Meeting a Friend

Alisa went outside after fixing herself into a professional attire. She would be looking for a vacant place to buy today so she could start company. As for what company she planned on building, there were several things to consider at the moment but she was still not sure what to pick. Having no background in business proved it quite hard to open a company. 

"I should really go study a business-related course..." Alisa said to herself while driving her McLaren F1 towards the Jade Imperial Suites. 

She arrived later after a fifteen-minute drive towards the said place. She stared in awe at the magnificent high-class hotel as she disembarked on her car.

Some people were staring and whispering things at her while wondering whose rich family she belonged. It was really troublesome to bring such a high-profile car with her. She just wanted to meet someone whom she contacted the day before to talk about business. 

"Why did she have to meet here of all places? Urgh... I feel my wallet in pain." She exasperatingly voiced out while walking towards the entrance. 

When she arrived at the lobby, she was greeted by the receptionist. Alisa gave her reservation number and she was led towards an empty table in the restaurant section of the hotel in the third floor after confirming her reservation. The place was really decorated with expensive things like vases and paintings of famous painters which highlighted the place's elegance. The owner had great taste.

The person she was about to meet hadn't arrived yet, so she took her seat first and was handed a menu. Her eyelids narrowed and twitched upon seeing the outrageous prices. 

"Twenty thousand lux for a meal set... Is this for real?" She asked the waiter.

The man spoke in a professional tone that didn't sound angry nor with contempt. "Yes, Miss Hayworth. Most of the food here costs at least that much since they are quite luxurious and made from the finest ingredients procured from quality producers."

It was true. Aside from that fact, it was also a five-star hotel. It was only natural for it to be expensive. 

The waiter spoke again. "If you have trouble selecting your meal, should I suggest something that is within your budget?"

"No, it's alright. Money is not an issue. I was just shocked seeing such food prices for a while. But if you could help choose what combination is good to order, that would be helpful. I'm not familiar with these dishes." 

The waiter nodded and she recommended the meal set A which contained lobster king along with a few meat and vegetable dishes. It was good enough for two so she only ordered one set along with two bottles of fine wine that costed five thousand lux each. Her wallet bled as she took out a stack of bills and paid it immediately. It was against her principle to eat food without paying. The others might as well laugh at an assassin for having such principles, but it was what made her who she was right now. Otherwise, she'd be no more different than a bunch of thieves and plunderers. 

After her order was served, the waiter bowed respectfully and turned to leave. Alisa waited patiently and scrolled through her newly bought phone just yesterday for news. She found one related to the kingdom of Sylpharia. Apparently, the king had announced that Infernal Monarch was a traitor and was supposed to have been sentenced to death but disappeared all of a sudden.

"I see. That explains why he was in the same ferry as me. I wonder how he is doing right now..." 

"Hello there, Miss Hayworth. Sorry for being late. I was held up in some trouble just now." 

A young woman spoke to her in a rush. She looked up only to see a disheveled woman who was out of breath. This was the person she was meeting today. Alisa happened to know her while she was still on the port. This young lady had been cornered by a bunch of thugs while her bodyguards were away. Fortunately for her, Alisa was just nearby and beat all those thugs into scramming away. 

"It's okay. What happened to you Miss Jiang?" Alisa asked with concern.

"Just call me Sylvia. Sylvia is fine." She waved off her hand and sat in the chair across Alisa while reaching out to a glass of water. She greedily drank it until it was empty. 

"Alright, Sylvia. What happened to you?" 

"Some people are after me while I was outside earlier. They're really trying to sabotage my business. Curse those bastards from the Spencers!" 

She was clenching her teeth in anger and frustration. Alisa thought she escaped from her bodyguards again which was the reason why she was in trouble again. She sighed and shook her head. "Did you ditch your bodyguards again?"

"Oh? How did you know? Anyway, that's not important. Are you seriously considering partnering up with me?" Her eyes sparkled in excitement. 

"I already told you, didn't I? I don't have any knowledge related to business." 

"Don't worry about that. I will run the company along with several employees. You'll be my guardian angel instead who will keep the company safe. But of course, since you're a major shareholder, you'll have the position of Chairman."

"Eh? You don't want the position yourself?" Alisa was shocked. Which fool would manage a company that wasn't named after herself even though she would be running it alone? She really couldn't understand her line of thought. 

Still, Sylvia insisted and raised her index finger with a grin while waving it in front of Alisa. "No can do. I'm okay with the CEO position which would only be one position lower than yours. I trust you that much. How about it?" 

