I blinked again to look up, feeling the tiniest inkling of the pain searing through my flesh. I saw a golden orb that would have been stunning to look at if it weren't so terrible to look at, lying in the ocean sky. Shaking my head, I made my way to my car.
"Anne, let's move on." I assume the elderly woman was already making every effort to be calm once more.
"Indeed, Madam Scarlett." The automobile continued when Anne answered. The building where I had left off seemed exactly the same when I glanced in front of it five years earlier, despite a drastic difference in appearance. Who would have imagined back then that the lost heiress of a multibillion-dollar business would be a broken and lost young orphan woman?
Even I wouldn't think that way because, in my previous life, I would have only been able to secure my future with Lucas if I had earned enough money to cover my future costs and my meals. However, at that moment, the impressionably innocent young lady was no longer visible anywhere.
I made an effort to hold onto what was in front of me, but all I could manage was air coming out of my hands. It would invariably lead to a ferocious devotion to vengeance.
When I heard Anne's quiet voice say, "We're already here, Madam Scarlett," I turned to glance around. I gave her a nod before opening the door and taking off my spectacles.
Workers in front of the massive entryway firm bowed and lined up in a parallel formation.
I felt like my lips would remain flat even when I lifted my eyebrows and gave them a nod. I straightened my coat and headed for the lift. Since the lift is exclusively used by VIPs, Anne and I were the only people inside.
The door closed and a young man knelt in front of it, bending. In an attempt to shield me from the needless attack, I arched an eyebrow as Anne moved in front of me, but it worked the other way around.
The young man continued to kneel while holding a bag in his right hand. He was dressed in the same outfit as every other employee. It lasted only a second, and then he was breathing like a crazy person who had run a thousand miles to reach his destination.
He lifted his face, and I noticed that he was wearing these spectacles and grinning broadly at the sight of just Anne and myself inside.
"Fortuitously," he said, raising his fist to the sky. Then he went in and selected a number.
"Who are you to barge in here, young sir?"
"Oh, is introducing names in the lift the norm these days? I'm sorry I was ignorant of this! Call me Luke, I'm Lucier Elden. I was employed yesterday, so please be kind to me as I'm new to this organization," he remarked, bowing.
I saw Anne's response, and I would pay for her reply because it is so precious.
"Young man, pay attention, this isn't a joke."
Grasping one of Anne's shoulders, I was able to halt her. I shook my head and she managed to glance at me. Her eyebrows wrinkled because she must have noticed my smile.
"Madam Scarlett?"
"Anne, it's alright. Instead, I turned to face the young man and said, "Just let it pass."
Conversely, Anne remained at my side rather than behind me. Since learning that I am a heiress, she has only taken this precaution.
"So, Lucier Elden is your name, correct?" I inquired while questioning the young man. He gulped and nodded when I crossed my hands over my chest.
I could see the wavering of his gaze, the reddening of his neck and ears.
I laughed.
I would always be reminded of my naive self when I saw young people like him, or was it because Lucas was just like me after those five years had gone by?
Shaking my head, I turned to look more closely at the aforementioned young man and gave him a little moment of silence.
"Is that all there is to it?" I inquired again.
He replied, "Y-Yes, M-Madam," and I gave a nod.
"So, what division do you work in?"
"Madam, I work in the marketing and sales department."
"That's on the ninth floor, is that correct?"
The young man said, "Y-Yes, madam," and I laughed.
His behavior and every aspect of him convey the same message about a person who was once extremely dear to me.
"What do you know? Are you okay with us hanging around for a little while if you have some free time?" When I inquired, I heard the young man and Anne both gasp.
The young man called Lucier took my hands and ran a palm over them, his eyes brightening.
"I'm grateful. I would be happy to do it! I have a friend at last! So, madam, what is your name?" He said it without hesitation, just as before, and I had to assume that, like me, before I met those two, he had been hired alone and had no friends.
However, Anne hit Lucier's right away, which made me laugh.
"Ouch, ma'am, that hurts!" After saying that, Lucier quickly released my hands. Anne was breathing heavily, so I leaned in closer to try to calm her down, but I suppose that wouldn't be enough until the young man was out of her line of sight.
"My assistant is just like that, so don't worry. Would it be okay if I dropped by when you had some free time to discuss anything further? Nevertheless, his eyes grew wide, and he fled right away as soon as the door opened before I could even hear him speak.
I glanced at Anne, who was now looking at me and shrugging her shoulders, after blinking a few times.
"I apologize, Madam Scarlett. I was just a little impulsive."
"I know, Anne, it's okay. In addition, don't you believe that young man had the potential to be an ally?"
"I don't know, Madam Scarlett, but he seems a little strange to me."
"Well, I'll just need to get to know him more by then, so ask Fermone to get me a few details. I'm sure you can inform Raven about this as well, right?"
She nodded, and I just laughed. Anne was a good-hearted person who would always fulfill her responsibilities. I could never be more captivated and fascinated by her for that reason, but above all, I know that I can trust her more than I could trust myself.
All of the company's representatives from multiple divisions arrived at their assigned seats as the meeting got underway.
Most of them were men, and he showed up right when I expected him to. The young man with the red hair was a foreign investor who had lived in Japan for over a decade before eventually making a name for himself with our business.
Frechester Greigham is a young self-made billionaire who founded his business at the age of eleven. Over time, it developed into a superb Japanese video game firm.
Although our company offers ten distinct products and services, all of them bear the Vermont logo. similar to what Raven has within his business.
The meeting went forward, and I presented some of the ideas for the new projects. However, this particular meeting was not only intended to cater to the interests of the other authorities and investors but also to a particular individual.
Before the Deim corporation stole this person's skill from us, Raven and I had to ally with him. No, that would not be possible when I saw the young man's promise as an ally and his need for a talent no one else could ever possess.
When the conference finally adjourned, Frenchester was among those departing.
"Madam, given the circumstances, I don't think we can pursue him." When Anne came to my side right away, she started to say such things, but I cut her off before she could finish because I was running.
I palmed the door and pushed it aside just as he was about to emerge, making a young man eye me and allowing me to be brave with a man other than Raven for the first time in my life.
"You mean Sir Frenchester?" He squinted his eyes and swallowed when I asked.
"Miss Scarlett, I'm not sure if you like me enough to come over and corner me, huh?" Though I could see the sly smile on his face, the instant I tried to imitate him, it all turned into a frown.
"Sir Frenchester, I wish that were the case if I didn't have such a loving fiancé."
With a deep, dark voice, he added, "Then state your reason, Miss Scarlett, or else I'll have to call my security and pull out all of my investment ahead." I was able to back off and sigh.
He glared back at me after adjusting his suit and brushing off some dust. I gestured with my hands that I had nothing bad in mind, but as soon as I mentioned the name, his eyes grew wide.
"Miss Valentine Hugh, Sir Frenchester, may you know her?" He grabbed my hands and started looking for a place where we could be alone the instant his eyes opened.
He pulled me into a room, shut the door, turned on the lights, and gave me a menacing look while putting his hands across his chest.
"State your concerns, and what would you like?"