"What the hell is this!" Ruby shuddered in horror.
"Why? What?" Haris asked as he was busy holding the steering wheel.
Anna also raised an eyebrow curiously.
"He's good at seduction! Are all rich vampires flirty like this?"
This situation was far from ordinary. Forgetting to be called a sweet name, even a male wolf outside of Glenn's pack, willing to talk to her would be considered the world's eighth wonder.
The werewolf men Ruby met only said a few words: 'Yes' or 'No'.
Or at most they say sentences like, 'We don't know, Your Highness'.
Meanwhile, the female wolves are free to socialize with Anna.
At some point, the fate of being the granddaughter of Lykaon, the wolf king, weighed on Ruby a little. Undeniably, Ruby needed to accept that her life wasn't like others. There were times when Ruby wished her grandfather hadn't acted foolishly against fate and allowed himself to be eliminated by Zeus, Ruby's own father.
Then Ruby wouldn't have had to desperately control herself, wouldn't have had to fear failing to protect her clan, or abandon her dreams of a free life.
"You'll get used to it. Just think of it as a simulation of when you'll find true love," Haris tried to comfort her.
"I doubt I will ever go through that phase."
"Hey, all creatures are destined to be in pairs," Anna interrupted.
Ruby chuckled awkwardly. "Says a Luna who is destined to be together with Alpha from the beginning."
"Who knows, maybe your destiny isn't a capitalist vampire, but rather his wealth? It's like a telenovela plot!" Even though Anna was mocking someone, her intonation and laughter remained gentle.
Haris laughed, then glanced in the rearview mirror. "These days, people call themselves millionaires. They say it's cooler."
"There's nothing cooler than a bunch of master liars," snapped Ruby.
Anna's palm suddenly landed on Ruby's shoulder. "Sorry to say this, but could you hide your emotions? Isn't your role here to be an innocent and naive human searching for true love? Practice that from now on."
Ruby suddenly stared at him in surprise. "Why have you changed? Before... you were so snappy with me?"
Anna's awkward laugh set off a tense atmosphere in the car. Haris automatically shut his mouth, feeling like he was on the verge of a dangerous female confrontation.
"I appreciate your sacrifice for us. I like the idea too. Let's make the best of it, ok?"
"Anna, if you're hoping I'll date a vampire, don't bother helping me. That's impossible. But it's even harder for me to have a relationship with Glenn like you fear."
Silence fell until the sound of tires scraping against the asphalt became quite loud before they finally came to a stop. Ruby no longer waited for an answer. It didn't matter; what mattered was that she felt like she had done something to ease Anna's anxiety.
"Actually, that's not what I meant."
Anna's voice stopped Ruby's hold on the door.
"I sincerely wish you success," Anna continued.
Ruby sighed with a faint smile, then turned her head. "Okay. Pick the prettiest red dress for me."
***
The curtain parted briefly, revealing a queen unlike any other, far from graceful, seductive, or polite. It's important to emphasize that Crystal Zetaruby's centuries-long journey has been as a warrior queen.
For the first time in her life, she must try to live up to the standards of a true queen. Ruby's high heels shook, nearly toppling her tall, slender frame. Luckily, Ruby's legs were used to the shock and strong enough to walk straight again.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Did you sprain your ankle?" Haris asked, always ready to hold the girl.
"I am okay. Everything is safe."
"Oh, your red dress is perfect! Look at the slit!" Anna flicked the fabric on the right side, dividing it into two. "Your long legs are perfectly exposed! Isn't that right, Haris?"
Haris blinked for a moment. "Ah… yes, that's right. Do you want to take this or try something else?"
"Don't waste our time. Just choose this one."
While waiting in line, Ruby's earlobe twitched as the woman standing behind her chatted engrossedly with her friend. It was a touching topic: how much they enjoyed discussing men on dating apps.
"Try using a provocative profile picture. I posed in a revealing shirt. Within a minute, ten men had invited me to the Loveroom! Unlike the first time I used Vousme and my profile picture was a turtleneck, no one invited me. Vousme's algorithm is very sophisticated. It scared me at first, but this app is really cool!" the bobbed-haired woman chirped.
