Harleen slowly let go of Daniel's shirt and turned toward the red-haired woman standing in the doorway.
Her brows knitted together. She wasn't one of the five women in Daniel's family. Then who was she?
Daniel looked between the two women and felt a familiar headache coming on.
...Is my luck finally running out?
Lately, every secret he'd managed to hide seemed to be surfacing one after another. Another thought crossed his mind.
Has the Golden Tongue finally started losing its edge?
It was one of the best rewards he had ever obtained, subtly making his words more convincing than they should have been.
...Or maybe I'd pushed it too far by lying every other day.
Mera's gaze shifted from Harleen to Daniel. Walking in to find another woman grabbing him by the shirt wasn't exactly the reunion she'd imagined.
She folded her arms.
"Umm... Daniel..." Her voice was steady, but the suspicion in her eyes was unmistakable. "Who the hell is she?"
Daniel raised a hand. "Before I answer that... how did you even find this office?"
Mera looked at him as though the answer was obvious.
"Your shady ad is all over the internet. It wasn't exactly difficult to find. I searched your company, found the address, and came straight here."
Daniel stared at her for a moment before rubbing his forehead. "...Right."
He had completely forgotten about the advertisement. Maybe putting that thing online wasn't such a brilliant idea after all.
"Well," Daniel said, gesturing toward Mera.
"Harleen, meet Mera. She's the princess of a sea kingdom. By human standards, she'd be considered royalty."
Harleen stared at him without blinking. "...Right." She folded her arms. "And I'm the Queen of England."
"I'm not joking."
"Neither am I."
He pointed at Mera again. "She really is a princess."
Harleen looked Mera over from head to toe before turning back to Daniel with complete disbelief.
"What do you think this is? The Little Mermaid? I watched that movie when I was a kid." She snorted.
"Just because she has red hair doesn't mean she's suddenly the princess of some underwater kingdom." Her eyes narrowed. "And what? Does that make you her Prince Charming?"
Before Daniel could answer, Harleen grabbed his shirt again and pulled him closer. "Enough with the bullshit. Who is she?"
Daniel opened his mouth, but Mera stepped forward before he could say a word. She calmly pried Harleen's hand off his shirt and pulled him behind her. The movement was subtle, yet unmistakably protective.
"Why are you so concerned about who I am?" Mera met Harleen's gaze without backing down. "All you need to know is that Daniel and I share a very close relationship."
Harleen raised an eyebrow. "A close relationship?" She reached past Mera, grabbed Daniel's other arm, and pulled him back toward herself. "So do I."
For a brief moment, Daniel found himself standing between the two women, each holding one of his arms.
Selina, who had been quietly watching from the sofa, covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "This is getting interesting."
Daniel looked from Harleen to Mera, then up at the ceiling. ...Why do I have a feeling this is only the beginning?
He let out a helpless sigh. "Girls... don't fight over me."
Silence filled the office.
Internally, he couldn't help feeling a little satisfied. ...I've always wanted to say that at least once.
Unfortunately, reality was far less satisfying than his imagination. Both Harleen and Mera slowly turned to look at him.
"Then explain what the hell is going on."
They spoke at exactly the same time.
Daniel immediately realized that trying to be funny had been a mistake. He coughed awkwardly. "Well... nothing's really going on." He shrugged as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"A man is allowed to fall in love, isn't he? Feelings aren't something you can simply control." He scratched the back of his head.
"I was planning to introduce Mera properly sooner or later. While sharing my past, I... may have accidentally left out one very important detail."
Selina, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "That he's the type of man who wants a whole bunch of women around him."
Daniel glanced at her. "...You make it sound far worse than it is."
"It is exactly as bad as it sounds," Selina replied without an ounce of sympathy.
Mera looked genuinely puzzled. She had spent little time on the surface and still wasn't familiar with many human customs.
"I thought people on land practiced monogamy," she said, looking between Harleen and Daniel.
"When did it become polygamy?"
Harleen answered before Daniel had the chance. "It didn't." She pointed directly at him. "You're looking at the exception."
Her gaze shifted toward Mera, and a sympathetic expression appeared on her face. "And from what I've seen so far... it looks like you're his next victim."
Daniel immediately raised a hand in protest. "Victim is a very harsh word."
Harleen shot him a glare. "Oh? Then what would you call it?"
Daniel opened his mouth. Nothing came out. After thinking for several seconds, he quietly lowered his hand.
"...Fair enough."
*****
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