Can you repeat that?

With this commotion, the talk naturally came to an end. Olivia said her hasty goodbyes and went to help up Su clan's first young lady. I wasn't able to fight back a chuckle at the absurdity of this situation.

I shook my head and ended the call.

"This girlfriend of yours looks interesting," Helen noted.

"She is," I easily agreed.

"Don't you think she is a bit too accepting, though?" A valid question.

"I do." I shrugged. "But since she also put effort into acting according to her words, I don't see anything wrong with that."

"I see. I can respect that." She nodded. "Hey, darling, should I act the same way?"

My instinctual reaction was to repeat my usual spiel about 'showing me her true self', but I remembered Olivia's reaction to an answer like that.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to let my opinion be known.

"Do you want a short answer or a long one?" I still tried to avoid it.

"Hm, a long one, please." Helen trashed my hopes.

I looked at my ex-ex-girlfriend. I really need to think about the way I should call her, eh? Helen felt my stare and gave me another one of her brilliant smiles.

I sighed.

"I would've liked to say that it's up to you, but, in all honesty, I really would prefer you to at least put some effort into, if not becoming friends with them, then at least peacefully coexisting." It wasn't the most eloquent speech I ever gave, but that should be enough.

After hearing my words, Helen fell silent for a few minutes, completely focusing on the road.

"Will it make you happier?" Again with that question.

"Not having to deal with extra drama between people I care about? Yes, it certainly will." An easy answer.

"I will give it a try." Another minute or so of quiet contemplation went by before Helen finally broke the silence again. "I won't start anything, but I will keep the right to retaliate."

"That's all I truly am asking for." I put my hand on her thigh and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "If it's of any help, you can think about this as a chance to get some actual friends. As Just Helen."

I gave her thigh another reassuring squeeze. And another one.

"Are you trying to cop a feel here?" Oh, she was fast to catch on. I tried to take my hand away from her leg, but she put her hand on top of mine. "I don't remember telling you to stop."

I accepted this invitation and expanded the scope of my actions, gently massaging her leg from knee up.

"Darling, can you tell me more about these women?"

"Hm." I put some thought into it. You are already acquainted with Claire."

A nod.

"For Bella, Isabella Alvarez. Yes, that Alvarez woman." I answered her unasked question. "I think you will find her experience in running a business interesting, both on the above-ground and underground sides of it. As for dealing with her on a private level… Basically, she is a female version of me. For better or for worse. Be ready for her to hit on you, but she will respect your boundary if you set one."

Mostly to not anger me, but this was better left unsaid.

"As for Olivia," I paused for a moment. "I think you will actually find it easy to befriend her, and, most likely, you will have a lot of fun spoiling her rotten. For someone who claims to be materialistic, she really is too innocent. Just let me put it straight: the girl has some deep-rooted insecurities. And I will be actually angry at you for even trying to manipulate her using them."

To emphasize the point, I even stopped the massage.

"Do you really think I would stoop so low?" She sounded a bit offended, judging by her tone.

"I don't think you will, but I know that you are more than capable of doing so." I explained.

The beauty behind the steering wheel turned to glare at me. I met her righteous fury with the cold gaze of a professional. Helen backed off first.

"I will do as you say, darling," she said, lowering her eyes for a moment.

"I will take your word on that, Helen." Another reassuring squeeze followed.

Heavens, give me strength to fight off this temptation for a bit longer.

"Is that all?" She switched the topic back. "Information-wise, I mean."

"You can take your time and get to know them yourself." I chided her lightly.

"Fine, I'll do just that." She agreed. "Now go back to what you were doing, darling. I just started getting into the mood."

Hearing her best spoiled princess impression, I felt an urge to tease her a bit.

"Yes, darling." Helen seemed to enjoy calling me that, so I decided to return the favor.

Judging by how her head snapped at me, I thanked the fact that we were dead-stuck at this traffic light.

"Can you repeat that?" I heard a slight tremble in her voice.

Feeling extra mischievous and with a lot of additional recklessness from being so damn pent-up, I leaned in closer to her and slid my hand up her leg to the base of her thigh.

"Darling," I whispered, almost touching her ear with my lips.

It wasn't really a surprise, but the whole combo worked like a miracle. Helen shivered while her face went a notch redder. Finally, she bit her lower lip a bit, most likely trying to decide if she should kiss me.

The sound of the horn from the car behind us ruined the atmosphere. Yeah, sure, how could we miss the fact that the light had been green for zero point three seconds already?

Helen let out a labored sigh and returned her eyes to the road. The defeated expression on her face almost made me laugh out loud.

"You know, darling," she called out. "The idea of using a helicopter just started looking much more tempting."

The dead serious tone my darling used for those words did it.