The man didn't glance at Penelope. Didn't even register Jayden.
"Pick somewhere near the edge. I like to look down on the city while I eat." he said to one of his men.
The waiter ran up behind him, clearly sweating bullets. "S-Sir, please! This floor has been completely reserved. These guests requested full privacy—"
"Privacy my ass," the man scoffed, finally taking a single glance at Jayden and Penolope.
He frowned in disdain. "There's two of them. Two. I thought it was someone important.. like, the Grand Senator or the City's Leader. Not some nobodies on a honeymoon."
His voice rang out like an insult wrapped in glitter. Jayden's hand tightened around his fork, metal groaning under his grip. His jaw clenched.
Penelope, however, didn't flinch.
She simply stood up, elegant as moonlight over marble, and walked forward. Her heels echoed softly across the floor, her aura shifting the air like a change in weather.
All eyes turned.
Even the bodyguards looked uneasy.
The waiter immediately bowed his head the moment her gaze touched him. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he stammered. "I tried. I told them. I—I didn't want to interrupt your evening—"
Penelope placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Paul," she said with a calm smile. "I'm not annoyed. You did your job well."
There was a beat of silence. Thick, tense.
The rich man blinked. Something about the way the waiter responded to her.. like she was royalty, set off alarm bells.
"Who is this woman?" he thought.
Jayden could feel it too. Everyone in the room felt it. Something about Penelope's presence... it demanded respect. No yelling. No violence. Just power, like still water hiding a deep current.
She turned her eyes toward the man. And he almost flinched.
Jayden grinned, expecting heads to roll next.
Instead... Penelope smiled.
"Welcome to Valhalla, kind sir. There's plenty of room here." she said gently. "Paul, please take their orders."
Jayden almost choked on his breath.
Paul's eyes flew wide. "Ma'am?"
The rich man blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard. "You... you're allowing me to stay?"
Penelope nodded with a grace that could disarm dragons.
"I wouldn't want to ruin your appetite."
The man smirked, now emboldened by what he saw as weakness. "Hmph. Good. You're lucky I'm feeling generous. If you hadn't said that, I might've kicked you out myself. But since you respectfully offered, I suppose you can stay."
Penelope dipped her head slightly, unfazed. "How gracious of you."
She turned, heels clicking back toward her table like the crescendo of a silent orchestra. She sat down, took a plump olive from the tray, and popped it into her mouth like nothing had happened.
Jayden sat slowly, still reeling. "Why'd you let that clown dine here? You could've folded him and his goons with your finger."
Penelope sipped her wine. "Because I didn't come here to fight, Jayden. I came here for you."
He blinked.
"And besides," she added with a soft smile, "the customer is always right."
Jayden tilted his head. He didn't understand what that was supposed to mean. But at the same time, he did.
"Is she? Nah, she'd couldn't. Could she? he thought. His mind reeling in suspicion.
But he let it go, relaxing back into his seat. The man and his entourage settled near the opposite end of the room, laughing too loudly, barking orders. But they felt far away—like insects scratching at glass.
Conversation returned between Jayden and Penelope like a breeze through silk curtains.
They spoke of likes.
Penelope admitted she loved violin music—especially live ones at moonlit balls. She said she had a soft spot for rare orchids, hand-bound books, and the smell of stormy rain on white marble.
Jayden, in turn, spoke about nature. How the woods calmed him. How the city overwhelmed him sometimes. How, even now, he couldn't believe places like this existed.
Eventually, the topic circled toward someone dear.
Penelope's voice warmed. "Cassandra and I once attended a music fest in Omega once. She wouldn't stop whining about big the stage was."
Jayden leaned in, eyes earnest. "You talk about her a lot."
"She's the only piece of my heart I've never regretted giving away."
"What's she like? To you." he asked.
Penelope laughed softly. "Stubborn. Brilliant. Too clever for her own good. And quite the prankster. Back when i was a leader on Beta. She used to sneak into the discussion room and plant whoopy cushions on the seats of the nobles."
Jayden smiled. "Sounds like a handful."
"She is," Penelope said, her eyes distant with fondness. "But she's got fire. Just like her father. And a moral compass that always points due north."
Jayden's eyes softened. "She's lucky to have you."
"No," Penelope whispered. "I'm lucky to have her."
The stars above glowed a little brighter. Somewhere in the background, the man's voice kept barking orders. But Jayden didn't hear it anymore.
He only saw her.
Later, the desserts came like whispers... dark chocolate soufflé with a molten core, gold-dusted truffles arranged like jewels, and a single raspberry cheesecake shaped like a crescent moon. Jayden blinked at the array, lips curling in surprise.
