Chapter 248: Scumbag or Hero?

Eleanor closed the door softly, leaning against it with arms crossed. She said nothing, only stared at him, her eyes narrowing, sharp and unforgiving. The silence stretched. The air felt heavy.

I should probably say something…

“I see you’re not wearing the necklace anymore,” Luke ventured.

Her expression hardened. Anger flickered there now, cold and cutting.

“The same necklace you gave to half the women working in Bastion?” she snapped.

“…Oops.”

At that moment, he realized he was in real trouble. And honestly, a Bartholomew ambush would’ve been preferable.

“Half is such an exaggerated number,” he tried, keeping his tone light. “A dozen, maybe. A little more at most. But half? That’s way too high.”

Her silence was worse than shouting. The look she gave him was pure venom.

“I don’t know, James. There were so many I lost count,” she said flatly, moving toward the counter.

“Uh… why are you sharpening a knife?”

“This? Nothing to do with you. Don’t worry.”

“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. You’re very good at throwing knives…”

Eleanor leaned on the counter, eyes locked on him. “Is James even your real name? Or do you collect names the way you hand out necklaces?”

“I wouldn’t lie about my name. Do you really think I’d be that much of a liar?” he answered firmly.

‘Yes.’ Artemis chimed in his head.

Eleanor sighed, still watching him. “At least that part isn’t a lie. Everyone I asked confirmed your name was James.”

“You questioned everyone I’ve dealt with?” he asked.

“I didn’t need to. I just asked your admirers. You’ve been wandering around handing out gifts like some drunken Cupid.”

“It’s a dangerous world. A little charm can open doors.”

“And slam them shut.”

A flood of thoughts crashed through his mind. This wasn’t a trap by Bartholomew or a deadly enemy he could handle with violence. No, this was much worse: an angry woman.

“So that’s why I’m here? Excessive seduction?”

“You’re a scumbag, you know that?”

‘I told you, Luke. From the very beginning. Now you face the consequences of your actions.’ Artemis sneered in his thoughts.

“Fine, maybe I’m a little bit of a scumbag,” he admitted.

Her lips curved into a crooked smile. “A little? You’re such a scumbag you didn’t even bother changing your approach, you gave them all the exact same necklace.”

“In my defense, the place I found them only had that kind,” he shot back.

Eleanor stepped closer and pressed the knife to his throat.

“Okay, okay, I get it! I’ll shut up!” He raised his hands in mock surrender.

‘This is how scumbags die, Luke. Slain by resentful women.’ Artemis added helpfully.

“Eleanor, I swear, what I did was for a good reason.”

She pulled the knife away and stepped back. “It’s honestly impressive how rotten you manage to be on so many levels.”

‘Yes! This man is utterly rotten! Run, girl. Run!’ Artemis cheered.

Whose side are you even on? Luke shot back.

He studied her carefully. “Are you mad because I gave out too many necklaces? Or because you thought yours was unique?”

“Me? Mad? Please. I’m just worried you’ll run out of stock.”

With a swift tug, Eleanor yanked off his eyepatch. “You’re not even blind in one eye!”

“It’s for the charm,” he tried weakly.

She hurled it back at him. “I can’t believe I fell for that pathetic line. I even pitied you.”

He glanced at the wall and froze. Dozens of wanted posters stared back at him. Including his own. He swallowed hard and quickly slipped the eyepatch back on.

“You’re a conniving, two-bit, womanizing fraud!” she snapped.

“That’s a lot of unpleasant adjectives…”

“And what about that touching story of wanting to go back to your family? About a little sister waiting for you, suffering, thinking you’re dead?”

“That’s true. I swear it is.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m not saying I care who you hand your gifts to. What upsets me is that you thought I was just some cheap woman, easy to fool, as if one necklace could ever be enough.”

“Look, if it’s about quantity, I’ve got plenty mo—” he started, but stopped when her glare threatened to cut him in half. “Okay, fine. I’ll shut up. I’m terrible with words.”

She turned toward the door. “For the record, I wasn’t the one who called you here. But I’ll tell them your statement checks out. You’re free to go. Goodbye, James.”

The door slammed behind her, leaving him alone in the chair. Silence settled over the room for a few long seconds.

“Artemis… am I a scumbag?”

“Not just a scumbag. A big one,” she replied.

“But… it was for a good cause.”

Luke sighed, pushing himself up to leave, when the door opened again. A man stepped inside. Landon.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“My interrogator just left. I’m cleared to go,” Luke said.

The man didn’t move. Didn’t answer.

“It’s Landon, right?” Luke asked.

“Captain Landon,” he corrected, stiff.

“Fine. Captain. So I can leave now? Eleanor said I was free.”

Landon pointed at the chair. “She wasn’t the one who called you here. I did.”

Luke’s brow furrowed. “The interrogation’s over.”

“But I still have a few questions for you,” Landon said.

“Then why drag me down here in the first place?”

The door was shut, the room buried in the underground. Just the two of them. The air made the intent clear. He was being cornered over the death of Landon’s men.

“Where were you the night Conrad died?” Landon demanded.

“Died?” Luke asked, feigning surprise. “Funny, I heard he just disappeared. Unless you know something the rest of us don’t. Do you?”

Color flushed into Landon’s face. He grabbed Luke by the collar. “Listen here, you little—”