Chapter 57 - 37: Coming to the Door

’What a miserable set of choices to be faced with!’

It wasn’t that she didn’t know what to pick. It was that she couldn’t pick any of them.

The ring was nice, something she’d dream of having, but it was too much trouble. Cedric Howell was dead, the ring was lost, and the Blazefire Hunters had lost a huge number of Crystal Cores and people. It would be a miracle if they *didn’t* go all out to get the ring back. Besides, Marcus Monroe had done most of the work, so she didn’t have the gall to choose it.

The supplies... they were good things too, of course.

But other than the Crystal Cores, she had no place to store the weapons, medicine, food, and clothes, nor any way to sell them. Aside from taking a small amount for personal use, the rest would just sit around and rot.

’What a truly sad state of affairs.’

Paige Summers felt a pang of regret, then let out a breath. She consoled herself that at least she was getting something. "If you don’t mind, I’ll take the Crystal Cores. Hmm, and maybe two weapons. As for the rest..." She shrugged. "Forget it."

Marcus Monroe raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure!"

Marcus Monroe watched her intently for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. ’What a smart girl. Not just smart, but not greedy either. Truly a rare find.’

"I remember you said you wanted to leave The Dead City?"

Paige Summers tilted her head, a little surprised the topic had suddenly changed. "Yeah."

Having confirmed this, Marcus Monroe felt very satisfied and didn’t press the matter further. After taking back the ring, he simply said, "It’s about time we left."

Completely bewildered, Paige Summers followed him downstairs.

As a waiter was seeing them out, two people walked in, and they came face-to-face. When Paige Summers got a clear look at them, she mentally rolled her eyes. ’What is this damn "fate" that just won’t go away!’

"Paige Summers?" Shawn Monroe’s voice was filled with surprise and disbelief.

Although she didn’t want to acknowledge him at all, staying silent wasn’t appropriate. Paige Summers gave him a slight nod. "Hello."

Seeing her calm and unbothered expression, Shawn Monroe seethed.

’Hello, my ass! Do you have any idea I’ve been looking for you?! Are you avoiding me on purpose? And why are you mixed up with this guy?!’ He desperately wanted to rush over and demand answers. It felt as if someone who was supposed to be his had been stolen away by another man, leaving a sour taste in his mouth and a bitter feeling in his heart.

But in the end, he didn’t.

Not just because they were in a public place, but more importantly, because Marcus Monroe was there.

In that instant, he understood why the men he’d sent couldn’t find Paige Summers.

An orphan girl with no powerful backer and no great strength of her own should have been utterly incapable of escaping from under his nose. The only reason he hadn’t put a tail on her from the start was because he thought he could have her in the palm of his hand whenever he wanted.

But reality was the complete opposite of what he’d expected.

Not only had she disappeared, but she’d vanished without a trace.

’Without the man standing before me, it would have been impossible!’

Shawn Monroe suppressed his anger, tearing his gaze away from Paige Summers’s face, which seemed even fairer and more delicate than before. His complicated gaze fell upon Marcus Monroe, as if he’d only just noticed him. "Big Brother, you’re here too..."

He didn’t doubt that his "good big brother" had already obtained the Crossbow blueprints, but so what? A cold sneer surfaced in his thoughts. ’Even if he tries to show off in front of Father, he’s just a Transformer. Father would never give the position of City Lord to him. Therefore, the only one who can use The Citadel’s resources to produce Crossbows is me!’

Dominated by these emotions, he stared intently at the pair opposite him, completely ignoring the feelings of the woman by his side.

Nora Lowell, who had been the object of his fawning attention just moments before, was naturally quite displeased.

Although she had heard from her uncle that Shawn Monroe’s attitude toward Paige Summers was unusual, he had been visiting her whenever he was free during this period, always bringing gifts. It was obvious he was pursuing her. Even when she intentionally brought up Paige Summers’s name, he would act completely unconcerned, waving it off by saying she was just a woman with nimble hands and nothing special.

But what was happening now? Look at how distracted and lost he seemed...

Nora Lowell’s eyes darkened.

She wasn’t in love with Shawn Monroe, but the current situation still made her very unhappy. Besides, while she was working hard to Promote, she was also looking for the right opportunity to propose a partnership to him. If he really fell for the woman across from them, it would undoubtedly be an obstacle on her path to success.

She would not underestimate the power of a woman’s pillow talk!

A sense of crisis instantly arose within her.

Meanwhile, Paige Summers clearly felt the chill emanating from Nora Lowell and couldn’t help but frown.

’I haven’t done anything, have I?’

’Why has the female lead already taken a disliking to me?’

’How baffling!’

She pouted. "Young Master Monroe, how about I leave first? I have things to do this afternoon." ’I’d rather be cooped up in the studio all day than face these two. So annoying!’

Marcus Monroe nodded at Shawn Monroe, a gesture that served as a greeting, then said decisively to her, "Let’s go together."

"Doesn’t Paige Summers remember me? We met at my uncle’s shop." Facing a united cold shoulder from everyone, Nora Lowell quickly adjusted her expression, showing no hint of displeasure. Instead, she spoke with a smile.