Penelope leaned her cheek on her palm, watching him. "I wasn't sure if you liked chocolate. Cassandra does. So I thought... maybe you would too."
Jayden blinked, his heart warming despite himself. "I do. A lot. Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said softly, like it wasn't a big deal.
Just as Jayden reached for one of the truffles, a shadow drifted past the corner of his eye. The rich man.. still loud and self-important, was joined by a new figure. A man in a trench coat with slicked-back white hair and a sleek air of business about him.
They sat at a table toward the far edge of the room. From where Penelope sat, she had a clear view. She adjusted her wine glass, eyes narrowing, pretending to stir the ice with her spoon.
The man leaned in.
Their conversation was low, but Penelope's hearing picked it up like a hawk to a whisper.
"Did you bring it?" the visitor asked.
The rich man grunted and nodded.
From the visitor's finger flashed a glimmer—a storage ring. With a flick of silver light, a tennis-ball-sized red orb appeared in his hand. Crystalline, glowing faintly like a pulsing heart. It throbbed with energy. Dangerous energy.
The rich man's greedy eyes widened. He reached forward and plucked it like it was a cherry.
He examined it. Turned it. Squinted. Then, satisfied, he slid it into his own ring.
Penelope's face lit up at the corner, just slightly. Then her lips curled.
Jayden didn't notice. He was too busy trying to figure out if the soufflé had chili spice in it.
The deal between the two men ended quickly. They shook hands. Murmured thanks. And the rich man escorted the visitor out of the room.
Moments later, Penelope stood. "Excuse me, Jayden. I'll be right back."
"Restroom?" he asked, licking some cream from his thumb.
"Mm-hmm." she replied and left, heading into a narrow hallway where the bathroom was seemingly located.
Jayden leaned back in his seat, chewing thoughtfully. His eyes wandered over the ambient candlelight, the massive glass dome above them, the glint of the skyline outside. Then his gaze flicked back to where she had walked off to.
There was something about Penelope. Something... more.
She was elegance, no doubt. Polished and poised. But he was starting to see another side. She looked like a woman who'd studied art... and war. Her words felt ancient and she seemed broken... and bored.
Hiss.
His thoughts were interrupted when the rich man re-entered the room. Right as Penelope stepped out of the hallway, walking absentmindedly into the path of the man.
They bumped into each other. A light brush of silk on wool.
Penelope gasped softly and bowed. "Oh! My apologies."
The man grunted, waving it off with a magnanimous smile. "It's fine. Just watch where you're going next time, sweetheart." he said. Seemingly in a good mood from the earlier business with the visitor.
"Of course," she said sweetly, dipping her head again.
He walked away, still smirking.
Penelope returned to Jayden with that same unreadable calm. "Alright," she said, brushing an invisible thread off her dress. "Are you finished? It's getting late."
Jayden stood, stretching. "Yeah, I'm full. Let's go." he replied, and they both left the room.
They walked out of the building arm in arm, stepping into the cool night.
Jayden glanced around, confused. "Wait... we didn't pay."
Penelope shrugged lightly. "Don't worry about it." she smiled.
Jayden blinked. "Do you own this place or something?" he finally asked.
Penelope just smiled and clicked the car doors open.
Meanwhile, inside...
The rich man was piling his plate high with roast chicken. His laughter echoed again. "Finally. A quiet night. That woman and her little boyfriend were annoying. I should've kicked her out after all."
He reached for his wine, his hands stretching forward.
Then... he froze.
He looked down at his right hand. His ring finger was bare.
Ringless.
His storage ring was missing. Gone without a trace.
His eyes widened as he realised what that meant.
The orb was gone too.
He choked.. actually choked on air, coughing so hard the chicken flew off his plate.
"MY RING!!!"
He leapt up, fury shaking through his voice. "WHERE IS IT?! WHERE THE HELL IS IT?!"
One of his men rushed to him. "Sir?!"
"I've been robbed. And you fools let that happen!" he spat
"But sir, no one came in contact with you." the guard spoke. "Except..."
"That woman. She bumped into me earlier." he gritted his teeth, as realization hit him. ""That whore... she stole it!"."
His face was red with rage and disbelief. He smashed his fist on the table, glassware cracking.
"Find her! Now!!"
Outside, by the car...
Jayden had just opened the passenger door when he heard avoice behind them, sharp and furious:
"HEY! Stop right there!"
Jayden turned.
Penelope didn't. She simply smirked.
"Showtime."