"Now that our personal issue has been settled, I would like to answer your previous question." Which is also actually the real reason why I agreed to this ludicrous idea called dinner. "How did you know about that incident?"

Lillie ponders what his answer would be. Is he going to tell her the truth, or make fabrications?

​​

"I—"

At the sound of soft but audible knocks, the two whipped their heads towards the door. Lillie glanced at Wei Fang with an analyzing look.

"Come in." Wei Fang cleared his throat.

A waiter opened the door holding a tray with a bottle of red wine chilling on a small ice bucket and two glasses.

"Mr. Wei, Miss Bai," The waiter bowed his head, greeting the two, before setting the items on the table.

"I'm sorry if I already ordered wine beforehand. I figured since we would be talking for a while, something to drink would be a good idea to quench our dry throats." Wei Fang looked at Lillie with a sheepish look. "You're not oblige to drink, if that's what you're worried about."

Lillie nodded lightly, humming.

Hearing this, the waiter filled only Wei Fang's glass, then politely inquired if Lillie would like water instead.

"No, I'm good. Thank you."

Serving his purpose, the waiter bowed again before retreating out of the room.

Taking a sip of the luscious, vermillion drink, a sigh of content escaped Wei Fang's lips as the smooth, chilled liquid eased his thirst.

"Have you heard of Demons before, Thea?"

"Who hasn't?" Schooling a neutral face, Lillie answered his question with a question. "Though their existence is quite complicated to distinguish. Why this oddly specific question, Mr. Wei? I never thought you were the sort of person who would believe such a thing."

"Oh, I'm not talking about those evil spirits of sorts." He clarified, waving his hand. "I was talking about, uh, you know...criminals? People in the Underworld?"

Lillie's eyebrows rose, feigning to understand what he meant. "Ahh, you mean mafias and gangsters?"

If Lillie was a normal civilian like she portrays herself to be, she wouldn't know that the term "Demon" is used by the Underworld Society to call their people.

"Yes, precisely."

"What of them, Mr. Wei?"

"You're aware that those people who held you captive were mafiosos, right?"

"The police let us know, yes. I'm told they were a big shot organization called Vermillion Dragon." Lillie acted clueless.

Wei Fang already know what happened that night, there's really no point in hiding this information from him.

But of course, she only disclosed what those naive police and investigators told her.

Because of her Senior Brother, who was the Commander of the Reapers Association, she knew that those bastards were pretending to be Vermillion Dragon; hence why Death was hunting them.

The police didn't know her assaulters were nothing but fakes.

"Actually, those people weren't the real Vermillion Dragon. They're fakes, working for another threat as big as Vermillion Dragon."

"I recall Ethan telling me what you said to him. So, my assaulters were fake and they're working for someone else? What do you mean by that, Mr. Wei?"

"Ah, so Ethan did tell you, as expected of him." Wei Fang chuckled. "He truly loves you, doesn't he?"

"He does. And I'm lucky to have him."

"I'm sure he feels the same way." Wei Fang twirled the stem of his wine glass. His eyes are distant and dull, but his expression was serene.

"The Underworld Leaders, they're a frightening and powerful organization that even the government wouldn't dare mess with," Wei Fang started to explain the Underworld's hierarchy, but Lillie wasn't giving her full attention into it.

Urgh, she's not getting anything interesting from him. He's just telling her what she already knows.

Also, she was still a bit boggled of Wei Fang's conjecture.

Liu Sheng, the scumbag behind her assault, was working for someone else who's as big of a threat as an Underworld Leader?

Or maybe...Wei Fang was being a deceitful bastard who's planting a seed of doubt in her mind just so he could make her come to him?

She'd investigated Liu Sheng for years, and had hunted down everyone he has connections with. She would've known if he was working for one of the Underworld Leaders, Uncrowned Leaders, or anyone with power equal to said people.

Lillie tried to dig the past again after she roused herself out of denial when she had that nightmare at the Academy, to see if there's really a bigger puppet master pulling the strings.

But to no avail. She has yet to uncover the information that support Wei Fang's allegations. She couldn't spread her people as freely as she could before, not with this suspicion hung over her head for the meantime.

Wei Fang was still talking, and Lillie had enough.

"You're wasting my time, Mr. Wei." Lillie cut him off mid sentence. "Why are you telling me all of these unnecessaries. Just go straight to the point and tell me how you know all these things."

There was a look of hesitation in his face, probably contemplating whether he'll tell her the truth or lie.

And between those two choices, Lillie will know whether he's lying. So, Wei Fang better not make a fool of himself.

"Promise me you won't look at me differently?" He asked, looking at her straight in the eyes, as if pleadingly. "It's not exactly the most noble occupation."

Lillie pinched her chin, pondering. But in reality, she wanted to roll her eyes.

"Alright."

Relief washed over Wei Fang's features at her assurance.

"I'm a Reaper."

Well, that does seem like a plausible explanation to why he knows many things that concerns the Underworld.

But Lillie couldn't make certain of that yet.

To keep her clueless persona, Lillie asked him what a Reaper is.

"Pretending to be one of the Underworld Leader is considered a crime in this criminal society. We Reapers are responsible of overseeing the order established by the most powerful Demons. It's an irony, really. But we've learned it's best to shut up and follow the higher ups' demands, lest you want to be annihilated."