Paige Summers had already brushed past her, but now she had to close her eyes for a second, turn back, and say in a level voice, "Oh, it’s you. I remember now. Well then, see you."

With that, she opened the door and left without a backward glance.

Even Nora Lowell, who prided herself on her excellent self-control, had a vein starting to pop on her forehead.

Shawn Monroe’s gaze was profound as he watched that slender figure retreat. Only after a long moment did he turn his head back. "You know her?"

Nora Lowell’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled. "Yes, she’s quite likable. Even though she doesn’t live at the shop anymore, my uncle thinks about her all the time. She came by a while ago, and it made him so happy he was practically giddy. He pulled her into a room, just the two of them, and it was like he was years younger. I was even a little jealous..."

Paige Summers, already gone, had no idea she was being discussed. In fact, she was sitting in the car with a very serious expression. What she was thinking about was a matter of life and death!

For example, in the novel, not long after Shawn Monroe brought Nora Lowell back, he fell deeply in love with her. ’Going by the timeline, it should be about that time, right? But from what I just saw of those two, it doesn’t look like it at all!’

She may have never eaten pork, but at least she’d seen a pig run. There was no way a man deep in love would be like Shawn Monroe, still having the time to stare at her so intensely. That look was terrifying, and it made her recall the time he’d nearly taken advantage of her.

’He’s only supposed to have eyes for the female lead!’

’Then again, according to the original novel, the original owner of this body was still crying her eyes out in The Citadel at this point. Could it be because of this change? Did I somehow blow away the main characters’ "deep love"?’

She couldn’t help but complain inwardly about how easily the main couple’s love was tested!

"What are you thinking about?"

Paige Summers snapped back to reality and looked at Marcus Monroe. His eyes were on the road ahead, but the corners of his lips held a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "You don’t seem to like Nora Lowell very much."

After spending this much time with her, he had more or less come to understand that Paige Summers’s personality was actually quite easygoing and agreeable; she rarely gave people a cold look. With Shawn Monroe, it was understandable. After being treated so violently, such coldness was normal. But Nora Lowell... they shouldn’t have had much interaction, right?

Paige Summers froze, then forced a stiff smile. "Well, uh, I guess our... auras just don’t mix. Yeah, that’s it!"

’...The fact that she could even come up with an excuse like that.’

Marcus Monroe felt like smiling again. Being with her, his mood seemed to brighten so easily.

Unlike him, Paige Summers was not happy at all.

Being asked that question made her feel inexplicably guilty.

’In truth, she personally had no real reason to dislike Nora Lowell. But the moment she remembered this was a female-led apocalypse novel and she was the cannon fodder supporting female character, it was impossible to bring herself to like the heroine!’

’Maybe describing us as natural enemies is more accurate.’

Clearing her throat, she decided to change the subject. "By the way, have the people from the Blazefire Hunters returned yet?"

"Not yet. Gordon Howell is looking for Cedric Howell, so he definitely won’t be back so soon."

"Oh." Paige Summers didn’t actually care about Gordon Howell. She was more concerned about whether Leanne Walsh was back. The two of them still had a score to settle! "Well, if it’s convenient, when they get back, could you have Blue come and let me know?"

Marcus Monroe sensitively perceived her intention. "You’re looking for Leanne Walsh."

He was so certain that Paige Summers couldn’t even deny it, so she just grunted in agreement.

"If you’re going to cause trouble for her, be careful. From what I know, she still has some connections in the Lower District." ’And most of them are men, men with whom she has an ambiguous relationship,’ he added silently in his mind.

He didn’t say it out loud, but when Paige Summers recalled Leanne Walsh’s innocent-and-helpless act, she knew what he meant.

She nodded fiercely.

No matter what, she had to avenge Hugo Perry!

She and Leanne Walsh were both Fourth-rank superpower users now. In a direct confrontation, Paige didn’t really have much of an advantage. The other woman was a reincarnator, after all. With the combat experience of two lifetimes, she would surely be difficult to deal with.

To finish this in one go, Promoting was one option.

That night, however, Paige Summers held the Earth Immortal Fruit in her hand and hesitated for a long time. In the end, she gave up on the idea of eating it. Instead, she crafted a small, intricate box with a hidden mechanism and put the fruit inside.

Reaching the Fifth Rank would certainly be a good thing, but she had just eaten one. It was safe to say she hadn’t fully mastered how to wield the energy in her body after Promoting. If she rushed her progress, a moment of satisfaction might lead to future problems. It wasn’t worth the risk.

Leanne Walsh wasn’t worth that kind of risk, either.

She buried herself in making Crossbow Arrows once more. She needed to finish the work at hand as quickly as possible and also train more rigorously. Only then could she better face her enemies!

Her plan was excellent, but the next afternoon, just as she finally finished crafting her first Scattering Crossbow Arrow and was about to test its power in the courtyard, a slow, deliberate knock sounded at the door.

She thought it was Blue delivering something, but when she looked, she found the person she least wanted to see standing outside: Shawn Monroe!

’I don’t want to open it...’

"Let’s talk. You don’t actually think this door can stop me, do you?" Shawn Monroe threatened patiently, leaning against the doorframe.