Alisa raised her hands defeatedly. "Alright, fine. But what kind of company are we going to start? Surely the young lady from the esteemed family of Jiang already like you already have an idea."

She grinned mischievously while pointing her finger towards Alisa. "I was thinking of starting two companies at the same time."

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

"Now, now, hear me out first. Our frontal company would be dealing with the entertainment industry since it is my field of expertise. I think we won't be having trouble regarding that one unless a nasty person would intentionally target us." 

She was really so confident with herself that Alisa couldn't help but admire her character. She also liked her a lot and she was her first friend in Eidelweiss. She would be ready to help her anytime as long as it was within her capabilities.

"And what's the other one?" 

"That would be—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a group of people suddenly barged into the third floor. The man leading them had an annoyed expression and started shouting that scared the other customers.

"Everyone should leave this place in a minute. I plan to have an important meeting with someone here. Now, scram!" 

The man was quite arrogant but no one dared to go against him. Everyone was silent and slowly stood up with downhearted expressions while averting their eyes from him.

"Let's go. We can't go against this young man." One of the customers said.

Soon enough, everyone cleared out the room except for two people who were still seated on their table. After seeing them, the young man was about to erupt in anger but his eyes lit up upon seeing the two gorgeous young ladies. He strode over to their table with a domineering aura and introduced himself.

"Why, hello there, lovely ladies. I am Dwayne Wyatt from the Wyatt family. Would you mind telling me your names?" 

Instead of feeling elated from knowing someone with a powerful background, Sylvia looked at the man with disgust while Alisa indifferently took a sip from the wine she had ordered without even taking a single glance at the man.

He was enraged. Never had he been ignored by women before. All of them would straight out throw their arms towards him the moment they heard his background. What happened now? He was thinking of lashing out at them, but the bodyguard beside him spoke.

"Mr. Wyatt, I'm sorry for saying this but our client would arrive anytime soon. We can't afford to create a commotion right now." 

Finally remembering what he came here to do, he cleared his throat first. "Oh, right. Anyway, didn't I ask that the room be cleared in a minute? Why are the two of them still dining here? Where is the waiter?"

The waiter who had been serving Alisa earlier was frightened but still came towards them. His eyes was darting back and forth between the two parties. Dwayne's questioning glare was making him sweat profusely.

"Mr. Wyatt... forgive me but I can't just chase the customers away. I'd be in big trouble if the owner finds out about this."

Indeed, they just couldn't chase the customers away without even informing ahead of schedule. If they wanted to book the restaurant for themselves, they should have made reservations ahead of time. But this young master of the Wyatts scared off the customers abruptly. How could he explain it to the owner? Either way, he couldn't afford both sides right now. One was an owner of a black card so she had to be an exceptional person in order to own one. The other was a direct descendant of the Wyatts, one of the five great families that ruled in the business world of the city of Astralis. 

"Dwayne Wyatt, why don't you reserve the whole restaurant ahead of time so you won't be chasing people away unnecessarily? Do you think you are so great just because you are the scion of the Wyatts?" Sylvia said with an annoyed tone. Her glare was so sharp that it made him surprised.

"Who are you? How dare you speak to the young master like that? You're looking for a beating!" The bodyguard came forward and wanted to slap Sylvia. Before he could touch her, Alisa flicked her finger and shot something that hit the man's wrist. His hand was flung away and he groaned in pain.

The others were shocked and their expressions darkened. They immediately stood in front of Dwayne to shield him from Alisa and glared angrily at her. The one who got it looked at his wrist and his eyes was horrified to find a red-like shell that was embedded on his skin.

"Th-this is a... a lobster's pincer!" 

What kind of person could casually flick a lobster's pincer so hard that it flew like a bullet and burrowed to his skin? There were only several people who could do that and most of them were hidden from the world.

"A martial arts master..." 

Seeing his bodyguard backed away in fear, Dwayne was now seething with rage. "You're courting death, woman! Just you wait until my client arrives. He's not an easy person to deal with. If he founds out you're still here, he won't make your lives easier!" 

Alisa pretended she didn't hear anything. Sylvia was actually worried but since her friend didn't stand up from her seat, she also didn't budge. 

Soon enough, another group of people arrived and it was larger than the ones Dwayne had brought. In the center of that group, Sylvia's eyes narrowed to get a clearer look and then widened in fear upon recognizing that man. 

"Oh, no. We're in big trouble, Miss Hayworth. That man is none other than the king of the underworld, Steve Huang!"