MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 678: Ex-girlfriends

Minutes blurred into one another as Anthony, Vega, Klaus, and Amara sat together, talking and exchanging words in a calm yet engaging manner. The atmosphere was light, filled with measured curiosity and subtle tension, as if everyone present understood that this moment carried weight far beyond an ordinary family gathering.

Amara, sharp and elegant as ever, seized the opportunity to learn more about Anthony.

But, she did not bombard him with excessive questions; she restrained herself deliberately, knowing that too many inquiries would transform this delicate interaction into something resembling a formal interrogation, or worse, an interview. That was not her intention.

To Amara, appearances and impressions mattered greatly, but not in the shallow way most would expect. What mattered to her was essence, character, intent, and the unseen qualities a person carried within.

From what she had seen so far, she was genuinely pleased with Anthony.

Although she had no desire to dictate her daughter’s romantic choices, nor would she ever force a man upon her in the name of building alliances or strengthening connections, such things were beneath her. After all, Amara was far too powerful for such trivial, utilitarian connections. Her status, her name, her abilities, these already secured her place at the pinnacle.

But she still carried a mother’s quiet but fierce desire. She wished for her daughter to have the best of the best.

She looked upon her daughter with the heart of a mother. She wanted Vega to find a man who would stand at her side in every storm, who would not crumble under the weight of destiny, who could match her brilliance step for step.

A man who could truly love her.

A man who could stand beside her as an equal.

A man who could understand her in ways no one else could.

A man who would remain steadfast, no matter the trials of time.

Not that Amara herself would ever abandon Vega, never. She would always watch over her child. Just as she had sensed her daughter was bringing a man home and had instantly returned, arriving in time to welcome them without hesitation, so too would she always be there, ready to intervene should anything threaten her daughter’s happiness.

Still, she knew the truth every mother must eventually accept: every bird must leave its nest.

Unlike her husband, Klaus, who was excessively overprotective, Amara believed in balance. She believed in letting Vega stumble, rise, and carve her own path to greatness, just as she herself had done in her youth.

To Amara, the struggle, the falls, and the climbs were what shaped a person. Vega needed that freedom, even if her parents’ shadows loomed large.

And Anthony, this young man before her, seemed to embody everything she wished for her daughter. He was striking, handsome enough to match Vega’s beauty, but his worth was not limited to appearance. His talent was equally dazzling, perhaps even greater than Vega’s, a fact that Amara could not ignore.

She could sense the weight of his battles experience lingering in the way Anthony carried himself. It was in the way he walked, the subtle yet undeniable authority in his posture, the quiet sharpness of his gaze.

He exuded the aura of a man shaped by combat, molded by experience, someone who carried both strength and wisdom. To her, he felt like a natural-born ruler, a warrior who could stand firm even when the world itself seemed to tremble.

Of course, what she was truly sensing were the manifestations of Anthony’s Emperor’s Demeanor ability and his Battle Experience skill.

These abilities elevated his very presence, but Amara had no knowledge of such specifics. Nor did it matter. What mattered was the impression he left upon her instincts, and those instincts whispered approval.

Out of courtesy and principle, Amara had not used her own extraordinary abilities to pry into Anthony’s life. She had not searched through the strands of fate, had not unraveled his past with divination, had not scanned his essence with any intrusive power.

She wanted events to unfold naturally. She wanted to witness with her own eyes how Anthony and Vega’s story would progress, untainted by foreknowledge or interference.

But even though she had approved of Anthony in her heart, Amara remained vigilant. Approval did not mean negligence. Her guard was still raised, her awareness still sharp. She was ready to intervene at the faintest whisper of toxic a relationship, the faintest shadow of danger.

Her daughter’s well-being would always outweigh courtesy.

And still… a small, almost dangerous hope lingered in her thoughts. Perhaps, just perhaps, this young man could be the one. Perhaps Anthony could truly be Vega’s eternal love.

Just as Klaus was for her.

