03 | Michelle's Tough Day

03 | M I C H E L L E ' S

T O U G H

D A Y

***

    The engine sound, which was quite loud but sounded soft, was heard in the room. Michelle, who was still sitting at her dressing table, felt her heart beat faster than usual. Ginny, who was styling Michelle's dark brown hair, saw the change in the beautiful girl's face from the mirror reflection.

    "Take it easy. You will only meet your brother, not your future husband." sneered Ginny, causing a faint red tinge to print on her cheeks.

    Wait, why are her cheeks blushing like that?

    "I know that too! Do you think I thought he would be my future husband?"

    Ginny finished styling her hair. The woman put her hands on Michelle's shoulders from behind and gave a smile that was difficult to interpret. "In this crazy world, anything can happen. Especially if you look at the twin melons that are on your upper body, only abnormal men are not interested in you."

    Instantly Michelle's face flushed at Ginny's words, which she thought were too blunt.

    "Ginny!" Michelle protested as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, making it seem like she wanted to cover the two parts of her body which were too seductive.

    Ginny gave a crisp laugh and patted Michelle on the shoulder. "Hurry up. As far as I know, Lord Damien is a man who does not like to wait."

    Ginny left Michelle in the room, carrying Michelle's used clothes to wash them, while Michelle herself was still a little dumbfounded by Ginny's words earlier. Is it true that her body is that attractive?

    Michelle's eyes were straight towards the mirror in front of her, to be more precise at the reflection of her body. Still, in a sitting position, she glanced at the reflection of the two body parts that Ginny had been talking about. "What is so special? It looks like it is not that big. I mean, there must be many other girls who have this size." she muttered while—whether conscious or not—pressing her right breast with her index finger with an innocent expression.

    "I think size is not everything. It can be attractive if it looks fit on your body."

    A deep and very masculine voice can be heard from the direction of the door, from the reflection of her makeup mirror, she could see the figure of Damien who was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and leaning against the door.

    Michelle quickly stood up and turned to face her brother who had just teased her, but Michelle immediately frowned because she saw Damien's face that seemed to be laughing. What is so funny? Her mind was guessing.

    And so Damien started laughing while looking down. Michelle was still silent with her innocent face. Her expression showing that she didn't understand the reason why Damien was laughing like that. Is there something wrong with her body?

    But when Michelle looked down, she realized that her index finger was still pressing against her breasts.

    Suddenly Michelle turned around and covered her beautiful face that was getting flushed with her palms.

    Michelle was embarrassed to death, while Damien was still laughing. Without realizing it—and without the slightest sound—Damien was already exactly an inch behind Michelle. Of course, it surprised her because a second before, Damien was still quite far from her.

    Michelle should not need to be that surprised, considering Damien is a vampire, so it's only natural that he can move that fast.

    Michelle took her hands off her face and saw Damien from the mirror reflection. Damien's face was very close to her ear. Michelle could feel the breath that should have felt cold. But surprisingly, this was not. His breath was warm, and it made her chest flutter quite a bit.

    Damien sighed very slowly and whispered in her ear from behind, "There is no need to be embarrassed. You look so beautiful."

    Boiled crab. Maybe that is what her face looks like now. That means she is beautiful. No one can deny it. But her cheeks were turned red. For the sake of Dumbledore's beard, Michelle managed to be embarrassed by her own brother’s sweet talk.

    "I will be waiting for you downstairs. Come down when you are satisfied poking your chest," he said, then turned around and left Michelle, who was still unable to say anything.

    It looks like it is going to be a tough day for Michelle. She would not be able to hug Daniel to let go of her longing after twelve years of not meeting as she had planned. She had just lost the courage to do that a few seconds ago.

    After all, Michelle is just an innocent girl.

    Even though the life she had lived before was far from innocent.

***

    No one would have guessed what Michelle see right now. At least no one would have imagined that way. Until now, Michelle still could not believe what she saw with her own eyes. Of course, in a world that seemed—or was—already destroyed, no one would believe that in the city, there still stood a large shopping mall with a lot of visitors as far as the eye could see.

