[Chapter 30: Be My Boyfriend]
Daniel checked the time; it was already past 2 a.m. He slowly sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and fixed his gaze on the doorway.
The doorknob creaked as it turned completely, and the door slowly pushed open. Emma appeared in the doorway, wearing an adorable nightgown.
She froze the moment she saw Daniel sitting on the bed, his eyes locked on her.
His voice deep and calm, Daniel asked, "It's so late -- why are you here?"
Emma took a step forward, sat down beside him, and said boldly, "Mr. Cross, since you're so powerful, be my boyfriend."
Daniel was completely stunned.
He knew Emma was brave, the kind who dared to play Spirit Channeling Games, and in the future, she'd be the type who would constantly push her boyfriend's limits, even to the point of causing bruises and noses bleeding.
But he never expected her to be this bold.
After a long pause, Daniel finally asked, "How old are you?"
Without hesitation, Emma answered, "I'm not a kid anymore. Lots of my classmates already have boyfriends."
Daniel gave a wry smile. "That's among your peers. I'm already an adult."
Emma shrugged. "So what? That doesn't bother me."
"I do," Daniel said firmly, standing up. "Emma, go back to sleep now."
She wanted to argue more, but Daniel's expression darkened. "If you don't go back, I'll summon some ghosts to keep you company."
"No!" Emma gasped, startled, quickly jumping up and running toward the door.
As she left, she glanced back and said, "I'm serious, Mr. Cross. Think about it again."
Then she rushed out.
...
Daniel chuckled dryly, got up, and closed the door behind her.
Just as he turned to sit down, there was another knock.
He opened the door and, feeling a little surprised, saw Julia standing quietly outside.
Daniel was momentarily caught off guard. Many thoughts raced through his mind.
Though Julia was 37 years old and pregnant... ahem... her appearance and figure were still far from unattractive.
"Thank you," Julia interrupted Daniel's wandering thoughts.
He blinked. "Th... thank me for what?"
"For rejecting Emma," Julia said sincerely.
Only then did Daniel realize that Julia must have heard everything from outside, knowing her niece had barged in.
His surprise at Emma's boldness had distracted him from noticing Julia's presence sooner, leaving his mind wandering with all sorts of inappropriate ideas.
"Ahem." Daniel cleared his throat awkwardly. "Isn't that what I should do? She's just a kid messing around -- I can't take that seriously."
"No," Julia shook her head gently. "Many people wouldn't think like you. They'd agree and use Emma to leverage my connections, then exploit those to break into Hollywood, chasing fame and fortune."
Daniel smiled. "I wouldn't stoop that low."
Julia smiled warmly. "So I have to thank you -- for your integrity and your kindness."
She suddenly extended her hand formally, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cross."
Daniel took her hand. "The pleasure's mine, Ms. Roberts."
"Good night, Daniel."
"Good night, Julia."
...
After this brief encounter, nothing else disturbed the night, allowing Daniel to sleep soundly until morning.
At breakfast, Emma and Gella chatted and laughed softly, as if the previous night's events had never happened.
It was as though Emma running to find Daniel in the middle of the night was a distant memory.
Daniel couldn't help but admire how strong their mental resilience was.
Shortly after breakfast, Julia's bodyguard and agent arrived one after another.
When they heard that Daniel had resolved the situation and that Emma and Gella would be fine, both were astonished and deeply impressed.
Their attitude toward Daniel shifted completely.
As Daniel climbed into the van, preparing to leave, Emma made a phone gesture at him.
"Mr. Cross, remember to call me."
Daniel smiled but didn't respond.
In his eyes, Emma was still just a little troublemaker.
...
On the way back, Johnny praised Daniel profusely and asked for his phone number. "If any of my friends run into this kind of trouble, I'll give them your number to call you. It's just... my friends aren't exactly rich, Mr. Cross, so please go easy on the price."
Daniel replied, "I don't charge this much every time. This was a serious case."
Johnny exhaled in relief but then asked, "So what do you usually charge?"
Daniel answered with a straight face, "One hundred thousand dollars."
Johnny immediately went silent.
To him, $100,000 was still a huge number.
...
The van pulled up outside Cross Hall. After Daniel got out, the vehicle sped away.
Daniel had to admit that riding in a van was far more comfortable than other cars.
Especially the second-row airline seats -- they were soft, spacious, reclined fully, and even massaged to relax the whole body.
No wonder so many celebrities favored them.
But unless you hired a driver, you couldn't enjoy the back seat's perks while steering such a big vehicle yourself.
The handling was average at best, which ruined the appeal.
Since Daniel had no intentions of hiring a driver anytime soon, vans were off the list for the moment.
He pulled out his key and unlocked the door to Cross Hall.
But he didn't head inside immediately.
He remembered how yesterday morning, Douglas's daughter, Katherine, had come by his shop to test him.
Though he hadn't planned to dig into it and had shrugged it off at the time, caution was necessary.
Previously, checking for any anomalies would have required multiple steps.
But now, with the Spiritual Perception Technique, it was much easier.
His heart raced, and his eyes flickered with a sharp glow.
Peering inside the shop, the outer area showed no abnormalities.
He stepped into the inner room cautiously.
The instant he crossed the threshold, his vision was flooded with a streak of blood red.
"Not good!"
Just as Daniel prepared to back away, the streak surged forward, transforming into a fierce, sinister force rushing straight at him.
He tried to dodge instinctively, but the attack came too fast.
Then, a bolt of lightning cracked from his body, scattering the foul energy instantly.
Daniel sighed in relief -- he hadn't realized the Thunder Body was still activated, saving him once again.
But his expression darkened anew.
'Damn it, I almost fell for it. What kind of power can trigger my Thunder Body like that?'
He raised his hand, sending a seal flying onto the dissipating bloodstained energy.
Daniel formed a hand seal, and the seal ignited instantly -- but its flame was black mixed with blood.
"The power of a curse!"
Daniel's face grew even grimmer.
He scanned the rest of the room but found nothing unusual.
Only when he entered the restroom did he spot two drops of blood by the sink.
He deduced someone had been sacrificed here, using the blood to exchange for curse power that would trigger once he stepped inside.
"Was this you, Katherine?" Daniel's gaze hardened with killing intent.
*****
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