A smile touched Amara’s lips as her mind swirled with possibilities. For the briefest of moments, she felt her curiosity urging her to reach into the grand tapestry of Cause and Effect, to pull upon the threads of fate itself and glimpse where this relationship would ultimately lead.

But she resisted. She refused to give in. She would not rob her daughter of the beauty of uncertainty. She would not spoil the story before it unfolded. She would watch Vega grow into a fine woman in her own right, and Anthony’s role in that growth would reveal itself naturally.

While Amara’s mind tilted toward approval, Klaus’s thoughts ran in an entirely different direction.

Unlike his wife, Klaus had not yet approved of Anthony, and truthfully, he suspected he never would. Even if Anthony truly was the so-called Heaven’s Illegitimate Child, as the rumors declared, Klaus remained unmoved.

Titles and whispers meant little to him.

But Klaus was no fool. He knew that within this household, within this moment, more precisely, his opinion carried almost no weight. He could already see the approving curve of his wife’s lips, the way her gaze lingered on Anthony with unmistakable acceptance. And Klaus knew this much: once Amara approved, the matter was essentially settled.

He, Klaus, the man who could single-handedly erase the entire Demon race if he so desired, the man who had toyed with the Demon King mere days ago, the man who had remained unmatched and untouchable for years, the man to whom no one dared speak a word of refusal, he could only begrudgingly accept his wife’s decision in silence. At least for now.

He would never admit it aloud, but even he knew that perhaps there was no one in this galaxy who could compare to Anthony for his daughter.

But such knowledge did not mean he was ready to let go. He was still a father, still a protector, and at the very least, he would test Anthony. If Anthony wished to be with his daughter, then he would face obstacles.

“So, Anthony,” Klaus said suddenly, his tone laced with calculated innocence. “Tell us about your ex-girlfriends, your past relationships, how they ended, all of it. After all, I wouldn’t want my innocent daughter to suffer a broken heart at the tender age of nineteen.”

The words rolled smoothly from his lips, but behind them lurked a private smirk. To Klaus, this was the perfect roadblock. If there was one thing women hated more than anything else, it was the shadow of ex-lovers lingering around their men.

Surely Anthony, with his appearance, fame, power, and wealth, must have had women in his past, affairs, flings, lovers hidden away. It was inevitable. Everyone indulged during their youth.

Surely Anthony was no exception.

To Klaus, this was checkmate.

At his words, Amara frowned faintly, realizing she had not thought to ask such a question herself. Her golden eyes turned toward Anthony, their gleam sharp with interest.

Anthony, however, appeared momentarily stunned, caught off guard by the suddenness of the inquiry.

Vega, by contrast, remained calm. She had already asked Anthony about this once before, and she knew the truth, he had never been in a relationship. As for other matters, such as physical encounters, she had never bothered to ask. Such details were irrelevant to her.

Anthony could feel the weight of both Amara’s and Klaus’s gazes upon him, but he did not falter. Instead, he offered a gentle smile, his demeanor composed as he replied with skillful ease.

“I understand your concern for Vega,” he said evenly. “But I have never been in a relationship before now, so there is nothing for you to worry about. There will be no drama with ex-girlfriends, no past to interfere with the present.”

For a moment, silence filled the table. Then Amara’s frown melted, replaced once again by the approving smile she had worn earlier. In her eyes, Anthony had just risen even higher in worth.

Klaus, however, sat quietly bewildered. He could tell Anthony spoke the truth, and yet he struggled to believe it. How could someone like Anthony, with everything he possessed, have remained untouched by romance until now? It made no sense.

Frustration welled within him. He had attempted to set a trap, to create a stumbling block for Anthony, only to watch the young man walk through it effortlessly, turning the challenge into yet another stepping stone into Amara’s heart.

Klaus grumbled inwardly. For once in his long, unrivaled life, it felt as though he were losing ground, not to a demon, not to a rival, but to a single young man courting his daughter.