Chapter 45
“Are you kidding me right now?! You expect me to trust the boss’s judgment?! Damn it, out of all people you bring in that troublemaker?! Do you have any idea how much of a nuisance she’s been?!”
“Oh, come on. At the end of the day, it was all just kid stuff. You’re a grown man—why are you being so petty?”
“You bald bastard, are you siding with her just because you two are from the same neighborhood?”
Stung right where it hurt, Smoky closed his mouth awkwardly at Kiss’s jab.
After all, plenty of Anubis’s members had come from the slums.
But for someone like Smoky to rise up to an executive’s position—that was rare.
Inside Anubis, where people with all sorts of stories gathered, cliques and discrimination inevitably existed.
Katya, glaring at Kiss with obvious contempt, snapped sharply.
“You think anyone enjoys looking at that face of yours?”
“Oh, you’ve got a point there. Then tell me—why are you even here? Nobody wants you around. What are you plotting, huh? What are you trying to pull on our sweet baby?”
Kiss conveniently ignored the fact that he himself was the kidnapper of said sweet baby.
“Funny, how people see the world through their own filth. Why are you yelling at me, old man? You got your face smashed in somewhere and now you’re taking it out on me? Feel tough bullying a kid?”
“What? A kid? A kid? That word only exists for our precious baby! You’re just some brat!”
“Well, if I’m a brat, then you’re just some old geezer! Where the hell did all your years go, huh?”
Kiss was Kiss, but Katya was Katya too.
Thank goodness Mira wasn’t around.
If she had been, the newly renovated penthouse living room would’ve already turned into a bloodbath.
Where the hell did Mercy go, leaving her brother to deal with this mess…?!
Clutching his throbbing head, Smoky glanced toward Messi again.
But Messi only crossed his arms and observed with great amusement, showing not the slightest sign of stopping Katya or trying to mediate.
Naturally, the atmosphere only grew hotter.
To be fair, Kiss was holding back more than usual—even his comrades could see that much.
But that was only “to a degree.” Neither side showed any intention of backing down.
“How dare you waltz in here, acting shameless, babbling about babysitting?! What are you trying to do to the baby?!”
“Hey, it was Nina who recommended me! And who the hell are you to tell me what I can or can’t do? If you’ve got a problem, go complain to your boss! Stop whining like a loser!”
“What? Oh, you little—damn it, I’m gonna lose it!”
“Hey, hey! Both of you, knock it off! Kiss, calm down. Katya, you too!”
Smoky, sensing this might really spiral out of control, wedged himself between them and grabbed Kiss’s shoulder.
“Enough already. What good does it do fighting with a kid?”
“Let go! She keeps pissing me off…!”
“And what are you gonna do about it? Take a swing?”
Katya’s mocking tone made Kiss finally shake Smoky off with a growl.
“What, you want me to hit you? So you can bill me for hospital fees? That’s your specialty, isn’t it, you rotten brat?”
“Hah! Got any proof I ever did that? Don’t just talk—go ahead and try! You look like the type who only beats up kids anyway—”
“Enough already!!”
“Stay out of this!”
“Back off!”
“Argh! Damn it, I don’t care anymore! You’re both insane!”
Even Smoky eventually gave up mediating and exploded in frustration.
That was exactly the scene Lavian and Nina walked into as they stepped into the living room.
The shouting rattled Nina’s head so badly she clamped both hands over her ears.
Lavian, on the other hand, swallowed down a string of curses and spoke as calmly as possible.
“You idiots—will you shut up?”
Silence, heavy and sharp, fell across the room for a brief moment, like a Friday night pub suddenly muted.
Of course, it lasted only a heartbeat.
“Boss, listen, that brat kept—”
“Let’s get the facts straight. He’s the one who started—”
“One more word and both of you are in serious trouble.”
His voice was low, quiet—free of profanity. Yet it was far deadlier than any shouted curse.
Smoky, who knew full well this was when Lavian was most dangerous, quickly put on a pitiful face, claiming he was exhausted from trying to mediate.
Kiss and Katya both snapped their mouths shut and whipped their heads away.
As for Messi—who’d only been spectating—he had somehow drifted to Nina’s side, wearing a concerned expression.
“You okay?”
“Mm-hm. Thanks, I’m fine. But… why did it come to this?”
“Well…”
While Nina and Messi whispered quietly, Lavian rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers and spoke again.
“Kiss. Do you have a problem with my decision?”
“No, I just… I was worried it might be bad for the baby…”
Kiss’s grumbling tone made it clear he’d been over-immersing himself in the role Mercy had saddled him with: the single mom.
“I get why you’re worried. But Katya was hired because the baby wanted her here. Whatever happened in the past, from now on she’s family. Show some dignity. Aren’t you embarrassed, acting like this in front of the kid?”
Kiss sneaked a glance at Nina, then drooped in defeat.
“And you, Katya.”
Katya, who had been glaring triumphantly at Kiss, jerked her head around in alarm.
“Yes?”
“Kiss isn’t just some random neighbor of yours. He’s one of my direct lieutenants. He’s not someone you get to insult so rudely. Now that you’re here, act with proper respect.”
Lavian’s cold words were cutting.
Katya flushed and dropped her head.
“…Yes, sir.”
“And Smoky—what the hell are you doing? I told you to bring Mira. Where is she?”
“I was about to go, but then the fight broke out…”
“You’re no better than they are…”
Lavian clicked his tongue in weary disgust, leaving Smoky reeling as if he’d been dealt the harshest blow of all—being lumped together with those maniacs.
“Anyway—Nina. Did Lavian help you wash up?”
The question came casually from Messi, who had been watching everyone else get knocked down in turn.
Nina flushed a little and nodded.
“Yeah. I’m still clumsy, so he taught me properly.”
“Really? Huh. That’s something.”
Messi shook his head in genuine amazement.
For the others, it was the final nail in the coffin—a finishing blow.
As their dazed stares bore down on him, Lavian clicked his tongue again.
“Get back to work. If I hear about another commotion while I’m gone…”
“Where are you going?” Nina asked without thinking.
Lavian rested his palm lightly on her half-dried hair.
“Work. This weekend, we’ll go buy you shoes and other things.”
“Really? We’re going out together? Promise?”
“Yeah, yeah. Now finish drying your hair. I’m off.”
“Okay! Come back safe! Everyone, come back safe!”
Kiss was moved to tears.
“I’ve never… been sent off with such kindness before…”
Once they all finally poured out, Nina immediately turned to Katya.
“Katya.”
“Hi.”
Her greeting was shy, but Katya looked like an entirely different person—neatly transformed.
Her once grimy face and tangled hair were now spotless thanks to the spa’s disinfecting course, and the maid uniform from the hotel was stiff and crisp, as if freshly starched.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. You look really pretty.”
At Nina’s heartfelt compliment, Katya fidgeted with the hem of her new apron awkwardly.
“Pretty? Not really… They just told me I had to keep clean if I was going to live with you.”
“I only suggested it half-jokingly, but you really stuck around, huh.”
Messi, murmuring under his breath, earned himself a sharp glare from Katya.
“Hey, you sound kind of snide there, don’t you?”
