Chapter 381 Plotting and Framing

Chapter 381 Plotting and Framing　　━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Although Mr. White had always been somewhat cowardly by nature, even a herbivore would bite if its life was threatened, let alone a father who cared deeply for his daughters.

His youngest had already suffered a lot because of his previous decisions, and Mr. White couldn't help but feel sad whenever he thought about it. 'Maybe if I hadn't tried to compromise with the Black Tiger at that time, things would never have turned out this way between these two… I can't let her suffer again because of my cowardice!'

Emilia grinned happily as she shuffled closer before hugging him from the side. "I knew daddy wouldn't abandon us!"

Looking at her partner being so coquettish with 'her father', Cynthia couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine. 'I don't know if I should be happy that I managed to raise her to be such a 'good' villainess…'

Naturally, Mr. White only found his daughter's behavior adorable, and he couldn't help but ruffle her beautiful crimson hair with a smile. "I may not be very good at it, but if it's for protecting you or Sam, I can still fight. Just let me know whenever you need help!"

Saying so, he couldn't help but feel a burst of fearless emotion in his heart. It was as if he could even face the end of the world without flinching, nothing could scare him!

Well, except for his wife. She still didn't believe what he had told her about the relationship between Sam and Emilia, but knowing her… even if she could accept it, as the 'instigator' of it all… he would still be in for a beating.

Of course, what happened between Sam and Emilia was no longer reversible, and he had already made peace with never having a grandchild to hold. After conditioning his mind for so long, he even felt like the two looked pretty good together!

Mr. White spent a little longer assuring his daughter that he would always be there if something went wrong, and that she shouldn't hesitate to let him know whenever she's having trouble.

He definitely didn't do it just to get that admiring look from her, but there was no denying that it got him in a good mood. How pleasant would it be if both his daughters could be so cute all the time?!

Unfortunately, since he had decided to fight… he really couldn't stay any longer.

While patting his youngest daughter's head with an adoring smile, he couldn't help but sigh. "You stick close to Sam and Noelle and make sure to stay safe these days, alright? Daddy will go talk to your mom and see what we can do to help."

Emilia nodded obediently as she watched him leave. Naturally, although they were doing pretty well, getting Mr. and Mrs. White's help was definitely a big plus. 'Looks like it was worth it acting cute with him, ehehe…'

Cynthia couldn't help but click her tongue. "… You little devil, you! Are you still the dumb little princess who only knew how to slave away for the 'good of the people'?"

The crimson-haired girl sighed. 'Isn't it all thanks to you?'

Cynthia couldn't help but puff her humble chest out in pride, her arrogant humph leaving Emilia completely speechless.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Although Mr. White was in a good mood upon exiting the office, he felt his lips twitch with both amusement and exasperation when he noticed Noelle and Sam pacing back and forth outside. "Why do the two of you look so worried?"

Had he not known for sure that he had never been tough with his precious little girls, seeing their behavior today, even he would start to doubt what kind of a demon father he was. What injustice! Not to mention beating them up, had he ever even scolded either of the two properly?!

Although Sam looked a little embarrassed, Noelle just gave him a neutral smile. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean? I'm only here exercising. Work-Life balance is vital for both productivity and health, after all."

Mr. White just stared at her blankly and decided it was pointless to come up with a retort. Arguing with this bunch would just give him heartburn anyway.

Compared to his adorable angel Emilia… these two didn't know how to be cute at all!

Looking at them rushing into the office without even a goodbye, he could only sigh in defeat and drag his feet to the lift. 'Although she's not cute… my wife is the best after all. Even if I get scolded or beaten, at least she won't ignore me!'

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In sharp contrast to the sweet and fluffy atmosphere in Sam's office, the aura around Amos was both dark and depressing.

With his father's help and the Black Tiger's experience in the area, all his plans had been almost perfectly executed, and except for a few instances of extreme luck, everything had been done exactly to his requirements.

But although he had managed to deal one setback after another to his opponent, their total lack of response made him feel like he was punching cotton.

Amos was more than aware that his father was using this incident to 'test him', and if he couldn't get any results at all… the silver-haired hero had no idea what kind of decision his father intended to make.

With his past experience, it was impossible not to think of the man's threat to adopt another 'heir'. If that happened… wouldn't all his plans for revenge become even more distant?

No matter how patient he was, Amos knew that he couldn't bear to wait for years and decades. Who knows what can change in that time?

But everything he had done so far under his father's guidance had been focused on hurting his enemy, and the reinvestments he had made would naturally not be so quick to give a return, leaving Amos feeling both suffocated and tense.

He couldn't help but grit his teeth angrily. "No matter how arrogant you are, I refuse to believe there is no limit to your tolerance!"

Eyes glinting with a hint of madness, the silver-haired boy sneered. "But since you refuse to bend like this… don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Amos didn't hesitate anymore, and directly started looking up the Gray Wolfe's leader and his relationships. Not to mention his wife and children, the silver-haired hero even wanted to find out how many dogs the man had and what brand of food they ate!

Would he still be so calm if he started losing them one by one? 

Of course, his proposal to directly solve the problem at its 'root' was mercilessly rejected by Mr. Black. "Have you not understood what kind of existence the Gray Wolfe is? With their control over the Nightingale clan, no matter what price we're ready to pay, it's impossible to harm them within the Carmen country's borders!"

Although the hero had been a little hot-blooded before, he had still calmly analyzed everything in his mind. Listening to his father's rebuke, though, he couldn't help but frown. "No matter how well protected someone is, how can it be possible for there to be no loopholes at all?"

Looking at his son's unwilling expression, the buff man felt like all the time he had spent on the boy over the last few months had been in vain. "Has your brain turned into a donkey's?! If you continue to talk nonsense, I'll really have to reconsider giving you this opportunity!"

The silver-haired hero could feel that his father's stance was uncompromising on this matter, and although he knew arguing would be futile, the previous frustrations still made him reluctant to just give up. "How can you say that, father? Wasn't it you who always told me grass should be cut from its roots? With some luck and enough effort—"

"Idiot! There is a difference between pulling out grass from its roots and pulling out a lion's whiskers while it's still alive and kicking!"

Seeing his son's extremely punchable expression, Mr. Black barely reigned in his fury as he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Y-You… forget it! I've let you play around enough. Let me give you one last chance to make amends, then."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

With his lack of serious injuries, Alexander had already long since left the Green Leaf Hospital, and started to focus back on his 'business'. Of course, with the Gray Wolfe's resources being split, his days were noticeably more frustrating thanks to the unexpected lack of 'investors' coming to his door.

Naturally, when his 'lapdog' handed him his phone while claiming it was a call from Emilia White, Alexander was more than happy to take the opportunity to get back into a good mood.

He didn't even notice the reluctant and hateful expression on Jake's face.

Of course, although the girl's voice was very pleasant, what she told him was very much not so, making his confident smirk immediately freeze on his face. "What do you mean someone is going to target me?"

The girl's voice from the other side of the phone was both hesitant and shy. "Um, actually, I-I'm not sure what he intends to do or why he's targeting you, b-but… do you know Amos Black?"

"…!"

Although he had been hearing news of the Black Tiger fighting against his father's company for some time now, he hadn't thought about it too much. After all, it wasn't too strange for big corporations to be at odds with each other from time to time.

But when he thought about his father's promise to get revenge for him as well as the timing of the whole thing, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath in realization. 'So it was these bastards who set me up before?!'

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━