I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 132: Something About Her

"Your Ladyship, I have my best man handling this. You don’t need to do it yourself. Yes, Thea Montrose is safe. My man just saw her arriving at Arvion General Hospital."

Ryan nods as he listens.

"What’s that? Erm, no. She’s not sick. She’s visiting her brothers and boyfriend."

"Yes. Arthur, Julian, and Liam. They just got out of the Mt. Helene dungeon. That’s right, Your Ladyship."

"Yes, Your Ladyship. That is correct. My man is currently at the hospital, monitoring her."

He pauses, frowning.

"What? You’re still coming? But... but that— No! Of course you can go anywhere you like, Your Ladyship. That’s none of my business. I just..."

He exhales sharply.

"Okay. Yes, Your Ladyship. I understand. I’ll be right there."

He hangs up the phone.

"You old witch! Why can’t you believe me?!"

Ryan grabs an ashtray made of heartstone and hurls it to the floor. It shatters into glittering fragments.

His assistant rushes into the office, panicked.

"Mr. Ryan?"

"It’s okay, Silvia," he says, forcing his voice calm. "I’m just having a bad day. Come here. Lock the door."

Silvia hesitates only a second before doing as she’s told. She locks the door. She already knows what is expected of her. It’s the only reason she was hired.

She starts to take off her clothes.

Ryan stops her.

"No. Not today."

His expression twists as he moves behind her and suddenly clamps a hand over her mouth.

"Today, I’m in the mood for something else."

He starts tearing at her clothes.

"Scream, woman," he whispers.

"Scream."

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About fifteen minutes later, Ryan Blackwood is seen leaving Blackwood Enterprise’s building in downtown Arvion. He’s whistling, clearly in a very good mood.

He gets into the latest model money can buy and speeds off.

His office door remains locked.

Inside lies his assistant, Silvia Matthews. Her body is covered in dark bruises, the aftermath of Ryan’s temper. This is what happens when Ryan is in one of his moods.

He’s not a cruel person, Silvia tells herself, the thought familiar and hollow. He’s just under a lot of stress lately.

And... everyone has fetishes, right? His just happens to be—

Silvia sniffles.

Her clothes are torn beyond saving.

"I’m lucky his office has an en-suite bathroom," she murmurs weakly, forcing herself to sit up. "And that I keep a change of clothes here."

She limps toward the bathroom.

When she looks at herself in the mirror, she winces. "Looks like I’ll be staying home for a few days."

She locks the bathroom door.

Moments later, the sound of running water fills the office.

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Theo and Leila step out of the bathroom into a room full of eyes on them.

Click.

The door opens, and Miranda enters with Claudia right behind her.

"Oh, good mor— Oh my God, Thea! Is that you?!" Miranda rushes toward Thea, stopping just short of touching her, staring with her jaw dropped.

"Aunt Miranda hasn’t seen you in a while and suddenly... you’ve become this beautiful!" She can’t stop herself from gushing.

Claudia isn’t any different, just louder. "Thea, you know what. Chill. You need to chill, girl. Leave some for the rest of us."

Theo has no idea how to respond. This is not his forte. At all. He doesn’t understand teasing between women.

So he does the only thing he knows how to do. He stays quiet and smiles bashfully.

It only makes him look even more beautiful.

Liam can’t take his eyes off her.

Miranda notices immediately and grins. "Liam, what do you say? Should I propose to Aunt Leila right now?"

Her offhand comment causes multiple reactions at once.

Leila and Arthur, the loudest. "No!"

"You promised you wouldn’t force anything, Mir," Leila adds quickly.

"Thea is too young, Aunt Miranda. No," Arthur says firmly.

Julian and Maurice freeze completely.

Theo also blurts out, "No, Aunt Miranda."

Silence falls.

Miranda sighs. "Well, I only asked Liam what he thinks, and he’s not answering while the rest of you answered for him." She turns to her son. "Does that mean you agree?"

"Mom, stop. Please." Liam finally speaks. If he doesn’t, his mother will never stop.

"You don’t like her?" Miranda asks, suddenly serious.

Liam sighs. Sometimes his mother has absolutely no tact. Asking that question in front of the person herself is simply oblivious.

He looks at his mother and answers honestly.

"How can I not like her? Look at her, Mom. What’s not to like? Everyone here agrees she’s beautiful, even the women. And I’m a normal young man who can recognize and appreciate beauty. So yes. I like Thea."

He turns to Thea and smiles gently.

"I’ve spent a few days training with her. Being with her. And we’ve become friends. I like being her friend. And I hope she likes being my friend too."

He looks back at his mother.

"For me, that’s enough. If something happens in the future, then let it happen naturally. Don’t force it, Mom."

Arthur clenches his jaw.

Theo’s sharp eyes notice it.

He can feel his anger rising faster than before. But he’s aware of it now.

Is this because my element is fire?

Claudia blinks a few times. "You’re... much calmer than before. Is it because you’re tired? It’s weird when you’re calm like this." She scrunches her nose.

Theo only smiles.

Looks like their elements really are blending with them. This is good news. It will make advancement easier.

"Thea," Julian calls out. "You haven’t met Maeve yet. Come here. I’ll introduce you."

Julian is expertly changes the topic.

Only then does Theo remember that Thea hasn’t met Maeve.

He smiles and walks toward her.

"Hi, I’m Thea. Nice to meet you." He extends his hand and looks up.

Maeve is staring at him.

Not politely.

Not casually.

Intently.

Theo’s heart sinks. He almost retracts his hand.

He remembers Maeve’s element.

Light.

Light magi are perceptive. Too perceptive. They see things others don’t.

Theo blinks and hopes that even if Maeve sees something, she’ll stay quiet.