Chapter 31 - Aria

"Manager Doug, this is the new boss of the gang. He has some questions for you."

"H-hi boss, what questions do you have for me?" Manager Doug was startled. Why did they suddenly change boss? How can the new boss also be a kid? But he did not voice his doubts. Being in his line of business, it was best not to ask too many questions and just do what he's told. Only then would he be more successful and live longer. He was able to climb up to his current position because he stayed true to such belief. He understood the principle of knowing too much could get you killed.

"I want to know if you've received any noble guests tonight." Leon's expression was calm. Manager Doug couldn't read anything from his expression.

"We just received one not long ago."

"Is he staying the night alone?"

"No, surely he would've had better choices for accommodation if that was the case." Manager Doug didn't want to look down on their own establishment, but they don't specialize in accommodations. There are hotels for that.

"Was the girl voluntary or unwilling?"

"Unwilling of course." When were they ever willing when they receive these sorts of requests? By this point, Manager Doug would be an idiot if he couldn't tell what was wrong. But he didn't understand why that was the case. They were a gang and running dirty businesses was the norms.

"I don't mind if we have call girls working voluntarily but this business of forcefully capturing women to please men has to stop immediately. I do not want to hear another word of something like this happening again. Is that understood?"

"Understood." Though Manager Doug wanted to say doing so would be cutting off a good source of money for them, but he ultimately decided to stay quiet.

"You can fill him in on the new rules on the way. For now, take me to that young noble's room." Leon told Gower before ordering manager Doug.

"Yes, boss."

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Aria was just a commoner, but she wasn't your average everyday girl. She was beautiful but had a very cold temperament that would make people keep their distances from her. Not many are aware of her beauty because she had learned to conceal herself since a young age due to her parent's teachings. Her parents were experienced people and knew the ugliness of the human hearts.

The Capital had laws and regulations in place to protect the people and keep the order in place, but the peaceful surface is just a facade that hides the darkness underneath. No matter the times and place, the world had always been ruled by the laws of the jungle and the strong would prey on the weak.

No one would really care if a single commoner was bullied. Unrelated people would just ignore it and rejoice that they weren't the one being bullied. Such situations weren't rare but their considered one of the lighter cases happening in the Capital in recent years. There are people going missing every day without clue of whether they are dead or alive.

With her face covered by her long black hair, spectacles and dirty smudges, no one would be able to tell the beauty that lies beneath. She was taught that beauty without strength is not a blessing but a disaster.

She would have never thought that she would have captivated the eyes of a young noble who chanced upon her beauty while she was wiping her sweat on the job at her family's coffee shop. She didn't think it would also land her in her current predicament on the same day after she was just finishing up work and making her way home.

Were nobles these days too proud and arrogant to pursue her normally in daylight and can only resort to despicable means to obtain her body at night? Were their commoner lives only the plaything of nobles? She had experienced firsthand the cruelty and unfairness of reality and wish she could just kill herself and put an end to everything. She didn't want to live in such a world, but she didn't have the courage to commit suicide either, not to mention she was currently bound. She wanted to struggle against fate but reality makes her falter.

Face cleaned and body tied, she was placed on the bed in an unfamiliar room by a pair of men in black at the special request of their client. Normally, they would drug the person, so she doesn't remember what happen on the night. But whether the young noble was confident or stupid, it was not their business to worry about as long as they are paid.

Generally, the noble houses care a lot about their face in public and would be furious if scandalous news of their sons playing around with women with lowly backgrounds reached their ears. No doubt the fathers would break their son's legs and place them under house arrest to reflect on their behaviors as punishment for embarrassing and humiliating their fathers in public.

"As I thought, aren't you the little beauty with all the blemishes removed?" The young noble said to her lasciviously, while admiring her beauty from the side.

Aria didn't say anything and just looked at him coldly. Her fists were clenched and body shaking but she couldn't break free from her bind with her weak strength.

"Quite the cold beauty. All the more interesting. Let's see if you can still maintain that cold exterior when I give you a taste of heaven." The young noble started undressing himself before climbing into bed, ready to pounce on her.

Aria closed her eyes as a teardrop fell as memories of the past flash by. She wanted to go back to that time when she was still attending middle school. When everything was still simple and pure. She would hide in a corner and watch a boy studying in the library instead of playing outside like the rest of the kids during break time.

She wasn't sure why she was captivated by the boy, who was different to everyone else. Maybe it was his hardworking efforts or maybe it was his drive to not be ordinary. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter because she fell in love with the boy at first sight. She felt there's an invisible string that connected them. Unfortunately, they never managed to interact with one another. She had never approached him and was satisfied with just watching him from afar.

Why was she thinking about that boy now? Did she think he might come save her like a prince with shining armor? How was that possible? She hasn't seen him since high school, why would he suddenly after all these years?

Bang* The door was kicked open as Leon walked in. The door was locked from the inside and he didn't have the patience to wait for someone to fetch the master key.

The sudden blast startled the young noble greatly that his raging stiff rod, shrank at noticeable rate until it was unseen as he grabbed at things randomly with his hands to cover himself. He looked at the broken door before looking at the people at the entrance unhappily.

His eye's and Leon's locked onto each other for a moment.

"Room service." Leon broke the silence with a random topic.

"I didn't call for room service!" The young noble roared angrily, while making his way over after finding something to cover himself. He felt humiliated and angry for being interrupted and being seen naked by a bunch of men.

"How are you people doing your business!?"

He was prepared to slap Leon, who was in front, but Leon kicked his overweight body to one side of the room.

"Wasn't talking to you." Leon made his way over to Aria and untied the ropes binding her. "Are you alright, miss?"

Aria was a bit dazed as she looked at Leon's familiar face. There were some slight changes his appearance, but she recognized him as the boy that she used to watch in middle school. She didn't answer Leon and just stared at him with red and passionate eyes.

"How dare you kicked me! Do you know who I am!? Guards!" The young noble was enraged.

"Don't bother and I don't care who you are. They're already been knocked out cold by the door… I mean the entrance. The door isn't there anymore." Leon corrected himself before refocusing his attention on Aria.

"Were you drugged?" Leon asked with a frown. Her expression didn't seem right. He checked her pulse but didn't see any signs of aphrodisiac or any other drugs in her system.

"Y-You!" The overweight young noble was speechless. What was he going to threaten him with? His guards are already out cold, and he couldn't threaten with his father's name. His father would probably break his legs and keep him home if he found out instead.

"Gower, Arlo, kick them out of building." Leon said with a frown.

"Yes, boss."

"Y-You!!" The fatty kept stuttering with pointed fingers.

"Y-You this, y-you that. Can't you speak properly? What were you even trying to do just now? Aren't you afraid a fat pig like you would flatten the flower?"

"Y-I'll remember this."

The fat pig was taken away, leaving only Aria, Leon and manager Doug left in the room.

"What if the young noble seeks his father for revenge, boss?" Manager Doug could no longer stay quiet voiced his concern. They have offended a noble after all.

"He wouldn't dare." Leon was confident the young noble wouldn't inform his father.. He wasn't afraid if low level guards was sent for revenge either.