Chapter 9: You Need to Come to Your Senses
"Wait, Lira," Charles said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. His voice came out steadier than he expected, though inside he was scrambling for a way out.
"Think about it for a second. We're in your room, not a fighting arena. If we duke it out here and now, won't we trash this whole place?"
Lira stared at him for a moment, then, to his surprise, let out a short, dry laugh.
"What's wrong, Rian? Already backing down?" she said, crossing her arms with a sarcastic smirk. "Look, if you manage to beat me now, I'll give you my word: I'll push your fights to tonight. They'll be the last two of the day—the big closers, the most important ones."
Lira paused to brush her hair back, then added with a biting edge:
"Of course, that's if you can beat me, which I highly doubt."
She threw that out there even though, despite her authority as Kraus Cole's daughter, shifting the fight schedule wouldn't be a walk in the park for her.
It was an empty promise, a taunt dressed up as a deal.
Charles, hearing her words, just thought it was a lousy offer.
Seriously? He had to beat her to earn her permission to fight?
That was ridiculous!