Chapter 26 So His Name Was Jim
The chat window kept lighting up with messages from Alexander.
“She heard every bad thingy
said about her before, and yet she didn’t get mad at you.’
“Now do you get it? She’s the kindest, sweetest young female in the world.
‘Feelings tainted by ulterior motives don’t deserve her.
Finished
‘I don’t care if she has mental power or not, whether she’s E Rank or S Rank–I like her for who she is. But you wouldn’t.
He all but spelled it out: You’re not good enough for her.
Felix let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. Such an obvious display of jealousy–so blunt, so childish.
Still, he had to admit, Alexander had a point. Only the purest, most genuine love could ever be worthy of someone like Tessa–soft–hearted, pretty, unbelievably kind.
She had the courage to step in and save a rampaging male stranger on the streets. She even worried about an unfamiliar elder–someone she had barely exchanged a few words with, someone who had once spoken harshly to her–simply because she thought he might be lonely.
Felix had spent decades being seen as a cold–blooded, unfeeling man. He had thought he didn’t need warmth. And yet, out of nowhere, a young female had come bounding into his life, offering him hers.
His gaze fell to the buns in the insulated container–brown, soft, warm.
He poked one lightly. The bun yielded under his touch, heat seeping into his fingertips, Startled, he reflexively curled his fingers back, only to reach out again the next moment.
Tessa received Felix’s message.
He wrote. The buns were delicious. Thank you, Tess.”
Tessa: ‘You’re Alexander’s uncle, which makes you my uncle too. No need to be so formal, Mr. Lyon!”
She thought that would be the end of it. But after a long pause, another message came through.
Felix asked, ‘I’m 47 this year. That’s not too old, is it?’
Her first thought was that interstellar humans had an average lifespan of 500 years. Her second was of Felix’s face–young, strikingly handsome. The word “old” didn’t suit him at all.
Chapter 26 So His Name Was Jim
Felix wrote, “That’s good. In that case, you don’t have to call me Mr. Lyon.”
Tessa paused for a moment. If not “Mr. Lyon,” then what? His name?
She couldn’t do it. The words just wouldn’t come out.
Finished
To her relief, while she struggled to think of a response, Felix smoothly changed the subject.
He wrote, ‘I got you a gift. It’s custom–made, so it’ll take a little time, but it should arrive by noon
tomorrow.
Tessa replied, “Thank you!”
It felt strange not to add “Mr. Lyon” at the end. After hesitating for a moment, she settled for sending a sticker–a tiny rabbit holding up a heart.
After replying to Felix’s message, Tessa suddenly noticed a familiar profile picture flashing in her friend request list.
She usually ignored these requests–there were simply too many–but this one caught her eye. The profile picture was a black snake, strikingly similar to the one that young, feral male had turned into yesterday.
Curious, she accepted it.
Jim Sullivan wrote, ‘Hello.”
He must not have expected her to accept. His nervousness bled through the screen, and after that single word, he seemed at a loss for what to say.
Tessa waited. A long time passed before his second message finally arrived.
It read, ‘I’m Jim Sullivan. My beast form is a black mamba.
Tessa was speechless. That was a very short introduction.
Just as she was about to ask if he really was the same out–of–control male from yesterday, a third message popped up–slow, hesitant.
It read, ‘Your clothes… I still have them.
She blinked in surprise. So, it really is him. So, his name was Jim.
She replied. The clothes don’t matter; they’re not important. How are you feeling now?”
Jim seemed stunned by her concern. His response came instantly. I’m feeling much better. My Ferality Index has dropped to 73.
To protect Tessa, the Ferality Management Division had told Jim that they had administered a suppressant while he was out of control, temporarily lowering his Ferality Index. He had no idea
Chapter 26 So His Name Was Jim
Finished
Even so, he was deeply grateful to her. If not for her reckless intervention, he feared he would have gone on a rampage and hurt countless innocent people.
He wrote, ‘Can you tell me what you like? I’d like to prepare a gift for you.‘
Hearing that his condition had stabilized, Tessa felt relieved.
As for a thank–you gift… she waved the idea away.
She remembered that Jim was still young, probably a student. Given his strained finances and the way his mother constantly squeezed him dry, saving up money must be difficult. There was no need for him to spend it on her.
She replied, ‘I don’t really need anything right now. You can give me a gift another time.
After a moment’s thought, she quietly packed up a box of buns and sent them his way.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived.
At that moment, Jim was in a black market near the Central Planet.
Send Gifts
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