Chapter 64: Proposal
"I am," Ivy replied, studying the woman who had just walked in with caution.
"Good," Eve replied, before taking a slow stroll to a nearby chair and sitting down completely opposite Ivy.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"I did. I’ve been asked to deliver a proposal. A group nearby wants to join forces and take on the citadel together. They have around 500 people."
Ivy’s expression darkened at the words.
Having a group of 500 people nearby was both surprising and scary. None of their scouts picked up any group of this size anywhere nearby.
Was the girl in front of her lying, or had they been watching this whole time?
"And what do we get in return?"
"They have four people who have already reached level 30, two more who are very close to it."
A moment of silence filled the room as Ivy got lost in her thoughts.
Despite their smaller size, it seems like their strength was fairly similar to theirs. Central Station also had only four people around level 30, and one of whom, Jax, had left. Of course, they had Damon, who Ivy expected was probably closer to 40 than 30, but even he couldn’t take the citadel on his own.
"Anyways, I will come back for your answer tomorrow," Eve stood up, already walking toward the door.
But before she could exit, she overheard a whisper coming from Victor’s mouth.
"Maybe we should wait for Damon, see what he thinks."
Eve stopped. Her lips curved into a smile, which only lasted a second as she quickly wiped it off before turning around.
"Damon? He’s here?" She asked with an exaggerated look of surprise on her face.
Ivy and Victor exchanged a surprised look before he spoke.
"Yeah, do you know him?"
Eve’s face lit up.
"Know him? How can I say this..." She lifted her hand in the air, showing off the ring on her finger. "He’s the one to put this on me," She said in a soft tone, which was most certainly an act.
But in the moment, completely shocked by her words, neither of them could see through it.
"WHAT?" Ivy’s hands slammed against the table, and her chair toppled over as she jumped to her feet.
A flicker of surprise flashed across Eve’s face at Ivy’s reaction before she quickly shook it off.
"If you’re so close," Victor suddenly spoke, "How come you’re not together right now?"
Eve didn’t reply. Instead, she studied them in silence for a few more seconds before turning around toward the door.
"I’ll be back for your answer tomorrow. Tell Damon I said hi."
Without any further delay, she walked off.
Ivy and Victor sat in silence for a couple of moments, lost in their own thoughts, before one of them finally spoke.
"What do you think? We won’t be able to find Damon by tomorrow. He just left, and we have no idea where he might be."
"I know." Ivy replied, "We need to make the decision on our own."
Their planned meeting with Damon was more than 20 days from now. And so speaking to him before making a decision was impossible, or so they thought.
Before their conversation could come to an end, Damon, along with his group, arrived at the Central Station, just barely missing Eve, who had left minutes before they arrived.
Once they reached the main area of the station, Damon came to a quick halt.
"We meet tomorrow at sunrise, same place as last time. Go get some rest." He said to his group, who were quick to leave, except for Elias, who stayed behind.
Damon raised a brow as he saw the middle-aged man linger behind.
"I’ll speak to Axel’s sister," he suddenly said.
Damon frowned. "I’m the leader, I should be the one to-"
"I knew him," A flicker of grief flashed across the man’s face, "I know his sister, it’s better if it’s me."
Damon wanted to be the one to convey the message. But he also knew that he was far from the best choice when it came to such things, and so after seeing the determination on Elias’s face, he agreed.
"Very well," he said with a nod and the man left.
But before Damon could walk away, Ivy and Victor had already heard of his arrival, and a man with steel-plated armour arrived at his side.
"Damon. Ivy and Victor asked to speak to you. It’s urgent."
Damon exhaled. "Of course they do."
He followed the man to the leadership meeting room, where Ivy and Victor eagerly awaited him.
"What are you doing at the station? I thought you were closing rifts?" Victor asked the moment Damon walked into the room.
Damon’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke. "One of my group members died. We came to inform the family."
A surprise flashed across Ivy’s and Victor’s faces. But before they could dwell on how someone could die at his watch, Damon continued.
"You said you had something urgent to talk about?"
"Yes," Ivy replied, her expression darkening. "We just met your fiancé."
"My what?" Damon blinked.
Ivy stared at Damon with an expression so cold it looked impossible on someone who could manipulate fire.
"A person came with a proposal," Victor cut in, "A group of 500 wants to join us in capturing the citadel. They have four people who reached level 30 and two more close to it."
Damon nodded.
"Also..." Victor began to add, "The woman who came to deliver the message, she said she knew you. Her name is Eve."
Damon’s eyes widened at the name.
The person who stole from him not once but twice. A thief, he swore he would catch one day.
This came as a surprise not just because it was her, but because the last time they met, the girl was without any group.
Could she have found a group to join in this short time? She didn’t seem like the type to trust people easily, so Damon doubted that was the case.
Then...
’Is it another one of her ploys?’
Before he could finish the thought, Ivy spoke.
"Seems like you know her," She murmured, her arms folded against her chest as she saw recognition on his face upon hearing the name.
"I do."
"So we can trust her?" Victor asked.
"No," he replied flatly, "But we will accept the proposal either way. If they can be of help, we will use them. And if not..."
Damon’s gaze shifted between his two companions with a dark look. "Then we’ll kill them."