Chapter 215: Our baby
The quiet uncertainty in her voice sounded strange coming from Cassandra Selfmore.
Behind her, the crimson-haired woman straightened. Her earlier excitement faded as she waited for Martin’s response. Elisebeth, Alexandra, and Katherine also stayed silent, though none of them looked away.
Rias watched Cassandra more closely than before. Her expression softened slightly, perhaps because Cassandra’s apology was sincere, but she remained prepared to intervene if the conversation drifted into a confession.
Martin studied Cassandra’s worried face and thought about everything Kill Clause had done for him. She had supported him, challenged him, and pushed him toward opportunities he might otherwise have ignored. Whatever secrets she had kept, the time they had spent together was real.
Besides, one benefit of her interference could not be overlooked.
"Of course not!" Martin said. "I even told you that you could pry into my life if it meant more vacation time! Haha!"
Cassandra blinked. "Really?"
"Yes!"
"You aren’t angry that I contacted your workplace?"
"I got time off."
"That wasn’t the point of my question."
"It was still a very important result."
She stared at him for several seconds before her shoulders finally relaxed.
"I’m so relieved."
The smile that returned was softer than the one she had worn while approaching him. Her hand lifted almost hesitantly before her fingers closed around the edge of his sleeve.
The touch lasted only a moment, but Martin felt how tightly she had gripped the fabric before forcing herself to relax.
She let go and searched his face, making sure he truly meant what he had said.
Behind her, the crimson-haired woman’s eyes began to shine.
Annie had spent enough time around Cassandra to understand how unusual this moment was. Her elder sister had finally found someone who could make her act sweet, nervous, and visibly relieved. The realization filled Annie with so much excitement that her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.
She looked more like an apple than ever.
Both hands flew to Annie’s mouth as she struggled to contain whatever sound was trying to escape. Cassandra ignored her and kept her focus on Martin.
"I don’t want there to be a wall between us anymore," she said. "I want you beside me while knowing exactly who I am."
Rias’s posture eased by a fraction. The wording carried plenty of emotion, but Cassandra had not crossed the boundary they had agreed upon.
Annie’s shoulders still began to tremble.
Elisebeth narrowed her eyes. Alexandra folded her arms beneath her chest, while Katherine’s pleasant smile became suspiciously still.
Martin noticed none of them. Cassandra stood directly in front of him, close enough to occupy nearly all his attention.
"Martin," she said, "do you want to lead Night Espresso with me?"
His mind went blank.
The question felt like an ordinary office worker being promoted directly to CEO without an interview, a warning, or even a chance to prepare. One moment, Martin had been trying to understand why Kill Clause’s ass looked so familiar. The next, Cassandra Selfmore was asking him to stand beside her at the top of Night Espresso.
He remained frozen, and even Annie stopped trembling.
Cassandra waited, looking far too amused by the effect she had on him.
"You joined the guild early," she continued. "You were there before Night Espresso became what it is now, and since then, you’ve guided us through one event after another."
The teasing note faded from her voice.
"You carried the Crystal Spear, shaped our expansion, and kept finding opportunities that helped the guild grow. Today, an entire guild followed your calls even though you weren’t one of them." Her eyes softened. "Captain Plume trusted you, Martin. So did the people fighting beside you."
The offer no longer sounded like a sudden promotion. Cassandra was simply putting a title on something Martin had already begun doing.
"You’ve protected our members and given us direction whenever my attention was focused elsewhere," she said. "You’ve already been leading. I’m asking you to do it beside me."
Annie slowly lowered her hands.
Cassandra smiled at Martin.
"I don’t see Night Espresso as something that belongs only to me anymore. I see it as our baby."
Silence fell over the group.
Annie’s expression went blank as she stared at her elder sister, trying to process what she had just heard.
"Our..." she muttered as her knees began to wobble. "Baby..."
She toppled backward and landed flat on her back.
Cassandra did not turn around. Either she trusted her sister to survive the fall, or she considered the sacrifice acceptable.
Martin’s face burned red as the pressure behind him intensified. Elisebeth, Alexandra, and Katherine were all staring at Cassandra now, and none of them looked pleased.
Rias closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
The wording had technically obeyed their agreement.
Technically.
Only then did Cassandra glance past Martin.
Elisebeth met her look directly.
"You arrived less than a minute ago," she said, her voice dangerously calm, "and you’re already talking about having a baby with him?"
"It was a metaphor," Cassandra replied.
"That isn’t helping."
Alexandra tightened her folded arms, her controlled expression doing little to hide her displeasure.
Katherine kept smiling.
Somehow, that was the most frightening reaction of all.
Rias opened her eyes again and looked at Cassandra with exhausted disappointment. "You knew exactly how that would sound."
"I chose an accurate description of our shared investment," Cassandra replied.
"You chose chaos," Rias said.
Cassandra’s lips curved upward. "That too."
Their combined hostility did not bother her. If anything, she seemed pleased to have finally gained their full attention.
Caught between them, Martin felt as though he had wandered into the middle of a battlefield without understanding how the fight had started.
On the ground, Annie raised one trembling hand.
"No one warned me..." she whispered.
Rias glanced down at her. "You helped Cassandra design this appearance. You had more warning than anyone."
"That didn’t prepare me for the baby!"
Martin looked at Cassandra, then at Elisebeth, Alexandra, Katherine, and the visibly exhausted Rias. Finally, his attention dropped to Annie’s defeated body.
Kill Clause had invited him to a party, but only now did he realize that the invitation had been an ambush.