But before Cordis could tear his attention away from the beautiful necklace, a terrified voice snapped him back to reality.
"Who's there?! Who is it?!"
Only then did Cordis realize with a start that, in his moment of carelessness, he had failed to maintain [Zetsu].
Worse, he hadn't even noticed.
Looking toward the startled voice, he saw a man frantically grabbing the blanket and pulling it over himself.
With the blanket snatched away, the woman beside him had no choice but to cover herself with her hands.
Faced with this awkward scene, Cordis struggled to think of something to say. After a moment's hesitation, the man spoke first. "Are you paparazzi?"
"Paparazzi really go all out these days." He took out a card and tossed it onto the floor near Cordis. "There's a million on that card. Delete the photos."
Cordis didn't immediately correct the man's assumption. After glancing at the bank card on the floor, he stared at the man, his blank expression giving way to a vicious smile.
"Five million, or I send the photos out right now. You wouldn't want to be labeled a promiscuous sleaze, would you?"
A flicker of discomfort crossed the man's face. He didn't have much of his allowance left this month, and five million was a little beyond what he could manage right now.
Just as the man was wondering whether they could negotiate,
Cordis vaulted into the room, brushed the dust off himself, and swept back his silver hair as he looked at the necklace inside the glass case.
Seeing that it was locked, he frowned, wondering whether the man had the key on him.
Only now, by the faint moonlight, could the man make out Cordis's appearance. One look left him frozen.
His shoulder-length silver hair streamed in the cold