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With the Black Tiger Corporation keeping the hero's kidnapping incident under the wraps themselves, Emilia's preparations to prevent people from sympathizing with Amos became unnecessary, leaving the redhead feeling both happy and disappointed.
"Why would they not just expose it?"
Emilia shrugged at her partner's question. 'I'm guessing that Mr. Black doesn't want to risk the kidnappers panicking and harming his son?'
Whether her guess was true or not, the fact remained that things ended up working out in their favor. The fewer parties that looked into the matter, the better it was for Emilia.
Cynthia hummed. "How long do you think it will take for them to find Amos?"
Emilia thought about it for a while before she shook her head. 'I don't know? I think they should have already found him, but they're probably being a little more cautious in the search so as not to 'alarm' the kidnapper, I guess?'
"Hoh, then wouldn't he still be able to take part in those annual events?"
'No. With his physical and mental condition, he'll need at least a few months to recover fully. The only thing he can do in that state is arouse sympathy, but with the hero's pride, that is unlikely.'
Cynthia thought it made sense. The one thing that the hero had an abundance of was pride and arrogance, and it was unlikely that he would ever be willing to make himself look pitiful, even if it brought him abundant benefits.
Their conversation was interrupted when a sleek silver luxury car arrived at the mansion's gate, and a gray-haired girl in a black business suit rolled down the window to give her a nod. "Please get in, the doors are all unlocked."
Noelle's attitude towards Emilia had changed considerably from the days when she used to avoid the girl like the plague, and after having delayed her date countless times in the past with various excuses, the gray-haired girl accepted it readily this time.
Of course, they were technically only meeting for a short discussion over dinner, but Emilia fully intended to use the opportunity to strike off one of her to-dos. After all, she was a busy girl, and efficiency was the key to success.
Even if Noelle had already warmed up to her and started treating her more as a peer than a petulant girl she had to take care of, Emilia still had to cash in on that bet with Cynthia.
But seeing the nonchalant reaction of her 'date', Emilia was still a little disappointed in her heart as she got slid into the backseat. 'Hey Cynthia, don't I look cool in these clothes?'
Her partner could only shrug. 'I think you look the most charming in elaborate dresses, but it cannot be denied that you can wear the office lady suit well. This girl probably has a problem with her eyes.'
It wasn't often that Cynthia praised her, so Emilia was understandably a little happy. Whether it had anything to do with her recently completed mission or not, she really didn't care.
As Noelle was turning the car around, she accidentally caught a glimpse of Emilia's bright smile in the rearview mirror, and a faint thought suddenly echoed through her head. 'Fuck…!'
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When Noelle had called her little boss to make some time and discuss a few things in person, she had already been prepared for her cheeky 'let's go on a date then' response.
After all, Emilia wouldn't be Emilia if she just gave her a time to meet like a regular person.
Noelle was already familiar with the stubborn and persistent nature of her little boss, no matter how deceptively gentle and docile appearance was, so she knew that sooner or later the girl would get what she wanted.
Since there was no avoiding this silly 'date' with the redhead, Noelle decided she might as well get it over with. Anyway, she would only lose some time, and the worst possible result would only be food poisoning. What else could she get from a free dinner?
Plus, having interacted with the girl on a daily basis, Noelle had thought she was already more or less immune to Emilia's charm. If the girl thought she could hook her and get her to work overtime without compensation, her little boss was bound to be sorely disappointed.
After all, no matter how good someone looked, one was bound to get used to it after spending some time with them. Emilia was no exception to this rule, or so Noelle thought.
The problem with her little boss, however, was that the girl was able to drastically change her overall impact with just a few 'minor' changes to her getup and hairstyle.
Noelle had first realized this when the girl put on that 'skanky' dress for her date with Samantha, but considering they were going to a high-end restaurant and not a race track, the gray-haired lady thought it was impossible for Emilia to dress too outrageously.
Her guess turned out to be correct, in a way, because Emilia really didn't put on anything too 'outrageous'.
With her navy blue ladies business blazer and knee-length skirt, and long red hair in an elaborate braided donut bun, Noelle almost mistook her little boss for a far too well-dressed new intern.
The type that was ready to hook their boss on day one.
Idly, she couldn't help but wonder if Emilia had made the same outrageous choice of 'undergarments' as she had for her date with Samantha, or if that was a special privilege only for her older sister.
Her eyes unconsciously flicked to the rearview mirror, but the redhead was sitting in a very prim and proper manner, with her legs tightly closed. There was no way for her to see it from this angle.
The gray-haired girl suddenly paused. 'Wait… what the fuck am I doing?!'
There was a mischievous glint in Emilia's eyes, and for a moment Noelle couldn't help but wonder if this was why she took the rear seat in the first place.
Shaking away her absurd thoughts, the gray-haired girl tightly pursed her lips and focused on the road. 'Clear mind, clean heart! Beauty is temporary, a fat bank balance is eternal!'
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