[Ding! Big bro, I’m really sorry about earlier. My sister got a little... intense. She’s just used to getting her way, y’know? Please don’t take it the wrong way. You’ve been amazing to us and we both respect you like crazy. To show there are no hard feelings, we’re sending over another 10,000 gold. No strings attached. Just thanks. Hope we can still team up sometime.]
Phoenix watched her brother type, then added her own note under her breath, audible only to herself: "Let’s see how the Blood God responds to a mountain of gold... or if he’s the kind of monster you can’t buy."
Many people have said no before and acted as if they were above the lure of wealth but that always changed when they get their hands on the actual money. Men were simple like that. Now it was only a matter of time before this one comes and joins their team.
"Sis! He accepted the 10,000 gold coins!" Blood Wraith suddenly shouted in glee.
Phoenix smiled, her face even more beautiful in that moment—serene, triumphant, and laced with quiet arrogance. She turned her head slightly, brushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear, as if she’d just proven a fundamental truth of the world.
"Of course he did," she said softly, her voice like silk drawn over steel. "They always do. Even the monsters bleed gold in the end."
Blood Wraith pumped a fist in the air, visibly relieved. "See? I told you he liked us! This is good, right? Maybe he’s cooling off now—maybe he’ll team up again."
Phoenix smiled and shrugged. "And?"
"And?" Blood Wraith asked her in confusion.
"And what else did he say?" Phoenix sighed in exasperation at her brother.
Blood Wraith scratched his head. "Nothing?"
"What?!" Phoenix’s smile flickered, just for a second.
Then her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes narrowed as she leaned closer to her brother’s screen, confirming for herself that Damon had indeed accepted the 10,000 gold without responding. No thank you. No remark. Nothing.
Are you serious? Her face twitched.
Blood Wraith blinked. "Huh? Isn’t it good that he didn’t say no and reject the gold coins?"
Phoenix wanted to slap the shit out of her brother but instead she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nose, reigning in the urge.
"You absolute golden retriever," she muttered.
Blood Wraith tilted his head. "Thanks?"
"That wasn’t a compliment." Her voice was flat. "He did the worst thing he could possibly do."
"Which is...?"
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