Chapter 520

The years-long feud with Judy was finally over, but Shirley felt no triumph. Judy had been her sister, after all.

Shirley had imagined this end countless times, yet now that it had arrived, an unexpected sorrow weighed on her. But there was no time for grief. The future demanded her attention, and challenges still lay ahead.

Shirley ordered teams to search for survivors in the blast’s aftermath, while the fallen would be unearthed and given proper burials. As for Judy and Harry? Their bodies had turned to ash.

Nearby, Apocalypse loomed, its presence awe-inspiring.

Shermaine perched on its shoulder, sipping aura water in small gulps.

When she tried to cap the bottle, Joshua insisted, “Finish it.”

“I’m full,” she protested.

Her mecha piloting had drained her mental energy, and Joshua was about to coax her further when Dave’s voice chirped from above. “Sheary, I’m here!”

Dave landed atop Shermaine’s head. It rarely approached Joshua. Their history was complicated.

Back when Dave had possessed Joshua’s father’s body, it had been a miserable experience. And during the time Dave was a cat, Joshua had always shooed it away.

Shermaine smiled, “Finished all the aura stones?”

Dave pouted, “I don’t wanna eat them anymore.”

“Why?”

“They’re gross now.”

Shermaine laughed, “Since when?”

Dave curled into a ball. Once, aura stones were its favorite, but now? Fried chicken reigned supreme.

“Eat them up, and we’ll go home sooner,” Shermaine coaxed. “Then you can have all the fried chicken you want.”

“Fine.” For chicken, Dave would stomach those bland stones.

Catching a whiff of sweetness, Dave zoomed toward Joshua’s bottle and slurped the remaining aura water in one gulp.

“Sheary, this is yummy. Got more?” It was not as sweet as ice cream or milkshakes, but Dave was willing to accept it as a decent alternative.

Shermaine was amused, thinking, ‘This little glutton.’

Joshua snatched Dave mid-air and hurled it away. “No coming back until you finish those stones.”

Shermaine pinched his waist. “Stop bullying Dave.”

Joshua glared at Dave. “It’s always clinging to you.”

Shermaine smirked, recognizing Joshua’s jealousy. “Careful, or Dave might run away.”

“It hates this place,” Joshua grumbled.

Shermaine nodded. Dave didn’t like this place. It missed Wallington’s culinary delights.

Her stomach growled. Leaning into Joshua, she murmured, “I’m hungry.”

Joshua pulled her closer. “What do you want?”

“Pasta.”

Joshua carried her back to the cockpit. “Sleep first. I’ll wake you.”

When Shermaine opened her eyes, a plate of pasta awaited her, its aroma irresistible.

In Baykeep, Jasmine woke to news of Summerbank’s fall, Shermaine and Shirley’s victory, and Judy’s death.

The news spread quickly. The kingdom buzzed with reactions – some celebrated, others mourned.

Jasmine felt both joy and sorrow. With the war over, Shermaine and Joshua would return to Wallington.

That morning, Jasmine slumped at her desk, paperwork untouched.

Damien entered and took one look at her. “Get up.”

“No,” she mumbled.

Damien yanked her upright.

Jasmine glared. “What’s your problem?”

“Meeting.”

“I don’t wanna go.”

Ignoring her, Damien hauled her toward the door.

“Put me down.” Jasmine kicked and squirmed. In a fit of pettiness, she wrapped her legs around his waist and tickled his ribs.

After several failed attempts, she realized he wasn’t affected at all. Frustrated, she aimed for his neck with her teeth.

Damien’s voice dropped to a warning growl. “Try that again?”

Jasmine froze, too intimidated to bite, yet perversely enthralled by Damien’s dangerous aura. She wondered, dazed, ‘Am I a masochist? How could I find this terrifying man so charming? If biting was off-limits, maybe… licking?’

Before she could stop herself, her tongue flicked over Damien’s Adam’s apple.

Damien dropped her instantly.

