climbed into the back seat of the canoe, ready to leave—only to pause when Ace casually dropped a bombshell, "I know why they were gathered here."
Matthews, Delores, and Evil Eyes froze, their eyes locking onto him. No one doubted him as he was the one who informed them that S.S.S. members were gathered here in the first place. But the longer Ace stayed silent, the more impatient Matthews got.
"Well?" she pressed. "Why?"
Ace grinned, rocking back on his heels. "Come on now, Mrs. Martins," he drawled. "I can't just hand out valuable information for free. You of all people should know how this works."
"Fine. Give me the intel, and I'll compensate you accordingly," Matthews agreed without bothering to argue.
But Ace simply shook his head. He wasn't about to waste time going back and forth with her. Instead, he laid out his demand flatly, "I want a tax pardon—for this year and the next."
Matthews snorted. "Nope. Not happening. And besides, that's not even within my authority." She shot him down almost immediately, not even giving it a second thought.
Ace tilted his head, lips curling into a knowing smirk. "You sure?" His voice dropped slightly, the weight of his next words thick with implication. "Because the lives of your agents are at stake here."
Matthews' expression hardened, but Ace could see the subtle shift—making him certain that she could give him what he wanted.
"Fine," she relented, though her tone was ice-cold. "But if you're lying to me, I'll personally throw your ass into the darkest prison I can find and make your life miserable."
Ace didn't respond right away. Instead, he turned to Delores, wordlessly seeking confirmation. When she gave him a small nod, he finally spoke.
"The S.S.S. were hired by Astrid to parcel—aka behead—millionaire Mr. Weasley," Ace revealed, his voice casual but sharp enough to cut through the tense air. "Now, normally, they wouldn't pull together this many core members for a hit of this size. But—" He paused, letting the anticipation build before delivering the key detail. "—they found out Crimson Eyes was personally guarding him."
Matthews' expression darkened, she hurried him, "And?"
Ace sighed dramatically, as if explaining the obvious. "MountainOfSwords who thinks Crimson Eyes only beat him last time by ganging up on him saw this as the perfect chance for payback. So, he rounded up every available S.S.S. member he could."
Matthews clenched her jaw, processing the information.
"That old man knows how to hold a grudge," Ace continued, stretching his arms lazily. "And something tells me he hasn't given up yet." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "If I were you, I'd tighten security around that Weasley guy. For the sake of your agents."