Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

*Ding Dong*

The doorbell ran in the Hekin's home, signifying the arrival of their guests.

Mr. and Mrs. Hekin answered the door and greeted their guests.

"Hello, thank you for coming, please come in." Marie was the first to act as she brought the family of four into the living room.

"What a lovely home you have." Said Emma Beneil as she took Marie's arm.

Even though they had only known each other a short time, they acted like the best of friends.

"This is my son Derek and my daughter Chris. You have already met my Nephew Brax." She said, introducing her family to the Beneils.

Mr. Beneil nodded at the others and greeted them before looking over Brax and not saying a word. No one thought it was rude that Mr. Beneil snubbed Brax by not greeting him, what father was thrilled when meeting their daughter's boyfriend for the first time.

"These are our two daughters Jenna and Holly."

Both daughters were dressed conservatively and in neutral colors, which was surprising for Holly, since she was known for her provocative clothing choices.

Even though the identical sisters were dressed similarly and hadn't spoke, it wasn't an issue for Brax to discern which one was Jenna. He locked eyes with her and smiled, paying no attention to the other sister.

Mr. Beneil noticed and couldn't help but nod in approval. Most of the world had troubles telling his two daughters apart when they dressed similar to each other. But to him and their mother the difference was as clear as night and day.

If Jenna's boyfriend couldn't even tell the two apart, it was a good reason for the father to dislike the young man.

The parents began talking about various things as Jenna took a seat on the couch next to Brax, while still maintaining an appropriate distance.

Seeing one of the girls sit next to their cousin, Derek and Chris were able to figure out who Heaven's Kiss was.

Chris didn't hesitate. "Are you really Heaven's Kiss?"

Holly smiled and politely chuckled. "That's me."

"Wow, I am one of your fans. None of my friends are going to believe me when I tell them you had dinner at our house. He, he this is too cool. Would it be alright if I got your autograph?"

Surprising to Brax, Holly was very nice and didn't seem to be annoyed in the slightest.

"Of course, better yet, let's take a picture together."

"Really?! Here Brax take a good picture." Chris said, almost throwing her phone into Brax's face.

Jenna laughed as he turned on the camera and snapped a few pictures. Holly didn't hold back, she did a normal photo first, then a hugging photo and even a back to back secret agent pose photo.

"Um, can I-?" Derek was feeling shy about asking for a picture and already had his phone in his hand.

Holly joined in the past time of throwing phones at Brax's face as she quickly agreed to the picture and took Derek's phone, swiftly delivering it to Brax.

"Of course. We are neighbors and hopefully good friends in the future."

After a couple of pictures were taken, Holly turned to Brax. "How about it, do you want any photos?"

"Sure." Said Brax. Without looking, he could sense Jenna scowling, but that was only for a moment.

Brax tossed his phone to Holly and put his arm around Jenna. "Make sure to get a good one."

Jenna blushed but smiled for the camera as her sister took the picture without making much of a fuss.

With the nose of a bloodhound who could pick up even the slightest whiff of intimacy, Mr. Beneil appeared before Brax.

The young man took his hand off Jenna, but he did not remove it with lightning speed, and he did so while greeting Mr. Beneil. If his motions could speak , they would say, "I was only touching your daughter for the photo, and even though you are here now, I am removing my arm because the picture has been taken, not because I am afraid of you."

"So you are the boyfriend that I have been hearing about this past week."

"I hope it is me and not somebody else. I am Brax Tomlin. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hmm. If I wasn't talking about you who else would I be talking about?" Mr. Beneil said dissatisfied.

"Don't give the young man a hard time." Emma Beneil said. "Marie, announced that dinner is ready, let's go take a seat." She said while leading her husband to the dining room while following the Hekins.

As everyone took a seat around the table Brax spoke again to Mr. Beneil. "I just wanted to be sure. I meet an unruly animal at the mall today and I wanted to inquire. I meant no disrespect."

"Are you implying I have a daughter that goes around seeing multiple men?" Mr. Beneil said getting angrier.

"Not at all." Brax replied without saying anything else.

Seeing the situation spiraling downwards, Holly spoke up.

"Dad, it's like this" She proceeds to tell the others about what happened earlier today.

Everyone was shocked. From the reaction of father and mother Beneil it was apparent that this was the first they heard of it.

"What is that old man thinking?" Emme huffed.

Mr. Beneil shook his head and sighed. "As long as my daughter is happy and with a decent partner, I won't get too involved."

Jenna was feeling a complex whirl of emotions. On one hand she was happy for the support of her parents but at the same time she new her grandfather well. He was a man that cared about the company more than anything.

Her father may be the President of the Slumbering Dragon Group, but her grandfather was the Chairman. He was able to replace anybody in the company, if her father went against him, he may just lose his position.

Mr. and Mrs. Hekin were in disbelief. What year was this? Are there really people who are still forced into arranged marriage?

Marie wanted to say something, but Bo held her back. It wasn't there place to speak up, at least not yet.

Mr. Beneil looked towards his daughter. "My father most likely wants to strengthen ties with the Winged Tiger Corporation by arranged for you to marry their heir. But don't worry, daddies' position at work is worthless compared to the happiness of his three treasures." He said while looking at the three women who accompanied him tonight. "I will support you." He said looking back to Jenna.

Jenna kept her head down after becoming the center of attention, but under the table she reached out beside her and grasped Brax's hand firmly.

"I have heard of the Winged Tiger Corporation." Uncle Bo said. "I hear they are quite a formidable company."

Brax picked at the food that had been served by the staff before he spoke. "They are so-so."

Mr. Beneil frowned. Over the past week he had looked into this young man very closely. Compared to the playboy, muscle head, heir Jason, Brax was a hundred times better. But if he was arrogant and didn't take this seriously, he may not be able to hold onto his daughter.

"Do not look down on the Winged Tiger Corporation, they have the means and experience to alter the landscape." He warned his daughter's suitor.

Brax still seemed unconcerned. "Worth 78 billion, a yearly budget of over 5 billion, controls three guilds in Evolution and heavily invested in real estate among other things. The Thomas family owns 45% of the company giving them the controlling stake. The heir of the Thomas family, Jason Thomas, is the head of their expansion into Evolution, but he is just a figurehead who plays the game and leads his own guild while his managers run most of the show and control the other two guilds. Conquered 7 fortress, lost 4. They acquire gold in Evolution through there merchant shops. Currently they are the fourth largest buyer of crafting ingredients, but only the 12 largest distributers. It's estimated they have over 8,000 craftsmen under contract, along with 4 of the top 100 ranked players working directly for them. Overall, they are making a decent profit in game, but they are balanced on the edge of a knife. One slip and their expenses will outweigh their revenue."

Brax said before taking another bite of his food and swallowing it down. "As far as Evolution goes, they are just so-so, nothing great."

Mr. Beneil was surprised to find out Brax was more informed than him, at least regarding the Winged Tiger Corporation's involvement in Evolution.

Seeing that her nephew wasn't overly concerned, Marie turned the conversation to a lighthearted topic.

The dinner went by fast as the two families got to know each other better and the Winged Tiger Corporation was not brought up again.

"Thank you so much for having us over. We must do this again sometime." Mrs. Beneil said.

"It was our pleasure. Please come visit whenever you are free." Marie responded as the Beneils made their way out.

As he was leaving, Mr. Beneil turned back to Brax. "I Look forward to seeing what your company can do in the future. Don't disappoint me." He said before turning and exiting the house, not allowing Brax to respond.

The young man smiled. Jenna's father had actually said something positive to him. It was more than what he expected.