Villain: The Play of Destiny

"Did you manage to convince her?" Rebecca approached him and asked after he came out of the guest room.

"Do you think any girl can withstand my charm?" He grinned at her. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a little too narcissistic?" She scoffed and said, but her expresisons were bright after hearing the good news. "And she's beautiful!" She could not help but honestly say that out loud. 

Ingrid was simply the personification of perfection the girls dreamed about. Flawless skin, Auburn hair with soft natural curls, haunting amber eyes, tall stature with a figure set to bloom in an enviable glory. 

"That she is." He nodded his head and then slyly smiled at her. "Could give you a tough time when she's more filled out." He commented and offered her his arm. "Let's go! We are going to run late for the Auction."

"You may be narcissistic, but you do know how to appreciate true beauty." She haughtily, but appreciatively said and locked her arm with his. "Let's go." 

"By the way, how rich are you?" He curiously asked as they walked down the hallway followed by Caesar, Yingying, and Ryouta.

"How much do you think I need for Marianne?" She furrowed her brows and asked. 

"Around 200 Million, but if someone's bent on getting her. She could cost you upto 300 Million." He thought for a while and said. 

"Seriously?!" She exclaimed in surpise. 

"Shadows are expensive." He smiled at her. "And they are worth the price since you don't have to worry about their loyalties." 

"I see." She understandably nodded her head. "Well, I am rich enough." 

"I see." He nodded his head.

"You are short on funds?" She curiously asked. 

He was running a business now, and he had just started. It was quite possible that he was short on personal funds after all the expenses and operational costs of his businesses. 

"I think I have more than enough. But just in case I fall short, I might need your help." He admitted. 

"Heh!" She amusedly looked at him. "That's alright. But know that I would charge 10% Compounded Interest every three days." 

"No thanks!" He vehemently shook his head. "God forbid I have to ever take a loan from you." He sighed and turned to look at Caesar. "You might have to lend me some money, Uncle Caesar." 

"I have got you covered, Young Master!" Caesar unhesitatingly said and smiled. 

"I was just messing with you!" Rebecca laughed when she saw his expressions and dragged him along the way. "Don't worry. I will only charge the interest every week." 

"No Thanks!" 

"Why do you sound like you never plan on returning me my money?" She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Maybe." He chuckled. "But I am more worried about you reminding me every now and then that I once took a loan from you." 

"I am not that petty, Mister!" 

"So, you are petty?" He smirked and teasingly looked at her. 

"I am!" She unabashedly nodded her head. 

The two of them joked around for the rest of their walk to the Auction House, and when they arrived, the spine tingling security measures of the place turned them silent. 

There were not just normal guards with heavy guns, but also people in cloaks with baldes, who were undoubtedly Aurors.

Caesar handed the invitation card to one of the awaiting waitresses after they reached the reception of the building, and their group were soon led to a private VIP lounge in the gallery. 

There were couches set up with a big screen displayed on the side wall. The lounge was open, but no one else could see the people inside unless they walked onto the balcony to watch the Auction from there or decided to walk onto the balcony to place their bid as required by rules of the event.

Of course, if you wished to keep your identity secret, you could send a waitress or your subordinate forward to place the bid on your behalf, but it was considered good faith to come forward yourself in front of the people. 

The waitress that escorted them to their lounge was their designated waitress for the event, and if they needed anything or had any questions about the event, she was there to help them.

"Would you like something to eat?" The Waitress stepped forward after they all took their seats. "You can order anything from the menu, or you can choose to go with the Choice of the Night." 

"We will take the Choice of the Night. But if Cloud's Blood Wine is not on tonight's menu, I would like to have a bottle of it." 

"Unfortunately, it is not on the menu. But we can arrange one for you." She brightly smiled and bowed to them before taking her leave. 

"Cloud's Blood Wine?" Rebecca curiously raised her brow. "Is it really made out of Blood?" She worriedly asked, thinking that it was probably something that Vampires drank.

"You can add Blood to it if you want. They say it enhances its taste, however, the Wine itself is not made of Blood." He assuringly smiled at her. 

