After Adriel didn't say anything, Ein shifted to look at him more directly, their gazes locking.
But the ghost broke the eye contact and forced a chuckle. "Man, this is awkward. You didn't have to come look for me."
Ein let him change the subject. "I had no choice."
"You did," Adriel corrected. "You could've just ignored me."
"Not very easy to ignore someone who acts like a poltergeist," Ein commented.
The ghost shot him a half-hearted glare over the collar, whining, "When did I do that?"
"Just a minute ago, you turned the entire street into a disco."
Ein's words prompted a chuckle from Adriel. He seemed slightly embarrassed as he fiddled with the sleeve of the jacket, filling the alley with the faint shuffling of the fabric.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Adriel mumbled.
A few moments passed in silence.
An undercurrent of guilt flowed through Ein's mind. How could he care for someone he had killed? What right did he have to do that? It was his responsibility to bring Adriel back to life, but that was as far as it should have gone.
"So, uh, what you asked about earlier..." Adriel cast a feigned indifferent glance at Ein, but his fingers tightened on the sleeve. "Do you really want to hear about it?"
Ein gave a nod, turning again.
"Alright." The ghost leaned back, trying to act casual. "When I came out to my family, my father hired female sex workers, thinking that would change my mind."
Anger stirred in Ein's chest, but he forced it down, letting Adriel speak.
"He sent them up to my room and locked the door. Long story short, the fourth time it happened, I jumped out the window," Adriel said in an amused voice. "It was the second floor—not that high. I got away with a broken ankle."
Noticing the deep frown between Ein's brows, he laughed and waved his hand in a 'take it easy' gesture. "Hey, can you relax your face? Your forehead might seriously split into two if you keep frowning."
A group of rowdy drunkards stumbled out of a nearby bar. They staggered down the sidewalk, shouting obscenities and laughing loudly as they passed by.
The disturbance ruined the moment, and when Ein looked back at the ghost, he had already stood up and taken the jacket off his shoulders.
"Anyway, while I was sitting in the hospital waiting for an x-ray for my ankle, I came up with the idea—I could one-up my father by hiring women who would work with me, not against me. That's how the whole fake dating thing started," Adriel quickly wrapped up the rest of the story.
He handed the jacket back to Ein, and with a brief nod toward the car, asked, "Shall we?"
"Yeah." Ein rose to his feet, falling into step beside the ghost. His gaze remained fixed on Adriel, his thoughts quietly churning as they walked back.
Noticing the intense look, Adriel smirked. "What, getting curious now?"
"Not necessarily curious." Ein narrowed his eyes. What was he talking about? He was clearly curious. But it wasn't very right.
"Would you look at that. Did someone grow to care about this little ghost?" Adriel teased, playfully swirling his finger through the air near Ein.
Ein didn't rise to the bait, staying serious as they made their way to the parked car, Adriel's words lingering in the air between them.
The ghost hummed, deciding to share more. "Well, I started fabricating a variety of scandals involving women. It was pretty fun at first—staging an outrageous situation, then watching the public rage, clueless to the fact it was all made up."
He snickered, shaking his head, "People enjoy tearing down other people so much that I could practically sense their love through the hate comments. If only they were that passionate about improving their own lives, right?"
"What about later?" Ein probed.
"The scandals quickly got out of hand, and my family's image suffered. Even the company stocks dropped." Adriel shrugged, not particularly remorseful. "That's when my uncle stepped in and helped me clean it up. So I gave it a rest and only hired actresses for events that required a plus one."
The car came into view ahead, and Ein halted in his tracks, contemplating his next question. Just as he was about to speak, the ghost added with a smirk, "Wanna hear a funny story?"
Ein tilted his head in response, not bothering with a verbal reply. The ghost took that as an invitation to continue and leaned in with an amused glint in his eyes.
"There was a period of time when I only hired actresses who were interested in women, because it felt... more comfortable?" Adriel rambled, "But the funny part is—two of the girls I hired ended up dating. I think they're still together. They called me Cupid, hehe."
Ein raised an eyebrow, opening the door and sliding inside the car. "Your friends?"
Adriel settled into the passenger seat with a smirk. "Nah, we only met a few times after that. I told you, I'm more of an introvert. I don't really have friends."
Ein found it a bit hard to believe, considering Adriel's personality. Although, he didn't think it was a lie either. Instead, it was just... sad.
"Anyway, after that whole mess, my uncle stayed by my side and worked hard to help me survive in the company. He helped me with anything I didn't understand, and offered a lot of advice."
Of course. Jefferson must've been trying to groom Adriel into an obedient chairman who would serve as the face of the company and do everything Jefferson told him to do.
As they resumed the drive, Adriel asked, "So. Are you planning to accept the hit on that cult leader?"
Ein gave a nod. "We'll trade his life for yours. Lazarus Blessing will get exactly what they preach, and you'll have your life back."