Chương 80: Chapter 79 A Fathers Warning

Earth – The Tanaka Estate Riku hobbled up the long, sweeping stone driveway to the mansion. Despite her battered muscles and the lingering, phantom sting on her rear from Himari's towel, a small, genuine smile played on her lips. Things were actually looking up. Between the relentless grinding at the dojo and the sheer, unadulterated terror of their life-and-death battle against the demonic cultivator, she and Tim had grown undeniably closer.

Her heart gave a soft thump as she remembered how he had thrown himself into danger to save her. She bit her thumbnail shyly, her thoughts inevitably drifting toward Varek. Sliding into Lia's crate had been a stroke of genius. Currently, in the dark, sweet-smelling hold of the merchant ark, Varek was slowly running his heavy hands up and down Lia's thighs. And Lia… wasn't stopping him. Hmmm, I wonder what happens if I kiss Lia's neck… Riku mused playfully.

Across the Galaxy, Varek leaned in, his lips brushing the sensitive skin below Lia's ear.

"Ah—" A soft, breathless moan escaped Lia's lips before she managed to slap both hands over her mouth. Outside the wooden crate, heavy boots paused.

"Hmm? What was that?" a guard's gruff voice echoed through the cargo bay. But the potent, intoxicating scent of the crimson lotus petals—a natural aphrodisiac in the cultivation world—was making Varek's male hormones surge. Instinct took over, and Varek pressed closer, gently tracing kisses along Lia's collarbone in the dark. Back on Earth, Riku opened the massive front door of her family's mansion, her eyes half-glazed and practically drooling as her consciousness funnelled entirely into Varek's senses.

She gently pushed the heavy oak door shut behind her, entirely distracted, and began to zombie-walk toward the grand staircase.

"Ri. Is that how you greet your father?" Riku jumped out of her skin.

"Papa!" she yelped, sounding exactly like a child caught with her hand deep in the cookie jar. Standing in the foyer was Akiji Tanaka, his sharp business suit immaculate despite looking bone-tired.

"Ah, Papa!" Riku recovered instantly, launching herself forward and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. Akiji held his daughter close, burying his face in her hair. Yet, beneath his relief, a bitter fire burned in his chest. He could see the exhaustion on her face, the slight limp in her step, and the thought that some other man had been putting his hands on his baby girl made him want to commit murder.

"Riku, I am sorry I have been gone so long," Akiji said softly, rubbing her back.

"The company has been relentless. The discoveries our R&D teams have been making with quantum mechanics and spatial anomalies are truly revolutionary. It requires all my attention."

"I know, Papa," Riku murmured, resting her head against his chest, entirely oblivious to the monumental implications of his work. Akiji took a deep breath, patting her head exactly like he had done since she was a toddler.

"Come, Ri. Let your Papa make you a hot chocolate. Just like old times." Riku looked up in adoration.

"Okay, Papa." She stepped back and turned toward the kitchen, wincing sharply as her bruised ass protested the movement.

"Is everything okay, Ri? Are you hurt?" Akiji asked, his voice tightening with sudden, sharp concern.

"Ah, I'm fine, Papa," Riku waved a hand dismissively.

"I just joined a new martial arts gym. Got my ass totally kicked tonight." Martial arts gym. Akiji ground his teeth together so hard his jaw popped. He maintained a calm facade, following her into the kitchen. That shameless, disgusting man. Defiling my daughter to the point she can barely walk, and forcing her to lie to my face. My poor princess...

Riku, completely unaware of her father's spiraling protective rage, limped into the sprawling kitchen and hopped up onto the marble island counter, wincing as she settled. It was a childhood habit she refused to break. Akiji turned on the kettle and leaned against the counter.

"So, Riku... how has school been?"

"Hmm? Not much, Papa. About the same," Riku said, swinging her legs.

"Though I really am getting some kick-ass new moves from this dojo I joined."

"Is that so?" Akiji replied smoothly, pulling a tin of imported cocoa powder from the pantry. He kept his back to her.

"Ri... you will always tell your Papa the truth, won't you?" Riku's gut suddenly dropped. Her father's tone had shifted from warm to surgical.

"Of course, Papa," she said, her voice dropping a register.

"I have heard rumors. Whispers that you are dating someone." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Riku's face flushed a brilliant, guilty red.

"Yes, Papa," she replied sheepishly. Akiji let out a long, heavy sigh. He scooped the chocolate powder into her favorite mug, poured the boiling water over it, and opened the upper cupboard for the marshmallows.

"Ri. Worse yet... I have heard this man is your teacher." Riku looked down at her lap, her voice barely a whisper.

"Yes, Papa." Akiji slammed the marshmallow bag onto the counter and spun around, his eyes blazing.

"Riku, what happened?! You have been so studious, so good for so long. You never give me trouble!" He stepped closer, his voice dropping to an intense, desperate plea.

"Ri, tell me the truth. Has this man used his authority over you? Has he forced you to do anything?"

"What? No!" Riku replied, genuinely shocked, her head snapping up.

"It's not like that at all!"

"Ri, men are perverts! Haven't I told you this?!" Akiji ran a hand through his graying hair.

"They will do anything to get into a young girl's pants. Their lust is insatiable and they cannot be trusted! They will use a woman's emotions just to toy with her body!" Riku sat there, wide-eyed and frozen. Right at that exact second, in a different part of the galaxy, she was actively molesting Lia in a wooden crate, her Varek-hands running up her inner thighs and dangerously close to her inner lips. Ah, Papa, I know, Riku thought, suppressing a grimace.

