Marianne returned to the White Lion Club headquarters, located underground.
Contrary to rumors, the meeting place of the White Lion Club had no lavish decorations or precious gems.
Strictly speaking, there were no walls, only a simple cave with a table and twelve chairs.
However, this dark underground cavern was illuminated by a bright blue light, and the seemingly ordinary stones looked like carefully crafted pieces of art. The people gathered here were like kings of the underworld.
Marianne sat with the twelve people at a long table, and at the head of the table stood a man in a white robe.
The man in the white robe asked:
"Marianne, have you accomplished your target?"
The beautiful blonde answered nervously:
"President, he has shown interest, and perhaps soon we will receive his financial support."
At first glance, the eyes of the President of the White Lion Club resembled sapphire gems embedded in eye sockets, both turbid and translucent. Dozens of small gems formed a semicircle.
He said:
"There can be no mistakes in this matter. We urgently need a large amount of funding, which is an essential part of the grand plan."
Marianne replied:
"I will not let you down."
A sexy female voice said:
"I think Marianne may not be suitable for this task. Let me take care of it since it's already confirmed he's just an ordinary person. No matter what kind of man, I have the body and face that they can't resist."
Marianne sneered:
"Not every man is controlled by lust."
The sexy voice teased:
"Hmm, has little sister Marianne not tasted the forbidden fruit yet? That's why she would say such a thing."
Another hoarse voice said:
"Enough, and Marianne, this matter is of great importance. What do you think should be done with him? Should we invite him to join us or find someone to replace him?"
Marianne said:
"I don't think we have enough trustworthy people to replace him. Besides, if we could just replace him and make money easily, why would we need him in the first place?"
The hoarse voice inquired:
"So you want to invite him to join us? What position do you plan for him to hold, and how do you plan to make him willingly invest in our great cause?"
Marianne hesitated for two seconds and gritted her teeth, saying:
"I plan to add another chair here."
The room was in an uproar.
The hoarse voice cleared its throat:
"On what basis?"
Marianne replied:
"Based on his wealth being an indispensable part of our grand plan. Although there are many members in the White Lion Club, the core members who truly understand the grand plan have a total of less than 50 billion pounds in cash. In just a few days, Lite has had over 100 billion."
The hoarse voice questioned:
"How can we be sure he will comprehend the grand plan and actually invest his money into it?"
Marianne promised:
"I can tell he is a smart man. I will be responsible for convincing him."
"And what if you can't?"
"Well, then we'll make sure he has no other choice. Lite has a niece, and he even accompanies her to school. It's clear he loves her, so if he doesn't agree, we'll ensure he has no other option."
Marianne looked at the president.
The man in the white robe nodded:
"You may proceed. Does anyone else have any suggestions?"
The hall was silent.
"Meeting adjourned."
Marianne left the headquarters.
Among the twelve vice presidents, Marianne wasn't the most dominant.
Unlike her colleagues, some were originally leaders in various industries, some were powerful aristocrats, and others were not even human.
But she was merely a viscount's daughter.
Once her father died, she would lose her aristocratic status unless she marries a man she doesn't love.
At that time, she would be nothing.
If the world was unfair to her, she would ruthlessly climb to the top, and one day, she'd make everyone dare not look her in the eye.
That's why she kept delaying her father's euthanasia.
No matter if she had to ally with monsters or lunatics for power, murder, robbery, and lying had become commonplace.
The president had subdued half of the vice presidents of the White Lion Club with his charisma, and they were intoxicated with the so-called grand plan.
The other half, including her, only saw an opportunity for power.
An opportunity to become a duchess.
Inez was standing outside the door.
The silver-haired girl wasn't wearing armor today but a light-colored striped shirt and black trousers.
The only metal on her body was a silver bracelet on her right arm.
She looked at the "Fallen Wings" and mumbled:
"Perhaps I should try to temporarily block my abilities; things might be different."
As her thoughts changed, the bracelet transformed into a silver-white armguard covering her forearm. Unlike when it was on George, the armguard was more rounded, and intricate patterns were engraved on it.
"Please follow me, Miss Inez." The servant opened the door.
"Has Lite told you about me?"
"The master specifically mentioned that Miss Inez might come to visit."
The servant opened the door, nodded, and then turned and left.
Hela was rolling on the couch.
Upon hearing the door open, the girl suddenly stopped and froze in her half-rolled position.
Hela slowly got up, sat properly on the couch, and pretended nothing had happened.
Inez broke the awkward silence:
"You must be Alice, Lite's niece, right?"
Hela's tone was unrealistically warm and friendly:
"Are you Inez, sister? Lite told me about you, the white-haired sister."
The girl felt a long-lost warmth from another person, and she even wanted to cancel the barrier to feel the other's emotions.
However, she quickly realized that her first reaction to a child was suspicion. Was there any hope left for her?
'No, I won't use it, at least not today.'
Hela jumped off the couch, bounced over to the girl, and carefully wrapped her arms around Inez's waist.
The girl's body froze.
"Little Alice... What are you doing?"
Hela leaned her head against Inez's body.
"Sister Inez, Lite said your parents were very bad. Alice also has a really bad father.
"So, I want to give you a big hug. The books say it can comfort sad girls."
Inez's body completely collapsed.
'Just take a look, just take a look... What if this is fake? What if this is real!'
The armguard silently shrank as her thoughts raced.
As strong and pure feelings surged into her mind, the girl lost her ability to think. Guilt and happiness occupied her body simultaneously.
At that moment, the door opened abruptly.