Clara took a moment to look at Dyon’s large hands. But, Dyon didn’t press her. He only left it there, letting her think through what she needed to think through.

The truth was that Clara didn’t really have any feelings for Jason. The only reason why she accepted his invite to a date this morning was because she wanted a distraction. It wasn’t that Clara loved Dyon – her feelings were still ambiguous on the matter. But, what she did know was that Dyon was still a best friend she kept a place in her heart for and maybe, subconsciously, she felt like Jason might be a replacement for that feeling.

That said, Clara had no intention of telling Dyon that. After all, it wasn’t as though she had lied about anything. She just wanted to let Dyon know that not everything was just ready and waiting for when he felt like it was right to come back. Things change and keep moving forward whether he wants them to or not.

At the same time, Clara knew the kind of person Dyon was. He was straight forward to a fault and the fact that he hadn’t called her beautiful at least twice a minute like he had in the past with every breathing member of the opposite sex, meant that he was making a conscious effort to put a barrier on that kind of relationship between the two of them.

On one hand, that made Clara feel a pang of loss. A part of her wanted Dyon to come out domineeringly and demand for her to be his third wife.

But, on the other hand, she appreciated him even more so for not trying something like that. The fact Dyon was willing to bring Jason along and the fact he wasn’t demanding more of her than she was willing to give, meant that Dyon hadn’t chosen his wives on a whim. If he had been frivolously choosing wives, he would have come back here with a different sort of air to him. He wouldn’t have offered to take Jason along because to that version of Dyon, as long as he separated Clara from Jason, she would eventually choose him in the end.

And then there was the polygamy. No matter how Clara thought of it, it just didn’t make her feel comfortable. She had grown up with Western values. How many nights had she spent thinking about being swept off her feet and spending her life with one man? She wasn’t willing to change her mind about that. Not now and definitely not so soon. .

0)??? A part of her wanted Dyon to choose her over his wives. Another part of her wanted nothing to do with Dyon. And, yet another part was excited by the prospect of entering the martial world.

If she entered a place of such fantasy and grandeur, wouldn’t she be all the closer to those things that she had only seen in her dreams? Maybe instead of a figurative prince charming, she’d find a real one. And, maybe instead of a white horse, he might even ride a dragon instead. What more could she ask for as a woman?

Clara sighed. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and sent two quick texts. One to Penelope and the other to Jason.

Then, she looked down at Dyon’s hand again. “Is this how you got your two wives? Being loving and understanding? You’re going to make me puke.”

Dyon grinned, “I hope you’re not going to try to fight me like the old days. I warn you, my body has gotten much more powerful.”

“In this martial world of yours, there’s no difference in strength between men and women, right?”

“You could say so. But, whether you can catch up to me is a different matter entirely.”

“Don’t be so cocky. You only started winning because you got bigger. If you lose that advantage, what would you have left to hold on to?” .

“Well, I’m smarter than you. So, there’s that.”

“Debatable. You got baited into a lecture on polygamy so easily. You were like malleable clay in my hands.” Clara’s cold eyes slowly brightened, a small smile playing her features. “‘Uh- Ah – About that.’ You should have seen yourself. I’m sure your legendary status in their eyes came crashing down today.”

Dyon cringed. “How about we go save G man…”

“How many victories is that exactly?” Clara playfully counted on her fingers as she slipped her laptop into her bag.

Catching the look of something shiny, Dyon’s hand flashed into Clara’s bag.

“Hey. Didn’t anyone ever teach you to not mess with a lady’s bag?”

Dyon waved his hand. “Sure. Sure. The moment you start being a lady is the moment I’ll think about that.”

Pulling his hand out, a massive grin appeared on Dyon’s features.

Seeing what he had pulled out, Clara began shaking her head. “No. Absolutely not. Do you even have a license? I’m not letting you drive me anywhere!”

“The president’s daughter drives a corvette? The media and the tax payers would be livid!” Dyon twirled the keys in his hand, holding them out of reach.

Clara rolled her eyes. “I sold a patent on a new cancer drug actually. It’s my money.”

“Oh?” Dyon smiled. “It seems you’ve been busy. But you know the media doesn’t always do their research right. I think it would be best if I drive, just to be safe.”

“You!” Clara crossed her arms, clearly unhappy.

But, all she found was Dyon’s grin. Dyon placed his hand on Clara’s shoulder, causing her to involuntarily tremble outside of his notice.

“Let’s go!”

In what seemed like an instant, they appeared outside.

“What…” Clara shook her head as she looked down at her red corvette. But, when she realized she was on the passenger side, she stomped her feet in agitation. “Dyon!”

The door clicked open, allowing her to see Dyon’s face grinning back. “Come on! Let’s go!”

Clara wanted to protest but a sudden strong wind pulled her in against her will. “Dyon!”

It was too late. The door slammed and Dyon revved the engine, grinning like a maniac.

.𝒎