“Ow!” Jasmine landed hard, rubbing her sore backside. “Seriously? It was just a lick.”

“Yes,” Damien said.

Bystanders watched, fascinated. A man thought, ‘She licked Damien? Bold. Is she his kryptonite?’

Within Eagle Assassins, Damien showed warmth only to Joshua and a select few. To everyone else, he was arctic.

Jasmine smirked. “Serves you right for scaring me.”

Damien’s expression darkened, his icy aura growing stronger.

Chapter 520

Her melancholy forgotten, Jasmine scrambled up and fled. Lingering meant risking real retaliation.

After finishing the meeting and wrapping up the rest of her paperwork, night had already fallen. As soon as Jasmine was done, the first person on her mind was Gracie.

“I’m coming, cutie.” Jasmine pushed open the nursery door and saw Shermaine dangling a toy as Gracie giggled.

“Shermaine, you’re back!” Jasmine beamed.

Shermaine smiled, “Thanks for looking after her.”

“My pleasure,” Jasmine said warmly.

Meanwhile, Damien stood before Joshua.

Joshua handed him a dossier. “Shirley wants these targets eliminated. High priority.”

Damien scanned the names. “I’ll handle it.”

“If you’re not confident handling them all, you can split the jobs with others.”

“No need. I’ll handle it alone.”

Joshua nodded, then spotted the bite mark on Damien’s neck. “Jasmine left it?”

Damien gave a small nod. “Yes.”

“How did it feel?”

Damien paused. “Nothing special.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Damien didn’t respond.

Joshua wasn’t one to pry into his subordinates’ personal lives. With a dismissive wave, Joshua sent him off.

As Damien left on his mission, Joshua took Shermaine and Gracie to explore other parts of the Kingdom of Xyperia.

Jasmine joined the outing. Paperwork could wait. Emails would suffice. Normally, she could breeze through it in a couple of hours. Now, she cherished every moment with Shermaine and Joshua.

That day, before leaving, Jasmine couldn’t help asking, “Where’s Damien?” Strange how she had missed him after just a few days.

Shermaine replied, “He’s on a mission.”

“What kind? Is it dangerous?” The concern slipped out before Jasmine could stop it.

Shermaine studied her. “Shouldn’t be. You can call him if you’re worried.”

Jasmine flushed. “I’m not worried about him. He bullied me when you were away.”

Shermaine teased, “Just wait till he bullies you. No amount of begging will help then.”

Jasmine caught the playful tone and pouted, “As if. Damien tolerates me at best.”

She knew her place well. Damien only put up with her because Joshua ordered him to guard her and the baby. Otherwise, he would have ignored her entirely.

Grinning, Jasmine added, “I’m rich now. Finding men is easy.”

Shermaine smiled, “Finding the right one? Not so much.”

Jasmine blinked. “Really?”

Their lighthearted banter continued as they explored. All while poor Dave faced its mountain of aura stones, fighting the urge to sob.

Time flew by. Gracie was already three months old.

During these past few weeks, Shermaine collected curiosities, storing them in Apocalypse for future study. Every skill she had learned here would be put to good use back home.

The Kingdom of Xyperia’s political landscape remained turbulent, but no faction dared cross Shermaine or Joshua. Their reputation preceded them. Most scrambled to curry favor instead.

Another month slipped by. Dave swallowed the last aura stone, let out a seismic burp, and finally felt its energy reserves peak.

With a quick mental scan to locate Shermaine and Joshua, Dave vanished.

At that very moment, Shermaine and Joshua had just finished handling a mutant. This one resembled a cockroach, towering over seven feet tall.

Defeated but not yet disposed of, its corpse lay sprawled before Shermaine, who masked and examined it with fascination.

Jasmine gagged. She couldn’t stand that stench.

Shermaine carefully extracted the mutant’s heart and sealed it in a cryo-container.

Just then, Dave materialized overhead. “Sheary, I’m fully charged. Let’s go home!”