The Beautiful Hunter in Black Leather
Julian’s golden eyes narrowed.
"...Interesting."
He wasn’t driving toward a nightclub.
Nor was he visiting Bianca.
He was simply heading home.
Whoever was following him clearly wasn’t doing it by coincidence.
"Looking for trouble, huh?"
Without changing his expression, Julian casually picked up his phone.
He quickly sent messages to Lina Ashford and Liza Voss.
"Come to my location."
After sending the messages, he deliberately turned onto a quiet country road.
The buildings gradually disappeared.
Trees surrounded both sides of the road.
Eventually, a lonely reservoir came into view.
Julian slowly stopped his car beside the water before stepping outside.
A cool breeze drifted across the reservoir.
The black Cadillac rolled to a stop a short distance away.
Julian casually rubbed the Chaos Mirage Mist ring on his finger.
He hadn’t used the black wing-engraved ring since obtaining it.
Perfect.
Today seemed like the right opportunity to test its abilities.
However...
The person stepping out of the Cadillac wasn’t a man.
It was a woman.
She possessed delicate features, fair skin, and light golden hair gathered neatly into a high ponytail that swayed gently in the breeze.
Around her slender neck rested a black choker adorned with a small heart-shaped ornament.
She wore a fitted black leather outfit that emphasized a sharp, professional appearance.
The zipper at the front had been left slightly open, revealing just enough of her ample generous cleavage to catch anyone’s attention without seeming accidental.
Whether intentional or not...
She carried herself with absolute confidence.
The evening breeze drifted across the quiet reservoir, stirring a few loose strands of her golden-blonde hair. The fading sunlight reflected off the dark leather wrapped around her athletic figure, creating a striking contrast between elegance and danger. Every step she took was measured, calm, and unhurried, as though she had already decided how the night would end.
Combined with her calm, icy expression and piercing blue eyes, she reminded Julian D’Aurelius of only one profession.
A female investigator.
Julian quietly observed her from head to toe without lowering his guard.
She looked too composed.
Too confident.
People with that kind of confidence usually possessed overwhelming strength—or absolute certainty that their target wouldn’t escape.
As he studied her appearance, an amusing thought drifted into his mind.
When a man sees a beautiful woman wearing a leather jacket and fitted leather pants, two thoughts usually come to mind.
The first is wondering how someone could make such a simple outfit look so ridiculously attractive.
The second is imagining a cool female investigator chasing criminals through rain-soaked streets while never missing a single shot.
The men who appreciate good fashion are usually people with refined taste.
They notice details, admire craftsmanship, and somehow end up researching jacket materials for hours before convincing themselves they definitely need one.
As for the men who immediately think of female investigators...
They are usually just as thoughtful.
Before long, they’ll somehow end up watching detective movies "for research."
One movie becomes three.
Three become an entire weekend marathon.
By the time they’re finished, they’ll confidently believe they could solve international conspiracies despite barely remembering where they left their car keys.
For a brief, glorious moment, they’ll reach a strange state of enlightenment.
Their minds become astonishingly clear.
Worldly distractions disappear.
The mysteries of life suddenly seem understandable.
Julian D’Aurelius belonged firmly to the latter group.
Unfortunately...
This wasn’t exactly the right moment to appreciate detective fantasies.
The blonde woman standing before him wasn’t posing for a movie poster.
She was staring at him with chilling indifference.
It was the gaze of a hunter studying prey before deciding where to strike.
Julian could almost feel the invisible pressure radiating from her.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of hesitation in those blue eyes.
He smiled inwardly.
Looks like she’s after something of mine...
Hopefully not my wallet.
Probably my heart.
Deciding silence wasn’t helping anyone, Julian flashed his usual relaxed grin.
"Hey, beautiful, your zipper isn’t done up."
The woman didn’t look down.
Instead, one corner of her lips lifted ever so slightly.
"On purpose."
She tilted her head just enough to meet his eyes.
"Does it look good?"
Her expression remained icy, yet her voice carried an unexpectedly gentle softness that contrasted sharply with her cold appearance.
Julian rubbed his chin thoughtfully before giving an exaggerated nod.
"It looks good."
He spread his hands innocently.
"But are you planning to use a honey trap? I’ll be honest—that trick doesn’t work on me. I won’t fall so easily."
He patted his chest with complete confidence before adding with a teasing grin,
"Though if you’re determined to try... I can probably handle a few of you."
His tone was playful rather than vulgar, deliberately trying to throw off the tense atmosphere.
Fear?
Not really.
If someone had already come to kill him, panicking wouldn’t improve his odds.
Besides...
A beautiful assassin was still an assassin.
And sometimes talking bought more time than fighting.
The blonde woman studied him for another moment before letting out the faintest amused breath.
"You’re overthinking it."
A tiny smile appeared on her face.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t friendly.
It was simply the smile of someone who found their target unexpectedly entertaining.
"I just feel guilty about killing someone who has no grudge against me."
Her blue eyes remained fixed on him.
"So I let them enjoy a little compensation beforehand."
"That way..."
She paused briefly.
"It’s fair."
Julian blinked.
"...That’s a surprisingly considerate work ethic."
For the first time in years, the assassin found herself almost laughing.
This was certainly not the reaction she’d expected.
Every previous target had either begged for mercy...
Run in terror...
Or attacked in desperation.
This man...
Was discussing philosophy while joking about honey traps.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
She silently evaluated him again.
A Silver Realm cultivator...
Nothing extraordinary on paper.
Yet...
Someone had placed a bounty worth one billion on his life.
People didn’t spend that kind of money without reason.
Either the client was insane...
Or this smiling man was hiding something much deeper.
Julian, meanwhile, was making his own assessment.
Beautiful.
Confident.
Professional.
Dangerous.
Definitely not someone I’d want as an enemy... though she’d make an interesting drinking partner.
His gaze briefly swept over the quiet reservoir behind her.
The evening wind carried the scent of fresh water through the trees.
Leaves rustled softly overhead.
Birdsong had long faded into silence.
Even nature seemed to understand that violence was only moments away.
Julian let out a helpless sigh before casually slipping one hand into his pocket.
"Sigh..."
He looked around at the peaceful scenery before returning his gaze to the blonde assassin.
"With scenery this beautiful..."
"And with a handsome man and a beautiful woman standing here..."
He shook his head dramatically.
"Why resort to violence?"
A warm smile appeared on his face despite the tension surrounding them.
"Wouldn’t it be better to sit down and talk about love?"