Tyler had spotted Hera, too. He set his wine glass on a tray carried by a passing waiter and walked over to her. “Hey, baby. Long time no see.” The last time Hera had seen him was after they exchanged numbers. Summer had yet to come, yet Tyler sported sunkissed skin that seemed at odds with the current weather. “Did you go to Astenia?”
Tyler blinked. “How did you know?”
Hera made no reply. So, she was right.
“Can we talk somewhere a little more private?” Tyler asked, pointing at the corridor.
All Hera wanted to do was to find Vulcan as soon as possible. She did not want to waste time on an idle conversation with Tyler. “What do you want to talk about? Out with it.”
He clicked his tongue impatiently. “Have you always been this cold?”
“Look, if it isn’t something important, can we talk about it some other day? I’m kind of busy here,” she pointed out, glowering at him.
Tyler grumbled something that sounded a lot like “so cold-hearted” and asked more coherently, “What are you doing here anyway?”
“That’s none of your concern,” Hera said curtly, making to push him aside and continue on her merry way.
However, Tyler stopped her.
“I thought you wanted to meet me.”
She stopped and turned to eye him with surprise. “You mean, you’re…” She trailed off. Was he Vulcan? But he couldn’t be. The Grandmaster of Astral Nova was Vulcan, and she had already eliminated the possibility of Tyler being the grandmaster after testing him the last time.
Tyler flashed her a cryptic smile and headed toward the end of the corridor. Hera, still suspicious, followed him silently.
Using his phone, he unlocked one of the office doors and gave her a meaningful look, indicating for her to enter.
Hera had seen him use a decoding program to gain entry into the office. She did not hesitate and entered.
The office was not large, but it was empty. She glanced at her phone and saw no reply from the Grandmaster of Astral Nova. She quickly sent him a question mark before meeting Tyler’s gaze.
He showed no emotion or reaction as he entered after her and closed the door. “You’ve been very bad, Raven.” Gone was the playful facade as he looked at her, his tone terse and his expression somber
Hera’s brows furrowed as she leveled an inquisitive stare at him. “How so?”
Tyler raised a brow. “You really think it’s a good idea to stir up such a buzz before your account gets unblocked?”
Hera blinked. She could not hide her shock as she demanded, “Mr. S?”
He nodded once, his face
inscrutable as he said tersely, “I had your account blocked for half a year so you could lay low for a while, but you just had to push the boundaries. Why did you come if you knew everyone was looking for Raven?”
He really was S!
She tolerated the admonishment but did not acknowledge her mistake. She stared at Tyler’s youthful face so handsome and delicately chiseled that he bordered on
effeminate, and his thick curts. She
was confused.
All this while, she had thought S was a balding old man with wrinkles and a myriad of ailments.
Tyler had deliberately put on a stern and unsmiling facade customary of a mentor, but to his surprise, Hera did not look sorry at all. She even gave him an odd look.
He couldn’t keep up the no-nonsense act any longer. Resuming his playful and laid-back demeanor, he drawled teasingly, “So, what do you think? I’m hotter than you expected, right?”
Hera nodded. “Yes. You’re healthy. Your limbs look strong, you still have a full head of hair, and your skin is as flawless as a newborn’s.”
The corner of Tyler’s lips twitched in disbelief as he processed her words. “So, you’re telling me that before this, you thought I was some balding old man with worn-out limbs?”