Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 960: Haven’t Heard That One Before

Asher’s sports car shot through the streets at blistering speed as he kept his foot on the throttle at all times, as though the brake pedal didn’t even exist. Although the navigation system estimated the journey would take an hour, Asher intended to cut that time in half.

As he zipped past people walking along the streets, they couldn’t help but turn their heads and wonder who was driving at such reckless speed. But in the end, they simply ignored him and continued on their way, as the driver wasn’t the first person to drive so recklessly through the city.

In just thirty minutes, Asher arrived at the Hotel reserved for the Velkarin Empire. Bringing the sports car to a smooth stop in front of the Hotel, he parked before taking out his phone and sending a text.

{You: I’m downstairs, in a red-colored sports car}

He waited for a few seconds before Arianna finally replied.

{World Girl: You are twenty minutes early, but I will be down in a few}

Asher stared at the text before his eyes shifted to the time displayed in the top-left corner of his phone. It was only 1:40 p.m., and he had told Arianna he would arrive by 2:00 p.m.

Asher simply replied. Personally, he didn’t mind waiting twenty minutes in the car if Arianna didn’t come out immediately. Doom-scrolling would make him lose track of time anyway, and before he knew it, the twenty minutes would have passed.

{You: True. Waiting, but take all the time you need}

With that, he swiped over to another app and began watching reels featuring unawakened celebrities from the Thalvorn Empire while he waited. As the seconds drifted by, his heightened senses reacted as he picked up Arianna’s footsteps and recognized her gait even while she was still inside the Hotel lobby.

Asher pressed the power button on his phone and placed it in the car’s cupholder before stepping out. He walked over to the passenger’s side of the sports car and leaned casually against it as he waited for Arianna to emerge.

Just as Asher had his own fanbase waiting at the Gentle Hotel for even the briefest glimpse of him, Arianna also had a fanbase of her own gathered outside in hopes of catching sight of her. Because of them, Asher had been forced to disguise himself, though he was certain Arianna’s unique eyes would effortlessly see through the illusion, as she appeared to possess an immunity to that kind of deception.

Arianna stepped out through the revolving doors, having also used an illusion skill to disguise herself. She walked toward Asher with calm, graceful steps, every movement naturally elegant as her hair swayed gently with her body. She wore a golden dress that perfectly complemented her caramel skin. A diamond necklace rested around her neck, while a matching pair of earrings adorned her ears. Draped over one shoulder was a stylish crossbody bag, and on her feet rested a pair of elegant heels that perfectly complemented her entire attire.

Asher was a man who spoke the truth whenever he saw it, and at this moment, he wouldn’t deny it. Arianna Haellight was simply too stunning.

”You’re early,” Arianna spoke as she approached him.

From the moment Asher had texted her until now, only three minutes had passed, as her three friends, Maeve, Celeste, Clara, had made sure she was properly dressed and ready before it was even 2:00 p.m., they couldn’t allow her to be late on her first ”date” for any reason.

”Beautiful goddesses like you should be able to forgive men like me who can’t keep to time,” Asher said smoothly with a smile.

Arianna remained silent for a moment, seemingly unmoved by Asher’s smooth words. After all, as an exceptionally beautiful woman, she had heard countless compliments, charming remarks, and pickup lines throughout her life. At this point, she had practically grown immune to such attempts, as barely anybody managed to surprise her anymore.

”I’ll give it to you, I haven’t heard that one before,” she replied as a small smile finally appeared on her face.

”Just saying the truth when I see it. Nice dress, by the way,” he said as he pushed himself away from the side of the car.

Hearing Asher compliment her dress immediately after complimenting her beauty, Arianna raised a brow before speaking.

”You really are good at this. You must have experience in this field,” she mused, sounding as though she were accusing Asher that the only way someone could become this skilled with words around women was by flirting with countless girls until it became second nature.

”Not really,” Asher replied innocently as he opened the passenger-side door, which rose upward gracefully like a butterfly’s wing as he spoke. ”After you,” he said in a calm, gentlemanly tone.

”Thank you,” Arianna replied as she stepped forward, lowering herself into the luxurious sports car with calm elegance. The moment she settled comfortably into her seat, she dismissed the illusion skill she had cast upon herself, revealing her true appearance within the privacy of the vehicle.

As Arianna entered, Asher gently lowered the butterfly door and closed it with practiced ease. The instant he did so, his head tilted upward toward the topmost floor of the Hotel, where his eyes met three pairs of curious eyes staring down at him, one pair blue, another green, and the last black. The three women smiled knowingly among themselves as they observed the scene unfolding below, clearly enjoying every second of it.

Asher couldn’t help but wonder who those three women were. The very next moment, Arianna wound down the window and spoke.

”They’re my friends. You can happily ignore them,” she said before winding the window back up, unwilling to risk even a single fan catching a glimpse of her true face.

Hearing Arianna’s words, Asher simply nodded before walking back toward the driver’s side. He climbed into the sports car and selected the racing track as their destination, as it was the only saved location in the navigation system.

With that done, the sports car surged forward once more, accelerating with explosive force as they headed toward the racing track, which lay roughly two hours away within the Zero Rings.

Although the normal journey would take two hours, Asher had no intention of driving normally. Keeping one hand steady on the steering wheel and his foot firmly planted on the accelerator, he planned to shave well over an hour off the trip and reach their destination in no more than forty minutes.