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When Mr. Black first heard his son's 'request', he couldn't help but burst into boisterous laughter. "Control over the Imperial Academy? Ahahaha… Are you still a kid?"
Seeing how his son didn't smile at all, and appeared to be completely serious, the buff man sighed in disappointment, thinking that he really shouldn't have expected much. "You can't just buy your school and be done with it all. Moreover, this isn't just some private school we can mess around with, understand?"
Amos frowned. How could he not tell that his father was once again regarding him as a stupid idiot who couldn't understand how the world worked? Would he have bothered asking for it if it was impossible?
"Just say so if you don't want to do it, don't say it's 'impossible'. If the White Deer can do it, why can't we?"
The taunt in his son's voice was far too obvious for the buff man to just overlook, and his good mood from earlier completely evaporated. "What the hell are you talking about? Even if the White Deer donates more money to the Imperial Academy than anyone else, they're also just 'donors' in the end. The board may listen to their requests, but they won't just follow their orders. It's nothing like 'owning' the place."
Amos sneered. "Then how do you explain that stupid idiot getting the first place?"
If the family of that villainess didn't have complete control over the school, how did any of what was happening make any sense? Not to mention the recent results, they even overlooked her delinquency, and he heard that the bitch even had her own apartment inside the school!
Mr. Black sighed, wondering where it all went wrong. He didn't expect his son to be humble, but knowing the limits of oneself and the capabilities of one's enemies were the very basics of a good businessman. Although his son still had room to grow, the future wasn't looking bright. "Is this what it's all about? Consider how she's tripped you up almost every time the two of you clash, isn't it obvious how she got the first place if you can get the fifth?"
The silver haired boy's face immediately turned ugly. "Are you saying she's better than me?!"
His father shrugged. "All I'm saying is you have to acknowledge your opponent first for you to be able to beat them. If you never take anyone seriously, forget about crushing them, you might be the one who ends up biting the dust."
Amos looked disgusted at the thought of actually comparing himself with Emilia in any way. 'Not only does this bastard father of mine fail to stop that whore's father from plotting against me, now he's even blaming me for losing to that puppet? As if that bitch is actually capable of anything at all!'
He knew that arguing with his father was pointless, however. "So you won't do it, right?"
The black haired man sighed. After his son had been hospitalized that day, he had seriously reconsidered his 'approach' in grooming the boy. After all, what he had been doing till that point was clearly not working out very well.
After a little self-reflection, he decided that it was best to take an approach similar to that of his rival, Mr. White. The man's daughters had clearly turned out quite well, with Samantha showing negotiation and management skills superior to her father, and Emilia triumphing over his son in every way.
Neither of these could be considered high praise, though, because Mr. Black considered his rival's skills to be hot garbage, and so far, his son's actions were self-defeating enough to not require much skill from Emilia's side.
But even if he wanted to switch over from pure intimidation and discipline to 'the carrot and the stick' method, it wouldn't work if his son didn't stop being so unreasonable.
The man tapped the table impatiently, wondering if he should just give up the idea of rewarding his son for his 'good performance' in the exam. "I told you, it's impossible without making some major and dangerous political moves. It's just too much hassle with a ton of risk and almost no reward. If that's the only thing you want, then forget it."
Amos seemed to realize that his father was about to change his mind, and he would end up getting nothing at all if he kept being stubborn. "No, it's fine. Can I ask for something else, then?"
Mr. Black nodded.
The silver haired boy scratched his cheek, looking a little nervous. "Ugh, there's this girl I like, Crystal. She's being… held captive by that bitch who still can't get over me. Do you have any way to let me free her?"
Mr. Black had of course investigated the girl Amos had shown repeated interest in, but he wasn't aware of any such 'hostage' situations. He couldn't help but blink in surprise. "She's been kidnapped?"
Amos flinched. "No, but… um, she's being threatened."
"Hmmm…" Mr. Black tapped his chin in thought. It's possible that his people couldn't get the full idea of the situation, especially since the protection around the girl had been quite tight recently.
He was, of course, well aware of the fiasco that his son had caused on the day he had been 'arrested'. The boy's fault in the matter, however, was quite minimal as far as he was concerned. If anything, he just failed to control himself and was led around the nose by those plotting against him.
After all, how was it possible for the police and the media to respond so quickly to the incident if it hadn't been plotted in advance? The claws of his rival really extended too far this time.
Maybe this 'reward' to his son will also double as a lesson to his old rival. Though his people still hadn't figured out all the ins and outs of the matter, it shouldn't take too long.
"Alright, then. I'll look into it and get her out of there."
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Meanwhile, Samantha and her father had finally finished their 'heart to heart' talk, and the man leaned back on the sofa, feeling exhausted.
Even if his eldest daughter had managed to assure him that she will be able to take care of Emilia in every way possible, there was one thing that still caused his heart to shrink with dread.
What would happen if his wife found out what had happened due to his needless meddling? The sheer terror that coursed through his veins at the thought made him realize that it wasn't something he ever wanted to find out.
"Uh, by the way, make sure you don't tell your mother, okay? She'll kill me."
And like a shark that had smelled blood in the water, Samantha's attitude immediately changed from sincere and pleading to proud and demanding.
After all, wouldn't it be a disgrace to all her training if she didn't even know when to take full advantage when an opponent showed weakness in a negotiation?
Even if she had to be shameless, this was the best chance to get the best 'concessions' in her favor, and Samantha intended to make full use of it.