Back to the doorstep of Der Beste]

The two pairs of eyes greeted each other kindly.


It was as if the person right next to Luana was a statue in a museum, because not a single person was looking at her.

Strictly speaking, Rey felt like a spark had taken over.

"Nice to see you again, Luana," Pedro greeted back.


With a smile as bright as the morning sun, the fighter then extended a hand to ask permission to greet like a noble gentleman.

Of course, he was begging Luana to take that soft, delicate hand back, before landing a peck on the back of her hand.


Pedro's sturdy hand hung in the air, displaying the beautifully sculpted tattoos on his skin. His muscular features seemed to move slowly, making anyone who saw it bound to compliment it.

If on their first encounter in Heidelberg the previous day Luana could not resist, then this time she suddenly remembered one thing.

That she was not alone there, that there was someone who had also come with her. Moreover, that person was holding her hand so tightly that it almost made Luana grimace in pain.

Not immediately accepting Pedro's helping hand who was still waiting, Luana took the opportunity to glance at Rey. Checking the man's flat expression, Luana briefly shrugged.

Their gazes met. And for the next three seconds, the two of them voiced each other through the eyes. Luana who seemed to be asking her husband for permission, while Rey who had decided in the first second.

"I am also pleased to meet you, Mr. Pedro," Rey greeted quickly, reaching out to shake Pedro's hand now.

The man swiftly pulled Luana's hand back, causing her to inevitably take a few steps back.

Along with that movement, Rey moved forward to place his body right in front of Pedro. Being the separator between the tattooed man and his wife, Rey forced a faint smile with a fairly tight handshake.

Although he was momentarily stunned, Pedro again mastered the situation very well.

"Ah, well, Mr. Rey. I guess it is," muttered Pedro, who also forced a smile on his lips.

The two tall men were still shaking hands, concentrating their energy on gripping each other. Until finally releasing the intertwined hands, after enough pain together.

Luana still didn't understand why she had to step back, as she could only grumble in annoyance. Attempting once again to remove her hand from Rey's grip, but what Luana found was still the same thing.

Rey did not let go of her hand, instead he gripped it even tighter.

Just as Pedro and Rey exchanged glances, the sound of the door opening broke the situation. A beautiful woman with flowing hair appeared from inside, with the clear sound of heels knocking on the floor.

"Are you... Mr. and Mrs. Lueic?"

Valerie's greeting mediated the awkward situation, as everyone now looked at the woman. Seeing that someone else was there, Luana tried to peer through the gap in Rey's back that was too wide for her.

"Who is she? Is it Valerie?" muttered Luana, still hidden by Rey. The woman could not see Valerie's arrival, as Rey's tall body was now blocking her view.

"Mrs. Luana?" asked Valerie again. The woman was trying to find Luana, who had not yet appeared in front of her.

"I'm here!" Luana said quickly. Patting Rey's shoulder with one hand, the woman hissed softly. "Can you move a little? You're blocking me, sir!"

Rey hurriedly looked back, finding Luana who was now glaring at him. Poking out from Rey's back, Luana was now standing right next to the nobleman again.

Her bead met Valerie's brownish one, who immediately made a very friendly gesture.

"Lady Luana?"

"Are you Miss Valerie Genneth?" Luana tried to confirm.

Valerie flashed a smile, taking a few more steps forward to pass Pedro to greet her guest for the afternoon.

"Hi. It's me, Valerie," she said, opening both arms to give a warm hug. "Sorry I'm late to welcome you, Mrs. Lueic."

Luana again tried to let go of his hand, but Rey still insisted on holding her. So Luana only took one step forward, to return Valerie's embrace briefly.

Grimacing, she really felt bad.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Luana," Valerie said. "Rouletta told me quite a bit about you, and I was hoping that this society would suit you."

Luana nodded her head, a smile on her beautiful face.

"Just call me Luana," the woman pleaded with no less respect. "Ah, meet you. This is Rey, my husband."

Like being struck by lightning in broad daylight, Rey suddenly froze with a look at Luana. Luana had never introduced herself to him, as he was usually the one who introduced her to others.

But that afternoon seemed different, especially because Luana mentioned Rey's status as 'my husband' in front of other people. Moreover, there was Pedro who was still keeping his lips tightly sealed in front of them.

'One empty, Bro.'

Like a breath of fresh air, Rey simply pulled the corners of his lips to form the sweetest smile. Valerie glanced at Rey, nodding her head briefly to greet the man.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Rey," she said.

The woman's eyes briefly flicked to Rey and Luana's handshake, which did not loosen at all, until she smiled faintly again.

"Ah, I forgot about someone else." Valerie's voice was heard among the four human.

Turning her head towards Pedro who was right beside her, Valerie lightly patted the man's arm that was now crossed in front of his chest. Moving closer, Valerie introduced the fighter right in front of Rey and Luana.

"This is Pedro Viscout," Valerie said clearly. "He'll also be helping out at the club, even though he just returned from Indonesia."

Luana, Rey, and Pedro chose to smile back. Of course Valerie did not know that this was not the first meeting for the three of them, and it seemed that none of them intended to talk about it.

"Then should we go in now?" Valerie offered. The woman doesn't know if it was just her feeling or not, but the atmosphere out there really felt quite tense.

Again, the gazes of the men intertwined. Until finally Rey chose to lower his head to whisper to Luana, just before she finished speaking.

"Sure--"

"We have to talk."

"Eh?" Looking up to stare into the nobleman's face, Luana again frowned. "What do you want to talk about?"

Valerie and Pedro both seemed to be waiting, but now Rey had spoken up again.

"Come in first, Miss Valerie. I have to talk to my wife for a moment," Rey politely requested.

Valerie certainly had no objection to that, as it seemed that Pedro was now glancing with a rather sharp gaze at Rey and Luana. Although he had chosen to remain silent, Pedro did not pretend not to notice Luana.

A little uneasy, he didn't even know why he wished that the pair of humans in front of him would quickly let go.

"Very well, Mr. Rey. Enjoy your time," Valerie replied no less graciously, now that the woman had returned to patting Pedro's arm to encourage him to move on.

Pedro finally complied with Valerie's request, though he did steal one more glance before actually taking a step.

The tanned door closed again, followed by Rey's footsteps leading Luana away from where they had been.

Leading his wife towards the car park, Rey pushed Luana to lean against the wall of their car. Facing each other, Rey said in a very stern tone.

"I don't want you to join this society," the nobleman said suddenly. "Let's just go home, or find a better club."