Elena hadn't seen Elysia in ages, and she was feeling a bit intrigued.
"Then show me what you can do," Elena said with a teasing smile.
"Fine, but don't regret it later," Elysia replied, taking off her sunglasses and pacing around the room.
Elena chuckled lightly, her tone playful. "Seen enough? Or has your ability gotten rusty after all this time?"
Elysia stopped by the wall, her expression turning surprised. "Wow, there's a lot of cash hidden in the wall, and two antiques… And there's a vase—wait, something inside is glinting. It looks like gold."
"Are you serious?" Elena moved closer, skeptical.
Elysia turned her head toward the door, even more shocked. "Holy crap! 38D? That's huge! Did these people grow up on winter melons, or did I miss something and only I grew up flying planes?"
"What do you mean?" Elena asked, confused.
Elysia casually nodded toward the door. "Open it and see for yourself."
"..."
When Elena opened the door, she froze for a moment, her face darkening in silence.
A woman with an outrageously voluptuous figure, dressed provocatively, strutted past, her hips swaying hypnotically.
Elena couldn't help but stare, but just as she did, Elysia's voice rang in her ear. "Now that's a man who has a proper body."
Elena followed Elysia's gaze. It was directed at the men's restroom.
"Alright, put the glasses back on."
Elena slammed the door shut, ushering Elysia back into the room. She knew exactly what kind of disaster Elysia would cause if she didn't put her sunglasses back on.
Elysia reluctantly put them on again and flopped back onto the couch, her tone switching to something more serious. "So, Elena… are you really not going back to Vampire Clan?"
Elena's expression darkened slightly, a flicker of silver flashing in her dark eyes. "I need the right moment. Right now, I'm still recovering."
"Is it serious?" Elysia asked, brushing some stray hair out of her face, her tone more concerned now.
Elena nodded slightly, a faint smile curving her lips. "What do you think? I've been branded a traitor, and now I'm number one on Vampire Clan's hit list. Alive, two hundred million. Dead, fifty million."
"Damn, that's quite the difference. No wonder they'd rather chase you across the continent and risk being ambushed than actually finish the job," Elysia muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Elena narrowed her eyes slightly, standing up gracefully. A powerful aura of a Vampire Clan noblewoman filled the room, her presence commanding respect. "What? Are you planning to capture me too? The once mighty warrior of Vampire Clan, Elysia?"
Elysia sighed, standing up and kneeling before Elena with one knee, her hand on her chest. "My lord Vesper, the noble leader of Vampire Clan… If I had truly betrayed you, why would I have approached you to begin with?"
Elysia had initially approached her with a test in mind, stealing something just to lure Elena into a reunion. She had no idea if Elena, the powerful leader of Vampire Clan, would still speak to her after everything.
"Alright, get up. When we were in Vampire Clan, I never saw you act so formally."
Elena sighed, collapsing back onto the couch, feeling drained. She grabbed a blood bag and began drinking, the strength it gave her being just enough to keep her going.
Having momentarily unleashed her Vampire Clan leader aura had drained almost all her energy. At this point, she wondered if she even still had the qualifications to return to Vampire Clan.
"So, what now? Are you planning to keep living off humans?" Elysia asked, brushing dust off her pants as she settled back on the couch, adopting her usual carefree attitude.
"It's not being 'pampered.'" Elena's eyes narrowed, emphasizing her point. She then remembered something else and asked, "Do you have any connections in Windy City? I need to buy some things."
"Wait, you touched the Swiss money?"
Elysia's eyes widened as she jumped up from the couch. The mention of the Swiss account made her panic. If Elena used that money, Vampire Clan would definitely trace the transaction to Windy City.
"Of course not." Elena denied it, pulling out a credit card from Damon that he had left her. "For now, I'm using a human's money. I'll pay him back with interest later."
Elysia raised an eyebrow, her voice rising in disbelief. "You're still saying you're not being pampered by humans?"
"Why are you shouting?" Elena glared at Elysia, a little annoyed. She lifted one of her high heels and kicked Elysia lightly. "I said I'll pay him back. Stop whining! Come on, let's go buy a house and a car."
Five minutes later, the two of them stepped out of Shan Global Mall.
Just as they were passing the entrance, two men—Clerk and Shawn—were arriving, walking quickly toward the elevator. They nearly brushed past Elena and Elysia as they headed inside the mall, intent on reaching the entertainment lounge.
Inside the VIP lounge, Shawn angrily punched the tea table. "Damn it! They got away again!"
Clerk crouched down, pulling a glove from his bag and carefully picking up a single hair with a pair of tweezers, sealing it in a plastic bag. "Take this back to the lab for testing. We need to determine this creature's age."
Shawn eyed the hair suspiciously. "Are you sure this tiny hair can tell us anything? You're from VEA's inspection team—don't embarrass yourself on the professional front."
Clerk shot him a cold look, and a chill ran through the air. "How could it not?"
Shawn hesitated, still unsure. "Let's hope so."
In the world of Vampire Clan, trust doesn't rely on reputation, power, skill, or cruelty.
Whether family, lover, friend, or subordinate, the only thing that mattered between them was submission.
Only through submission could a Vampire Clan member lower their noble head, bow their strong back, and dedicate their most precious knees—more valuable than gold—as a symbol of worship. That's when relationships transformed into family, love, friendship, and loyalty.
Of course, there were moments when Elena would sit atop a building, gazing at the sky, cigarette in hand, irritated, wondering if she should slap one of her subordinates into the ground.
Like now.
"ID, household registration, personal photo, fingerprints—hand them over." Elena stood in front of the sales counter, her brows raised, a look of impatience on her face as she addressed Elysia.