RISE OF EROS

The foursome's conversation was calm, and everyone shared their perspectives on how Andrew should approach his relationship with Cassandra. Although it was primarily Helena, Victoria, and Candice who offered advice, Andrew occasionally chimed in.

It's true that he has no talent at picking up women, but he wasn't completely useless, so some of his ideas were good. Candice contributed the most to the conversation. Cassandra and she had many similarities.

They started from the bottom and were both women in the competitive and dangerous world of business, so she had a closer perspective. In fact, Helena and Victoria only said a few minor things about Candice's main idea. Things like observing the moods and subtleties women say or do when they agree or disagree with something.

Thanks to this, Andrew was able to get a better picture of what he should be doing and, in particular, the mistakes he was making. Andrew may not be very good at trying to win women over, but he wasn't completely useless at it.

His main problem was that he didn't know how to start things, but with the guidance of his three wives, he was now clear about what he should do and what he should pay attention to from now on.

With that in place, Andrew now had a plan to win Cassandra over. Well, more than a plan, it was an idea or a guide, as there really is no such thing as a master card for winning women over.

Although they may have similarities, each person is a different world, and when it comes to women, this is even more true. It's not for nothing that they say that no one understands women, as each one is so different from the other that they don't even understand each other.

Despite this, there are patterns and similarities, and that's what Andrew would focus on from now on. Although Cassandra is similar to Candice, and that helps, the differences were the complications.

The relationship between Andrew and Candice was truly formed by a series of coincidences, and that's why they became what they are today, but it was clear that with Cassandra, that wouldn't happen.

Because of this, Andrew had to put in more effort. After talking for a couple of hours, the four of them went to sleep. Since it wasn't a busy night like the previous ones when all of Andrew's wives participated, they didn't wake up late.

Still, Andrew didn't start making a move right away. Lately, he'd been visiting and inviting Cassandra out or hanging out a lot, and that was the first thing his wives criticized him for. Showing affection and care for a woman is important, but if you're too clingy, you come across as desperate, and that wasn't what Andrew wanted Cassandra to think.

Although the damage had already been done, it wasn't too bad to try to mend things a little. The first thing was to create distance. Given Andrew's insistence, Cassandra felt a little annoyed.

She only put up with it because she didn't want to give up the business they had, as that would give their competitors an advantage. That's why her wives had advised Andrew to stay away for a while.

This seemed counterproductive, but it wasn't. Andrew's persistence showed he wanted something from her, and that could be annoying, but if, after so much insistence, he suddenly walked away, it could get a reaction.

According to Helena, Candice, and Victoria, Andrew's sudden departure would create an opportunity. They believed that Cassandra would initially be relieved not to have to deal with him, but in time, the opportunity would come.

They believed that Cassandra would feel that Andrew's absence could only represent one thing: that what Andrew wanted from her, he had already gotten, and since she hadn't given it to him, that meant he got it elsewhere. This would create a feeling of uncertainty in her, and then things would change, because now it wouldn't be Andrew chasing her, but her chasing Andrew.

Although Cassandra has the mistaken impression that Andrew wants some of her power and influence, this situation would still benefit Andrew, because the first thing she'd think was that Andrew had gone off with his competitors.

She couldn't allow that, so she would seek Andrew out, and then Andrew would have his chance. In short, the whole plan revolved around detaching himself and stopping trying to get close to Cassandra.

Honestly, Andrew didn't quite understand this, but his wives convinced him that sometimes, indifference is more attractive than constant care, because it's absence that reveals what's missing.

It was clear from this that Andrew's cluelessness and lack of understanding of women were evident. It would never have occurred to him that not chasing a woman would be what attracted her to him.

Women are contradictory beings. If you're always there and do everything she wants, they feel it's normal, and that's why they don't pay attention to those men. That's why so many fell into the friend zone in their past lives.

Simply put, there was no challenge, and that's why women practically used those men at will or, at best, just ignored them. The opposite is true when you ignore them. Their vanity and pride make them fall. They believe they're entitled to men, and if they ignore them, they seem more attractive. This isn't always the case, but you might be surprised how often it happens.

This is particularly common when the man was always attached to her and suddenly disappears, as Andrew planned to do. Just think about it: if there was always a man around, doing everything to please you, and then he suddenly disappears, isn't that a little unsettling?

This was what Andrew was looking for: to show Cassandra that he wasn't as important as he seemed. It was to give her the impression that he no longer needed her, that he had his chance and didn't take advantage of it.

This may be a little cruel, as he would be taking advantage of her, but Andrew couldn't afford to dwell on this moral dilemma right now. He only sought to sleep with beautiful, powerful women, something Cassandra had, and he couldn't stop himself now out of morality.

While all this was happening, a surprising meeting was taking place out of sight. Esternet and Lismat, the two fallen angels who had suffered defeat at the hands of the beastmen and the elves, reunited.

Although each of them had their own ambitions and were selfish, they found themselves in a situation where they had no choice but to unite temporarily or face trouble. Their plans failed, Luza died, and now everyone on the continent knew their stories and existences, so it would be difficult for them to achieve what they wanted without being persecuted.

Although they were now more powerful than when they were angels and had the ability to create corrupted beasts, this only helped them when they were unknown, as they could move in the dark.

However, everyone knew them now, so if they started capturing beasts for their plans as before, they would be easily recognized, and this would create too many problems for them. Furthermore, they didn't dare to underestimate the power of the continent.

They may be quite strong, but they knew they weren't invincible, or else their plans wouldn't have failed. They now knew that Crhono and his allies were watching, and if they moved carelessly, only death awaited them, as had happened to Luza. This is why they came together.

Although they didn't want to collaborate, the situation forced them, and they decided to form a temporary alliance to confront their enemies and then figure out how to resolve their differences.

They wanted to be the sole masters of the world, so this alliance wouldn't last forever. They would never accept being at the same level or below each other, but for now, they would endure this so they could emerge victorious.

Their plan was simple. They would unite to defeat their enemies and then battle for supremacy among themselves. Although simple, they felt it was effective, but that was only the general idea.

If they wanted to succeed, they had to plan the details. Creating corrupted beasts left and right was not possible, as they would attract attention, and they were not yet strong enough to defeat their enemies.

So they decided to focus elsewhere. They believed that if they could use the Purgatory organization, their plans would be much easier. Although this organization had lost power, it still retained many resources and connections.

They could use that to accomplish their goals, so they decided to seek out this organization and propose an alliance with them. Although their goals were different, their enemies were the same, so Esternet and Lismat believed they would not refuse.

Furthermore, the term "Alliance" was merely a cover, as Purgatory lacked the strength to oppose Esternet and Lismat, so it was really they taking advantage of Purgatory's resources. The fallen angels didn't believe Purgatory posed a threat; they only saw them as resources and free labor, so they moved quickly to find them.

It wasn't easy, as Purgatory had hidden themselves well, but it just so happened that Purgatory was also looking for them. Like them, they saw a potential ally in the fallen angels, so they were soon able to meet.

The alliance discussions weren't extensive or disruptive, as each had their own interests and goals, so they quickly agreed on the other's terms. Neither may have trusted the other, but their union was dangerous.