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The coffee shop they were in had been quite deserted before their arrival, but quickly became crowded as more and more people spotted the beauty from the other side of the glass and inexplicably got the urge to pump a lot of overpriced caffeine into their bodies.
Many recognized the little princess of the White Deer Corporation at a glance, and those who didn't were soon able to learn about it from the others. At this time, most people were on their lunch break, so there was no loss in spending a few minutes to take this rare opportunity to admire this famous little beauty.
After all, Emilia hardly ever went out to eat in a place that wasn't her own, and usually, only the people who could enter the Miller's restaurant or the Imperial Academy's cafeteria had the opportunity to see her in person.
Before today, most of these people had only seen a few sneak shots taken at either of these two places that had been shared by overenthusiastic folk on the internet.
Emilia's image as a 'little sister' had already become quite famous thanks to Sam, and most of her fans consisted of office ladies, with the second biggest bunch being unruly schoolgirls, though there also various other kinds of people in the mix. There even existed an 'Emilia's Grandpas' Association', which was rumored to be led by a particularly powerful man.
There was no way to ignore the heated gazes on their table, and while Emilia was already quite used to it, the two men found the experience quite novel.
Of course, Alexander preened as he thought that all these people were flocking to admire his handsome face. He only thought that the people in this area were more enlightened and had good taste.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he was their target of hate. It was expected that if he went out of this coffee shop and entered an alley right now, he wouldn't be leaving without getting his face repainted black and blue.
Although Noelle couldn't tell what kind of thoughts were going through Alexander's head at the moment, the creepy smile on his face made it more than clear that they couldn't be any good.
Moreover, with his previous performance, she was already certain that he harbored malicious intent towards both herself and Emilia, making it impossible for her to see him in any sort of positive light.
Even though she knew that Emilia was just acting and would never get involved with this man, Noelle still found herself gritting her teeth hatefully. She didn't have to act to play her part at all.
The gray-haired girl wished she could just tear him apart limb from limb without a care in the world. But unfortunately, Alexander's identity made it impossible for her to do so unless there was no other choice.
The dark-haired man had already thrown caution to the wind, and none of his previous 'pretend humility' was in sight as he continued boasting about himself to Emilia. "Despite my warnings, the lady continued pestering me day after day, but since she was always purchasing some small item whenever she came, I couldn't well drive a customer away."
Of course, Alexander's purpose in telling her such stories was to make this little girl have a sense of crisis. He knew that most of these skanks liked to think too highly of themselves, and thought that he should be the one to chase them at first.
But once they realized that he was in high demand and would be taken away by some other bitch, they quickly put away their fake dignity to come chase him obediently. Of course, if they wanted to attract his attention, they would have to pay the price.
Emilia's eyes were bright as she leaned forward, as if completely indulged in his 'tale'. "Ohh… then how did you deal with her?"
Looking at Emilia's 'excited' expression, Noelle couldn't help but admire the girl's ability to act. Although she could see that the crimson-haired girl wasn't being completely genuine, it was only because she had already been briefed on Emilia's plan. For most people, she would appear to be genuinely impressed and excited.
The dark-haired man snorted. "Of course, who do you think I am? Would I be unable to solve such a simple thing?"
Emilia blinked curiously. "Ah… but how did you do it?"
Alexander knew that having a sense of mystery was important when hooking ignorant young ladies like this girl, so he just smirked nonchalantly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
The crimson-haired girl could only pout. "Aw…"
Looking at her disappointed expression, he grinned. "Heh… if you're really interested, I can always tell you over dinner."
Jake felt his heart thump wildly in protest the moment his friend's words fell into his ears. 'No, please don't agree!'
But looking at the girl's unsuspecting and clear blue eyes, he knew that it was over.
At this moment, he deeply regretted not trying harder to dissuade his friend. There had never been a girl who had dinner with Alexander, and didn't spend the night with him, one way or the other.
He'd never liked a girl so much in his life.
After knowing that she was the little princess of the White Deer family, Jake thought that he would be fine just watching her from afar. After all, even if the moon was far above his head, he could still admire its beauty and keep it in his heart.
But thinking about the one he didn't even feel like he had the chance to cherish being trampled under his friend's foot, ruined and discarded without thought once he was done, Jake couldn't be reconciled at all.
Aside from deep regret, he couldn't help but feel a touch of resentment for this friend that he had admired for a long time, leaving him feeling inexplicably complicated in his heart. 'N-No… how can I think like that? I would only be just another twenty-year-old dropout mooching off of my inheritance if not for big bro Alex. I can't be so ungrateful!'
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