"Got a superpower…?" Arthur slowly frowned, looking at Gwen with a neutral expression. Yet the attentive, curious gleam in his eyes betrayed how much of the obvious he had already figured out.
He leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms, and asked in a calm, almost analytical tone—though inwardly he was laughing at her:
"So what you're saying is that this friend of yours is a little confused after gaining powers… and doesn't know what to do with them? At the same time, she's also afraid those powers might hurt her… or hurt the people around her?"
Arthur placed exaggerated emphasis on the word "friend," pronouncing it slowly on purpose, as if to make it clear he wasn't talking about Gwen at all—but rather about the so-called "hypothetical person" she had invented.
Gwen, however, failed to notice the teasing undertone in his voice and responded with nervous enthusiasm:
"That's right! Exactly!"
She nodded vigorously, her eyes shining as if Arthur had read her mind—which, in a way, he had.
Every word he said struck precisely at what she was feeling. Every sentence echoed the doubts and fear she had been carrying since the night before.
Arthur let out a soft sigh and stood up, walking toward the kitchen. He grabbed a glass, filled it with water, then returned and placed it on the table in front of Gwen.
"Gwen," he said with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "if I were you… I'd show your friend a glass of water."
"Hm?" Gwen blinked in confusion. "A glass of water?"
She tilted her head, frowning at the glass as if expecting something to suddenly appear inside it. Then she looked back at Arthur, who seemed far too serious to be joking.
"The answer your friend is looking for is in that glass of water."
He stepped closer, lightly tapping the side of the glass with his index finger. "Look at it carefully. Can you understand what I mean?"
Gwen stared at it, trying to see something beyond the soft reflection of her own face rippling across the water's surface.
But no matter how long she looked, there was nothing there. No hidden message. No magical sign. It was just water.
Even so… she knew Arthur wasn't lying.
He rarely spoke in riddles, but when he did, there was always some hidden meaning behind it.
Even if, many times, he wasn't consciously aware of it himself.
And somehow, that glass of water made her think about control—about something simple and transparent, yet capable of completely changing depending on who held it.
Silence lingered for a few moments. Gwen kept watching him, her gaze growing heavier as her eyelids slowly drooped.
She hadn't slept well the night before, and the exhaustion was finally catching up to her.
Arthur noticed the rhythm of her breathing slowing, and before he could say anything, Gwen simply fell asleep, her head gently resting against his shoulder.
"That girl…" Arthur murmured with a faint, tired smile, running his hand through her blonde hair and stroking it softly.
For a moment, the serenity of the scene made him forget everything—until the sudden vibration from his pocket broke the silence.
He sighed, careful not to wake her, and pulled out his phone. The screen showed his editor's name.
Arthur answered.
"Arthur," the man's voice on the other end sounded hurried and strangely excited, "didn't you mention some time ago that you wanted to adapt your books into films?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I did… why?"
He could clearly sense something unusual in his editor's tone.
"A studio contacted me," the editor replied quickly. "They want to discuss a possible direct collaboration with you. They seem very interested. They told me the proposal is promising."
Arthur straightened up slightly, his gaze sharpening.
"I see. And what else did they say?"
"They want to send a representative to your house to talk properly. It would be an informal meeting, just to align ideas."
Arthur frowned, instinctively glancing at Gwen asleep beside him.
"No," he said firmly. "I don't want anyone coming here. I'm not letting some stranger know where I live."
He paused before adding:
"I want you to send me their address and contact information. I'll go there myself to negotiate."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, followed by a resigned sigh.
"…Alright," the editor replied. "I'll send you everything by message right now."
After a few more seconds of conversation, the call finally ended. A couple of minutes later, a notification sound echoed from his phone.
Arthur unlocked it again and opened the message.
On the screen, the name of the studio appeared. He read it aloud under his breath, raising an eyebrow with a curious half-smile:
"Silverline Studios…?"
The word echoed in his mind.
An apparently harmless name—elegant, professional—but… there was something off about it.
Arthur remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the name glowing on the screen as an uncomfortable, familiar feeling began to form in the back of his mind.
He glanced at Gwen, still sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, and murmured to himself in a nearly imperceptible tone:
"Silverline Studios, huh…? Let's see who's really behind that silver lining."
The phone vibrated again, indicating a new message—this time containing the studio's address and the representative's number.
Arthur read it carefully, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information.
A small smile appeared on his lips—the kind that blended curiosity with caution.
He knew nothing in this world happened by coincidence… and if a mysterious studio—especially one he had never even heard of—suddenly appeared out of nowhere, interested in his books, there was definitely something behind it.
Arthur tilted his head thoughtfully.
He could clearly feel that something interesting was about to happen.
"This is definitely a front studio… but whose?" he murmured.
---
(End of Chapter)