First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 409: Interrogation or Seduction?

Xavier leaned back slightly and looked at her properly this time. "So," he said, "what do you want from me."

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she straightened a little and reached up to tap the badge on her chest. "Supervisor Arlen Voss," she said. "And before you say anything smart, yes, I know exactly who you are."

Xavier’s eyebrow lifted. "You’re going to have to narrow that down."

She smiled, and this one didn’t bother pretending to be professional. "I’ve been watching your streams. I still have clips saved. I can’t believe you’re actually sitting in front of me."

He snorted. "Yeah, well. Too bad my face is fucked up now."

Her eyes flicked to the bandages, then back to his. "That’s temporary," she said. "I’ll make sure it gets fixed once you’re out of here."

Xavier tilted his head. "I didn’t know I was getting out."

"You are," she replied easily. "You shouldn’t even be here. I’ve reviewed the footage, the logs, the timeline. You didn’t plan the destruction. You didn’t order the strike. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time."

She leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. "If you confirm that. If you say you had no prior knowledge and no intent, I can file the report myself. I clear you, fast-track the release, and this whole thing disappears."

Xavier stared at her without speaking.

At first, his instinct was to laugh. Then it was suspicion. Traps didn’t usually come wrapped this neatly. But then his eyes drifted, just for a second, to the way her uniform pulled tight across her chest when she leaned forward, the deep line of cleavage that didn’t belong in an interrogation room no matter how much authority she carried.

That gave him pause.

’Shit,’ he thought. ’This is either the dumbest play I’ve ever seen or the most dangerous one.’

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Isn’t this where I’m supposed to shut up and exercise my rights," he said. "Ask for a lawyer or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you have one."

"No," Xavier replied. "I don’t even know any lawyers."

Her lips curved slightly. "That’s convenient."

She tapped the air beside her, and a holo flared to life. Credentials scrolled past. Degrees. Certifications. Legal clearances across multiple systems. Oversight authorizations. Enough academic and professional history to make most courtrooms nervous.

"I can represent you," she said. "And before you ask, yes, I’m allowed to."

Xavier stared at the holo, then at her. "So let me get this straight. You’re telling me you’re my fan, you think I’m innocent, you can get me out of a Jupiter prison, and you’re offering to be my lawyer."

"Yes."

"And all of this," he added slowly, "comes with a catch."

She didn’t hesitate. Not even a second.

"I want you to fuck me," she said. "Just once."

The room went quiet.

She held his gaze, completely serious, no smile, no embarrassment. "No cameras. No recording. No strings after. You walk out free, and I get one night."

Xavier exhaled through his nose and shook his head slightly. "Are you serious?"

"Probably," she said. "But I’m honest."

’Due to my condition, I need to have sex every 24 hours, and I have been beating my meat thinking about Angel and Reva. But now I can’t do this any longer.’ He leaned back again, eyes narrowing, mind racing past the obvious problems. ’If I leave now, the trail dies. If I stay, I risk losing this chance.’

He looked at her once more, weighing it.

"Fuck," Xavier muttered. "You really picked the worst timing."

"Huh?"

She didn’t look offended. If anything, she looked amused. "You wouldn’t be."

He frowned. "What."

"I’m not asking because I’m a fan right now," she said. "I’m asking because I’m sitting across from you as someone with leverage."

"That’s worse," Xavier replied. "I also don’t sleep with my lawyer."

She shook her head. "You wouldn’t be doing that either."

"Then what would I be doing," he asked.

She leaned back in her chair, calm, composed, like this was the most reasonable conversation in the world. "You’d be making a payment," she said. "Sex. One time. No attachment, no expectations after. Same as credits, same as favors. Just... different currency."

Xavier laughed quietly and ran a hand over his face. "You really rehearsed that."

"I really thought about it," she corrected.

He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no either. He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then back at her. "You’re asking me to trust you with my freedom."

"And your silence," she added.

"And you’re trusting me not to blow up your career the second I walk out," Xavier said.

She nodded once. "Exactly."

That made him pause.

He leaned forward, forearms on the table, eyes locked on hers. "Why," he asked. "Not the fan answer. The real one. Because nobody risks everything they built just to get laid."

Her jaw tightened slightly. It was the first crack he’d seen.

"Because I’m tired," she said. "Because I’ve spent my life doing everything right, following protocols, climbing carefully, and it still didn’t mean anything when the system decided what mattered."

She gestured vaguely toward the walls. "I’ve watched people like you from a distance for years. People who move freely. People who break things and still survive. People who don’t ask permission."

Her eyes flicked to his bandaged face. "You took a missile to the face and walked into my prison breathing. I’ve done everything by the book, and I’m still trapped here."

The room went quiet for a moment.

She exhaled. "This isn’t just about wanting you. It’s about wanting to choose something for once, even if it burns me."

Xavier listened without interrupting. When she finished, he leaned back again, slower this time.

"Alright," he said. "Now we’re talking."

She looked at him carefully. "That’s not a yes."

"No," Xavier replied. "It’s me saying you don’t get to frame this like you’re doing me a favor."

Her eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"You want this," he said. "Badly enough to risk your badge, your degrees, and your future. That means the price you’re offering is too low."

She tilted her head. "You’re negotiating."

"I always negotiate," Xavier said. "And here’s how it goes. I don’t leave today. I don’t confess anything I don’t mean. I stay long enough to finish what I came here to do."

Her expression shifted. "That’s not what we agreed—"

"And when I leave," he continued, cutting in, "it’s clean. No suspicion. No ’released under review.’ You make it look like I was never a problem to begin with."

She studied him. "And the payment."

Xavier met her gaze. "When I’m done here. On my terms. Not because you cornered me in an interrogation room."

The silence stretched.

Finally, she smiled, slow and sharp. "You’re dangerous."

"You knew that already," he replied.

She leaned back, considering him like an equal now instead of an asset. "You really believe you control this."

"I don’t believe it," Xavier said. "I’m telling you."

Then she nodded. "Fine," she said. "We do it your way."

Xavier stood up as the chair slid back. "Good. Then start by not calling me innocent in your report."

She blinked. "What."

"Call me complicated," he said. "People respect that more."

He turned toward the door, then stopped. "And one more thing."

She looked up at him.

"You don’t own me," Xavier said. "I will make the rules."

Her lips curved faintly. "I wouldn’t dare."

The door opened, and Xavier walked out, leaving her sitting there, fully aware she’d just agreed to a deal she no longer controlled.