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Noelle knew that although Emilia could sometimes be quite mischievous, she was still extremely clever when it came to dealing with her 'enemies', like an adorable little fox with very sharp teeth.
And for better or for worse, the girl had clearly put the future heir of the number one corporation in the world in that very same category.
Thankfully, the crimson-haired girl didn't tease her too much, and frankly confessed some of her plans. But the more she heard, the more Noelle felt worried for her future. 'Does Emilia have some delusions about world conquest? She actually wants to do something like this?! No, more importantly…'
The gray-haired girl couldn't help but frown. "Are you being serious right now?"
Emilia tilted her head with a smile. "Of course. Don't worry, Noelle, all you have to do is stand by my side, and stare at them menacingly. That's all."
Noelle sighed. "Although I can't fault you for being ambitious, is there any need to put yourself at risk like this?"
"I'm not taking any risk at all, though?"
"Acting weak in front of people with ill intent can never be truly safe, Emilia. Even if I'm going to stick by your side, there might be instances where you will have to either give up your 'plan' or put yourself at risk."
Before the crimson-haired girl could refute, the door was opened without a knock, and a tall shadow came rushing towards the younger girl before picking her up off of Noelle's lap with a squeal.
Of course, only Sam would be daring enough to enter this office unannounced.
"Why didn't my little darling tell me she was coming, huh?!"
Emilia couldn't help but giggle as she was spun around by her older sister. "I knew you were busy these days, so I didn't want to disturb you."
"Huh? Which moron told you that? I'm never too busy for my little baby—!"
Feeling a dark gaze on her back, Sam turned around, and felt a chill run up her spine when she saw Noelle's glare. "R-Right, did I tell you girls how I learned a new abbreviation today? A-Ahem, s-so, when I say m-moron, I actually mean 'Magnificently Outstanding and Radiantly Outperforming Nice-person', you know?"
Noelle's dark look didn't fade at all, but Emilia took pity on her older sister and decided to 'diffuse the situation'. "By the way, big sis, are you familiar with the Gray Wolfe Corporation?"
Sam couldn't help but be confused as she set the younger girl back on her feet. "Huh? Those guys? Why, what's wrong?"
Emilia smiled. "Nothing's wrong. It's just that their 'future heir' is in our city right now, and I thought we could use this to our advantage."
Samantha scratched her head with a frown. "I don't really get it?"
The crimson-haired girl knew that her older sister couldn't be blamed for being confused. After all, even if the future heir of the Gray Wolfe was in their city, from Sam's perspective, it had nothing to do with them at all.
But once Emilia let her in on some of her plans, Sam finally understood what was going on, and also why Noelle looked so mad.
The taller girl couldn't help but furrow her brow in anger. "I can't let you do that!"
Of course, Emilia already expected her response, and her smile didn't fade at all as she kissed the older girl's cheek in reassurance. "Don't worry, big sis. I'll keep Noelle by my side every time we meet, and even if she's not available in an unlikely scenario, there's always Dixie."
Although Sam would usually give in to her little sister's demands with little to no resistance, that was only the case when Emilia was just being willful. If the matter came down to the girl's own safety, however, how could she agree so easily?
And to make matters worse, Noelle also supported Sam on the matter, making Emilia have a massive headache as she tried to reason with the two.
After a few minutes of futile arguments, Emilia had finally had enough as she bit her lip in annoyance. 'I-I think my head is going to explode at this rate!'
Cynthia couldn't help but chuckle. "Want me to help you out?"
Emilia blinked in surprise. 'Can you?'
The raven-haired girl chuckled smugly. "Of course, who do you think I am?"
Emilia quickly nodded in her mind. 'Then yes, obviously? Tell me how to convince them, what are you waiting for?!'
Seeing her partner's enthusiasm, Cynthia couldn't help but have the thought of teasing her. It would be nice to see the girl get a taste of her own medicine, after all. "Fufu… why don't you beg me a little?"
Contrary to her expectations, however, Emilia's voice was filled with delight. 'Pretty please, Cynthia! You're the most beautiful and charming lady I have ever met, ah! Your eyes like the dark sky are so fascinating, and your beautiful hair is like the most exquisite silk in the universe! Like the cool embrace of the night after a hard day at work, when I look at you, I—'
Cynthia felt like her head was going to explode from shame. "S-Stop! T-That's enough, I-I'll tell you."
Why hadn't she realized her villainess had such a great 'talent' for flattering people?
After telling the crimson-haired girl her idea, before Emilia could get another word in, Cynthia quickly rushed away into isolation with a click, leaving her partner blinking in amusement.
Of course, Cynthia's idea was more absurd than 'genius', and also needed her to be shameless enough, but Emilia realized that it was quite effective all the same.
And so, Noelle and Sam, who had been fiercely trying to dissuade Emilia, could only be stunned on the spot as the younger girl's eyes suddenly pooled with unshed tears.
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Emilia could only sigh contently in Sam's embrace after Noelle left to bring her a cup of coffee. 'Cynthia was right. I don't have to be reasonable all the time, ehehe…'
Of course, she still preferred to reason with people and convince them logically, but if emotions were getting in the way of their understanding, there's no other way but to be unreasonable, right?
Feeling the older girl run her long fingers through her crimson locks, Emilia couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, big sis. I knew you would agree!"
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Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the Black Tiger's side was cold and gloomy as Mr. Black stared at the boy on the bed coldly. "What did you just say?"
Despite being covered in heavy plaster and bandages, Amos still decided to slap his thigh angrily. "I said this was all the fault of that bitch whore from the White family!"
Of course, he immediately regretted his decision as pain exploded from both his arm and leg.
The expression on the buff man's face turned solemn as he sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Speak slowly and clearly, what happened?"
Unfortunately, the mood of the hero had gone from bad to worse, causing him to glare at his father hatefully. "Why were you so fucking late anyway?! That house was clearly only a few kilometers from the city border, it should have taken you barely a few minutes to get there, right?!"
Mr. Black's face turned dark. "Is it not good enough that I found you?"
How could it be so simple to find someone in a city like theirs without any proper lead to go on? His son made it sound like he already knew exactly where to go! He already felt that they were quite lucky to discover him as quickly as they had, and in one piece.
Of course, to Amos, his words had a completely different meaning. 'T-This bastard! Does he mean to say that he wouldn't even come to save me if he didn't feel like it?! Bastard! How dare he?! Everything he has should belong to me, anyway! Mom left it to me, not him!'
Mr. Black didn't know the twists and turns in the hero's heart, and only frowned dismissively. "Forget about those things, explain to me clearly what you meant earlier!"
Amos felt like his heart was going to explode from rage. "Minor things? Ahahaha… so for me to go through excruciating torture and humiliation is just some minor thing, is it? You bastard... I knew it, I knew it!"
Mr. Black wasn't a very patient man to begin with, and he had long since been used to being treated with respect, reverence, and fear. How long had it been since someone dared to call him a bastard to his face?
The fact that it was his own son, who he had raised to inherit everything he worked so hard for, only made the matter worse.
Despite the poor state the boy was in, the buff man couldn't control himself at all, and Amos was stunned when a heavy smack landed on his face, almost sending him flying off the bed as dark spots spun in his vision.
It took the hero almost a full minute to realize that he had been slapped by his father.
Although this wasn't the first time that his father had humiliated him so, and Amos had long since harbored hatred in his heart, for a moment, the hero still couldn't believe that the man truly didn't care what he had been through at all.
But the fact that the man dared to do so when he had already gone through so much finally made the hero realize something in his heart, and he couldn't help but laugh crazily. "You bastard, are you finally showing your true colors?!"
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