Chapter IX: Dragon's Hoard

"Ahh! I'm innocent!" Flavio immediately screamed at the top of his lungs and threw the playing cards at the newcomer before pushing Sylvia towards them.

"She's the one who suggested it! I'm a victim!"

"Wow." Dorotea deadpanned. "And you want me to date you?"

"How dare you turn your back on me!"

"This is survival of the fittest!"

"I thought we were friends!"

"Friendship only lasts when both are alive." Flavio dramatically whispered with the corners of his eyes glistening with tears.

"Who hurt you." Sylvia deadpanned with her eyes facing forwards to the man with silver-hair. His lips curved upwards in an amused smile as the silver frames of his glasses reflected the soft yellow light that the lamppost behind him gave off.

"Damn, Flavio. How stupid are you?" the man's voice echoed like a melodious tune that birds sang at the dawn of a new day. "You've fallen for that trick so many times now that I don't even know how many, but I know it's a lot!"

Dorotea heaved a heavy sigh at Flavio whose face froze from confusion before warping into a scowl.

"Arturo!?"

"Yep, who else?" The man with emerald-green eyes cackled at the towheaded waiter with apple-green orbs.

"God damn it man!" Flavio cursed and let go of Sylvia. "You almost made me wet my pants!"

"Not my fault, Tamodachi." Arturo shrugged as he closed the door behind him. "What are you guys talking about anyway?"

"Sylvia here wants to sneak inside Gamma's office to learn more about him."

"Yeah! And I totally don't want to!"

"Boobs."

"God damn it, I'm in."

Sylvia could feel beads of sweat trickling down the back of her neck as he watched the exchange between them. Her pink-sapphire eyes glanced at Arturo who smirked at Flavio and Dorotea before meeting Sylvia's gaze.

"You're the new girl, right?"

"Oh, uh... Yeah."

"Coolio." Arturo grinned and pointed towards the metallic door at the back of the room. "I know where Gamma puts the key, let's go."

"Oh? The boss is named Gamma?" Sylvia asked without batting an eyelash towards the other two who suddenly stopped.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Don't leave me!"

They called out to Arturo and Sylvia who had already walked inside the long, marble hallway that separated the main room of the cafe with the private facilities further inside.

"Mhmm, Gamma is more of a codename." Arturo answered. "We don't really know what his real name is."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Even Delta is just a codename Sylvia"

"Those two scare me."

Both Arturo and Dorotea nodded with Flavio's words, sympathizing with the traumatized Blondie that grimaced just at the mere thought of them getting caught.

"Is the boss that scary?"

It was normal for employees to be scared of their boss or managers in fear of losing their jobs yet the three of them showed a greater amount of terror each time they talked about the man called Gamma.

"Oh man, I never expected someone to ask me that."

"Flavio, answer her for me why don't you?"

"Gamma is pretty scary!" Flavio exclaimed. "The man is a living, breathing machine of perfection and of pride."

"I... Think that actually summarizes the boss really well." Dorotea mumbled in a surprised tone as Arturo fished out a golden key hidden behind a potted plant.

"Well, that's a good answer." Sylvia muttered. "But is that all?"

The three of them shook their heads at the same time.

"Nope."

"Of course not."

"The hell it is"

A sigh escaped Arturo's dry lips as he slowly opened the wooden door that stood in front of them at the end of the long hallway. The door opened with a creak, illuminating the dimly lit room with light from the outside.

"Well... I guess it'll make more sense to look here."

Sylvia stated as she walked inside the room without waiting for the others and immediately flicked the light switch right next to the door.

A table filled with documents towering up towards the ceiling stood at the center of a dark-oak table that sat at the very back of the room. Monitors filled the left wall, playing the security footage of the several cameras scattered around the building and its surrounding areas.

Gasps of amazement echoed out around the room as Flavio, Dorotea, and Arturo walked inside.

"So, this is the Boss room."

"... It isn't like what I imagined to be like."

"Yeah, I imagined more whips and metal cuffs probably stacked on top of another right next to a pair of knives and a shotgun."

"How active is your imagination." Sylvia deadpanned at Flavio before sitting on the recreational portion of the room that was consisted of two black couches and a glass coffee table in front of a giant LED flat screen TV.

"That isn't really far from our own thoughts though." Dorotea mumbled. "Mine just had more blood than whips."

"Mine had skulls."

"... You guys are exaggerating now."

The four of them took seats on the vacant couches, disappointment and confusion etched in their faces.

"I thought he would be way scarier or weirder since he serves horse meat. "

"Well, he did murder someone's entire horse farm since they crossed him." Flavio wistfully sighed.

"... What?"

"Hey, at least he sold the meat" Arturo countered. "He can make a profit out of anything, heck he started this business with a single piece of axia."

"Hold on, what are you guys saying?"

"Heh," Dorotea scoffed. "Don't tell me you guys even forgot that one time when people came inside the cafe and he—"

"He did what? Dorotea?"

An unwelcomed voice rang out inside the office making each one of them freeze on their spot and slowly turn their gaze towards the door where a lavender-haired woman with Chartreuse colored eyes stood with an unnerving smile.

"D-Delta!?" the four of them screamed at the top of their lungs as Delta merely giggled and closed the door.

"Oh my, can any of you tell me what's going on here?"

Sylvia swore that she would never plan to sneak inside the office ever again after that night.