Her bespectacled friend enthusiastically responded, "Have you met your chosen man? What's he like? Is he handsome? Is he the same as he is in the photo?"
"Just be patient. I'll meet him tomorrow. He's really mature and hardworking. The mature man of my dreams."
"What's his name?"
"Vata!"
"What time are you going to meet him? Where?"
The woman leaned her lips slightly to her friend's ear with a serious expression. "He invited me to the hotel after dinner."
"What? That fast? You ready to-?"
"Why not? Hahaha!"
Anxiety quickly set in. How could I tell a woman that she might die if she insisted on meeting a man from that app?
Ruby can't reveal the existence of immortals. It would be tantamount to suicide, as it would undoubtedly cause chaos throughout the city. Ultimately, the Northern Wolves would also be threatened with hunting with their bare hands.
"Hello? Please?" the cashier called.
Ruby took a step forward, completing the transaction while deep in thought. Before leaving the checkout line, she turned around for a moment.
"Sorry to interrupt, I overheard your conversation about Vousme. Umm... many people say the app is dangerous and claims victims. Its data security is weak. Its users could be psychopaths, robbers, or other malicious individuals. Please reconsider," Ruby said as politely as possible.
The bobbed woman flashed a sardonic smile. "Thank you for your concern. But I'm not that stupid. Mind your own business, okay?"
"Madam, I'm talking like this because I care about your safety." Ruby was still trying to persuade her.
"Hello? Who asked you to care? Are you my mother? My sister? And why are you calling me Madam? I'm not that old!"
Her friend met the confused cashier's gaze and apologized. "Elle, enough. Just leave it alone, let's just pay for your clothes."
"Just a minute!" Elle snapped, swatting her friend's hand away. "And one more thing!" Elle's finger hovered in front of Ruby's nose.
"You must learn about the term 'let it be ', rating who speaks. Vousme has a rating of five stars, which is flawless. Their service is top-notch! They even offer pick-up and drop-off services. Where did that theory of so many victims come from? Are you really talking about Vousme? Maybe you're on the wrong app. Double-check and don't get in the way of my fun!" Elle looked away and focused on swiping her debit card.
What a stupid woman!
Ruby gritted her teeth and immediately left the place.
***
Jayden Gavian's red tie with white stripes hung neatly, accentuating his broad shoulders. He tightened the knot—life hacks to suppress the blinding thirst.
Jay slowed his convertible, glancing at the mist-shrouded crescent moon. He preferred seeing the full moon, which many gullible humans admire. The full moon concealed a ferocious power, while the crescent offered pure light, without deception.
If our ancestors hadn't held frequent prayer rituals, the demonic chains wouldn't have tightened so much when the full moon arrived. Perhaps his kind wouldn't have had to be so vigilant during the bright night. Jay chuckled softly, his laughter muffled by the index finger resting on one of his fangs.
Arriving at a fancy restaurant, Jay scanned the backs of the girls as he moved through the tables. His muscles tensed before finally settling on a girl in a red dress. Her beautiful back was on display like a magnet, drawing him in.
Jay approached the far end table, the best spot to view the majestic city of Wallis.
"Miss Crystal?"
Ruby turned around. "Are you…?"
"Jayden Gavian," Jay said, holding his hand, and Ruby took it.
"Just call me Ruby."
At first, Ruby thought it was a business handshake. Unexpectedly, Jay guided Ruby's hand to his lips. The brief kiss on the back of her hand was both amusing and irritating.
"Miss? Are you okay?"
Jay suddenly sat down in the chair across from me.
"Oh, sorry, I was too nervous," Ruby said, joining in as gracefully as possible, just as Anna had taught her.
"Have you ordered, darling?"
Every time the word "darling" was mentioned, Ruby's ears pricked with heat. However, she covered it up with a wry smile. Ruby became increasingly challenged. Jay was also actually wearing a mask, pretending to be giving her all kinds of attention while actually waiting for the right moment to devour his prey.
