More Complication

Penelope's breath hitched as realization set in. Her body reacted before her mind could catch up—she turned, a scream ripping from her throat.

Yena gasped, jumping toward her daughter, clutching her tightly as James reached for something.

"Pew pew pew."

Victor's laughter filled the room, deep and unrestrained, but it wasn't the laughter of amusement. It was something darker. Something bordering on hysteria.

James leaned back casually, his fingers drumming against the polished wood of the table. "Well, that was dramatic."

Penelope tore herself from her mother's grasp, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"That wasn't a duel! You—"

James raised a hand, silencing her effortlessly.

"A duel is a test of skill, wit, and strategy, is it not? You challenged me, and I let chance decide. The fact that you didn't ask about the stakes before agreeing? That's your own arrogance at play, darling." His smirk deepened. "That's why you lost before the fight even began."

Penelope clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. 

Victor wiped a tear from his eye, his laughter finally dying down. He straightened his suit, exhaling sharply. "You should be grateful, Penelope." His voice was quieter now, but it carried a strange, dangerous edge. "If that had been a real duel, you wouldn't be standing here."

His daughter whipped around to face him, disbelief in her eyes. "You're taking his side?"

Victor merely smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I'm taking the side of reality."

Yena, still clutching her daughter, glanced between the two men, clearly unsettled. "Enough of this," she said firmly. "This was supposed to be a dinner, not... whatever this is."

James chuckled, finally reaching for his glass and taking a slow sip of his drink. "Oh, but this has been far more entertaining than dinner."

Penelope gritted her teeth. Her fists clenched at her sides, her entire body vibrating with suppressed rage and humiliation. No one—not a single person—had ever humiliated her like this before. She had grown up in power, surrounded by fear, respected because of her father's name. But now, sitting across from her was a man who wasn't afraid of her, a man who mocked her, and worst of all—he had won without even lifting a finger.

Victor exhaled through his nose, his fingers drumming against the table. Then, finally, he spoke.

"Apologize, Penelope."

Her head snapped toward him. "What?!"

"You heard me," he said, his tone firm. "Apologize to James. Right now."

She couldn't believe it. Her father—the leader of the Circle—was telling her to apologize to this nobody?

James watched her struggle, his grin never wavering.

"Unless you'd like to go double or nothing?" He offered, flicking the coin into the air once more.

Penelope's entire body burned with shame. She clenched her jaw so tightly it hurt. 

But then she saw something in her father's eyes—a warning.

This wasn't a game anymore.

James wasn't someone she could bully into submission. He was something else entirely.

And for the first time in her life, Penelope felt small.

She exhaled shakily, forcing the words past her lips. "I… apologize."

James laughed and downed the rest of his drink, placed the empty glass on the table, and stood.

"Well, I accept your apology" he stretched, letting out a small sigh. "That was fun, but my day was long, and I'd like to rest a bit."

He smiled as Victor got up and escorted him out of his house.

When he returned, he exhaled deeply, resting his hands on his knees while leaning forward.

"Who was he? And why didn't you even try to save your daughter…" Her eyes were filled with disappointment. "Answer me!" she screamed, rising to her feet.

Victor stepped to the table, poured himself another drink, and downed it in one go before throwing the glass to the floor.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the house. Then, another sound followed—a sharp slap.

Penelope's face turned bright red where her father had struck her. Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't make a sound. She simply stared into her father's furious face.

"Victor!" Yena stepped closer, trying to push her husband away, but he stood firm like a rock. "How could you hit your own daughter—"

"He was James fucking Bellini!" Victor roared at her.

"What…" Yena collapsed to her knees.

"James this, Bellini that—I don't care who he is! He disrespected me and our family apart! And you were on his side?!" Penelope shouted back at her father.

Victor suddenly grabbed Penelope's arm, dragging her toward the table before forcing her into a chair. He poured her a glass of whiskey.

"Drink it."

"I don't dri—"

"Drink the fucking whiskey. Now!" He bellowed, his veins bulging with rage.

