Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 618: Fiance.

The intersection facing the Red Oni Club had been cleaned up and repaired in the two weeks since the previous incident, but the mismatched color of the road made the scars clear. The buildings in the area received the same care, something that would’ve taken months if Dante hadn’t stepped in and financed all the repairs.

The incident had been a prime opportunity for a lawsuit, but with the rumors of what the Red Demon had done to Black Skull going around, they were able to settle things before they got to the court. Most of the credit goes to Riot, however. Without him handling the negotiations directly, Dante would have had to step in, which was the last thing he wanted to do these days.

It was early in the morning when Dante walked into his nightclub, and because it was so early, he didn’t expect to see anyone there.

"Oh! Hey boss!"

Oliver straightened up and saluted the moment their eyes met. Going by the mop in his hand, it seems like he had been wiping the floor.

"You’re up early," Dante said.

"Of course! There are things better handled now before the others show up!"

"Keep it up." Looking around the dance floor, Dante followed with another question. "Do you know where Carlos is?"

"Oh, he’s in the back interviewing someone. A bartender quit after what happened the other day, so he’s looking to fill the position."

"Is that so..."

While they employed some of Inferno’s members, the gang wasn’t large enough that it can spare the members for normal jobs. That forced them to rely on civilians, which came with the responsibility of guaranteeing their safety when things got tough.

Dante had delegated running the establishment to his lieutenant, since he already had experience in the matter. Carlos handled the first round of interviews, and those who passed it would then be brought in front of Dante for a final check.

Since he killed those low-level Genomes that tried to infiltrate the gang, the BEO hadn’t tried the same thing again. That didn’t mean they gave up on sending spies, but since chasing them away quickly became bothersome, Dante tried to keep his immediate surroundings while doing a wider cleanup once every few weeks.

"Alright, keep up the good work."

"Got it, boss!"

Leaving Oliver to his work, Dante went to the back of the club, having decided to check this potential new hire before discussing other matters with his lieutenant.

"Are you sure about this? It doesn’t sound like you should be working right now."

"You don’t have to worry, I assure you that nothing will get in my way."

"But... what about your kid?"

"My fiancé knows how to take care of a child on his own."

"Still..."

Carlos chose to conduct the interview in the break room. The feminine voice of the applicant explained why he left the door open, though doing things in one of the booths in the dance hall would have been a better choice if he was so worried.

"It’s only a few hours," the female applicant said. "I don’t have a day job, so there is no need to worry about me spending time with the baby."

"A baby?"

Dante couldn’t help but voice his confusion, and the startled gaze he got told him that they hadn’t noticed him entering.

"B-boss! You’re here!"

Carlos jumped to his feet, his nervousness reaching a new level. The applicant stood up as well, and though she tried to keep a calm and collected front, Dante could see that her heartbeat is rising.

"This is the new applicant?"

"Yes, she’s-"

"I’m Lissa Keen," the woman said, interrupting Carlos. "Dante, right? Ross told me a lot about you. Been looking forward to finally meeting you."

"Ross?" Dante raised an eyebrow before the other jumped after it. " You’re the girlfriend he was talking about."

"Fiancé," She raised her left hand, showing him the silver ring with a proud smile. "He proposed a couple of weeks ago."

Dante’s first thought when he saw the woman was to question how Ross was able to score her. She wasn’t exactly a world-class beauty, but for someone with next to no cosmetic enhancement, she looked pretty good. Her skin made most Tenebrosan look white, and the curly hair she gathered into an afro-like bun matched it well.

"Congrats. Guess he did propose after..." Pausing, Dante couldn’t stop a frown from scrunching up his face. "Wait, didn’t you just give birth?"

One can hardly tell that she was pregnant until three weeks ago. From what he picked through his Absolute Awareness, Dante couldn’t help but wonder if she had been sneaking to the gym every day until her due date.

"Yeah, thanks for picking the hospital bill." She replied. "That Nanomed dose really saved our hides back there."

"Don’t worry about it." Dante shook his head. "Why are you looking for a job now? Shouldn’t you be resting?"

’What a waste of time...’

The thought sprang up out of nowhere, causing Dante to freeze. Carlos was on the side nodding in agreement, and the dark-skinned woman gave a troubled smile. Neither seemed to notice any change in his expression.

"C’mon now, do you think we can afford to sit around in this economy?" Lissa chuckled. "I have already made a perfect recovery, so it’s time to put in the work. We have two kids to take care of."

"A-ah, right..." Dante cleared his throat. "Still, working in a nightclub can be stressful. Are you sure you don’t want to stay home with your baby?"

"It’s fine. Ross will look after him at night. Besides, I used to bartend as my second job till a year ago. This will be a breeze."

Dante felt his interest in the topic fall with each word he heard. His reaction felt so odd, so alien that he started to feel bad for wanting to leave despite how friendly Lissa was being.

"Alright, if that’s what you say."

In the end, the most he could do was try not to sound like an asshole as he tried to create an opening for himself to retreat, and even that sounded incredibly bothersome.

"Welcome to the team, Lissa," He said.

"Thanks for having me, Dante." She replied, taking the hand he held out. "I will make sure you won’t have anything to worry about."