Ruby wondered a little who would be the first to let her guard down.
"Not yet. Don't worry. Your driver brought me there shortly before you did," Ruby said, starting to lead the game confidently.
"Thank goodness we didn't have to wait long." Jayden handed me the menu, then raised two fingers to my shoulder. "Please choose what you'd like to order."
A waiter came over and took their orders. "What would you like to order, Mr/mrs?"
"Um… I want to eat a 5 Wagyu steak, dry-aged kanpachi, hamachi tostada with yuzu kosho, bluefin tuna, and sweet onion pickle. So, lobster spring roll with sweet chili sauce, spicy chicken dumplings, black truffle shumai, and prime beef skewers. Also… ah, that's enough!" Ruby said as she took a glass of wine from the mobile trolley.
Jay, who first took his glass of wine, choked on the first sip. He was shocked to hear the order list was equivalent to a village.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay? Take a sip. It's free, you can always get another one later!" Ruby said, holding back laughter.
Jay coughed a little and tried to cover it up with a chuckle. "Of course I know. I'm just impressed that you eat that much and still have such a beautiful body."
"My digestion differs from others, if you don't mind watching me eat."
"Oh, not at all! I love seeing women eat heartily."
"I've finished tidying up the notes. Are there any additional orders?" asked the waiter.
"You haven't ordered your food yet, Mr. Jay," Ruby reminded him.
"Ah, right. I want mushroom soup."
The waiter took back the menu with a polite smile. "Okay, please allow me to wait. I'll excuse you."
"Is that all?" Ruby pretended to be surprised. "Are you on a diet?"
"Hmm… you could say that."
Liar. Ruby knew Jay was emptying his stomach to enjoy the thick red liquid freely.
"What the hell, you're making me feel inferior," Ruby joked.
Jay chuckled. "Why feel inferior? Look! You're already this perfect. I'm on a diet for my health. I've been overeating lately junk food. Because of that, I'm malnourished and often feel tired. Am I that different from what I look like in photos? Worse than you expected?"
That's right, you're an ugly vampire! Your behavior is ugly, your aura is ugly, everything is ugly!
Ruby propped her chin up.
"Seriously! You're the most handsome man I've ever met. Judging by your social media posts, you like to let your hair down, don't you? I'm flattered that you've styled it back for our meeting. Let me tell you, the key to a handsome man is a perfect forehead. If you hadn't introduced yourself as CEO, I'd have thought you were a model. How can you lead such a young company?"
"What else if not parental privilege"? Jay replied.
They laughed together—it sounded too sweet and full of fakeness.
"By the way, what about you? Do you live with your parents?" Jay added.
Ruby forced a bitter smile. "I only live with my brother."
"Ah, sorry, are they—?"
"It's okay. My brother is settled and takes good care of me."
Jay nodded slowly. "You must be lonely…"
"Yes, so your app is handy," Ruby chuckled.
"Is there anywhere you want to go? We can make up for those lonely days," Jay said.
"Hm… it feels like it's been a long time since I've seen the sea."
Jay smiled. "Okay. Finish your food first. Beautiful."
In one session, the table could only accommodate five dishes. It only took Ruby fifteen minutes to devour the first round and five minutes to devour the second. No wonder she could eat three raw deer in under ten minutes, let alone this trivial snack.
A bottle of champagne flowed down Ruby's throat without pause.
Jay gaped at the strange Ruby's eating. His previous victims had always maintained a high profile. They'd take bites from the tip of their fork when they ate. His previous dates had been a complete waste of time.
Jay felt this was fun. He finally found it—a jackpot. A prey loves food that arouses hunger. The soup was like a breeze. He couldn't wait to taste Ruby's fresh blood.
"Ugh… so refreshing!" Ruby exclaimed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Cute."
Jay shifted slightly and leaned in. His porcelain face was very close, serious as his knuckles brushed Ruby's mouth. For a moment, red and blue pupils met. Gradually deepening, each lost in their own. Their hearts silently savored each other's beauty.
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "Are you… really human?"