"Really?" Ray raised an eyebrow while looking at Isabella.
"Oh, mother, what are you talking about? I never fight," Isabella said with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Really? What about that time when you broke that kid's teeth?" Freya retorted.
"That time, the guy was too annoying; he bullied one of my classmates."
"But..."
"No buts, Freya." Ray patted her on the shoulder. "She has grown to be a strong warrior, and I am proud of her. Remember, if you face even an iota of danger, I will always be there to provide strength for you."
"Father, you are the best." Isabella hugged him with a smile on her face.
"Of course, I am the best," Ray laughed, tilting his head to the ceiling.
He never wanted to see his descendants suffer like he had, but at the same time, he didn't want them to become a waste of space—only good for show and completely incompetent.
All his children must live the best life they could and receive the best education in all of human civilization. Seeing his daughter happy made Ray feel happy too. The lovely feeling of being a father was entirely different, as if he could fight the world just for them.
"Hehe," Isabella smiled gleefully.
"You... you have been spoiling our daughter too much," Freya pouted, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
"Come, everyone gets hugs," Ray said as he embraced both Isabella and Freya.
After a long time, they separated, a rosy hue on Freya's face.
"Eh, mother, why are you blushing?" Isabella asked, confused.
"Nothing," Freya quickly shook her head, trying to distract her. "What are the plans for our birthday girl now?"
"I... I don't have many plans for now..." Isabella looked at Ray tentatively.
"Haha," Ray chuckled, rubbing her head. "I feel like it was just yesterday that you were so young, but now you've grown so much."
"I age, unlike my father and mother," she added with a hint of complaint in her tone. "And my stepmoms."
"What? Do you have a problem with your stepmoms?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but there are just too many of them," she complained.
"Of course, your father has many women, but you don't have to grow up like your father and make a harem, okay?" Ray said with a poker face.
"Then why did you have so many women?" Isabella asked, a little tentatively.
"Well..." Ray paused, and Freya, who was at the side, perked her ears up, eager to listen to the conversation. "It's because you guys give me strength. The more I have your love, the more powerful I become," he spoke honestly.
"Father, you... you..." Isabella pulled on his cheeks. Even though she was two meters tall, she had to raise her heels and extend her hand just to reach him. "It's fine if you want to make excuses; I understand that you were just too horny."
She nodded, seemingly understanding.
"Thank you, father." Isabella's eyes lit up with appreciation.
"Hmm." Ray casually nodded his head.
Then they went back into his tall skyscraper, which had been upgraded with several more technologies.
It had grown to reach the clouds, and the top floor was just a short distance away from breaking free of Earth's gravity. Ray returned to the skyscraper with Freya while Isabella went back to the lower floors.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, looking at the women with smiles on their faces at the sight of him.
"Come on, our step-daughter is having a coming-of-age ceremony, so we should also prepare for her," Vanessa was the first to speak up.
"Alright, alright," Ray replied with a chuckle.
He shook his head, then they all went inside. After that, one could imagine what happened as the planning and preparations began.
In the middle of the night, Ray sat in a chair, shoulders casually slumped, holding a slip of a photo of a man in his hand.
"So this is my son-in-law, huh?" Ray muttered to himself. The man in the photo was a bit shorter at 1.86 meters, which wasn't a bad height, but compared to his daughter, who was 2 meters tall, he seemed a little small.
In the photo, he wore simple clothing and glasses, giving off a nerdy vibe.
Ray waved his hand, and another piece of paper appeared, detailing the man's background. He squinted his eyes while examining it thoughtfully.
"This man's name is Alex, huh? No father or mother, and he was bullied in high school," Ray said, looking at the paper with a thoughtful expression.
"The only reason he was even registered was because of the scholarship he got."
Touching his chin, Ray chuckled to himself, pondering the young man who would soon become part of his family.
"There shouldn't be a problem with this one; she has found a good husband," Ray nodded with a touch of appreciation. He could sense everyone in the world and already knew about the guy's circumstances, which were optimal. There was nothing shady about his background; it was all clear and straightforward.
"But the same couldn't be said about my other daughter, Trix."
Another photo materialized in front of him. Trix was his second daughter with Grace; she was a little shorter than Isabella. The boyfriend she had chosen was similar to Isabella's but, unlike Alex, he came with a much murkier background.
That kid already knew who Trix was, and he was a retired soldier who had descended from a secluded place in the mountains. Ray's brow furrowed in displeasure.
"Hmm, he dares mess with my daughter? I'll teach him a lesson soon."
Ray's eyes turned cold as cinders of flame ignited, consuming the photo in his hand.
As a father, he kept a close eye on all his daughters and his son. It was his duty to protect them until they matured enough to know the world on their own.
If anyone dared to deceive or harm them, it became his responsibility to erase that threat from existence.
He glanced up at the bright red moon glowing in the night sky and chuckled softly.
"It's the perfect time."