Under the heiress facade

Tyler's car was idling outside Youngworth Miracle Clinic.

He watched Hera enter the clinic, his phone pressed to his ear as Bernard's icy voice sounded from the other line, "Stay away from her!"

"And what if I don't want to? What are you going to do about it?"

Tyler smirked as he said defiantly, "She's not your property. Besides, she never belonged to you in the first place. You just got a head start, that's all." "You'll regret this!" Bernard growled.

"Oh, my, I'm shaking-" Tyler was cut off by a beeping sound when Bernard hung up on him.

He stared at the dimmed phone screen, his smile slipping. He was just as good as Bernard. The latter had no right to act superior.

Snorting, Tyler steered the car away from the clinic and drove back to the Presgrave residence. He was halfway there when he received a call from his assistant.

wants you to leave for the mission in

mission assigned to the Tenth Elder?" Tyler asked,

mission in Astenia. Only the Tenth Elder, who ranked last among the Elders, would have no choice but to take up a mission in that godforsaken place. "I heard one of the

was one of the Ten Elders, but he

vowed to uncover Bernard's true identity in Astral Nova when he returned from

...

sat at the desk while Bernard sat in the armchair. They were each reading a book on computer programming, but that was only on the surface. In truth, they had their phones propped up

the market. She logged onto

typed, "What are the requirements for

news feed. He glanced in Hera's direction curiously, wondering why she was asking such

he replied, "The organization isn't looking to

Astral Nova so secretive that she couldn't even know the joining criteria? Did she