    Not only that, along the way, Michelle saw the roadside shoe and bag shops, barbershops, gymnastics, skyscrapers, city parks, and all kinds of buildings commonly seen in the capital area. There is even a building that used to be a place for boxing matches. Do vampires exercise?

    Everything almost looks the same as the city before the vampire took over the human world. Maybe almost, because only one thing is different, namely blood.

    Why?

    Because both in cafes and fast-food restaurants, only serve blood as the main menu. Yes, blood in various preparations from different dishes.

    But they still provide human food such as beef, french fries, burgers, and even alcoholic beverages.

    And now Michelle is still dumbfounded, while Damien has given the keys to her sports car to the Vallet Mall clerk to find him car a place to park.

    Michelle still does not believe that all the visitors to this mall are vampires. Of course, there was a little bit of fear haunting her mind, but Michelle snapped out of her fearful reverie when Damien gave his hand to hold. And Michelle shyly put her hand around his arm, made Damien smile.

    They also started to enter the shopping center. Still feeling awe, Michelle looked around. However, Damien could still feel the fear Michelle had from the trembling in her body.

    Of course, how can she not tremble? There are hundreds or even thousands of vampires walking around her.

    Damien brought his face back to her ear. "Take it easy, in your clothes like that, and as long as you do not get hurt and make your blood smell, they will not realize that you are a human. At least as long as they do not smell blood. But you do not have to worry. As long as I am around, these thousands of vampires are nothing to me. I do not even have to struggle to cut their head in less than thirty minutes."

    Suddenly Michelle turned to Daniel with wide eyes. For Michelle, she couldn't even face a single vampire, but Damien spoke as if he could beat thousands of them with ease.

    But when Michelle turned to Damien, their faces were too close without realizing it. Michelle did not estimate the distance between her face and Damien's, so their noses were bumping against each other, even their lips almost touching. With reflex, Michelle turned her face back. Her cheeks were already flushed red. Meanwhile, Damien was still smiling sweetly.

    Now they are in a shop that provides high-class clothes. Maybe the price of clothes in this place is too much. So that of the many vampires, only seven visitors that Michelle saw in this place.

    "Lord Blackheart, I have not seen you in a while. What can I do for you?"

    A woman, to be precise, a female vampire, asked in a very polite tone. Michelle just found out that a vampire can be this polite. Wait, oh, that's right. Ginny is also a vampire.

    "Please find all the clothes you think are suitable for this girl to wear," said Daniel as he took out his wallet and took his ATM card.

    Wait, vampires also use ATM cards?

    "Since summer will end soon, do you want to get some winter clothes too?" asked the vampire woman again.

    "Summer, winter, rainy season, whatever. Just find clothes for all seasons if necessary." Daniel gave his ATM card to the woman. "No need to think about the nominal. I would even be happy if you can drain all the money on this card until it runs out."

    The vampire woman smiled. She took Damien's ATM card and brought Michelle near the changing room while Damien sat on a bench not far from where Michelle was standing. His right foot was raised above his left, and both hands crossed in front of his chest. Of course, with his left hand gripping the sheath of a sword he used to carry anywhere.

    Michelle never asked why Damien brought a sword to go to the mall. It is maybe because the girl did not have the chance to ask questions yet.

    "How about this one, do you like it?" asked the vampire woman to Damien while sticking a shirt in front of Michelle.

    Daniel turned his head. "Do you think it suits her?"

    “Of course.”

    "Then, just take whatever you think suits her. No need to ask me again" replied Damien.

    "But I also want to hear your opinions—"

    Damien stared sharply with killing intent at the female vampire's eyes that she could not finish her words. "I think she will look pretty in whatever she wears. Now hurry up and finish it because I do not have time to sit here forever."