"No, Riku, you don't understand!" Akiji insisted, misreading her silence. No, Papa, really, I know. I am doing exactly this to my boyfriend right now, she thought guiltily. Akiji leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.

"Tell me, Riku. Do you even know this man's past? Where was he born?"

"Ah... America," Riku replied.

"No, Riku. I mean, what town? What state?"

"Ah... I don't know, Papa."

"What was he doing when he was your age? What is his family like?"

"Ah... I don't know, Papa."

"What are his dreams for the future, Ri? Aside from teaching?" Riku opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The realization hit her like a physical blow. She didn't know. Ever since the meteor shower, they had been jumping from crisis to crisis, surviving chaotic event after chaotic event. Sure, they flirted constantly, and they trusted each other with their lives, but... they hadn't actually spent any real time truly learning about each other as normal people.

"Ri, you are my smart, beautiful daughter," Akiji said, his voice softening as he slid the mug of hot chocolate across the counter to her.

"Think about this logically. How compatible are you truly with this man? Or is this just an infatuation with a teacher gone astray? A dangerous thrill?"

"Papa, it's really not like that..." Riku started, but the fire had gone out of her defence.

"Shhhh, Ri." Akiji kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Drink your hot chocolate and just... think about it." He turned and left the kitchen, leaving Riku sitting alone on the counter, staring blankly into the swirling brown liquid. Cultivation World – The Merchant Ark The sudden rush of Earth-bound guilt hit Varek like a bucket of ice water. In the cramped darkness of the crate, Varek froze. He stopped kissing the soft skin of Lia's neck. He pulled his hands back from her thighs.

The intoxicating, aphrodisiac haze of the crimson lotuses fractured under the weight of Riku's realization. I am letting these male hormones completely take over, Varek thought, gritting his teeth. He lifted his knuckles to his mouth, biting down hard on his own hand to ground himself against the biological urges of his vessel. Lia is more than just this hot, sweet piece of ass. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Varek shifted.

Instead of wandering hands, he wrapped his massive arms securely around Lia, pulling her into a gentle, purely loving embrace. He tucked her head beneath his chin, shielding her.

"I am sorry, Lia," Varek whispered into the dark, his deep voice vibrating in his chest.

"I want to get to know you. The real you. I don't want to just treat you like a piece of meat." Earth – The Mountain Road Tim was currently a hazard to navigation. Driving down the winding mountain roads away from Riku's mansion, his eyes were half-glazed. The natural aphrodisiac of the crimson petals had bled through the connection, eroding Lia's mental resistance. Her body had felt like it was on fire, pliant and hyper-sensitive to every place Varek touched her.

When Varek's lips had hit Lia's neck, Tim had violently jerked the steering wheel, nearly swerving his Honda Civic off the side of the mountain. Sweating and panting, Tim finally pulled into the parking lot of his rundown apartment complex. He killed the engine, gripping the steering wheel, he couldn't manage to get Lia to stop Varek. Her body was on fire. But then... Lia felt Varek pull back. He felt the massive, heavy arms wrap around Lia not in lust, but in a profound, protective hug.

Then came the whispered apology in the dark. The physical, overwhelming horniness evaporated, replaced instantly by a wave of pure, concentrated emotional warmth. Lia's heart began to pound like a jackhammer in her chest, and in the driver's seat of his car, Tim's face flushed a brilliant, violently bright red. He buried his face in his hands, completely overwhelmed by the sudden tenderness and the emotional overload from Lia's female brain.

"Dammit, Riku," he mumbled into the quiet car. Taking a minute to collect himself, Tim grabbed his gym bag and stepped out into the cool night air. He walked across the cracked asphalt toward the stairwell of his apartment block. As he reached for the metal handrail, the shadows beneath the stairs shifted. Two men in impeccably tailored, dark suits stepped out, blocking his path. They didn't look like street thugs; they carried the cold, calculated aura of corporate fixers.

Tim jumped back, his qi instinctively rushing to his fists before he forced it down.

"Shit. Who are you?" The lead man, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, reached inside his breast pocket and produced a crisp, folded piece of heavy cardstock. He held it out.

"Mr. Jones," the man said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.

"Read this contract and sign it." Tim frowned, taking the paper. He flicked it open under the flickering yellow light of the stairwell bulb. It was short. Just a single, legally binding sentence. I, Tim Jones, agree to permanently leave the nation of Japan and immediately sever all contact and relations with Riku Tanaka, in exchange for the sum of $1, 000, 000 USD.

"Once signed, the funds will be immediately transferred to an offshore account of your choosing," the second suit quipped from the shadows, his hand resting casually near his jacket holster.

"A fresh start. A very comfortable one." Tim read the words twice. He thought about the dojo. He thought about Master Kurosaki, the demonic cultivator, and the terrifying, beautiful chaos of his dual-life. And then, he thought about the gentle hug Lia had just felt in the dark hold of a merchant ark thousands of lightyears away. Tim folded the paper neatly in half. He reached out and tucked it back into the front pocket of the man with the glasses.

"No thank you," Tim said deadpan. Without waiting for a response, he side-stepped the two stunned men, walked up the stairs, and firmly shut the door to his apartment behind him.