The two women didn’t answer Kael immediately.
Instead, almost instinctively, both pairs of eyes drifted toward Jonas.
It was a subtle movement, one most people would’ve overlooked, but to Jonas it was impossible to miss.
Jonas’ expression darkened.
He had come here for a reason. He needed Kael’s help, and until that favor was secured, the last thing he wanted was for anyone to leave a bad impression on the young man. He had spent the entire journey treating him politely, only for these two receptionists to almost ruin everything in a matter of seconds.
His brows knitted together as he barked coldly.
"Why are you staring at me?"
The two women froze.
Jonas took another step forward, his sharp eyes boring into them.
"Am I the one you’re getting clothes for?"
The temperature inside the luxurious lobby seemed to plummet.
A sliver of Jonas’ aura escaped his control, not enough to harm anyone, yet more than enough to suffocate the room. An invisible pressure descended from every direction, pressing against their shoulders until even drawing a breath became difficult. The smiles on the two women’s faces disappeared instantly, replaced by naked fear.
"S-Sir..."
"We... we..."
"You what?"
Jonas didn’t even allow them to finish.
"I want to see the person in charge."
The two women felt the blood drain from their faces.
They were finished.
Absolutely finished.
They had offended customers before. More than once, if they were being honest. Most people either swallowed their pride or accepted a discount and moved on. It had become second nature for them to judge customers by appearance, deciding within seconds who deserved enthusiasm and who merely deserved politeness.
Unfortunately...
Today they had judged the wrong person.
Or rather, they had offended the wrong man by disrespecting the person standing beside him.
Before either of them could say another word, hurried footsteps echoed throughout the lobby.
A portly middle-aged man dressed in an expensive tailored suit came hurrying across the polished floor, beads of sweat rolling freely down his forehead. His breathing was uneven from rushing over the moment someone informed him that the Vice President of the Hunters Association had arrived. Moving his hefty frame at that speed clearly wasn’t an easy task.
The moment he arrived, he bowed deeply.
"Vice President! I sincerely apologize for failing to welcome you personally."
As he straightened himself, he immediately sensed the strange atmosphere hanging over the lobby. His gaze swept across the room before landing on the two receptionists, both of whom stood with their heads lowered so deeply they almost seemed ready to bury themselves into the floor.
His face stiffened.
"What happened here?"
Neither woman answered.
Whether from fear or guilt, neither could bring herself to utter a single word.
The manager immediately turned back toward Jonas.
"I apologize, sir. Whatever mistake they’ve committed, I assure you they’ll be properly disciplined."
Without waiting for Jonas’ reply, he turned sharply toward the two women.
"You two."
"My office."
"Now."
"I’ll deal with both of you later."
Neither dared protest.
Keeping their heads lowered, they quietly turned around and walked toward the elevators, their footsteps noticeably less steady than before.
Kael simply watched them leave, his expression remaining as calm as ever.
He neither felt sorry for them nor took pleasure in their misfortune. To him, they were strangers whose actions had simply caught up with them.
Once the two women disappeared from sight, the manager forced a smile back onto his face before respectfully looking at Jonas.
"What brings you here today, Vice President?"
Jonas casually pointed toward Kael.
"I’m here to get a friend of mine fitted."
The manager’s smile froze.
So did Kael.
Kael slowly turned his head toward Jonas.
’A friend?’
He already knew Jonas wanted something from him. There was no way a man of Jonas’ status would personally fly across districts, take him shopping, and treat him this well without having an objective in mind.
But calling him a friend...
That wasn’t a word someone like Jonas would throw around carelessly.
Whatever favor the Vice President wanted to ask of him, it was probably much bigger than he had originally imagined.
The manager, however, had an entirely different reaction.
His heart skipped a beat.
A friend.
Not a promising junior.
Not an acquaintance.
A friend.
He had worked in the Zero Tier District long enough to know exactly how difficult it was to earn Jonas Grieg’s recognition. Countless powerful families, influential businessmen, and high-ranking Hunters had tried every possible method to build a relationship with him, only to be politely kept at arm’s length.
Yet this young man...
This rough-looking young man whose clothes were still stained with dust and dried blood was someone Jonas openly acknowledged as his friend.
The manager suddenly recalled the scene he had interrupted moments earlier.
The two receptionists had ignored Kael completely.
He closed his eyes for a brief second.
’Those two are finished.’
Truthfully, this wasn’t the first complaint involving them. They had always been somewhat arrogant, often judging customers by appearance before deciding how much respect they deserved. Normally, the manager simply overlooked it. Their appearance attracted wealthy clients, and the occasional offended customer could usually be appeased with a discount or complimentary service.
Even when he arrived just now, he had assumed this would be another one of those minor incidents.
After all, Kael didn’t exactly look important.
He had honestly believed a few polite words and a generous discount would settle everything.
Now he realized how wrong he had been.
This wasn’t an ordinary customer.
This was the Vice President’s friend.
Even he couldn’t protect those two women anymore.
By the time the manager looked back at Kael, the indifference in his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced with genuine respect.
"This way, sir."
"I’ll personally assist you."
Kael noticed the dramatic change immediately.
From someone barely worth acknowledging to someone important enough for the store manager himself to escort personally.
The difference couldn’t have been more obvious.
Still, he simply nodded.
Status.
Power.
Connections.
Places like this revolved around those three things, and he had long since accepted that fact. Complaining about it wouldn’t change anything.
Right now, all he wanted was to get changed, wash away the grime from his fight with Scarlet Fist, and find out why Jonas Grieg had gone through so much effort just to bring him here.
With that, the three of them headed deeper into D&W Luxe, disappearing upstairs.