"I already told you—my name is Elaine Belloc," Elaine said with a gentle, sweet smile.
Lucas Reed set down his pen and looked up at her with a grave expression.
"From the moment we met, you've been subtly influencing my mind—trying to make me sign this document."
"That's not the case," Elaine replied calmly.
"This decision comes from your own heart."
She smiled softly.
"After all, you still haven't signed it yet, have you?"
What a joke.
Was he out of his mind?
Why would he adopt a girl for no reason at all?
"Are you peering into my mind?" Lucas narrowed his eyes and demanded.
He didn't find the idea unbelievable—after all, this world had figures like Professor X.
"Does that really matter?" Elaine asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"We didn't even know each other before today. Don't you think this is far too strange?" Lucas felt that something was seriously wrong with this girl.
"We can get to know each other slowly," Elaine said, smiling sweetly.
"Impossible!"
Anger finally surfaced on Lucas's face.
"I don't care who you are or what your purpose is—stay away from me and my family!"
"And if I refuse?" Elaine continued smiling, though something indescribable appeared in her eyes.
"Then don't blame me!"
Lucas's gaze turned fierce as the energy within his body began to circulate.
He would never allow anyone to threaten the people he cared about.
"Three hundred thousand dollars per month as a living allowance," Elaine suddenly said quickly,
"and an additional three million dollars paid at the end of each year as a full-attendance bonus—all after tax."
"…?"
Lucas froze.
The energy he had just gathered instantly dissipated.
"It's written in the document," Elaine continued calmly, pointing at the papers on the table.
"Page seven, clauses ten through fifteen. The material compensation you receive for raising me."
Lucas glanced at Elaine, then immediately flipped to page seven.
Sure enough, those clauses were clearly listed.
His expression turned strange.
Earlier, his attention had been focused entirely on her, so he had only skimmed the beginning and the end of the document.
After a brief silence, Lucas asked,
"Tell me—who is your father?"
"He's quite famous among your kind," Elaine replied apologetically.
"But I can't speak his name. Doing so might cause trouble."
"Believe me," she added,
"if he's pleased with me, there's a very high chance you'll receive benefits granted by him."
"And in the future," she said softly,
"you will need my help."
Lucas felt a headache coming on.
By the sound of it, her father was clearly someone extraordinary.
It could be a lie—but in a world where anything was possible, Lucas didn't dare gamble.
The real problem was that this little miss clearly had no intention of leaving.
Using force was risky.
Even if he could win—what if hurting the child brought the parent down on him?
His current strength still wasn't enough.
For now… endure it.
Lucas turned to Carrie, who was quietly eating beside him.
"Carrie… do you mind?"
Carrie put down her utensils, tilted her head, and thought for a moment.
"I don't mind, brother."
Lucas nodded, then looked back at Elaine.
"Is there no way not to sign it?"
Elaine shook her head slowly.
"Trust me. If you sign it, you won't regret it."
Lucas genuinely wanted to explode at that moment.
But suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him.
It felt as though a pair of unseen eyes were watching him from somewhere beyond reality.
Lucas was certain now—
a supreme existence had locked onto him.
The moment he made any hostile move, it would intervene directly.
Taking a deep breath, Lucas pulled out a pen and swiftly signed his name at the end of the document.
The instant he finished signing, the white paper ignited with blue flames, startling him.
As the fire burned, the document transformed—from ordinary paper into a yellowed parchment scroll.
A strange sensation arose within him—
no, within his soul.
"What the hell…?"
Lucas looked around in shock, only to realize that no one else reacted at all, as if he alone were witnessing this phenomenon.
"This is a New Sacred Covenant," Elaine explained calmly.
"One of the gifts my grandfather gave me."
The flames quickly died out.
Elaine rolled the parchment into a scroll and placed it neatly into her cartoon-themed backpack.
"If I violate the contract," Lucas asked cautiously,
"what happens?"
"I don't think you'd want to know," Elaine replied with a smile as she zipped up her bag.
The corner of Lucas's eye twitched.
He silently swore that he would never again sign a contract lightly.
Sighing, he turned to Carrie apologetically.
"Carrie, I won't be able to take you to the big city today. How about next weekend?"
"Okay, big brother," Carrie replied obediently, without the slightest hint of disappointment.
And just like that, Lucas inexplicably adopted a little girl right there in a restaurant.
That evening, as they walked home, Lucas's head still felt a little dizzy.
He had no idea how he was going to explain Elaine's existence to his parents.
At that moment, Elaine suddenly reached out and took Lucas's right hand.
"This reminds me of the only time Father ever held my hand while walking along the Silver Road," she said wistfully.
Silver Road?
The name felt familiar, yet Lucas couldn't recall where he had heard it.
Soon, the three of them arrived at their doorstep.
"Brother, look," Carrie said, pointing ahead.
"Whose car is that? Why is it parked in front of our house?"
She was pointing at a black, extended Rolls-Royce parked near the curb.
As soon as the three of them appeared, the car door opened.
A young Caucasian man dressed casually stepped out, followed closely by two bodyguards.
He walked briskly toward them, clearly here to see Lucas.
"Hello, Mr. Reed. It's our first meeting—very pleased to make your acquaintance."
The young man stopped in front of Lucas, smiling as he extended a pale hand.
Beneath light-brown, slightly wavy hair, his distinctly Western features carried an unusually approachable smile.
"And you are?" Lucas asked politely, shaking his hand.
"My name is Lex Luthor," the man said.
"I'm the Vice President of the Luthor Group."
Lucas's hand trembled almost imperceptibly.
That name was thunderous.
Superman's nemesis.
The most brilliant mind on DC's Earth.
A man who could toy with creator gods themselves—
The future bald Luthor
But seeing his thick hairline and hearing the title "Vice President," Lucas immediately understood:
This man hadn't yet fully evolved into that version of Lex Luthor.
"What do you want with me?" Lucas asked, frowning.
"Won't you invite me in for a drink?" Luthor asked with a smile.
"Sorry. I don't have any good alcohol, and I don't like drinking," Lucas refused flatly.
Luthor snapped his fingers.
One of the bodyguards stepped forward.
Only then did Lucas notice the rectangular wooden box in the man's arms.
"This is a wine I brought specifically to share with you," Luthor said, gesturing to the box.
"We're both young—I believe it suits us well."
Lucas felt a surge of irritation.
After everything that had happened today, he disliked overly familiar people.
Just as he was about to refuse—
"French Bordeaux Château d'Yquem," Elaine suddenly spoke up.
"The 1811 vintage—one of the rarest in existence?"
Luthor looked at her in surprise.
"My, my. I didn't expect such a young lady to recognize it. Your knowledge is impressive."
Lucas frowned and leaned closer to Elaine, whispering,
"Is that thing really that good?"
Elaine thought for a second, then replied softly,
"If I remember correctly, it should be worth around one hundred and twenty thousand dollars."
"Come, come, Mr. Luthor—please, come inside!"
Lucas immediately hooked an arm around Luthor's shoulder and welcomed him in with great enthusiasm.
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T/N:
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