Arthur Gray was the patriarch of the Gray family. This elderly, white-haired man was the backbone of the family, and without a doubt, upon his death, the Gray family's status would plummet to a new low.
At that point, it might even be difficult to hold onto the family fortune.
Moreover, even if not for the sake of the Gray family, surely no one, especially the wealthy and powerful, would willingly choose to die quickly. They cling to life fiercely. For Arthur Gray, if he could continue to live, any price was worth paying—
Diana Gray, his daughter-in-law, understood this well. Upon hearing from her best friend that someone could save the old man, she agreed without a second thought. As Mia Collins was known in their circle for being reliable and serious, Diana trusted her friend's character; Mia wasn't a woman who spoke nonsense or acted recklessly.
However, wasn't this person too young?
Diana Gray and the maid Sheryl simultaneously directed their gazes toward Kai, the mysterious young man in a T-shirt and a baseball cap that obscured half his face. Their expressions were full of confusion.
"Mr. Kai," Mia Collins didn't mind her friend's suspicious look. She adopted a respectful attitude and stood behind Kai, a subtle action that elevated his status in the eyes of outsiders.
The fact that even Mia treated him with such deference calmed Diana's nerves somewhat.
But it wasn't enough.
Kai surveyed the people present. Besides the dark-haired beauty Diana Gray and the blonde maid Sheryl, there were two people standing by the entrance—Diana's daughter, Lena, and her fiancé.
Turning back to Mia, Kai gave her a subtle wink. The next second, the surrounding time suddenly froze in a monochrome grey. Kai adjusted his baseball cap and pulled at the collar of his shirt.
He walked past the motionless Diana Gray and Sheryl, briefly pinching their cheeks as he went, and finally stood before the opulent mansion. "The Old Bird's Nest? This villa is certainly lavish."
The aura of extreme wealth was palpable. Even Mia's own mansion wasn't this grand. This was the essence of old money. Kai casually strolled through the main doors as if returning home.
"It's rich, but a bit too cold," he mused. Whether it was due to too few occupants or something inherently wrong with the Gray family, the atmosphere inside the villa was gloomy, silent, eerie, and frigid despite the sunny weather outside.
One might mistake it for a haunted house.
Of course, these details weren't important to Kai. The time he had banked during the stop was rapidly draining, but with nearly two hundred years of lifespan collected, a little extravagance was harmless.
The most important thing was delivering a shocking, unforgettable impact to Arthur Gray.
In the bedroom, Kai slowly pushed the door open and saw the white-haired old man lying in bed. His color was poor, and his life was clearly like a flickering candle—ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"Who are you..."
The old man, unaffected by the 'time stop,' strained his head to look at the stranger who had emerged from behind the gradually opening door. Even though he couldn't see the boy's face clearly, the old man could tell he was young.
Beyond his youth, the boy possessed a unique aura...
As the Gray family patriarch, Arthur Gray could sense it, even with his failing eyes.
The old man spoke weakly, his voice barely audible. It was unclear how many nights he had left. Kai slowly walked to his bedside. His footsteps were unusually clear in the quiet room. Only then did Arthur Gray notice the strangeness of his surroundings.
The sight of Mia and Diana outside the villa frozen mid-step, the security cameras standing still, and even the doctors in white coats in the room seemingly paralyzed by a spell—all pointed to an extraordinary situation...
"What, what did you do?"
Though he had been in high society for most of his life and was worldly, Arthur Gray had never witnessed such a terrifying scene. Suddenly, the various bizarre legends he had heard decades ago resurfaced in his mind.
Was he... living a legend?
"Who are you?"
"Who I am is irrelevant. What matters is you," Kai pulled down his cap brim. "Arthur Gray? You are about to die."
"..."
The old man's face was expressionless, attempting to maintain composure.
Kai chuckled, his laugh sounding both near and far, causing the old man to feel disoriented. "Arthur Gray, do you want to live?"
"You—"
In the room, the old man and the young boy were locked in a conversation known only to them. The two faced off, their aura completely opposite. Arthur Gray, who had lived most of his life, still couldn't escape the fear of death.
The higher one's position, the less one wants to die.
The Gray family patriarch was no exception.
"You... can save me?"
"That is the simplest thing," Kai didn't care if the man was gravely ill, poisoned, or simply at the end of his lifespan. None of it mattered. His [Time Manipulation] could grant the old man a new life.
"I can give you time. Not even God can steal your lifespan from me," Kai's words made the old man's clouded eyes light up. "I can make your wish to live come true!"
"But—"
Changing his tone, he continued, "What are you prepared to trade for this precious lifespan? For the time that will allow you to continue living?"
"Lifespan... time... the capital to continue living..." Arthur Gray stared at the ceiling, muttering the words repeatedly. "As long as I can live, I will accept any price."
"Money, power, beautiful women... What do you desire? I will hand it all over to you, as long as you let me live, as long as you grant me the lifespan to continue existing," Arthur Gray's aged face suddenly twisted, becoming strained and fierce as he stated heavily, "I will regret nothing, no matter the cost!"
"Such resolve, old man. You are making a deal with the Devil, you know—"
"Isn't that wonderful? Huff, huff..." Gasping for air, veins bulging, he continued, "I was once prepared to meet my end, lying in this bed, but I unexpectedly discovered a hope to live. As long as I can live, even if it is a Devil, I will gladly accept it!"
His old, murky eyes glowed with dazzling hope, fixed firmly on the boy who called himself 'the Devil.'
"You should count yourself lucky that I am a relatively benevolent Devil," Kai smiled and flicked his cap. He held up a finger. "One year of lifespan, one hundred million dollars."
"This is a temporary price. If you wish to make further transactions later, you are always welcome, but the price then will not be this cheap."
So, the price is cheap now, is that it?
For Arthur Gray, however, it genuinely was cheap, because... if lifespan is something that can be bought with money, then it is indeed inexpensive.
"...Deal."
Buzz—
The colorless sky and the world frozen by the time stop returned to normal. Diana Gray's eyes regained their vitality, and she looked around in confusion. "Huh? Where is that person?"
In her perception, the strange boy who had been standing right in front of her a second ago had vanished in the blink of an eye, giving her quite a scare.
While she was still bewildered, the sound of footsteps behind her made her and the maid turn around. They watched as two figures slowly materialized from the inner room. Diana's mouth dropped open, and an unbelievable shock was plastered on her face.
"Father?!"
"Diana," the white-haired man, now looking healthy and full of vigor, stood tall. The boy in the baseball cap stood beside him, a slight smile on his lips. "Go prepare a banquet. I want to properly entertain our distinguished guest."
"...Yes, Father."