"Is it good?" She curiously asked. 

"It isn't something that humans can handle." He seriously said. "And even some weak Aurors find it hard to stay sober after a few sips. However, it tastes better than every Wine you have had in your life." 

His words piqued her interest and she hopefully looked forward to tasting this wine. One of the things she always wished for was a drink that could threaten her sobriety, but unfortunately, no matter how strong the drink was, her mind always stayed as clear as ever. 

When the much awaited Wine finally arrived, the Waitress poured a little for all of them, and Rebecca had second thoughts after looking at the liquid that looked the same as blood. 

"Are you sure there is no blood in it?" She asked again. 

"No." Keith smiled and picked up his glass, twirled the wine and then brought it up to his nose to inhale its aroma. Just a whiff bloomed the taste buds in his mouth, and when he finally took a sip, his sense of taste went ecstatic. "Perfect!" He smiled and said, much to the relief of the waitress, who was worried that the wine might hit him hard. 

"Please enjoy your wine. The event will start in 10 minutes. I will bring you your appetisers now." She bowed to them once again before taking her leave. 

"Try it!" He insisted when he found Rebecca conflictedly holding her glass. 

She curiously glanced at Yingying, the most expressionless of the lot, when when she found her cheeks bearing a pink glow on them after tasting the wine, she braved her heart and finally tasted the drink. 

"So?" He chuckled when he saw her eyes widen in shock before closing again in ecstasy. 

"It's just... perfect!" She could not find the right word and said the same thing as he did. "Who made this?!" She excitedly asked. 

"It's a secret recipe of the Hall of Dionysus. The legend says that before Dionysus left this world for another, he brewed a cellar filled with wine that could last a century even if you drank a bottle a day. He also left behind the recipe to his trusted subordinates, so that they could keep themselves forever rich in the times to come." He revealed to her. "Out of the Original 36500 Bottles of Wine that Dionysus himself made, less than a hundred remain in the world today. Those Wines are called the Heart's Blood Wine. And this, the Cloud's Blood Wine, is the one prepared by the Temple of Dionysus according to that recipe." 

"Is there a difference between the two wines?" Caesar curiously asked. 

"Yes." Keith smiled and nodded. "Dionysus left out a couple of key ingredients from his recipe of Heart's Blood Wine, so this Wine is still incomplete." 

His words piqued all of their curiosity about how heavenly would the real thing be if its knock-off was this delicious and perfect. 

"Where can we find the real thing?" Rebecca hopefully asked as she poured herself a glass full of wine, much to the surpise of Caesar, Yingying, and Ryouta, who knew that it was very strong. 

"They are all treasures to those who possess them. And they won't share." He chuckled. "So, no, we can not find them. As for this, if you have decent a relationship with the Temple of Dionysus, the priests are more than willing to sell it to you. However, each bottle of Cloud's Blood Wine costs a little under 1.5 Million Neris."

"This is outrageous!" She cried out in dismay. 

Yes, they were rich, very rich. But it was still a luxury that they had to think twice before splashing their money on it.

"Well, once you have tasted it. You develop a distaste for all other wines in the world. I guess, it is worth the price." He shrugged and then mischievously smiled. "I will buy another bottle for Grandfather." 

"Young Master, you are cruel!" Caesar sighed and said once he realized that it would be hard to forget the taste of this wine. And his Master, who was crazy about wines, would undoubtedly fall in love with this devil's drink to indigence.

Rebecca finished her glass of wine, and for the first time on her life, she felt the 'Buzz' everyone talked about and she yearned for. And her heart was a little too excited. 

She was still quite sober, and her mind was sharp as ever, but it was finally not so crowded anymore. 

"You are cruel, Keith!" She smiled and said with misty eyes as she poured herself another glass. 

"I know." He chuckled and gently flicked her cute nose, making her heightened senses immediately respond to his action in form of a cute sneeze. 

"You!" She glared at him as her cheeks burned in embarrassment, and Keith heartily laughed at her expressions. 

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