Soon, the trio arrived at the villa's lakeside pier, where a solitary figure, wearing a wide sunhat, lounged on a chair by the water. Janice exchanged a knowing glance with Mandy as they approached the seemingly slumbering figure.
"There she is. Looks like she's out cold," Janice murmured, her voice barely audible.
"I'm not sleeping—just resting my eyes," came a lazy drawl from the lounger. Delores opened one eye, rolling it dramatically before letting out a theatrical sigh.
Unfazed, Janice smirked and pointed toward her companion. "Mandy's here, and she's got work for you. Chop-chop!" she said, her tone more teasing than urgent.
"Lately, I feel more like Mandy's manager than yours," Delores complained, her tone dripping with frustration. "Maybe I should start taking my salary from her too," she grumbled, exasperated by Mandy's increasing dependence on Janice, which inevitably translated to more work for her.
"At least someone's getting my money's worth," Janice muttered with a touch of sarcasm. "It's been over a decade since you landed me a decent role. Honestly, I wonder why I still keep you around—" Her words cut off abruptly, her eyes widening in shock.
"Delores!" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "Cover yourself! We have a guest!"
Delores, lounging topless on the sun lounger, barely stirred. "Mandy's always here; I don't think she counts as a guest," she mumbled lazily, only reacting when three distinct shadows fell over her. Sliding her sunglasses down her nose, she blinked up at the approaching trio—a young boy, unfamiliar to her, accompanied Mandy and Janice.
"We have a virgin among us!" Mandy hissed dramatically, clapping her hands over the Ace's eyes. Despite her efforts, he peeked through her fingers, his eyes lingering on the brunette's toned beige color figure. Clad only in a tiny g-string, she offered a tantalizing glimpse of her athletic yet curvaceous body, leaving little to the imagination.
Delores raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I can see that," she replied dryly, rising to her feet with deliberate grace. Stretching languidly, she draped a short white towel over her shoulders, though it did little to conceal her generous and proud twin peaks.
"If he dies from bursting a vein or blood loss, I'm holding you responsible," Mandy declared furiously, finding Delores's current attire—or lack thereof—too provocative for a young virgin like her nephew. She couldn't believe she'd brought Ace into what now felt like a cavern of sluts. Sure, she knew they were couple of tease, but this, right here, felt more like an outright assassination attempt using sexual provocation.
"Uh, Mandy, I think I'll take a walk along the lake shore. You guys carry on. Just give me a call when you're done here," Ace said hastily, turning on his heel and hurrying off the pier without waiting for a response. He had no intention of lingering around Delores any longer—she was far too dangerous for his comfort.
Janice took a step toward following Ace, but Mandy grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. "And where do you think you're going?" Mandy demanded, her tone sharp.
"To accompany my guest/fan," Janice replied casually, slipping her wrist free from Mandy's grip with ease.
Mandy's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "J, if you take one more step, I'll sell your scandalous jpegs to the paparazzi—for peanuts." Her words carried a clear warning: stay away from Ace.
'Delores' actions were deliberate,' Ace pondered in his mind, his brow furrowed in concentration. 'How could a powerful curse master like her not notice my presence? It was intentional,' He paced along the lakeshore, his footsteps quick as he put as much distance as possible between himself and the villa. He needed privacy to contact Dame Wasp and uncover what she had learned. The moment he felt Delores' suffocating curse energy, he had immediately deactivated the sense-sharing skill. Fortunately, Dame Wasp understood his intent and refrained from using the 'Status Screen' to check on him.
'Did she figure out I'm a curse master too?' he mused. 'No, they seemed too relaxed. Probably because they're on familiar territory and think I'm just Mandy's harmless nephew.' He exhaled in relief. 'That was close. Thankfully, Delores wasn't dressed for handshakes. If she had touched my hand, she'd have sensed that my body is strengthened by curse energy—just like Dame Wasp detected with Janice.'
'Considering they entertained me for Mandy's sake, I don't think I need to worry about her being around them. But if Uncle Dan found out Mandy was hanging out with such wild women, his receding hairline would go bald overnight.' He frowned. 'Still, why are curse users befriending a mortal? And how lucky is Mandy to have met law-abiding curse users? If it had been someone else, she'd either be dead or become some human trafficking curse user's curse slave by now.' Ace's mind raced, trying to determine whether Janice and Delores posed a threat to him or his family. He needed a second opinion, fast.
From what he'd observed, they seemed to care about Mandy, especially Janice. What he couldn't figure out was why a powerful curse master like Delores was following Janice. Unless she wasn't really Janice's manager, as they claimed, but her bodyguard. That made more sense. It meant Janice had strong backing, capable of hiring an Earth-tier or even Sky-tier curse master as guard. From what Ace sensed, Delores was at least an Earth-tier curse master.
If they held such a high status in the 'World of Curses,' why was Janice befriending Mandy, a mere mortal? It seemed contrary to her status. After all, to Curse Masters, mortals were often regarded as little more than animals. Ace needed to uncover their true identities and discern their intentions behind forging a friendship with Mandy. Considering their bond had spanned several years, Ace felt it might not be immediately alarming, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down. He had to do his part to ensure his family's safety.
Making sure he was a safe distance from the villa, Ace decided to use his innate curse art, Status Screen, to communicate with Dame Wasp. It was subtler than 'Sense Sharing,' though less convenient.