Demonic Pornstar System novel Chapter 924

Chapter 924: Overwhelming Difference

His measured tone, then a rasp she recognized from yesterday, then a low voice that made her pulse climb before her brain had finished placing it.

They came around the corner of the east wing, walking from inside the construction. Doug in his usual suit, tablet under his arm. Luna in a hoodie and shorts, hood up. And between them, hands loose at his side, unhurried, Kaiden Grey.

Yuna stood up so fast the folding chair almost came with her.

’Professional. PROFESSIONAL.’

"Miss Park." Doug entered the tent first and set his tablet on the table. "Any further harassment since we last spoke?"

"I blocked the number."

"Great." Doug smiled at that and gestured toward the chairs.

Kaiden stopped in front of her and held out his hand.

"Good morning."

Same calm. Same weather-report delivery.

Yuna took the hand before her brain had finished processing the offer, and her fingers disappeared. His palm swallowed hers entirely, warm and dry and so much larger than the handshake she’d rehearsed in the mirror that morning, and for one stuttering second every thought in her head replaced itself with the memory of those same fingers closing around her throat on the observation deck.

She was one beat too late to answer.

"G-good morning."

Her eyes flicked sideways on reflex, and Luna was already looking at her, apple in hand, smirk in full bloom. The gremlin’s gaze dropped to the handshake, climbed back to Yuna’s face, and the smirk widened into gleeful, shameless smugness, ’I see how it is’ written across her face.

Yuna pulled her hand back, ears pink, and sat down so fast the folder nearly slid off the table.

Kaiden dropped into the white plastic folding chair across from her, apparently noticing none of this.

Luna hopped onto the second table, crossed her legs, and bit into the apple. Still smirking.

Doug settled into his chair, pulled up his tablet, and began.

"Miss Park, let us proceed with the final phase of your membership procedure. To start us off, what drew you to Eclipse, and what would you expect from us as your guild?"

Yuna opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

She’d rehearsed this. She’d rehearsed this in the mirror at five in the morning with toothpaste on her lip, running through answers while the eyelash glue dried. She had a whole speech prepared about growth opportunities and high-tier gate access and learning from the best combat team in the country, and every single word of it suddenly sounded lacking the moment Kaiden Grey was sitting three feet away from her and actually waiting for the answer.

’Think, Yuna. THINK. You practiced this. Growth. Gates. Team synergy. Say team synergy, that sounds professional-’

"This is a waste of time," Kaiden spoke up all of a sudden. "Let’s not do this."

Doug’s mouth stopped. Yuna’s heart stopped. Did she fail already?! It makes sense, who wants an assassin who can’t even speak-

Kaiden was looking at her across the folding table, red eyes level.

"I want her," he said.

Yuna’s ears, which had been recovering from pink, went straight past it into red. ’Oh, he was talking to Doug only... And he meant that?!’

Kaiden’s gaze didn’t move. "The only question I need you to answer is this: do you want us, Yuna Park?"

"Yes!" she shouted instantly with more strength in her voice than she would’ve preferred. "It would be my dream come true to work with you people..."

Doug paused for exactly one second, then grinned. "Well then."

He turned back to Yuna, and the grin settled, warmer. "Congratulations, Miss Park. You’ve passed the interview. Eclipse would like to extend you a conditional offer of membership, pending buyout of your Skyline contract. Should you accept, our legal team initiates the transfer. You continue your current duties at Skyline until the buyout clears."

He scrolled. "Membership terms, compensation, gate assignments, and guild protections are in the letter of intent I’ll present at the end. Standard Eclipse contract. No performance-based penalty clauses, no development ledger, and no..." he glanced at his notes, "...after-hours feedback sessions."

The last three words landed with surgical quiet, and Doug did not look up.

Yuna blinked. "You noted that."

"I note everything, Miss Park."

The tent was quiet for a moment, just the construction noise outside and Luna’s chewing, and Yuna stared at the folding table and tried to make the math work the way she needed it to. She turned toward Kaiden and spoke.

"Can I ask something?"

He gestured for her to continue.

"The buyout." She pressed her thumbnail into the edge of the folder. "Skyline’s ledger is nine digits. That’s... a lot of money to spend on one S-tier. Are you sure it’s worth it?"

Kaiden raised an eyebrow.

"Wouldn’t it be smarter to spend that on scouting?" she continued, and the words tasted like Mercer’s but she couldn’t stop them, because they’d been sitting in her stomach since the bus. "There are guilds going overseas now, trying to find SS and SSS prospects out of developing countries for a fraction of the cost. People who’d sign for basic necessities and be grateful. Wouldn’t that be a better investment than buying out one S-tier assassin with a contract problem?"

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify