“U-Uh… Black cat…?” Rei muttered, looking confused by Roxanne’s strange behavior.
She had interrupted his explanation and dashed toward the entrance door in a frenzy, opening it quickly to see an invisible person in front.
Did she perhaps sense something? Or was she overly paranoid?
Rei Daniel could not tell. However, he could observe enough from her expression, that she was distraught with herself. While he knew it wasn’t in his place to be concerned for her well-being, heck he didn’t even know her actual name. Still…
“Are you alright?” He ventured to ask, rising to his feet as he drew closer.
“Shit! What am I doing?” Roxanne’s head immediately rang as she heard Rei’s concerned tone.
She quickly changed her expression and turned backward to face her guest.
“Ah, I’m fi-”
As she turned back, her face was met by his. Only a few distance apart, the both of them locked eyes in that moment. His deep ocean eyes seemed to entrap her, while her clear sky ones charmed him to no end.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Roxanne suddenly asked, breaking out of the mood being generated.
“A-Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t know you would turn back so suddenly.” Reid quickly responded.
He was just as surprised as she was. After all, he only wanted to check if she was fine since she remained frozen by the entrance.
“She seems fine now,” He thought to himself.
“O-Oh, sorry for my sudden behavior. I thought someone was at the front of the door. Turns out it was nothing…” Roxanne said, trying to give meaning to her strange action earlier.
“Ah, it’s understandable. I get it. For someone like you, there must be many stalkers who would want to sneak around your room” Rei answered with an understanding smile.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know the feeling. As a star, popular wrestler, brand ambassador and even actor, he had many stalkers of both genders who made his life hectic.
Even though Roxanne wasn’t popular, she might as well be. Her charming looks and unique hair color, matching her eyes even accentuated her mysterious charm.
“Does she dye it?” He wondered.
“What do you mean ‘for someone like me?, Mr. Reid Daniel,” Roxanne asked, suddenly disrupting Rei’s line of thought.
Her question caught him off guard. He couldn’t tell her what he actually meant, that she was so beautiful that she was bound to attract stalkers. He had to find a way to wrap this up in a professional way.
“W-Well… You are a popular sensation in the Underground wrestling arena. It’s possible that some bastards might want to see who’s behind the mask, you know? Besides, there have to be some dissatisfied members of the audience whose bets failed as a result of your victory.” Reid pointed out, using his strict tone.
“Oh, I see. You make a good point.” Roxanne said, placing her hand on her chin.
“Yes! I did it, ri-”
“But, I doubt that would be a problem. I was able to easily handle you after the stalking stunt you showed. So, I’m pretty confident in identifying and apprehending those kinds of people.” Roxanne pointed out.
Reid deflated as soon as he heard this. Roxanne was right about that. If she was able to spot him, a professional, so easily, and even subjugate his person, then he had no doubt in her skill.
“Let’s continue with our talk, Mr. Reid Da-” Roxanne said, returning to her seat as she sighed to herself.
“Daniel… Just call me Daniel” He replied, giving him a reassuring smile.
“If you insist,” Roxanne smiled slightly
It was getting pretty exhausting calling him by his full name.
He smiled as she agreed, though she still didn’t tell him hers.
“Okay, let’s get down to this one last time…” He said, moving to the couch he occupied earlier.
Now that the atmosphere was a little lighter, he was feeling more confident.
“I need to have her by my side… No matter the cost!” He thought to himself.
“So, there you have it. That’s the full package. As you can see, the benefits can not even be compared to when you were at the underground wrestling ring. And you also don’t need to worry about school. You’re in your final year now, so with a few exams you’ll be set for graduation ahead of your peers.” Daniel explained.
Upon concluding his explanation, he waited patiently as he started at Roxanne expectantly. He hoped for a favorable answer, but he couldn’t read her expression. Roxanne wore a genuine poker face, masking any form of emotion.
“I understand. Everything you’ve said does sound appealing. In fact, it’s too good to be true. I also won’t question the validity of your statements since you’re quite the notable figure, and you don’t seem to be the kind of guy who does this stuff…” Roxanne said.
“… But, I do not believe you would just pop out of the blue and make this offer to just anyone.”
Daniel was shocked when he heard this. He felt a little nervous, but restrained himself.
“What do you mean? I already told you, you’re not just anyone. You’re very ski-” He quickly defended his cause.
“But there are other wrestlers who are more skilled than I am. You’re ‘The’ Rei Daniel. You don’t need to come to an Underground Wrestling Ring to scout a potential wrestler or rising star. There are way more first class wrestlers out there. Why me?” Roxanne asked, starting defensively.
Daniel gulped upon hearing this. She was right. There was definitely something else, but he couldn’t say it. That would be a major turn off, and it reflected the reason he came as far as attending her match last year.
Roxanne focused her eyes on the man in front of her and concentrated her vision. Instantly, her expression lit up and she sensed the surrounding aura the man exerted.
She had picked this up some while back, especially after she felt so betrayed by Asher’s actions. She didn’t know who to trust and felt everyone would somehow hurt her.
This swirling emotion transformed into something within her, a special ability that was subject to her activation. She found it weird since no one in the Pack mentioned it to her.
She could entirely read a person’s nature through their aura just by looking at them.
“He’s not a bad person… But he’s still hiding something” She thought to herself.
Depending on what he said, she would consider his offer.
Daniel sighed to himself. He might as well come clean to her in order to prove his sincerity.
He couldn’t afford to mess up now.
“The agency is in trouble. The industry demands more everyday, and our athletes can’t keep up. We need new blood, people with but skill and tenacity-” Daniel started.
“That still doesn’t answer my question. Like I said, you could easily recruit other professionals with more skill.” Roxanne answered impatiently.
“We-We can’t… That’s because our competitors have found a way to get their hands on them first, jacking up their incentives. No one wants to go for the less attractive option, so we’re losing out on most of the talented recruits.” Daniel answered.
“So, that’s why you decided to look into low-budget options…” Roxanne spoke, nearly in conclusion.
“No. That wasn’t how it started. Most people don’t know this, but before I debuted as the wrestling celebrity, Rei Daniel, I was also a wrestler in the Underground Arena… And I was known as Xavier.” Daniel revealed.
“What? For real?” Roxanne expressed shock.
So his alias was actually genuine. Well, it made sense now that she thought about it. The tournament was for last champions of the Arena, and for Xavier to participate he had to have been one.
“Rei Daniels was a champion in the Underground Arena before…?!” Roxanne muttered to herself.
“That night of Christmas, I decided to just spectate the match to rekindle old memories. But, that was when I saw you fight. From that moment on, I knew… I wanted you!” Daniel said with an intense passion in his eyes.
It was all or nothing!