    Hearing the threat that was so cold, but also sounded romantic made Michelle's heartbeat very fast. It is different from the female vampire. The woman smiled very broadly. "As usual, you look very charming when you are cruel like that, dear Lord Blackheart."

    Almost forgot.

    In addition to the appearance of Michelle that has been dressed so as not to look like livestock, Damien has given some spray to disguise the smell of her blood. That is why Daniel dares to take Michelle out on a trip because no one will realize who Michelle's true identity is.

    Even though Damien can take care of Michelle and no one else can look after Michelle as great as Damien in this world, it would still be troublesome if Damien had to deal with all the vampires in this city.

    In addition to the number, which is indeed very large, it will attract the attention of vampire officials, including the three kings who have super-tacky names.

    Yep.

    Sovak, Kovak and Novak.

    Maybe if Damien could become a vampire king someday, he would change his name to Oak.

    Finally, after almost two and a half hours of waiting, Damien and Michelle were back in the middle of the crowd with her clothes neatly wrapped and will be delivered to Damien's residence using a boxcar. And it cannot be denied, that only for clothes, Daniel spent about 1/129 of the amount of money on his ATM card.

    Or rather, the first ATM card he took out because there were still four more ATM cards that he had not shown from his wallet, not counted by a small checkbook that had about forty sheets in it.

    Vampire life is almost the same as human life, both in daily life and work.

    Yep, getting the title as a noble class vampire does not mean your life will be guaranteed without you putting in any effort.

    While most nobles made their fortune from trading human slaves or cattle, Daniel was one of the few noble-class who became wealthy differently.

   His business is engaged in construction. Yep, he owns a company that builds buildings, houses, and even roads. And somehow, only Damien is the only vampire in the world who owns a construction company, and his subsidiaries are scattered all over the country in the Americas. So, in other words, all the buildings other than the existing ones from the human world were all made by Damien's company.

    Just by building an elite housing complex, Damien would get an average budget of sixty-five million dollars. Currently, his company has many buildings, houses, roads, shops, and even subway lines and island bridges that he has built throughout the Americas in the last eight years.

    Maybe that sounds absurd and impossible to humans. But vampires can work twenty-four hours without stopping because they do not feel tired or sleepy.

    And also, of course, vampires are creatures that have extraordinary physical strength and speed. So, the work that should be done in three years by humans, can be done in three months by vampires.

    "Erm, Lord Damien ... "

    "Just call me Damien. Or you prefer to call me honey, that's fine too," replied Damien, with his hands still being hugged by Michelle.

    Michelle smiles. "Well, I prefer Damien."

   "Okay, whatever. So, what did you want to ask earlier?"

    "Is it okay for you to spend that much money just on my clothes?"

    Damien turned his head. "Do not start it. I hate arguing over money."

    Michelle lowered her head. "Al-Alright. I am sorry."

    Damien stopped, causing Michelle to also stop in his tracks. His index finger lifted Michelle's chin, so they looked at each other. "It's okay. Smile, the money I spent will be wasted if it only makes you sad like that," he said, staring intensely with a warm and affectionate gaze towards her.

    Unconsciously, a smile was etched on her lips, making Damien smile too.

    "Keep that smile. Because you might look very sexy with that smile on your lips later."

    "Later? Where do you want to take me?" asked Michelle with an innocent expression.

    "Maybe it will look hotter with that innocent expression of yours," replied Damien which made Michelle even more clueless.

    Michelle frowned, "What do you mean? Where exactly are you taking me?"

    Without a word, Damien points to Michelle's back, making her turn around and opened her eyes perfectly.

    Damien brought his face to her ear from behind and whispered, "You do not have any stock of underwear, do you? Because Ginny told me what you are wearing is hers. You also do not wear a bra. Because Ginny does not have the size like yours."

    Damien spoke very quietly and in a passionate tone of voice, while Michelle still kept her eyes fixed on the words Victoria's Secret, which was displayed there. Damien also put his arm around her waist from the side and with sure steps, led his beloved sister to that place.

    It looks like it is going to be a tough day for Michelle.