Costa glanced upstairs again and chuckled, "Looks like Miss Tessa was moved by what I said earlier. She's planning to openly approach Dr. Raymond. Should we give him a heads-up?"
Juggernaut shook his head and replied, "To be honest, I still don't fully know what Dr. Raymond is really about. This is a good chance to observe him—see if there's anything off."
"You're playing with fire..." Costa frowned slightly. "You saw for yourself how strong Raymond is. If Tessa really pulls him to her side, the one who's going to have a problem is you. Are you sure about this?"
"Old friend, you still don't fully understand the world of empowered beings," Juggernaut laughed, patting his shoulder. "You think Hellfire Club's greatest strength is money? Or influence?"
"The greatest strength of the Hellfire Club… is me."
"As long as I'm still here, no matter what secret plans they cook up, they'll have to keep hiding them."
"If Dr. Raymond really does have any thoughts he shouldn't have—or if Tessa manages to recruit him and he makes the wrong choice… then that'll just be a perfect excuse to clean house. I'll look forward to that day."
With that, Juggernaut raised his glass and drank the rest in one go.
It was clear—he had full confidence in himself.
Even after sparring with Raymond and watching him defeat Longshot, his confidence hadn't shaken.
That could only mean one thing—Juggernaut hadn't shown his true strength yet. Even though Raymond was strong enough to beat Longshot, Juggernaut was still sure he could take him down.
Costa didn't say anything more. He smiled and finished his drink too.
But deep down, he disagreed.
If superpowers were really everything, then why was it a normal person like him who first noticed Tessa's suspicious behavior?
After all, both the White Queen and Black Queen possessed psychic abilities. Especially Emma—the White Queen—she was one of the strongest telepaths out there.
And yet, neither of them had ever picked up on Tessa's secret.
In the end, it was him who noticed.
In his eyes, supers had one big weakness—they believed too much in their powers.
They thought their abilities were all they needed.
But if he, a normal person, had been the one to act the same way as the White Queen, Tessa would've realized right away she had slipped.
It was precisely because he was ordinary that she let her guard down.
Still, since Juggernaut was so confident, Costa didn't argue further.
After all, Juggernaut was his biggest supporter within the club—and there was no reason to make an enemy out of him over a disagreement.
Meanwhile, Tessa had reached Raymond's side. He was chatting and drinking with the Red Devil and Gambit.
Among all the core members, these two were currently the ones Raymond got along with the best.
Although Raymond and Longshot had become acquainted through battle, Longshot wasn't exactly the most engaging person outside of combat. He was mostly dull and quiet, only really coming alive when discussing fights.
Raymond wasn't one to force conversation, so after a few polite exchanges, their interaction naturally ended.
In contrast, he immediately hit it off with Red Devil and Gambit.
One had lived for over a thousand years and knew countless secrets of history; the other was the top thief in the superpowered world, active in both legal and illegal circles, filled with wild stories and gossip.
Their personalities also clicked well, and before long, the three of them were deep in lively conversation.
Just then, Tessa approached with a smile and sat beside Raymond. "What are you chatting about? Mind if I join in?"
"Of course not—who could say no to a lady's request?" Gambit replied with a grin.
"Miss Tessa, it's rare for you to join us . What's with the sudden change of heart? Don't tell me it's because of…" Red Devil glanced at Raymond with a teasing expression.
"Don't mess with me. Remy, where were we? Go on." Raymond waved his hand and turned back to Gambit.
Remy was Gambit's name.
"Let's save it for later…" Remy smirked. "This guy and I have a duel planned. You two chat—I'll go teach him a lesson and be back."
He shot a quick wink at Red Devil.
Red Devil caught on instantly. "Enjoy your talk—we'll be off…"
Before the words even finished, his hand landed on Remy's shoulder.
A swirl of red mist appeared—and both vanished on the spot.
Raymond hadn't expected them to leave so suddenly.
Tessa smiled, "Don't mind them, Dr. Raymond. They've always been like that."
"I get it." Raymond chuckled and nodded, then turned to her and asked, "So, Miss Tessa, what brings you over? Anything in particular?"
"Can't I come over just because I want to?" Tessa leaned slightly against the back of the sofa, her smile relaxed and casual.
"Hm?" Raymond raised an eyebrow—he hadn't expected this kind of approach.
Was she trying to seduce him?
He started to guess at her intentions.
Others might not know who Tessa truly was, but he did.
To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in the battle between Juggernaut and Professor X.
Even though he was pretty sure Tessa was a spy sent by the Professor, he hadn't told Juggernaut.
But he also didn't plan to help the Professor deal with Juggernaut either.
He just wanted to be a bystander watching the show.
But now Tessa had come to him directly—and in such an obvious way—it was a bit much.
"Play however you want, but don't drag me into it just because I'm watching."
Fine. If you want to play… I'll play with you.
Raymond was already slightly annoyed, though his face showed nothing. Calmly, he said:
"So, Miss Tessa—are you saying you're interested in me?"
"Dr. Raymond, isn't that question a bit too blunt to ask a lady?" she replied with a faint smile.
"Sorry, I'm a simple guy, not very subtle. If you really are into me, how about we skip the guessing game and have a… deeper talk in my room after the banquet?"
He paused for a beat, then added seriously, "I'm sure you'll be even more interested in me after that. Everyone who's tried says I'm great—87% of them come back for more."
Tessa froze slightly, still leaning in her seductive pose, but her voice turned stiff as she said:
"…I have no idea what you're talking about."
Raymond leaned forward suddenly, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her in close.
"Then how about now—do you get it?"
Tessa hadn't expected Raymond to go that far. She was completely caught off guard!
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