Chapter 552 Daring [Thank you Peripharos for the gift!]
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Since the last time they had a 'talk' was when Sam asked her to take note of all the 'troublemakers' who dared badmouth her little sister, Ginny had naturally been somewhat dreading the other girl's call.
After all, given how obsessed Samantha was with her little sister, there was no telling how far she would go to get revenge on those idiots.
Even if Ginny held no sympathy for those in her so-called father's faction, a part of her still felt that it was too soon for Sam to start settling accounts now.
The turmoil in the Gray Wolfe Corporation right now was perfect for the two of them to expand their own influence while whittling down on their father's strength. But if they were to make it any worse…
Perhaps the very core of the Gray Wolfe Corporation's vitality would start taking a hit. Not to mention ever climbing back over the White Deer Corporation, maybe even staying in the top ten rankings of the world might become difficult!
But no matter how much she wanted to ignore the call, Ginny knew she couldn't do so. And given her brother's grim expression, so did he.
Gulping, her shaking finger fell on the speaker button of the phone nervously, and the resounding beep seemed to have come almost directly from her terrified heart. "H-Hello there, m-miss Sam—"
"Hey, Ginny, I'm a bit busy right now so I'll just get to the point. Our White Deer has decided to expand operations to Carmen. And while I don't think we need it, my little sister suggested that we cooperate with you. What do you think?"
Samantha's tone was unexpectedly domineering, and both Ginny and Jasper could only stare at the speaker for a moment, feeling a little lost.
It was clear that while Sam was pretending to ask for their opinion, all the major decisions had already been made, and they were only being let in on what they needed to do.
They may not be obligated to assist Sam with whatever tasks she assigned, but both Ginny and Jasper were well aware that 'rebelling' at this time would surely not be without consequences.
Ever since they started cooperating with the White Deer, the other party had always adopted a soft and adjusting approach. Although they were always aware that things wouldn't remain so rosy forever, they still couldn't help but be momentarily dumbfounded when it really happened.
Fortunately, they had made all the necessary mental preparations in advance, and Ginny quickly snapped back to her senses. "O-Of course, I—"
"Great! Then make sure to receive Noelle from the capital's central airport at five in the evening, and she'll fill you in on the details!"
The twins only stared at each other for a moment before turning to the precious antique clock in Ginny's office.
Unless that thing had finally decided to stop working properly, they barely had two hours left to prepare for the gray-haired girl's arrival.
They shouldn't have forgotten that if something seems too good to be true… it probably is.
Ginny couldn't help but slam her palm on the table in frustration. "Fuck! Why is she in such a hurry now?! If only we had a few more months, no, j-just a few more weeks…!"
Her brother could tell how suffocated she must be feeling, and he could only pat her shoulder in consolation. "We both know our current situation very well, and going against Emilia's family right now would be the same as shooting ourselves in the foot."
Ginny groaned. "That's not—ugh…" She took a deep breath to calm herself down before looking her brother in the eye. "I'm not an idiot. I remember what we agreed on when I first talked with Emilia. I know that if we break our promise… our condition will definitely be much worse than we might be able to imagine now."
Jasper nodded. "True, with the Gray Wolfe's current strength… White Deer is really not an opponent we want to face."
Of course, given how much control they already had over the Gray Wolfe Corporation, logically they didn't really need to fear Emilia's family as long as they decided to make Carmen their fortress.
After all, Gray Wolfe had both the support of their government and a stable monopoly in most industries here, so what was there to worry about?
Regardless of the strength and resources at the disposal of any newcomers, it was all bound to go to waste.
But having 'allied' with her for so long, neither Jasper nor Ginny felt confident in their chances against Emilia and her family.
His sister pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well… maybe it's only right. We agreed to this when we started, didn't we?"
Maybe they were being too greedy after all.
Fortunately, the wake up call came 'just in time', and broke their unrealistic fantasies apart.
Jasper sighed. "I guess it's time to pay back our debts, then…"
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Once upon a time, when Noelle had yet to discover the truth about her parents, she used to dream of one day returning home or confronting them.
Why was it that she had to be abandoned, and why couldn't they just keep her by their side?
Based on their response, maybe she could forgive them in her heart and introduce them to her new 'family'. After all, with how Mr. and Mrs. White treated her, although she wasn't directly adopted under their name, her treatment wasn't any worse than their eldest.
Ever since she found out the truth behind her abandonment, however, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine returning to her home country.
After all, since she felt nothing but disgust for her birth parents, for what reason would she ever want to face them other than revenge?
And with the strength and status of the Nightingale clan in the country of Carmen, the gray-haired girl wasn't delusional enough to believe that she could really pull anything off without significant sacrifice.
Not without assistance from a force comparable in strength to the Gray Wolfe and Nightingale clan.
And while Emilia and Sam would probably be upset if they ever discovered such thoughts of hers, Noelle had never considered using White Deer's strength for personal purposes.
Instead, Noelle much preferred to think she was happier just spending time with Emilia and Sam, and the things in the past were better off forgotten forever.
Unlike her, however, her little girlfriend clearly knew how to hold a grudge. Even for events that never affected her directly, and even happened before she came to this world, Emilia seemed intent on getting revenge on her girlfriend's behalf.
It was both heartwarming and exasperating at the same time.
Of course, with how stubborn and willful her 'little boss' was, Noelle knew it was better to bend to her will than try to resist her inevitable victory.
But perhaps knowing that she would be unable to resist her gorgeous girlfriend anyway had its own merits.
At the very least, she no longer needed to worry about whether or not she must do something, and just think of how to get it done.
Going through the report in her hand once again, Noelle smiled. "With the Gray Wolfe having gone through multiple major setbacks over the past few years as well as their current state of turmoil… maybe Emilia's idea really makes sense."
Of course, regardless of how much they had suffered, the Gray Wolfe's monopoly over the markets of Carmen was no joke, and Noelle knew that the battle ahead would be tough to say the least.
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