Chapter 247 - 235: Watch Your Mouth

Far from having any effect, Flora Bloom’s words only drew ridicule from the crowd.

"Tch, you know you’re in the wrong! Can’t argue with us, so you’re trying to run? Stay here if you’ve got the guts!"

"Hahaha, that’s hilarious! You must be crazy for Crystal Cores. Trading only for Second Level or higher Crystal Cores?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Chelsea Todd started to rush forward, but Five grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Chelsea, get back here!"

"Five! Don’t you see this woman’s true colors yet? She wants to hoard all the water for herself and doesn’t care if anyone else lives or dies!"

As for the origin of the water under Morgan Sterling’s villa, no one knew better than Lex Cross and Five. While they were unaware of the connection between the plant roots and Flora Bloom, they had indeed discovered that water source together.

The look Flora Bloom gave him before she left made Lex Cross almost chase after her. But still, he didn’t move.

Tianna Bloom grabbed Lex Cross’s arm and nestled against him, her heart pounding wildly. She had expected him to fling her away and had already braced herself for another rejection.

But Lex Cross didn’t move. Her infatuation with him was common knowledge. After so long in Argent, even the Cross family had tacitly accepted her as a future daughter-in-law. The rumor spread until everyone thought she and Lex Cross were a couple.

But she alone knew that Lex had never given her the time of day. This was the first time she had ever been this close to him, the first time she could study his face at such a short distance. The feeling was ecstatic.

"Lex, you’ve finally accepted me, haven’t you?" Seeing his cold, silent expression, Tianna Bloom tentatively tried to press herself into his arms.

"Boss? Aren’t you going after her?" Nolan Jennings and Five suddenly looked at Lex Cross, utterly confused. ’What’s gotten into him today? He usually can’t stand Tianna Bloom. Why would he let Flora storm off angry instead of keeping his distance from Tianna?’

’Don’t tell me the boss has actually fallen for Tianna Bloom?’

At this thought, Five suddenly felt a knot in his stomach. When Flora Bloom was with their boss, he’d always thought she was domineering and sometimes even cold toward him. So even though the boss liked her, they had never truly accepted her as one of them.

’But if it were Tianna Bloom instead?’

Five shuddered. In terms of power, Flora Bloom was the clear winner. In terms of beauty, Flora Bloom was the clear winner. In terms of social skills, Flora Bloom was the clear winner. In comparison, having Flora as their boss’s woman was a godsend.

"Nolan, why should Lex go after her? That shameless woman is pregnant with some other man’s bastard, and she still has the nerve to try and taint Lex! Lex, don’t fall for her tricks! She’s definitely just trying to use you!" Chelsea Todd’s outburst stunned Nolan Jennings and Five.

"Flora Bloom is pregnant?" Five’s expression turned grim. "Boss, is the child... not yours?"

Lex Cross leaned against a pillar, saying nothing.

"It can’t be," Nolan Jennings murmured. He’d heard the gossip around the base for the past couple of days, but he’d always assumed it was just Tianna Bloom’s scheme to slander Flora. ’Could it actually be true?’

"Damn it! The woman is carrying another man’s child and she’s still pestering you, Boss! Is she crazy, or am I? Boss! You can’t just let her..." Five tried to continue, but a single glacial look from Lex Cross silenced him.

"Shut up."

"..."

"..."

Tianna Bloom was overjoyed. ’Judging by Lex’s expression, he probably didn’t know about Flora’s pregnancy. This is perfect! As long as I stay by his side, he’s sure to forget that bitch Flora and fall for me.’

Just as she was reveling in her thoughts, a powerful hand suddenly clamped around her neck, cutting off her breath. She looked up into Lex Cross’s murderous eyes.

Even after Flora Bloom had left, the crowd lingered, hoping for a chance to get inside the villa and investigate. They had not, however, expected to witness this.

"Tianna Bloom, if you don’t learn your place, I will kill you on her behalf." As he spoke, Thunder Energy surged from the hand gripping her neck and into her body.

Tianna Bloom’s body went rigid, and her eyes rolled back as she fainted. A terrified Chelsea Todd let out a piercing scream. "Ah! Tianna!"

She stared at Lex Cross, bewildered. "Lex, why are you doing this? What’s so great about that bitch Flora? Why are you still helping her? She’s pregnant with another man’s child! You can’t still love her!"

"Five, tomorrow you and Nolan take Chelsea back to Argent. Or else..."

Chelsea Todd’s face went white. "Lex! Why won’t you just love Tianna? She’s so good to you, but you treat her like this! And that little bitch Flora..."

Before Chelsea could finish speaking, a thick vine shot out from nowhere. It grabbed her by the wrist, then swiftly bound her completely and began dragging her toward the quarantine gate.

Simultaneously, another vine coiled around the unconscious Tianna Bloom and dragged her through the gate as well.

"Ah! Tianna! Chelsea!" Kirk Warren screamed in terror, collapsing to the ground in fear.

A peculiar, exotic fragrance filled the air. The shocked crowd suddenly felt their minds relax, their reactions slowing to a crawl.

Chelsea Todd, who had been struggling violently, suddenly felt her vision blur as she inhaled the strange scent. A moment later, she lost consciousness and went limp.

Seeing Chelsea being dragged away by a vine, Five immediately gave chase. But the vine was incredibly fast, its movements bizarre and unpredictable. No matter how many times he used his Wind Ability, he couldn’t land a single hit.

He desperately tried to follow them past the quarantine wall, but he was stopped by a loud BUZZING.

He looked up and—holy crap—a swarm of hundreds of bees, each as big as his face, was blocking the way, preventing him from getting through the quarantine wall.

He had to retract the superpower he was about to unleash. But the thought of Chelsea spurred him on, and he sent a barrage of Wind Blades slicing mercilessly into the swarm.

"From this day on, you are not welcome beyond the quarantine wall." Flora Bloom’s voice echoed from somewhere within the villa district.

"You!" Five yelled, furious. "Flora Bloom, I’m giving you one last chance! Hand over Chelsea, or don’t blame me for what I do to these bees!"

Flora Bloom’s voice was gone. The only reply was the BUZZING at the quarantine wall, which grew ever louder and more intense.

Five watched the bees swarming over the wall, their numbers growing until the dense, writhing mass made his skin crawl.

His Wind Blades only managed to clip the wings of a few bees, but it drew the attention of the entire swarm, which blotted out the sky. If he hadn’t been able to ride the wind currents to make a quick escape, even he would have been in serious trouble.

He looked over at his boss, who had finally arrived, and complained, "Boss, that woman Flora is playing for keeps! We can’t even get inside now."

Lex Cross shot Five a cold glare. "Shut up."

"Boss, Chelsea’s still in there! What if Flora gets pissed off and kills her?"

Lex Cross didn’t answer. He just left Five with a final warning—"Watch your mouth"—before his body was enveloped in black energy. He dissolved into a patch of darkness among the lights and shadows, slipping past the quarantine wall.