In front of the immaculate dining table, the young woman sat upright in her chair and radiated a certain reserve.
Exquisite platters, succulent meat and an array of dishes she had never seen before.
With knife and fork in hand, Elise looked at the dishes in front of her and did not know where to start.
Jonas, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by any psychological pressure... He handled the prime steak in front of him with grace and ease, his demeanor exuding elegance.
In a way, it was a pretty despicable tactic.
Through various psychological cues, a sense of inferiority was evoked in the young woman, whether it was through the present banquet or the previous act of taking her shopping for clothes, it was all based on the "superior" showing pity for the unfortunate woman.
In other words, the seemingly senseless actions of Mr. Jonas were not done out of pity for the girl, but out of selfish and base behavior.
Jonas was well aware that he was not a benefactor brimming with mercy.
So he would do anything to minimize the possibility of his subordinates harboring feelings of betrayal.
He cut off a small piece of the dessert with his utensils and placed it on Elise's plate.
The young woman was a little confused by his gesture and raised her head in confusion, only to look into his eyes, which seemed to have an uncanny ability to reassure.
"Eat," Jonas' voice was calm yet had a mesmerizing charm.
As if compelled by an invisible force, she agreed quietly and obediently popped the morsel into her mouth with her fork.
The sweet sensation enveloped her taste buds, a deliciousness that Elise, who had grown up in poverty, had never experienced before.
She could not help but lift her head and stare at the man in front of her with a sense of wonder rising within her.
As if the fleeting taste of sweetness on her palate, fleeting as it might be, had numbed her in that brief moment of ultimate bliss.
—She desperately wanted to look at him a little longer.
But this thought was quickly replaced by an overwhelming feeling of inferiority that startled her and ended her contemplation.
The sunlight cast the shadows of the hanging plants on the ground and mingled with the faint scent of the flowers in the air.
Exquisite food, a soft female voice announcing the news nearby, a room flooded with sunlight and the delicate fingers of a man gripping a dinner knife.
Dark memories flashed through his mind and mingled with the oppressive darkness of the cramped room he had once been in, making this moment even more beautiful.
This scene would forever be imprinted on the young woman's heart.
She feared that everything would burst like a soap bubble, which is why she constantly resisted everything Jonas brought her.
But how could someone who had experienced the light voluntarily return to the darkness...
It was a gentle trap, but compared to dying alone in the darkness, drowning in false sweetness in tender oblivion seemed the better choice...
After these days of companionship, Elise had become accustomed to her new surroundings.
The purple-haired girl walked behind Jonas every day, like an inconspicuous little buddy.
Perhaps the psychological shadows left by past events were too deep, because Elise was hesitant to come into contact with anyone other than Jonas.
That's why the little girl clung to Jonas and was almost inseparable from him.
In this situation, Mrs. Aifel felt quite helpless.
They had agreed to end the attack on the Alt Street District firewall, but Jonas seemed to have completely forgotten about it and was playing with Miss Elise instead.
This situation worried Mrs. Aifel greatly, but she felt powerless to intervene.
After enduring this for three days, Fräulein Aifel could bear it no longer and had a serious talk with Jonas.
Finally, Jonas decided to take Miss Elise to the branch in the Alt Street district.
To be honest, Fräulein Aifel had no expectations of Fräulein Elise.
She just hoped that Jonas would stop fooling around.
But what happened next left Fräulein Aifel rather perplexed.
Old Street Quarter, branch of the Weiting Consortium.
The purple-haired girl followed Jonas and tugged at the man's sleeve, keeping a close eye on her surroundings.
Everything around her felt strange, and she could guess what was going to happen next.
Jonas led her into a room full of computer equipment, where a huge screen displayed a constant stream of data.
When they saw someone enter, the room's original staff stood up and greeted Jonas.
"Mr. Jonas..."
Jonas patted her on the head, but instead of answering, he turned to the other staff and said, "Mr. Jonas,
"Next, you will be working with her to attack the firewall."
The expressions of these staff members became strange, as if they doubted the abilities of such a young girl who could surpass them. Just as they were about to voice their objections, they heard Jonas say,
"I do not need your opinion."
With that, the members of the staff fell silent.
Then he turned to Elise and asked her seriously,
"Miss Elise, from now on I'll count on you."
Elise was taken aback for a moment, but then nodded vigorously.
"Yes!"
Elise looked at the man in front of her and made a firm decision.
—Even if it's beyond my abilities, I'll do everything I can for Mr. Jonas.
That was her awkward way of repaying him.
With this thought in mind, Elise no longer hesitated, took a deep breath and moved forward.
Her shape gradually overlapped with that of the "Fusion Brain Witch" in Jonas' imagination.