Amanda had been standing outside Kyle’s door for the past five minutes.
His phone was unreachable.
He wasn’t answering the doorbell either.
A knot of anxiety tightened around her heart.
He couldn’t have been attacked by Ava again... right?
And even if he had been, Kyle wasn’t someone who would go down without a fight.
Yet there hadn’t been a single report of a disturbance or a fight breaking out.
Her gaze fell on the locked door.
Breaking it would trigger the building security alarm and a few people would rush toward her.
She knew that.
But at this point, she had run out of options.
If Kyle wasn’t inside, she had to start searching for him somewhere.
Taking several steps back, Amanda lowered her stance, ready to smash the door open with her shoulder.
Just as she took her first step,
Click
The lock turned.
The door slowly opened from the other side, halting her in place.
Standing there...
Was Kyle.
A helpless smile rested on his face.
The tightness in Amanda’s chest finally eased.
Only for her expression to harden the very next second.
"If you don’t have a very good reason for turning off your phone and not telling me about the rift," she said, her voice dangerously calm, "I swear I’m not talking to you anymore."
Kyle panicked.
It was rare to see Amanda this angry.
Without wasting another second, he gently pulled her inside and closed the door behind them.
"I’ll tell you everything. Just... come with me."
Holding her hand, he led her through the hallway.
Amanda remained silent, patiently waiting as Kyle helped her sit on the couch before crouching in front of her.
"Amy, you know I have this weird talent for attracting trouble," he began with an awkward smile. "After you left today, I was training Maya in the arena when a rift suddenly appeared. Luckily, it was only filled with Majins, so we managed to deal with them."
"We?" Amanda repeated, her brows knitting together. "That girl fought too? Even though she’s only a Third Grade?"
Kyle blinked.
"You checked her background?"
Amanda crossed her arms.
"Of course I did. Some girl suddenly becomes very interested in my boyfriend. How could I not be suspicious?"
Kyle couldn’t help but laugh.
Hearing that, Amanda’s surprise made perfect sense.
A Third Grade fighting Majins wasn’t something anyone would casually believe.
Unfortunately...
Kyle couldn’t tell her the whole truth.
Not about Ethara.
For some reason, revealing anything related to Artemis felt... wrong.
Even he couldn’t explain why.
For now, Kyle focused on calming his girlfriend.
"So... the Majins were mostly handled by me. Then, when the Ghoul appeared, the Vice Commander arrived, and we were escorted to safety."
"And you didn’t fight the Ghoul?" Amanda asked, narrowing her eyes.
Kyle almost asked if she thought he was some kind of battle maniac.
Then again, her suspicion wasn’t exactly unreasonable.
"I... did," he admitted. "But only long enough to hold it back. And I promise, I wasn’t injured."
He gently squeezed her hand.
"Trust me. I kept my word and didn’t act recklessly this time. If you want, you can ask the officers. There wasn’t much of a commotion."
Amanda’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.
She cupped his cheeks and looked straight into his eyes.
"I don’t need someone else’s testimony to trust your words, Kyle."
The guilt weighing on his chest eased.
"I’m sorry, Amanda... I made you worry again."
Amanda leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
Only then did the uneasiness in her heart finally disappear.
She couldn’t explain what she had felt from the moment she heard about the rift until the instant he opened the door.
Not even facing powerful enemies on the battlefield had ever made her heart race this fiercely.
After a few moments of peaceful silence, she sniffed lightly.
"Why do you smell so nice... or do I smell that bad?"
Kyle chuckled.
"Were you rolling around in the dirt?"
His eyes drifted to the dried mud staining her arm and the side of her neck.
Amanda let out a tired sigh before resting her head on his shoulder.
"Don’t say it like that... I hated every second of it. Why can’t those creatures just drop dead?"
Kyle smiled faintly.
He could tell she was exhausted.
"How about I heat up the bath for you? Then I’ll make some pasta. I still have some homemade sauce left, and your favorite pineapple juice is in the fridge."
Amanda’s body jolted instantly at those words.
After such a tiring day, what more could she ask for?
She lifted her head.
"I’d feel guilty..."
Kyle hummed thoughtfully.
"Then I’ll charge you a small fee."
Before she could ask what he meant, he leaned forward and stole a quick kiss.
Amanda froze.
Warmth spread across her cheeks.
Kyle stood up with a satisfied smile.
"That was only the advance payment."
He flashed her a playful grin.
"You can pay the rest later."
With that, he headed toward the bathroom.
Amanda watched him leave before sinking comfortably into the couch.
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
Hah...
He’d make such a wonderful husband.
If only she could stay by his side forever.
’Maybe... after this weekend... we can finally start living together?’
The thought alone brought a bright smile to her face.
She couldn’t wait.
....
"Hmm?"
The man seated behind the computer tilted his head.
"Am I seeing this correctly... or do I need a new pair of glasses?"
"What happened, Senior?" the woman organizing files beside him asked, frowning.
He pointed at the monitor.
"Take a look at the readings."
The woman leaned closer before reading the numbers aloud.
"Five thousand three hundred... I don’t see anything wrong."
She was looking at the energy reading of a Bridge around seven in the evening.
The man gave a wry smile.
Without saying a word, he switched to another screen.
"Now read this."
The woman’s eyes widened.
"Four thousand eight hundred...?"
Her voice trembled.
It was of around eight.
"How is that even possible?"
The two exchanged stunned looks.
A Bridge’s energy reading almost never dropped so drastically unless someone was actively raiding it.
Yet, for the past two years, not a single Bridge in Guhang had been raided.
Silence settled over the room.
Was this...
A sign that things were finally about to change?