As soon as they arrived, Shadow got down and offered his arm to her again. She took it and looked at the Leranne House as Shadow paid for the fare. “Are you sure about this Sha—” she frowned shutting her mouth. “What’s your name again?”

Shadow laughed. “Asher. We have to remedy that forgetfulness of you. It’s best if you remember names and faces, even if you would rather remember the names and features of different jadetech. For now, always keep in mind may name, Asher. Shall we, Nadia?”

The way he said her name made her feel like she was a lady of sorts. She blushed and nodded. He spoke to the waiter at the greeting area and he promptly led them to a corner of the expensive dining spot with drapes that partially hid the diners. Shadow—Asher, pulled a seat for her and she fidgeted as she sat down. All of this was too opulent. Too rich! It was obscene. From the gold-and-jade gilded tableware to the plush seating, she felt like she was drowning in luxury.

“Relax,” Asher smiled across her. “You must be used to such excessiveness if you’re going to blend in with the Families. Pretend as if you belong here. Because you do. And you’re probably smarter than anyone else, so you have the right to act all snobbish like the rest of them.”

Nadia gave a small smile. Yes, she was probably smarter than many in the Families. And yes, at the same time, she needed to get used to this if she was going to steal from Edmark Ducass. She took a deep breath and focused on enjoying the ambiance and the light music that floated through the whole establishment. And when the food arrived, she savored every bite of the cake.

She was having a wonderful time of it that she almost didn’t recognize a sudden heat that enveloped her hand on the table. She looked at Asher’s hand on top of hers and then at him, feeling the heat radiate from his hand to her cheeks. Her eyes remained on his face, his roguish features softer. As if he understood her pain. Why she was going through with this rebellion.

And then she thought of another thing. His hand was rough and calloused. A working man’s hands. Not the soft plush hands of a rich man doing nothing with his life than amassing more wealth for himself without anything to spare for others.

In the grand scheme of things, Nadia and Asher shared a reason to rise up. They’ve had enough of how the Families controlled jade and the people living in Taisao. And those eyes told her he understood more than anyone.

Suddenly, he let her go, eyes turning ice and sat back with a smirk. “That’s enough for today. Any further and I would have thoroughly seduced you. We’re quitting here while you still have some wits about you.”

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Nadia recoiled surprised at how she was taken in. She actually thought him charming and he was just playing her! Anger roiled inside her for playing with her.

Shadow eyed her, head barely resting on his index and forefinger as he leaned over to the side. “You’re pissed. I know. But what’s new? You’ve always hated me, so brush that off. Think about the differences between the whores and what I did, and think about fitting into this kind of lifestyle. Going into it like you actually belong and channel that anger toward coolly biting the head of those who don’t think you belong in this opulence.

“Actually, the more you hate me, the better. You will be charming Edmark, and he’s not a very handsome fellow who would sympathize with your cause. If you seduce him with that anger uncontrolled and boiling within you, you will not succeed. So, refocus all that anger and with all you’ve seen and experience, you will have to try to seduce me. If I think you can properly seduce someone you hate like me, then Edmark would be an easy target for you.”

What he said made sense, of course. Aside from the fact that she didn’t know how to seduce, she found that she had a gut-wrenching distaste for seducing someone from the Families. Which means that she would fail if she let her distaste show. But actually seducing Shadow? She blanched.

“I am not going to seduce you,” she hissed.

“You have no choice. You have to wear a mask completely and utterly so that he will not see through your motives. You want to succeed? You do it my way. We don’t have time to hire a courtesan to teach you how to perfect the art. It will take you months…no, if It’s you, it will probably take years. I’m putting you through the test over and over. You learn faster but it’s also the harder way. We have a few weeks and all those lives will hang on weather or not you do your job right. Grey Cloak and I won’t have any issues killing people, but you do. Think about that when we meet tomorrow.”

Shadow stood and straightened his coat, his features changing again into that cordial gentleman. Into his alter-ego Asher. Shadow, was again, nowhere to be found in the mask he was wearing. “Now, Nadia, would you like to go home? It would be a pleasure to escort you back.”

Nadia clenched her jaw. She knew she should take his arm, but the rogue was nothing but that. A criminal whose whole life is a lie. And she could not bear to touch such a horrible person! Instead, she stood and swept out of the place with Shadow walking behind her.

Finally, he caught up and she saw him smirk out of the corner of his eye. “Ah, lover’s quarrel. I hope you forgive me, Nadia, but we shall work on so many things with you if you wish to succeed. Remember, you hold an important role. If you cannot keep a mask, then the failure is yours.”

Nadia saw his arm still offered to her but she clenched her hands to her sides and refused to take it. She would put on that damned mask, but not now. Now, she would seethe in anger at being duped. She would let it boil and simmer and overflow into rage, which she would dissipate once she got back with a few jaderounds.