As they walked through the narrow streets, Ryker could feel eyes watching them from every direction. He had dressed as normally as possible for this trip - simple clothes, nothing flashy. But he knew the real reason for all the stares.
Stella clutched her bag against her stomach like it contained her life savings. Her eyes darted back and forth, scanning every shadow and doorway for hidden threats. She walked stiffly, like she expected someone to jump out at her any second.
"You know, even without seeing what's in the bag, your behavior alone is giving you away," Ryker said, looking at her with disgust.
He hated when people made things complicated for him. He was willing to help when it benefited him, but he didn't want to deal with unnecessary trouble because of someone else's mistakes.
"I-I'm sorry," Stella stammered, trying to adjust her posture. "It's just... this is my first time carrying something worth so much money."
She attempted to walk more casually, but her hands were still shaking. Every few steps, she'd glance around nervously.
Ryker didn't respond. He just looked away and kept walking. Her excuses didn't interest him - she was still doing everything wrong, and now it was his problem too.
The silence between them grew uncomfortable. Stella decided to try making conversation.
"By the way, I'm Stella," she said, stealing a glance at his face to see his reaction.
"Ryker," he replied flatly.
Ryker wasn't interested in small talk that didn't benefit him. Unless someone had useful information or he wanted something from them, he couldn't be bothered to pretend he cared. And this clumsy girl definitely didn't seem worth the effort.
"So, from the looks of it, you're about my age," Stella said, her voice growing more confident. "And from your clothes, you seem to do well for yourself. Shouldn't you be attending some academy or something?"
She put her finger to her chin and studied him with curious eyes.
Ryker found the sudden change in her tone suspicious. But at least she'd stopped walking like a guilty criminal, so he didn't mind too much.
"I could say the same about you," he replied. "Although you don't look it, your mother's inn should bring in about 30,000 credits every month. That's enough to pay for academy entry."
Stella's eyes went wide with shock. She clearly hadn't expected him to know so much about her family's business.
Ryker knew exactly what her question had been getting at. Her behavior was suspicious, like she was gathering information to decide what to do with him.
"O-Oh no, it's not like that," she said quickly. "Each month we only make about 10,000 credits, and we have serious rent to pay. So it's not possible for me to attend an academy."
Her voice got shakier as she continued. "I just go to the motel for some extra change once in a while."
The last part came out as barely a whisper, like she was about to break down crying.
Most people who heard this would feel sorry for her, especially someone her age. It would be hard not to feel bad for a young girl who had to sell her body just to make ends meet.
She looked at Ryker with tears forming in her eyes, expecting to see sympathy. Instead, she met an intense stare that seemed to burn right through her.
"Oh, that sounds tragic," Ryker said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "At least you manage to bring in a few thousand per month, right?"
His gaze was filled with contempt and disgust. Stella felt like he could see into the deepest parts of her soul and was judging everything he found there.
Normally she wouldn't care what some stranger thought of her. But the way he looked at her made her feel small and worthless. Her legs started to shake, and she stumbled.
"Are you okay?" Ryker asked, his face twisting into what looked like a cruel smile. "Are your legs shaky from last night's side work?"
To Stella, he looked like a devil in human skin. His judging gaze and mocking smile made her feel like she was being torn apart.
She couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears right there in the middle of the street.
Her crying immediately drew attention from everyone around them. People stopped what they were doing to stare at the sobbing girl and the young man standing over her.
"Hey! What did you do to that poor child?" shouted an older woman.
"Wretched monster!" called out another voice. "Just because you think you're handsome doesn't give you the right to hurt her!"
"Stupid bastard!" yelled someone else.
Ryker just sighed as the insults flew at him. He'd been minding his own business when Stella brought up her sob story, trying to make him feel sorry for her. Unfortunately, Ryker had what most people would call a demonic heart - fitting for his villain role. But now she'd made him look like a bully instead of a villain.
"Hey, won't you apologize to the young lady?" A large, muscular man stepped forward, cracking his knuckles loudly.
"A customer of hers?" Ryker asked out loud.
The man's face immediately turned red with anger. When the crowd heard this, they understood why he was so upset.
"Don't get me wrong, it was just a simple question," Ryker said, trying to smooth things over. "Look, I mean no harm. We were just having a chat, and it was unfortunate that it brought back bad memories for her."
He really didn't want to have to shed blood in the middle of the street. But from the way the crowd was looking at him, he might not have a choice.
***
An auxiliary chapter has been created for character profiles! As the novel progresses more will be added!
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