Chapter 170: Sleepy. Perfect. That means it’s working
She stared for a beat.
Then gave the faintest nod.
"You didn’t mess anything up. You lifted without grunting like a dying goat. And you only scratched your head once, which is frankly a miracle in this company." Her voice dropped an octave, cool and final. "You stay."
Then, without looking back, she added, "And... Chewer. You stay too."
Everyone gawked.
Even Luca blinked.
Isabella finally smiled—mischievous, sharp. "If I’m forced to have someone guarding my soap in the middle of the night, I’d rather have someone who looks too lazy to poke around and too busy chewing to gossip."
The flexer and the ghost of a man were quietly excused with a flick of her fingers.
And just as the two chosen ones exchanged glances, likely unsure if they’d been complimented or cursed, Ophelia piped up cheerfully—
"Oh! Kian also said he’ll be coming over later to see the soap before you distribute it to the village!"
"Kian," Isabella muttered under her breath, like the name had a weight to it she wasn’t sure she wanted to carry right now. Her voice was light, almost teasing, but her eyes sharpened slightly, lips pressing into a thoughtful line for a split second before she caught herself.