MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1070: A Man In Love

Anthony, Tiara, Bryan, Rider, and Bringer just clinked their glasses in a toast, marking Drake’s demise... or rather, they toasted Tiara’s liberation, which felt just like his end, but whatever, moving on—the mood surrounding them blended an unusual combination of relief, humor, and subdued pleasure.

"So, tell us, why did you suddenly think of us after five years? Did you miss us?" Bringer questioned while refilling his bottle, his voice casual but probing.

"Don’t get your hopes up; he was just too bored with nobody to chat with, so we popped into his mind," Bryan shot back as he sipped his wine, a playful bite in his tone while eyeing Anthony.

"Well, I’ll drink to that—cheers to more boredom, so we get more blessings," Bringer declared, lifting his glass, though no one else joined him. Probably only Bringer could openly mention gaining more favors from Anthony like that; his blunt honesty had its charms, even if it left the others shaking their heads in quiet amazement.

"Anyway," Rider continued the chat, "why the boredom? That Ghost fellow’s livestream showed your girlfriend—she’s the only one I’ve seen who rivals your looks, by the way. Aren’t you two an item? Did things end?" Rider probed, his eyes alight with gossip as eagerness shattered his typical poise.

"Well, if someone could dump Anthony despite his handsome face, power, status, and wealth, then us other guys have zero chance at holding onto any girl," Bryan quipped with a chuckle, sparking laughter across the group.

"We’re still an item, but she’s in seclusion right now, leaving me bored. Without that seclusion, we wouldn’t be here; we’d be out on a date or whatever, not chilling with you three guys and one lady," Anthony answered with a light laugh, his mind drifting to Vega as a soft glow touched his face.

"Come on, what happened to bros before hoes? That breaks the bro code, you know," Bringer protested, yet Anthony brushed him off completely, not even bothering with a look, as if the remark never landed.

"Awwnnn, sounds like you’re smitten," Tiara said, watching Anthony with a gentle, teasing lilt.

"I am," Anthony admitted boldly, no pause or doubt, his tone firm and assured.

"So, what’s her name?" Bringer pressed, inching closer with keen interest.

"Vega," Anthony shared openly, his voice even but laced with quiet affection.

"I caught her battle stream too; she’s seriously powerful, though her fighting know-how seemed off back then," Bryan noted, recalling the footage in his head.

"Yeah, her battle experience was missing then. Her dad barely lets her scrap, but that’s fixed now," Anthony responded smiling, obviously relishing the chat about Vega, like each word about her eased him.

"So, when’s the wedding, with all that love?" Tiara wondered with a grin, her interest real.

"I bet he hasn’t met her folks yet," Rider chimed in from beside, smirking knowingly.

Anthony chuckled at Rider’s remark before saying, "I’ve already met her parents, but her dad’s status will shock you all. Care to guess?" Fun danced in his gaze.

The quartet pondered deeply, tossing out wild name after name, each wilder than before, yet every single one missed the truth entirely.

"Klaus," Anthony revealed, grinning widely.

"KLAUS!!!!" Rider, Bringer, Bryan, and Tiara shouted together in unison, stunned voices echoing as shock swept the space.

"Klaus, the weapon instructor, has a daughter?" Rider blurted, utterly floored, his cool cracking for a moment.

"Check your info networks about Klaus later, so don’t grill me on him," Anthony cut in preemptively, spotting the incoming barrage of questions from afar.

"Damn," Bryan muttered, blindsided by the bombshell, his face etched with total astonishment.

The crew killed a few minutes throwing around guesses on whatever crossed their minds; naturally, Anthony stayed mum, neither verifying nor refuting Klaus details, letting them sink into their wild speculations and hunches.

"So, you spoke about dates before, how many dates have you both been on, and if you can, tell us about your first date," Tiara inquired while locking eyes with Anthony. Having endured a prolonged engagement herself, she felt captivated by these romantic accounts, and Anthony struck her as the ideal one to question.

Anthony grinned as recollections of first meeting Vega at the Military café filled his thoughts; he gave his head a light shake before replying, "Our first date kicked off just like any ordinary outing, complete with restaurants and the like, but Vega isn’t one to hit eateries on dates for dishes she could whip up herself at home." He stopped briefly, as if reliving the moment in sharp clarity. "From there, we headed to an archery club—or station, or whatever the term is—for a contest to decide the champion," he pressed on, only for Bryan to cut in abruptly.

"I hope you let her win?"

"I didn’t, I won," Anthony responded swiftly, his voice plain and direct.

"Come on, bro, don’t you know a gentleman’s supposed to let her take the win?" Rider pointed out, giving his head a slight shake.

"Please, not all women are so delicate, and Vega would’ve hated me holding back on her," Anthony declared, sounding like he was mounting a defense, his voice steady and unyielding.

"Please, disregard these single guys and keep sharing your story," Tiara urged, determined to stop more interruptions for Anthony.

"Next up, we hit an auction house and bid on every single item up for grabs, even without wanting any of it. Some pompous jerk tried throwing his family name around to intimidate us, so we put a bounty straight on his head, sparking total pandemonium in the auction house," he held off for a second, giving their minds time to envision it. "Then came the aquarium; turns out Vega’s crazy about fish. She identified every fish there, complete with their backgrounds and all the details."

A warm smile bloomed on Anthony’s lips as Vega’s vivid image sprang to life in his mind. "If Vega weren’t Klaus’s daughter or so incredibly gifted, she could’ve become a marine biologist or similar," he reflected, pausing once again. "And I bet in some other reality, her alternate self roams the stars studying aquatic species and their rarities," he finished, his voice soft and brimming with fondness, as if he’d gladly chase after her on that adventure.

’Maybe we could even go to a timeline of fish during our one-year relationship anniversary or her next birthday,’ Anthony mused inwardly, lost to the four people across from him, his thoughts wholly consumed by Vega. In that instant, he was purely a man smitten, drifting in visions of his beloved.