Nyssa pov
We eventually managed to get into the mall, and as we walked through the crowd, I couldn’t understand how Darius managed to keep such an emotionless expression. The crowd screamed his name, reaching out in every way possible to get his attention, yet his face didn’t even twitch. Meanwhile, there was me, someone barely anyone noticed, struggling not to bolt straight for the entrance and leave him behind.
As I walked, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth everyone even knew Darius was going to be here. Then it hit me, my father must have called ahead to inform the mall to prepare for the arrival of the Lycan King, and from there, the news must’ve spread.
Thank the goddess I had chosen a mall exclusive to a selected few because I couldn’t even begin to imagine the chaos if the general public had been allowed in.
“Greetings to the Lycan King. Welcome to Everest Mall–we are deeply honored to have you here,” an elderly man said, bowing his head respectfully as he stood ahead of the other staff. I immediately recognized him, Elder Philip, the owner of the mall and one of our pack’s elders.
I had never been particularly close to Elder Philip, but I remembered that he had died during the rogue attack in my past life. After his death, Kieran had wasted no time in taking over the mall, since Philip had no children or known relatives. At the time, I couldn’t understand why Kieran had been so eager to claim the place, but when I eventually discovered the reason, it broke my heart.
Kieran had wanted the mall for two reasons: first, because Aria had wanted it and second, because the mall was a major source of revenue for our pack. Despite being a quiet figure, Elder Philip had been an incredibly talented fashion designer. His work was well–known and deeply appreciated, even outside our pack. Outsiders often came just to buy his creations. He was so good that other packs had tried recruiting him, but he never left.
In the end, he met a tragic death, and his life’s work, his beloved mall, his unique designs were stolen by Kieran and Aria. And it had all happened partly because of me… because I had been too naive, too trusting.
Darius didn’t say a word, making no attempt to respond to the elderly man. I frowned but didn’t speak up. Despite Darius’s youthful appearance, if you didn’t know his true age, he could easily pass for a 27–year–old man. But the man beside me, Philip, was much older- so old, in fact, that no one could truly guess his age.
“Thank you for having us,” I finally said when it was clear Darius had no intention of speaking. “I apologize for the commotion outside; it must be disturbing for you. We’ll just take a quick look around and leave soon.”
Philip lifted his head, his warm smile lighting up his face as his eyes crinkled in kindness. He shook his head.
“No, miss. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Please, take your time. Whatever you choose is on the house. Enjoy yourselves, and pick out whatever you like.” He then turned to look at Darius, and I noticed the awe in his eyes. “In fact, it would be even better if the king could take everything in this mall and wear it…” He murmured under his breath, “Imagine the honor of having the king wear one of my designs. It would definitely bring in more customers.”
I froze, blinking in confusion as I saw the look in his eyes–he was practically eyeing Darius like he was a walking advertisement, a money–making machine. Huh?
“Don’t fall for his tricks,” Serene, who had been standing behind me, leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Elder Philip is the one who spread the rumors that the king was coming. I overheard the staff saying he told them to spread the word so people would see the king entering his mall. It’s all to boost his business.”
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Chapter 25
Right. Why wasn’t I surprised? Philip, being the best designer in the whole pack, was certainly no stranger to tricks.
Whatever. I didn’t care. I just wanted to end this and leave.
“Thank you, Philip. Since you’re offering it to be on the house, we’ll try to select the best,” I said, snapping his attention back
to me.
Hey, even if I had the money for it, I wasn’t going to pass up free things plus it was the payment if Darius coming here.
Soon, Philip left and assigned the store manager to show us around. But honestly, it wasn’t necessary. I knew this place like the back of my hand since it had once belonged to Aria in my past life. She would often drag me here to brag about it to me, so I was already familiar with every inch of it.
“I hope you’re not jealous that Kieran gave me this mall, right? You know we were friends before he met you, and I introduced you to him–so think of this as a reward for finding you a good man.”
“Pfft, a good man,” I muttered under my breath, holding the dress in my hand as her words echoed in my head.
“Sorry, miss? I didn’t catch that,” the sales assistant asked, and I realized I’d said that out loud.
Quickly shaking my head, I lifted the dress by the hanger and turned it toward Serene, who was standing behind me. Her face flushed as I tilted my head slightly before giving a nod.
“She’d like to try this on. If she likes it, we’ll take it,” I said.
The sales assistant smiled, lowering her head with a slight bow as she took the dress from me.
“Understood, miss,” she replied before turning to Serene. “This way, please.”
Serene sighed, her brows pinched in a slight frown as she stared at me. I already knew what she was about to say–that I hadn’t picked out a single dress for myself and had only been choosing for her. But honestly, that was the whole reason I came here today. To get her new dresses, to spend time with her, to make her happy, something I never truly did in my past life.
“Go try it on,” I said with a soft smile. “I haven’t seen anything I like yet. If I do, I’ll get it, don’t worry.”
She sighed again, clearly wanting to argue but choosing not to say anything in public. With a reluctant nod, she followed the sales assistant toward the fitting rooms. And even though she tried to hide it, I caught the subtle eagerness in her steps.
I couldn’t help but smile as I turned around, ready to pick something else for Serene. But the smile quickly faded from my lips when my eyes landed on Darius, seated not far from me. His cold, emotionless gaze was fixed solely on me, ignoring the people passing by who whispered and blushed as they stole glances at him.
This had been going on for a while now. Darius would just sit there, silently watching me, and when it was time to move to another section, he would stand up and follow behind me, still without saying a word. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was his version of spending time together. And don’t get me wrong, I was actually happy with it. Just having him quietly tag along was… Better than spending time with him.
What annoyed me, though, were the crowds that seemed to follow wherever we went- people swarming into the sections just to catch a glimpse of him.
“Isn’t the king really handsome? I never thought I’d see him in this lifetime. Goddess, this is amazing!” a woman squealed, an elder’s daughter, if I wasn’t mistaken as she clung to her friends, eyes locked on Darius. He, of course, acted as though he hadn’t heard a thing. The man was a literal block of wood.
1 scoffed and tore my gaze away, deciding to check a few more sections before heading home. But just as I was about to pick something else for Serene, a voice cut through the air and stopped me cold.
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Chapter 25
I didn’t need to look back to know who it was.
Aria.
