He smirked and gave her a wink that was equal parts cocky and infuriating.
"I'm not pregnant!" she shouted, clearly flabbergasted. She shifted on the bed—immediately regretted it as pain shot through her core, making her gasp softly. She covered herself more tightly with her arms, shocked beyond everything at who this man was and why he wanted to take responsibility for something that wasn't even true.
"You will be," Cruxius said flatly, eyes still on the laptop. His tone was determined, confident in a way that left no room for argument.
"Wh-what?" Thalia felt her eye twitch as she watched the man talking complete nonsense, not even addressing her directly but instead focusing on his damn laptop like she wasn't worth his full attention.
"Darithi, tell her the scorecard," Cruxius called out casually. Then added with a slight grin, "But be unfiltered. I like it raw."
Darithi nodded once, adjusting her glasses. "Master fucked you six times and came inside every time. Deep. He's in top physical shape, so statistically speaking—high chance you're getting knocked up." She paused, tilted her head slightly. "You're no less either. You came nine times. Your body kept begging for more even when you could barely move. If we remove the three orgasms that were achieved through oral stimulation and focus solely on penetrative—"
"Sh-Shut up!" Thalia screamed, her face burning so hot she thought she might combust. "Y-You're disgusting! Both of you!"
Her breasts heaved with each angry breath, bouncing slightly beneath the sheets she clutched. She could feel her nipples hardening from the cool air and embarrassment, pressing against the silk.
"And six times!? Are you a damn horse!?"
"Tch..." Cruxius sighed, finally looking up from the data about superheroes on his laptop. "Darithi, answer her."
"Yes, he is," Darithi replied instantly, without hesitation, her tone completely deadpan.
"...What?" Cruxius's fingers halted mid-type. His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned to look at Darithi, then back to Thalia, then up at Darithi again.
"I thought you wanted me to tell her the unfiltered truth, Master," Darithi answered softly, her gaze slightly lowered, amethyst eyes sparkling with that innocent, killer seriousness that made it impossible to tell if she was joking or not.
"...You don't have to tell that much truth," Cruxius muttered, shaking his head. Though he supposed it was better this way—she'd just followed his orders. And when it came to frequency and quantity of orgasms, then yeah... maybe he was a horse.
"Then be more clear next time," Darithi mumbled, averting her gaze slightly, her tone carrying just a hint of indignation. She felt her master should be more clear with instructions rather than blaming her for following them afterward.
"Pfft—"
The sound came from Thalia.
She'd closed her eyes tight, lowered her face, and now her shoulders were shaking. Not with anger or tears, but with—
Laughter.
"Pfft—ahaha—" She laughed softly into her palm, trying to muffle it but failing. A genuine giggle escaped, light and surprised, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Cruxius raised a brow, genuinely surprised. "Woah. After all that pain, bruises, and night-long passion, you're pretty positive, Thalia."
She looked up at him through her lashes, a strange smile playing at her swollen lips despite everything. "Even my pregnancy report in a month would probably agree with you."
The joke hung in the air—dark, self-deprecating, but somehow... light.
"...."
Cruxius looked at Thalia, acting completely unexpectedly. Calm. Even making a joke out of her situation when she had every right to scream, cry, throw things at his head.
He'd expected retaliation. Tears. Maybe violence.
A logical reaction for any normal woman would have been to throw a tantrum, demand he call the police, threaten him with lawyers and ruin.
But here she was. Laughing.
Then again, not just any normal woman could become the head of a Blac family.
'I may need to understand this woman better...'
He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin, studying her with new interest.
Thalia caught his gaze and held it, emerald meeting cold calculation.
Despite the sheets clutched to her chest, despite the marks covering her body, despite the soreness that made every movement agony—she didn't look broken.
She looked... alive.
Dangerous, even.
And for the first time that morning, Cruxius smiled. A real smile.
"Darithi," he said without looking away from Thalia. "Bring her some clothes. And breakfast. She's going to need her strength."
"For what?" Thalia asked, suspicious.
His smile widened just a fraction.
"For round seven."
---
Morning arrived with sudden internal ruckus, news headlines flashing all over the city.
The Hero Association was in disarray.
Reports of a powerful A-rank superhero attacking the Blac estate had become mainstream media's narrative within hours.
Although the government response had yet to come in fully, considering they were most probably outwitting the presence of both the Hero Association and Blac Corporation for themselves.
Behind closed doors, the Hero Association scrambled to contain the fallout. An official statement was issued, brief and carefully worded:
> An incident occurred involving an A-rank hero currently under investigation. The Hero Association does not condone unauthorized operations and will cooperate fully with any inquiries from the Blac Corporation. <
They kept it neutral. Polished. No names. No blame.
But within internal channels, tensions were high given that they lost an A-rank hero, especially considering that they lost against Blac Corporation.
Meetings with Blac Corporation representatives were tense and formal.
The Blac family's legal team was already pushing hard, demanding accountability and compensation.
The Association, knowing the weight the Blacs held, offered temporary silence—along with promises of internal reviews and quiet punishment.
They knew better than to escalate. Not with the Blacs.
Even though the Hero Association was strong, the heroes were not their private army, nor could they stop the funds they received for damage control caused by heroes by confronting one of the twenty richest families.
The world may change, but somewhere in the corner, money still finds its way to the top.