Fate Online: Shadow

"What took you so long?"

Alice said the moment Michael had gotten down from the car.

"Oh there was a thief earlier and I stepped up to stop him"

"Thief? Is that person an idiot? Hahaha!"

"Right!? That's what I thought too!"

Tom started laughing when he heard that there was a thief in the airport, and Michael, who looks like he had just found a bosom friend, started laughing with him too, like two idiots in the eyes of the people who passed by them.

Even Alice found this unbelievable, after all, the airport is literally the only place in this city that someone who is not stupid enought would not go robbing someone.

"Anyway, let's go"

Alice said, and Tom and Michael started placing their luggage in the back of the car.

After that, the family of three drove away from the airport.

Meanwhile.

"Did you see who it was?"

A beautiful woman with dirty blonde hair and in high heels with her arms crossed over her chest said to the guards who are standing respectfully before her, embarrassed.

"We didn't get a clear look of who it was, Miss Lan"

If Michael didn't quickly leave and met this woman, then he would certainly be able to recognize who she was, as she is Tiera, the Guild Leader of the War Dragons Guild.

And beside him is a girl probably around fourth to fifth grade and currently hugging a bag in the shape of a bear tightly in her arms.

"Ashe, are you okay?"

Lan placed her hand on top of the head of the girl while eyeing the guards, who lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"I'm okay, but is the thief caught?" Ashe said as she looked at Tiera with those innocent looking eyes of hers.

"Yes, so don't worry, okay?"

"Uhmm!"

Lan smiled as Ashe gave her a cute nod.

Then Lan looked towards one of the burly guards and gestured for him to follow her into one corner.

"So, did you find out why that bastard snatched Ashe's teddy bear bag...under the eyes...of your men?"

The leader of the guards just smiled helplessly as he wasn't also expecting his men to get so careless to let a person get past them and let the person near the VIP.

"I'm not sure ma'am. There's really nothing valuable inside Miss Ashe's bag except for her iPad and some snacks inside, but we'll find out more about his motive when the authorities are done questioning him" the man said.

Lan has a thoughtful look on her face as she thinks of another possibility.

"Is there a chance that the man's purpose wasn't the bag but Ashe herself?" said Lan to the guard and both of them exchanged a look.

"To kidnap the young miss? But the way the man approached that is kind of stupid, and even if the man was able to carry the young miss away. He still wouldn't be able to get out of the airport ma'am"

"Unless...it was just distraction, and their purpose wasn't actually my little sister...but me?" Lan said after giving the matter a more thorough outlook.

The man also had the same thought earlier, but didn't voice it out as he wasn't sure, but when he thought about it now. It would make more sense, as there could have been a chance that almost all of their guards would go after the thief, leaving Lan with only two to three of her guards with her.

"That is certainly possible ma'am," the man said, and he quickly scanned their surroundings as the people in the airport walked past them carefully.

Lan then pushed the matter aside for now and planned to deal with it later.

"Let's leave," Lan said as she turned around and walked back towards where her sister is.

The man nodded and quickly started giving orders to his men through their intercom as he walked closely behind Lan while glaring at the people who got within two meters of distance from them.

After that, their group quickly left the airport in a group of three Lincoln Navigator SUVs and drove off towards one of the large and tallest buildings in Central City called Dragons Hotel.

""Lady Lan, Young Miss Ashe, welcome to Dragons Hotel!""

The hotel manager and other people with important positions in the hotel stood on the side and greeted the two ladies respectfully while wearing wide smiles on their faces.

Lan scanned all of them before her eyes stopped on the hotel manager and said, "Has my brother arrived?"

"Yes ma'am. The young lord is currently staying in one of the presidential suites with...with uhhm"

The hotel manager was still smiling earlier, and then suddenly didn't know what to say and can't even look at Lan.

"With who?" Lan said with a stern voice as she suddenly felt a headache coming if it's what she's thinking.

"Uhmm...with a group of high class...escorts"

The hotel manager played with his shoulders funnily with a smile that looked forced.

"You mean...a group of hookers?" Lan's eyes quickly turned sharp, as she gave a look at the people who came to greet them, and all of them averted their eyes away as they didn't dare to meet her eyes.

"Yes ma'am" the manager swallowed his saliva as he answered.

Lan was about to storm off and make her way towards the elevator when she suddenly felt a tugged on her clothes.

Lan looked beside her and saw Ashe looking at her.

"What is it, Ashe?"

Ashe blinked numerous times like she's trying to come with a sentence.

"Uhmm...why is the brother playing with a group of hookers sis? Wouldn't he get hurt if those things prick his skin?"

Lan was quickly flustered as she had completely forgotten that Ashe was just beside her, and heard what she said to the manager just now.

Countless excuses surfaced in her mind as she tried to find a good excuse of what the heck is..a hooker!

Snap!

Lan snapped her fingers and she quickly found a good excuse for the word.

"Ahh, it must be because Ye is planning to bring you to go fishing tomorrow with grandpa and currently preparing what...hooks" her voice trailed off as she gave a look to the hotel manager who just bitterly smiled at her.

Then she quickly turned her attention back to Ashe and continued "He's planning to use for tomorrow"

Ashe's eyes quickly lit up in excitement when she heard that and said happily.

"Yey! What about you sis? Will you be coming with us? Fishing is really fun!"

"Last week, me and grandpa caught a really huge fish on our beach and it was super delicious!"

"You should come with us! I think you're going to have a lot of fun, sis!"

"And I'm really excited that brother would be coming with us tomorrow! I can't wait!"

Both of them started walking towards the elevator with Lan holding her sister's hand as she listened to Ashe's fishing adventures with a bitter look on her face, as their guards followed just behind them.

The hotel manager and the other employees quickly breathed in relief like they had just escaped hell on earth.

"Whoo! That was nerve-wracking wasn't it!?"

His "comrades" just gave him the middle finger and dispersed as they went back to their work.

"What!?"