Slime Evolution

Chapter 449 - Unexpected Visit

Lohan drove the Porsche with a satisfied calm, having no idea that beside him was someone completely panicked at that moment.

His eyes were fixed on the mansion growing on the horizon as they approached, the garden lights reflecting softly off the dark bodywork of the hood.

The red Rolls Royce parked right in front of the entrance didn’t even catch his particular attention, making him think it was just another detail of that already so extravagant property, where anything new there seemed to fit perfectly into the landscape.

’Must be another car from her collection,’ he thought, not too bothered by it, his fingers still pleased with the feel of the wheel under his hands. ’Considering how many vehicles she has in that garage, one more parked in front of the house isn’t any surprise. Maybe it’s some new model she hasn’t shown me yet.’

Beside him, however, Isabella had frozen completely, her whole body rigid against the leather seat, her eyes wide, fixed on that same red car which, to her, meant exactly the opposite of anything trivial.

’No, no, no,’ she thought, panic rising up her throat at an alarming speed. ’This can’t be happening right now.’

Her first instinct was to yell at Lohan to turn the car around immediately and get out of there, to flee before it was too late, but looking at the shrinking distance between them and the lit up entrance of the mansion, she realized, with a silent desperation, that it was already too late for any discreet maneuver. A sudden swerve in the air, right in front of the house itself, would only draw even more attention than simply landing normally.

And the problem wasn’t even the possibility of being seen arriving with someone. The problem was, specifically, who was waiting there.

’I really don’t want my mom to meet him right now,’ Isabella thought, her heart pounding furiously. ’Not like this, not with no preparation at all, not after a night like this.’

Knowing it would be practically impossible to fully escape that awkward situation, Isabella took a deep breath, trying to organize her own thoughts with the speed the situation demanded, and turned to Lohan with a serious expression that sharply contrasted with the light mood from minutes earlier.

"Halon," she said, her voice coming out low, but full of urgency. "As soon as I get out of the car, I need you to take off immediately and go back home. Don’t ask me questions and don’t hesitate, just go, please."

Lohan looked at her for a moment, instantly realizing something had drastically shifted in the atmosphere between them, the relaxed mood from seconds earlier replaced by a tension he had never seen take over her so suddenly.

"Okay," he replied, without questioning it, trusting she had a good reason for it, even without fully understanding what was going on.

’It must be something serious for her to change her demeanor this fast,’ Lohan thought, slowing down with extra care, avoiding any flashy maneuver.

Isabella, beside him, kept her eyes fixed on the figure growing sharper by the mansion’s entrance, her breathing coming under control purely through sheer willpower, desperately trying to project a calm she was far from truly feeling.

’Maybe, just maybe, if I get out fast enough and go straight into the house, I can push this conversation off to another day,’ she thought, knowing perfectly well, deep down, that hope was completely useless.

As he guided the car into a smooth landing on the reserved platform, the mansion’s main door opened, and a stunning woman emerged, dressed in an elegant dress that, despite all its obvious refinement, still looked comfortable enough for a casual moment at home. She walked a few steps forward, her eyes already fixed on the approaching car and a curious smile forming on her face.

Lohan felt his own mental circuits lock up for a second at that sight.

’Wait,’ he thought, studying the features of that face with a growing mix of confusion and astonishment. ’This is... she looks extremely similar to Isabella.’

The resemblance was too striking to be mere coincidence, the same refined features, the same elegant posture, even a similar way of holding her shoulders. But Lohan knew, with absolute certainty, that Isabella didn’t have any sister, let alone one so close in age and appearance.

It was then that the piece fully clicked into place in his mind.

’This must be Evelyn Vance,’ he concluded, making his heart vibrate slightly at that realization. ’One of the most powerful women in the entire Human Federation. That perfectly explains why Bella panicked like that.’

He had already heard plenty about Evelyn through offhand comments Isabella let slip every now and then, always with a mix of admiration and a slight apprehension, considering it was her own mother, but who, on top of everything, couldn’t be overshadowed by the legendary image the woman held even to her own daughter. But seeing that woman in person, even just glimpsed through the windshield, was completely different from any description he had ever gotten.

There was something about her posture, even from a distance, that gave off an almost palpable weight, a presence that, despite not seeming overwhelming, completely dominated the surroundings.

Finally understanding the reason behind Isabella’s sudden change in behavior, Lohan chose not to ask any questions, just landing the car with all the smoothness he could muster, avoiding any sudden movement that might draw more attention than necessary.

’Better I stay quiet and let her handle this however she thinks best,’ he thought, keeping his own hands steady on the wheel. ’Now’s not the time for me to try to play hero and ruin everything.’

Technically, despite his partnership with Isabella, Evelyn was still a superior to them, since she was the one who ran the show at the Vance Group, and it was from her that the funding for their guild came.

Not to mention the other special role Evelyn might have in the near future, that of his mother in law.

As soon as the wheels touched the ground, Isabella glanced briefly at him, a visible pang of disappointment crossing her face at seeing him there, so close, knowing the night was about to end far too abruptly for her liking.

She threw a quick glance toward her own mother, still standing at the mansion’s entrance watching everything with a curious smile, and sighed quietly before turning back to Lohan.

"Thank you, Halon," she said, her voice softening despite the urgency. "For the amazing night, and for helping me with the biomass injection too. It was a really good day."

"Thank you for the company," Lohan replied, a sincere smile forming despite the awkward situation. "And for the car, of course. The night really was amazing. I hope we can do this again more often."

"I’d love that," Isabella replied, her smile brimming with fondness for a moment before she finally opened the door and got out of the car.

Lohan felt a similar pang of disappointment watching her walk away, the uncomfortable feeling of having missed a perfect opportunity to end that night in an even better way, maybe with something more than just parting words. But noticing her mother standing right there, watching everything like a hawk, he knew, with absolute certainty, that any impulsive move at that moment could jeopardize things far bigger than just that one particular night.

When Evelyn saw her own daughter get out of the passenger seat, instead of the driver’s seat like always happened, she raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise, looking with even more curiosity at the car’s driver, whom she unfortunately couldn’t see because of the privacy tint on the vehicle’s window.