The Strongest Curse Master-Chapter 367: Dumb Love

"I thought we were friends," Ace said, feigning surprise at Ava's sudden hostility and outburst.

"Friends? You're dead to me, you jerk!" Ava shouted, her voice filled with anguish as she glared at Ace, biting hard on her lower lip. She had always been clear about her feelings for Ace from the very beginning. Forcing herself to remain composed, she chose to ignore the jackass. In truth, she wanted to charge at Ace and deliver a flying kick to his face, followed by the beating of his life. But knowing even Sonia was cautious around him, she decided to wait until she completed her awakening ceremony.

"Are you sure? Because the next time we meet, I was planning to take you to dinner to make it up to you," Ace said teasingly.

Ava looked at him skeptically before asking, "Really?"—to the dismay of her mother and her new friend, both of whom stared at her in disbelief, wondering if anyone could truly be that naïve.

"I was kidding," Ace replied, delivering the punchline. But he couldn't bring himself to laugh, seeing how seriously Ava had taken his words. It took all the fun out of teasing her and made him question whether Ava truly liked him that much. If that were the case, it would make him the ignorant jerk in this scenario.

Ava dashed toward Ace, but Sonia swiftly caught her, halting her charge. Ava struggled furiously, and when she couldn't lash out physically, she resorted to shouting.

"I'll kill you, you asshole! I'll cut your—"

She abruptly stopped, her rage silenced by the disappointed gaze of her mother.

"If this is how you greet your friends, I'd hate to be your enemy," Janice commented, throwing a side glance at Sonia while inviting everyone into the house. Ever since the Apache incident, the Landers had stopped passing by, but the teenagers were being far too loud—she didn't want to risk being evicted by her landlord over the noise.

"What about Elinor?" Lilith asked as everyone followed Janice inside, showing that she was the only one in the household who seemed to care about her guardian. After all, Elinor was the wild child of the McSuile family, raised mostly on her own with minimal guidance from her dream invader/teacher.

"She'll come in when she's done, honey. Did you have your dinner?" Janice asked, knowing Elinor could spend days—even weeks—listening to the world's mysteries.

"Yes, I did," Lilith nodded as she squatted beside Elinor. Seeing this, Janice paused, turned back, and scooped Lilith up into her arms. "Will you help me finish a tub of ice cream? What flavor do you like?" she asked.

At the same time, Janice sprinkled some seeds around Elinor, which, upon touching the soil, quickly sprouted into tall, transparent grass. The plants offered both protection and complete stealth to Elinor.

"Any flavor is okay," Lilith, who had already confirmed Elinor was alright using her newly enhanced curse senses, replied eagerly, nodding. In the cult, she'd learned the hard way never to complain about food—she was simply grateful to be getting something she liked.

"Janice, send me the contract once you're done," Ace informed Janice, preparing to return home with Dee3 before Matthews could recognize her as the target of the C.I.B.'s longest-running open manhunt.

"You're leaving already? I was about to show my latest collection of curse items to EAD Matthews. Why don't you stick around and pick something suitable for your elder sister?" Janice proposed, eager to sell a curse item to her wealthiest client.

Ace squinted at Janice before replying, "I'm still not sure if I should introduce my sister to the 'World of Curses.'" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"It wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Besides, this time, the curse items are quite special. You'd regret missing out—" Janice tried to persuade him, but EAD Matthews, knowing she couldn't outbid Ace, quickly interjected, "Don't force him if he's not interested."

Meanwhile, Sonia watched Ace carefully, trying to gauge whether he intended to bring his sister into their world. If he did, his sister would be fair game for Sonia's revenge. She didn't believe every new curse master would be as freakishly talented as Ace.

"Give me half an hour. I'll help her settle in and give you a definite answer," Ace said, gesturing to Dee3.

"Alright, I'll be waiting," Janice agreed without hesitation. Matthews frowned, fully aware of what Janice was doing, but couldn't protest. Janice's collection was top-tier and ideal for forging one's Innate Curse Tool.

"Hey, we were here first! You shouldn't treat your clients differently," Ava protested, annoyed that Janice was willing to delay their appointment for Ace.

Ace ignored Ava and walked off with Dee3. Meanwhile, Janice sneered at Ava and remarked, "Girl, you're really lucky your mother is EAD Matthews."

Janice wasn't just saying that—she truly meant it. Not just anyone could take their pick from her collection of curse items. After all, she would rather use them to craft curse tools, since even the lowest-tier curse tool crafted by her would be worth more than whatever EAD Matthews could afford to pay for the raw items. However, she owed EAD Matthews many favors, so she had no choice but to tolerate her bratty daughter.

Noticing a signal from Matthews, Sonia stopped fixating on Ace and pulled Ava aside, intending to explain the hierarchy system within the World of Curses. EAD Matthews might act arrogantly in front of the McSuile family, but even she wouldn't dare challenge the Aurelian Eyes. Only a fool would get on the bad side of a talented curse professional unnecessarily. Still, it was going to be difficult for Sonia to teach Ava to behave accordingly, considering how spoiled she had been by the mortal world's illusion of democracy and freedom.

Watching Ace and Dee3 disappear into the distance, Matthews asked Janice, "Was that Dr. Dee Three?"

"Are you sure? You might have mistaken," Janice replied, walking toward the house, clearly catching Matthews' message.

"You're right. My eyesight is getting worse with age," Matthews agreed, then followed Janice inside.