Chapter 453 - 392: Sister, Don’t Misunderstand Me
Chapter 453: Chapter 392: Sister, Don’t Misunderstand Me
Flora Bloom glanced at Rita, then met Shawn Hale’s gaze. "Go ahead."
"Since Rita woke up, her health hasn’t been good. I was thinking, could she stay here with you?"
Flora Bloom raised an eyebrow. "You should know that everyone came out here to improve their abilities."
"But, Rita... wasn’t it your—"
Shawn Hale didn’t get to finish before Flora Bloom cut him off. "It’s true we suggested bringing her along. But no one forced you to come."
’Although, if Shawn Hale hadn’t participated in this Orinburg cleanup plan, I still would have found a way to keep an eye on Rita back at the base.’
At this, Rita put on a pitiful expression and looked at Flora Bloom. "Flora, I... I can’t use my superpower right now. If I go along, I might be in danger."
"Rita, you’re still young, but you need to learn from everyone else. Look at these men. None of them have awakened a superpower, yet they’re still joining the fight."
The moment Flora Bloom finished speaking, the remaining forty-nine ordinary people enthusiastically chimed in, speaking to Shawn Hale.
"Captain Hale, don’t worry. We don’t have superpowers either. Just have your girlfriend stick with us. She’ll be safe!
Besides, didn’t your girlfriend have a superpower before? Maybe it’ll come back to her in the heat of battle!"
Their words made Rita and Shawn Hale’s expressions darken. Rita, however, quickly recovered her innocent, adorable smile.
"Thank you, everyone. I’ll have to trouble you all, then."
But then, with a flash in his eyes, Lex Cross spoke up, seemingly on a whim. "This little lady looks so delicate and cute. Why don’t we let her stay here? You’ll be bored all by yourself anyway, Flora. She can keep you company."
This move not only stunned Shawn Hale, but even Flora Bloom was caught off guard for a second.
’Damn.’ If she didn’t know Lex Cross so well, she’d almost think he was starting to see Rita in a new light.
So Flora Bloom put on a troubled expression, glanced at Lex Cross, and sighed. "I suppose that could work. If Captain Hale trusts me with Rita, she can stay here."
As Rita looked up at Lex Cross, her eyes filled with an inexplicable sense of attachment and adoration, which she quickly concealed.
"I’d be disturbing your rest, Flora... You won’t blame me, will you?"
The corner of Flora Bloom’s mouth quirked up. She shot Lex Cross a playfully menacing look and raised her eyebrows. "Of course not. As long as you’re happy."
To everyone else, Lex Cross was as cold and unbending as a rod of steel—indifferent on the outside and not much warmer on the inside. He only seemed to show any concern when it came to Flora Bloom.
When had anyone ever seen him care about another person’s business or well-being?
Could it be that this Rita really possessed some kind of magical charm?
Even Shawn Hale was stunned, wondering if Lex Cross was genuinely worried about Flora Bloom being bored or if he had other intentions toward Rita.
However, just as everyone was assembled and about to head for Terminal 2, Flora Bloom noticed that The Crown Prince and Raccoon had already disappeared.
This was Lex Cross’s signature move: having The Crown Prince and Raccoon protect her from the shadows.
As soon as the group left, Rita—who moments before had been the very picture of frail timidity—suddenly scooted closer to Flora Bloom.
"Flora, how did you and Captain Cross meet?"
Flora Bloom raised an eyebrow. "In bed."
"Huh?" Rita hadn’t expected that answer and was momentarily flustered. But perhaps it was just her imagination, because Flora could swear she felt a venomous resentment radiating from the girl.
It was just that Rita’s fawning, smiling face didn’t quite match the feeling she was getting from her.
"Oh, Flora, you’re just joking. I only asked because Captain Cross is so good to you. Please don’t mind my curiosity."
"Captain Hale is very good to you, too."
Rita paused, her gaze shifting to Flora Bloom’s stomach. "Flora, your baby... is it... is it Captain Cross’s?"
"Why do you ask?"
’This Rita is really strange,’ Flora Bloom suddenly realized. ’I know she’s from the Star Nation, from beyond Earth, but why do all her questions revolve around me and Lex Cross?’
’Does she know him?’
Once the thought entered her mind, she couldn’t shake it.
Moreover, the questions Rita was asking were filled with malice.
’Think about it,’ she mused. ’When a normal person asks about your pregnancy, they ask how many months along you are, if you’ve picked out a name, or if you’re hoping for a boy or a girl. That’s about as personal as it gets.’
’But this Rita, she just comes right out and asks if the baby is even Lex’s.’
’I don’t think my relationship with Lex is exactly a secret. Anyone with eyes can see we’re a couple.’
’And for a couple, if the baby isn’t the man’s, then whose would it be?’
’Or maybe... maybe the person asking *doesn’t want* the baby to be Lex’s?’
’Is that even possible?’
’She’s smiling, but why does this girl, this... fusion of a human and an alien lifeform, have such a bizarre hostility toward me?’
"Flora, don’t get the wrong idea. I just think Captain Cross is a good man, and in this apocalypse, so many families have been torn apart, so..."
Flora Bloom was utterly exasperated. "So, do you want this baby to be Lex Cross’s, or don’t you?"
Rita frantically waved her hands. "No, no, no, you’ve misunderstood! I was just curious. I’m terrible with words, please don’t take it to heart!"
Flora Bloom let out a dry laugh. "If you know you’re bad with words, then you should talk less. What does my baby have to do with you, anyway? You don’t need to know anything about it."
Rita was stunned for a moment, then she put on a cautious, fawning expression.
"Flora, are you mad at me? I really didn’t mean it. If you want to yell at me, go ahead! It’s all my fault!"
Flora Bloom screamed internally, but her voice was flat when she replied, "You said you didn’t mean any harm, so why would I yell at you? Are you asking for it?"
With that, she found another spot to sit.
The Crown Prince and Raccoon were, in fact, not far behind Flora Bloom, though she couldn’t sense their presence. They were in total awe of their sister-in-law’s ability to shut people down.
Listening in on the conversation, they were both struggling to hold back their laughter.
But suddenly, Rita turned her head and glanced toward the spot behind Flora Bloom—right where The Crown Prince and Raccoon were hidden. Then, she feigned a casual look around, her eyes scanning other areas.
An unreadable light flickered in her eyes, and the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile.
’So, it really is them,’ she thought. ’And *she* managed to find *him*!’
As she thought this, an expression of transcendent purity, like a lotus in full bloom, settled on her innocent face. But the moment her eyes landed on Flora Bloom, her mind flooded with images of Lex and Flora together—every little interaction, every display of intimacy that she herself had never known.
’Patience!’
’Once my power returns, I’ll go and reveal myself to Brother Lex.’
’Brother Lex will be so happy when he finds out I’m here!’
’And as for this Flora Bloom?’
’How could the mighty War God possibly develop genuine feelings for a bumpkin from some backwater planet?’
’He’s only interested in that fragmented, Divine-level internal dimension she has. Once my power is restored, I’ll help Brother Lex dig it right out of her.’
’What doesn’t belong to you can never truly be yours.’
’Neither that Divine-level dimension... nor him.’