The door split cleanly into half, revealing the surveillance room to Darius' eyes. When he saw Pearl, who was still unconscious, he frowned. The temperature around him started to drop, making Stephen feel like he would freeze over if he were to look at Darius any longer.

His eyes widened fearfully, finding it hard to believe a human could emit such an icy aura. He forced out a smile and said, "I truly didn't expect to meet you under such circumstances, Darius."

Darius scoffed. "Is that so? Why does the look on your face tell me that you wish we never had to meet?"

Stephen's expression turned thunderous. He didn't expect Darius to cut to the chase—what happened to playing nice on the first meeting? His blood was boiling, but he knew he couldn't let Darius see through him. He smiled as sincerely as possible and said, "That's a great joke, Darius. Why on earth would you think that? I would never think that!"

"Maybe it's cause I can see right through you." Darius put his hands behind his