HLnovel Chapter 688: An Extra Day Off.
Chapter 688: An Extra Day Off.
Drawing in a sharp breath, Dante jumped up into a seating position. Panting, his eyes darted around the room as he tried to figure out where he was. Soon enough, his gaze landed on the naked body of the gorgeous woman lying beside him. He whipped his head to the right and found himself looking at a younger version of the same woman. Memories of the previous night flooded his mind, and a sigh of relief escaped him.
[Good morning, Dante.]
’Good morning.’ He replied.
Getting off the bed, he stretched his bionic limbs then walked over to the window, pulling aside the curtain. Warm sunlight flooded the room, and with it came a gust of fresh air carrying a salty scent. Breathing in, Dante turned his sight to the blue ocean and let the waves steal his attention with their gentle movements.
[Your mood seems to have improved since yesterday.] Volcan remarked.
’Well, I guess you could say that.’
Sensing movement behind him, he kept his eyes forward, feeling something tug on the corners of his mouth. Soon after, a pair of slender hands wrapped around his waist, and he felt the softness and warmth of a delicate figure as it slowly pressed against him.
"I heard you gasp just now." The girl said in a whisper. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Dante replied. "I think it was just a bad dream."
The truth was, Dante couldn’t really remember what he had dreamed about, which was rather strange, considering he was used to recalling every detail of his recurring nightmares.
’Well, no point in thinking about it...’
He didn’t want to ruin his mood after finally managing to improve it. Though he hated to admit it, Riot was right about him needing a vacation. Turns out he had a lot of stress pent up, so much so that he went back and spent another night with the dancer and her gorgeous mother.
After realizing that the bastards from Castor were targeting them, Dante got so pissed that not only did he go and deal with the entire company, which wasn’t an easy task considering they were deployed throughout Riovanta. While at it, he got rid of Gaia’s presence in the region, decimating all of their assets, but not before stealing everything that was worth anything.
Dante realized that his idea of a vacation was different from what many might have in mind, but if he were to be given the choice between spending a day on the beach drinking cold cocktails and raiding megacorp facilities, acquiring a few hundred tons of Voltane in the process, he would choose the latter every time.
’Well, I did go for a swim...’
It would be a lie if he were to say that he was back at his best, but it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. At the very least, he no longer felt like he might explode at any moment.
"Say, why don’t you come back to bed?" Camila asked.
Dante opened his mouth to reply, but his resident AI cut him off before he could.
[Dante, I believe you should head back now.]
’Seriously?’
[You cannot afford to be around when the investigation into yesterday’s events starts. Besides, there are matters that require your attention back in Neo-Vatra.]
Being away for a single day wasn’t that big of a deal, especially now that he had his android clone. Still, Dante had a feeling that he shouldn’t overdo it. He was under constant supervision, after all. Not to mention, it would be a real pain in the ass if things started to happen while he’s away.
"Sorry, Camila, but..." He turned around, smiling apologetically. "I have to go now."
"Whaaat? Really?" The dancer started sulking immediately.
"I already took an extra day off just to see you, you know?"
His reply caused her eyes to narrow.
"You say that, but you actually came back for Mama, didn’t you?"
"Haha, you got me."
"You could’ve at least lied, you know!?"
Dante couldn’t help but laugh when she slapped his shoulders, and though she continued pouting at him, it was obvious that the dancer wasn’t that upset. When he leaned in for a kiss, she was quick to meet him, standing on the tips of her toes while wrapping her arms around his neck.
"When will you come back?" She asked.
"Hm... maybe sometime next week?" He said. "Depending on how busy things might get."
"Next week!!?" Camila’s eyes shot wide open. "Seriously!?"
"You thought I won’t be showing up again, didn’t you?"
"That’s how the stories usually go."
"Well, you aren’t getting rid of me that easily, so..." reaching down below, he gave her bottom a good squeeze. "Make sure to save it for me."
If he had to be honest, Dante didn’t care that much for the dancer or her gorgeous mother. The two nights he spent with them were amazing, but in the end, it was nothing more than a simple hookup. He could’ve just disappeared and forgotten all about them, yet he found himself disregarding the idea.
The reason was obviously the great mood he was in. After all the stress he had been through in recent times, it really helped him to let go and relax a little. That caused him to think that maybe pushing himself too hard and stressing over the slow progression wasn’t good for him.
Things won’t move any faster just because he ignored his needs and focused solely on moving forward. At the very least, it might be for the better if he took the time to blow off some steam.
Exiting the house, Dante stopped at the entrance and looked up to see Camila waving at him. Feeling a smile forming on his lips, he turned and walked away, already planning where he should open the portal that would take him back.
TINGG
"Hm?"
[Is something the matter, Dante?]
’Hm... I thought I just heard...’
It was still early morning, and the road was entirely empty. Dante looked around for what could’ve made that sound, but as his search came back with nothing, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
’Guess it was just my imagination...’