10: Chapter 10 Don't Fall in Love!

The restaurant was indeed very good.

Hidden in a quiet alley in the French Quarter, the facade was unremarkable, but inside, it was a whole different world.

Dark red wallpaper, flickering candlelight, waiters in tuxedos—every dish was as exquisite as a work of art.

Madison was clearly a regular.

The waiter recognized her and arranged a corner table by the window for them; it was private, quiet, and offered a view of the occasional pedestrian passing by on the street.

Three courses had been served, half a bottle of wine was gone, and the two of them had been chatting about this and that.

Madison complained about how stupid Hollywood producers were, and Shaun told a few jokes from the police station; the atmosphere was actually quite harmonious.

Then, Madison put down her knife and fork.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin, picked up her wine glass, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Shaun with a brand-new, scrutinizing gaze.

"Alright," she said, "Small talk is over."

Shaun's movements paused for a moment.

"Now let's talk about something serious."

Madison swirled her glass, the red wine leaving dark red traces on the walls of the glass, "Officer Shaun Black, became a cop three months ago, clean police record, no disciplinary actions, no complaints—a good cop."

Shaun didn't speak.

Madison continued, "Yesterday you came to our place to respond to a call, saw that pool of blood, a pile of overturned furniture, and a group of women who looked abnormal at first glance."

"You didn't ask anything, didn't say anything, made up some Bullshit about 'red wine stains needing to be cleaned with soda water,' and left."

She put down her glass, folded her hands on the table, and leaned forward.

"Why?"

Shaun met her gaze.

The candlelight cast flickering shadows on her face, making her blue eyes appear exceptionally deep.

"Because you're smart," Madison said, "You aren't the type of idiot who has to get to the bottom of things the moment you see something wrong. You know when to shut up and when to walk away. I like that."

She paused.

"But what I'm more curious about is… are you truly smart, or… do you know something?"

Shaun's heart skipped a beat.

"For example?"

"For example," Madison said, enunciating every word, "You know what kind of people we are."

The air suddenly went quiet.

The background music in the restaurant continued, the couple at the next table were still whispering and laughing, and the pedestrians outside the window were still coming and going.

But Shaun felt that everything around him had faded away, leaving only Madison's eyes, staring fixedly at him.

Shaun could choose to lie.

He had the [Bullshit Skill], he could make up a perfect story, say his intuition was naturally accurate, say he was good at reading people, say he just felt they had a unique aura.

Madison might believe it.

A 30% persuasion bonus, plus his current acting skills, meant the success rate wouldn't be low.

But Shaun didn't move.

He was thinking about something else.

Who was Madison Montgomery?

She was mean, willful, and self-centered, but she wasn't stupid.

She had lived for over twenty years, had survived in a place like Hollywood where people ate people, and had stayed at the witch school for so long.

Her judgment of people was much sharper than most people's.

If he lied now, Madison might believe him for a moment.

But one day, she would find out.

And then what?

And then what would she think?

She would think he was a liar, would think he had ulterior motives, would think he was getting close to them with some hidden agenda.

In this world where witches walked everywhere, what would be the outcome of being considered a "liar" by a witch, especially by a witch as moody and powerful as Madison?

Shaun didn't even need to think to know!

So… Shaun was silent for three seconds.

Then he raised his head and met Madison's eyes.

"Yes."

Madison's eyebrows raised.

"I know what kind of people you are."

Shaun's voice was very calm, so calm that even he was a bit surprised.

"You are witches."

Madison's expression froze for a moment.

Then a dangerous smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Madison's voice lowered, "Words like that, you have to be responsible for saying them!"

Shaun replied, "I know."

"Do you know that if we really are witches, we can make you disappear at any time?"

"I know."

"Do you know that you're effectively handing your life over to me right now?"

"I know."

Madison stared at him, stared for a long time.

It was a long time before she finally spoke, "How did you know?"

Shaun thought for a moment.

He couldn't say he had watched the American TV show.

That was too absurd; if he said it, she would be even less likely to believe him.

But he couldn't completely lie either; people like Madison had a more sensitive nose for lies than anyone.

So he chose to tell a partial truth.

"Intuition," he said.

Madison raised an eyebrow, "Intuition?"

"Since I was a kid, I've been able to feel some things… that others can't feel," Shaun said slowly, "Not seeing, not hearing, just… feeling."

"For example, when I entered your estate yesterday, I could feel how that door opened."

"When I could feel you standing behind me, there was an invisible force directed at my back."

Shaun paused and added, "I could also feel that that pool wasn't red wine."

Madison was silent for a while.

"So you're a psychic?"

"I don't know," Shaun said, "I haven't studied it. I only know that I can feel 'abnormalities'."

This wasn't a lie.

He really could feel them, ever since the golden book gave him [Primary Magic].

Madison leaned back in her chair, picked up her wine glass again, and took a sip.

"Interesting."

"Really interesting!"

She took another sip.

"So you knew we were witches and still dared to come and respond to the call?"

"And still dared to follow me into the hall alone?"

"And still dared to talk face-to-face with that Old Hag Fiona?"

Shaun thought for a moment, "I didn't know at the time. It was later… I slowly felt it out."

Madison stared at him, her face growing more curious.

But she asked, "Do you know who Fiona is?"

Shaun asked, knowing the answer, "Your… leader?"

"Leader?" Madison scoffed, "She is the Supreme Witch, has lived for over three hundred years, and has killed more people than you and I have ever seen. That she didn't kill you yesterday is because you were lucky."

Shaun didn't speak.

Madison looked at him, her eyes complex.

"You really have a lot of guts," she said, "Or you are really very stupid."

"Maybe both," Shaun said.

Madison was stunned for a moment, then let out a heartfelt exclamation.

"Shaun Black, you are the most interesting person I have ever met."

She put down her wine glass, folded her hands to support her chin, and examined him with a brand-new gaze.

"Fine, you know we are witches. Then you still dare to go on a date with me?"

Shaun thought for a moment and said, "Witches aren't devils, or is it that… are you perhaps the same as Zoe Benson?"

Madison certainly knew what was wrong with Zoe, and even more so, she knew the implication in Shaun's words.