Guided by Lilia, the branch members quickly arrived at the meeting room and then entered one by one.
"Why are you standing here ?" Asked Alex to Anna, who was standing behind the door, not moving.
In general, during these meetings, only branch members were allowed to participate. However, since Alex had claimed that Anna was his partner, she wondered if she could also attend.
"Of course, you can attend," said Alex, as if he could read her mind.
Alex wrapped his hands around Anna's waist from behind.
"You're my woman, so you can naturally attend the meeting."
"Still, I'm just a maid—"
"Hush, enough with the 'I'm just a maid.' Maid or not, you're still my woman. Do you know what this means? You're the partner of the branch head. I want to see who would dare to oppose the idea of you attending the meeting," Alex said with a grin.
"Also, I'm considering removing you from your position as head maid," added Alex.
"What? Why would you do that?"
"Being a maid means that every member of the branch can order you around. Even if they won't do it knowing that you are my woman, I still don't like that the possibility exists," said Alex with a frown.
"So, you'll fire me from my position as head maid? Then what will I be doing?"
"You can do anything you want. If you want, you can spend all your time training or relaxing. It's your call."
Anna shook her head.
"I would rather be working than doing nothing"
"Hmm, in that case, how about you become my personal assistant?"
"Alex, I'm a maid. How can I be the personal assistant to the head of a branch of a noble family? I'm obviously unqualified—"
"Nope, you are not unqualified. I know that Mother had trained you in many fields, and management is one of those fields. Plus, aren't you and Lilia the only ones managing the mansion? I'm sure that you are qualified."
"Also, if you become my personal assistant, it's mean that we will be working together, isn't that a great thing ?"
"That's actually what worries me, I doubt there will be much working done if the two of us are the only ones in a room" said Anna.
"You are not wrong, it will be hard for me to resist doing things like this" as he said this, Alex started to fondle Anna's breasts.
"A-Alex, stop-" before she could finish speaking, Alex turned Anna so she would face him and then pinned her to the wall next to the meeting room and started tasting her lips.
The moment she was pinned against the wall, Anna lost all inhibitions and started kissing Alex back.
Just as the situation became more heated and the kiss became more passionate, Alex and Anna heard the sound of clearing throats.
When they glanced to the side, they witnessed Lilia and Amelia standing at the entrance of the meeting room, staring at them.
"Branch head, you've kept everyone waiting long enough, don't you think so?" said Amelia with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Yes, branch head, you wouldn't want them to suspect that you are fooling around while they wait, right?" asked Lilia with a similar smile to Amelia's.
"N-No, we are coming right away," said Alex, quickly separating himself from Anna.
"No, you can go alone. We will have a word with Anna. We won't be long," said Amelia.
"O-Okay, I will be going then" replied Alex.
Just as he was about to enter the meeting room, he glanced at Anna and noticed a betrayed expression on her face.
'I'm sorry,' mouthed Alex to Anna as Lilia closed the door behind him.
'They won't do anything to her, right ?' wondered Alex.
'No, I'm certain nothing will happen to her. Let's forget that for now and concentrate on the meeting' thought Alex as his expression turned back to one of seriousness.
'Really, everything has been built too extravagantly in this mansion,' thought Alex as he looked around the meeting room.
The meeting room he was standing in was a chamber of opulence, accommodating a hundred attendees or more. A petite dais stood at one end, providing a platform for speakers amidst walls adorned in regal, deep crimson tapestries, exuding an aura of timeless elegance.
The room is bathed in gentle illumination, bright enough to capture every detail, yet maintaining a subdued ambiance.
Even the seats on which the members of the branch were sitting looked way too luxurious for Alex.
The instant Alex entered, everyone's gaze focused on him; unfazed, Alex walked towards the dais and stood on the platform meant for the speaker.
"Before I say anything, I want all the ones under the age of 18 to leave," said Alex the moment he stood before everyone.
Hearing his words, those below the age of 18, including Alex's daughter Violette, grumbled in dissatisfaction but ultimately left the room.
"As they left the room, Lilia, Amelia, and Anna walked in and took a seat next to each other."
"Scarlett, activate it," said Alex.
Scarlett, who was standing next to a device, pressed some keys, and the device activated.
The moment the device was activated, a space bubble enveloped the room.
The device Scarlett activated was designed to conceal sounds, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop or spy on them.
"Before we start, I have another thing that I need to say".
Alex's expression became somber and he said:
"I will say this to anyone who might leak the content of our discussion here: if you do something like that, I will kill you."
Everyone in the room froze after hearing Alex's words; when they sensed that he wasn't joking around, they felt a chill run down their backs.
"I abhor traitors and would consider discussing what I'm about to say with anyone other than those present right here as a traitorous act. If there are some of you who don't want to carry the burden of what I'll be saying or simply can't keep their mouths shut, please leave. I won't have mercy for those who betray me or us, I will kill them even if we share the same blood," exclaimed Alex with a cold-blooded tone.
The previous Alex and Captain Jack, who have merged their souls, were both individuals who were betrayed and killed. So, it was natural for the being born from the merge of their souls, consciousness, and memories to be someone who absolutely hates betrayers.
"Some people hesitated; they didn't know what Alex wanted to discuss. However, if it was something so serious that he threatened to kill those who revealed it to outsiders, then perhaps it was better not to know about it. But ultimately, no one left."
"I will repeat myself. If someone betrays me, I will kill that person, no matter your strength or the strength of the ones protecting or backing you. I will kill you. So, if there are some people here who know they can't keep their mouths shut, leave now."
Despite him repeating his threat, no one left.
"Since everything is clear, let's start," said Alex after seeing that no one left.
"As you all know, our branch's goal is to ascend to the position of the principal branch within the Eswald family, ultimately leading the entire family. I've just made a commitment to achieve this, but I also expressed my ambition to elevate the Eswald family to unprecedented heights. The current status of the Eswald family is that of a duke family. However, I have no intention of maintaining this status; rather, I aim to propel it to the next level," explained Alex.
"I now understand why you warned us not to say anything to outsiders. If the emperor or a member of the royal family were to hear what you just said, your head would be cut off."