Penelope hesitated before finally obeying, coughing as the alcohol burned her throat.

"And now," Victor said, his voice dangerously low, "you are going to fucking listen to every single word that comes out of my mouth. Not just listen—you will burn it into your mind. Do you understand?!"

"Yes…" She whispered, and for the first time, she feared her father.

"He killed Costa De Furga and his entire family. Then he killed the police chief." Victor poured himself another drink. "And as if that wasn't enough—Augustus Lucian. The man who was officially declared an enemy of humanity by the president himself. The man who beheaded thirty-four police officers and sent their heads to their families. That fucking man knelt before James and kissed his shoes."

Victor downed his drink in one swift motion. "Can you believe it?" He let out a bitter laugh. "We created the circle to contain him, to be the chains that keep him locked in place. Because if we didn't, we would already be dead. You—" he pointed at Penelope, "your mother, me, and every single person you've ever spoken two damn sentences to."

"Then… why not just kill him…?"

"Are you fucking listening to a word I just said?" Victor leaned forward, his eyes burning with frustration. "He has the NSBI leaders in his pocket, along with part of the government," Victor continued. "Even slightly offending him could ruin our lives forever. You didn't just risk your own life—you risked your family's. The entire life I built from the ground up could come crashing down because of you. Keep that in mind."

He got up and started walking toward the stairs when one of his men entered.

"Sir, Mr. James would like to speak with you. Should I let him in?"

Victor's heartbeat, which had already been pounding, sped up even more when he heard that James wanted to talk.

"Yeah…" He forced a smile as James stepped in again.

"I fogot to tell Victor, you've got a lot of dogs sniffing around outside."

Fuck, why did I need to say that?

James' heart rate spiked, his paranoia kicking in, wondering if this was all some setup against him.

"We don't even have dogs..." Penelope answered before her father could.

James chuckled. "I like how innocent you are. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Victor's eyes widened, his mouth falling open as if he had just been shot.

I fucked up.

Victor slowly stepped closer and closer, moving like a zombie, until he finally reached James and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"She is pure like the Virgin Mary."

"Dad!" Penelope screamed, her face turning bright red. She couldn't believe what had just come out of her father's mouth. "I hate you, you old perverted man!" she snapped at James, utterly flustered.

Meanwhile, Yena—who had nearly died of shock just moments ago after hearing Victor describe James—stood frozen like a statue, as if she weren't even there.

"I'm only 23 years old," James replied casually. "But about the dogs, Victor—do you know something?"

"Don't ignore me!" Penelope fumed.

"What?" James turned back to her, slightly amused.

"I know I'm beautiful and have features that could enchant any man, but I don't want you!" she huffed, stepping closer to James.

"Well, okay," James admitted, nodding. "And I'll give you that—you are truly gorgeous. You have beautiful features, and your eyes are like a vast, starry ocean. But I'd really like to talk to your daddy, so—"

Before he could finish, his phone buzzed. He answered it, and only one word came through the speaker:

"Arrived."

"Well, I need to go. Be careful, Victor."

"Pick me up tomorrow!" Penelope shouted at James, who had already stepped out the door.

"What do you mean?"

No, no, no. Please, God, don't do this to me…

"There's a new ice cream shop in the city center… I want to try it," she mumbled, blushing, her hands trembling from embarrassment.

"Go with your friends or your dad," James answered as quickly as possible, hoping to shut the conversation down. But it didn't work—Penelope gritted her teeth and stepped directly in front of him, standing just a meter away.

"I said I want to try it!"

At that moment, James' heart pounded in a way he had never felt before. A girl had just asked him out—a feeling he had never experienced before.

"Don't be like that, Penelope. You can't force people to—"

"I'll pick you up at noon. Be ready."

And with that, she turned and left without another word.

Victor's daughter… No way. I'm going to be in big trouble. Fuck, why, why, why?!

James repeated the same thought over and over as he sat in the car, burying his head in his hands.

"Home?" Hans asked, looking confused.

"No. To the port—it has arrived."

James sighed deeply, knowing there was something far bigger to worry about now.