The young maiden awoke as the morning sunlight filtered through the louvered window. Her entire body felt languid and devoid of strength, yearning only to recline lazily upon the sofa. Despite feeling somewhat sore, her heart brimmed with a sense of bliss.
The tender contours of the maiden's form remained unharmed, for it was a first experience, and Jonas had not overly exerted himself. Ellis peered out from under the covers, stealing glances at Jonas. He gently tousled the maiden's locks and spoke softly, "Rest well."
Though not a memory to be cherished, the maiden's heart felt as if it had savored honey, dizzying her senses with sweetness. "Hmm..." Ellis nodded meekly, delicate tears lingering on her exquisite lashes. She timidly inquired, "Might Mr. Jonas come to visit me again later?"
As the words fell, she seemed to perceive her request as somewhat excessive, hastily adding, "Not too frequently, just occasional visits whenever time permits." Upon Jonas's assurance, Ellis, as if relieved, gazed at his countenance and broke into a foolish smile.
The luxurious sofa, having endured a night of tumult, now appeared somewhat disheveled. It seemed another replacement was in order. Yet, Jonas's heart was slightly regretful, not for the expenditure of replacing the sofa, but for the sentimental value it held. Discerning not the convoluted thoughts swirling within Jonas's mind, Ellis could only blushingly remain speechless if she knew.
Of course, Jonas would not heed the maiden's timidity. Faced with such a sudden turn of events before his departure, even a scoundrel like Mr. Pierce couldn't afford to lose face. Thus, he postponed his journey to the Smolensk district for the meeting by another two days.
..........
Preparations were nearly complete, and Miss Ellis's situation seemed to be nothing more than a minor incident before the meeting. Apart from the two involved, no one else knew of this matter. Miss Eiffel faintly sensed that Mr. Jonas's mood had been rather good in the past two days, but the reason remained elusive to her.
—"I dare not ask nor ponder, for I am but a mere secretary.jpg"
Certainly, Ellis was not the only one whose behavior seemed off. Ever since the last incident, this young maiden had been in a perpetual daze, often lost in thought even while walking, and inexplicably giggling when alone.
—"Resembling a patient with intellectual disabilities."
Of course, this assessment by Miss Eiffel was purely objective, devoid of any subjective factors or envy... Well, perhaps a bit of envy lingered.
Yet, Miss Eiffel naturally would not admit to such feelings. Even if she surmised what had occurred between Jonas and Ellis, at most, she would merely spit out her discontent internally. But now that everything had unfolded, what could a mere secretary like her possibly change?
The thought left Miss Eiffel feeling somewhat restless.
—"As for the once cherished notion of distancing oneself from the scoundrel Mr. Pierce, it seems to have been misplaced at this moment."
..........
The Smolensk district, one of the most affluent areas in the upper city. The towering edifice of the Veyton Consortium headquarters stood proudly at the city's center, seemingly proclaiming the consortium's dominion over the area.
Jonas, donning sunglasses and clad in a casual black shirt, appeared far from someone attending a grand event; rather, he resembled one on vacation. In reality, with the appointment still two days away, Jonas and his entourage had arrived early in the Smolensk district to address any issues before the meeting.
"Has Miss Shiura pinpointed the target's location?" Jonas, his tone calm, inquired of the girl beside him, Miss Shiura Ryouko, currently experiencing an unprecedented ordeal of workplace bullying as a mere pawn.
Dropping her luggage to the ground, she regarded Jonas with a hint of resentment in her gaze. Remaining at Altair Corporation meant being relegated to menial tasks like toilet cleaning, and now, having to assist with luggage. If one were to claim Jonas was not deliberately orchestrating this, she would surely disbelieve it.
Though internally discontent, the girl with black and green dyed twin tails reluctantly forwarded the pre-identified data to Jonas. Despite being a titled assassin, she was merely a slightly more proficient version than the average, requiring ample intelligence to track individuals.
With the board of directors unaware of their presence, Mr. Pierce was undoubtedly clueless about Jonas's whereabouts. In other words, the roles of hunter and hunted had been thoroughly reversed this time.
Jonas lurked in the shadows, while Mr. Pierce basked in the light. And such a scenario often signaled...
"What does Mr. Jonas plan to do next?" Eiffel, observing Jonas receive the information about Pierce's possible whereabouts from Shiura Ryouko via network analysis, asked with a slightly perplexed tone.
"We're preparing to apprehend him next," Jonas replied, his smile radiating warmth.
—"Three titled individuals against one, with me in the shadows and him in the light, the advantage is mine!"