After waiting for a response from Maya from long enough, the masked lady couldn’t help but let out a low, mocking chuckle that echoed through the living room, at least it felt like it did. Maya was still on her knees, silent, still recovering from the failed attempt to use her powers.

"Oh come on, Maya. Cat got your tongue?" She said, tilting her head, her sharp eyes glinting with amusement. "You know, I followed you all the way from the office here because I couldn’t risk making a scene near the building, and certainly not on a busy road within the city. I figured you were finally heading home... only to discover you were sneaking off to see your little boyfriend."

She glanced at Edward in amusement, a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"I didn’t know you had a thing for younger guys... how cute." She said mockingly.

Maya’s jaw clenched, but she stayed quiet. She still couldn’t move.

The woman in black took slow, deliberate steps closer to Edward. "And how could you do this? Openly dating a normal human without following proper protocol?" She clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Tsk tsk. Breaking the rules now, are we? Must be strong love I guess?" The way she said it left questions to be asked.

She stopped right in front of Edward and looked him up and down. A slow, dangerous smile formed behind her half-mask. "Though I must admit... he does have an unusual charm."

Before Edward could react, she reached out and slid her gloved hand down the side of his face, caressing his cheek with deliberate sensuality. She made sure to take her time, clearly wanting Maya to watch every second.

Edward couldn’t help but thing of what kind of feud these two had, that the masked lady would go this far just to humiliate and tick her off.

She even leaned in close, as if she was about to kiss him, but he instinctively pulled his head back. The woman paused, then chuckled softly, a deep dark one, but somehow also sounding almost embarrassed.

"What? Am I not good enough for you?" she asked, her voice teasing but laced with danger.

Up close, Edward could see she had a much slimmer, athletic build compared to Maya’s thick, curvy figure, but she was still undeniably attractive physically, with long legs and a subtly toned body beneath the black tactical suit. Even with half her face covered, Edward could tell that her face was really something else. While Maya had a better body, she had a much more prettier face.

Seeing that Edward remained completely silent, she smiled again and traced a single finger slowly down his bare chest, moving lower and lower until she reached his groin. Her eyes suddenly widened slightly for a fraction of a second as she felt the impressive bulge through his sweatpants. She quickly composed herself.

"Well... this little chick of yours is really something," she said, glancing back at Maya. "Such a shame he’s going to have to die."

"No!" Maya forced out immediately, her voice strained. "Don’t harm him. He has nothing to do with any of this. Please."

The masked lady laughed, clearly entertained. "Look at you. Protecting your little boyfriend. How touching."

She pulled her hand away from Edward and stepped back, addressing Maya directly. "How could I possibly leave a witness alive? With him knowing about you... about us... my entire covert operation would be compromised." She eyed Edward strangely as she spoke.

All this while, Edward could almost taste his fear. From the different stories he had heard of villains, and the videos he had watched from credible sources online that showed several atrocities they commit, he couldn’t imagine what would become of him after all this. Heck, even heroes were to be feared if their identity or sensitive private information was to be compromised, not to talk of a villain. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

While he couldn’t recognized the masked lady in front of him, not all villains were known publicly either.

Amidst all this, a small wave of hope rose in his heart just when the lady finished speaking. She had gotten extremely close to him not long ago, close enough to inhale the special perfume he had sprayed on earlier. He was worried about Maya who had smelled more than plenty already, but she would have to figure it out herself, he was certain it wouldn’t drive her crazy. What mattered most right now was his own safety, hers was guaranteed from all he had heard so far.

Looking at the lady, he could already see the perfume going to work, giving him even more hope.

He had discreetly activated his skill, ’intuitive pleasure’. As soon as he did, he could sense different spots all around her body gradually heating up. Her entire body was morphing slowly, but surely, even her nipples were becoming visibly hard under her suit... the perfume was definitely working!

Just then, under the heavy tension filling the room, the woman in black sighed.

"Fine," she said, almost reluctantly. "For old time’s sake, I’ll do you this one favor, Maya. You better repay me properly in the future." She paused, then added, "Besides, I didn’t come here to terrorize you. Consider this a goodwill gesture."

She turned her gaze back to Edward.

"I’ll spare your little boyfriend... but he’ll have to come with us."