Chapter 17: Please, Miss Elise.
Before the pristine white dining table, the young girl sat stiffly on her chair, appearing quite tense.
Exquisite tableware, tender cuts of meat, and an array of dishes she had never even seen before.
Elise held her knife and fork, staring at the food on her plate, unsure where to begin.
In contrast, Jonas showed no such psychological pressure… He handled the premium steak before him with his cutlery, his unhurried movements exuding elegance.
In a sense, this was a rather despicable tactic.
Through various psychological cues, he sought to instill a sense of inferiority in the girl. Whether it was this lavish meal or the earlier act of taking her to change clothes, it was all charity bestowed by the “superior” upon the pitied.
In other words, Mr. Jonas’ seemingly meaningless actions were not born of sympathy for the girl, but rather selfish and despicable behavior.
Jonas knew full well he was no kind-hearted soul overflowing with compassion.
Thus, he would use every means possible to minimize the likelihood of betrayal from his subordinates.
With his knife, he cut a small piece of dessert and placed it onto Elise’s plate with his fork.
The girl was flustered by his gesture, raising her head in confusion only to meet eyes so clear she could see straight through them.
“Eat.”
Jonas’ voice was calm, yet carried a strangely soothing magic.
As if bewitched, she murmured an “Mm,” then obediently lifted the dessert to her mouth with her fork.
The sweet sensation spread across her taste buds—a flavor Elise had never experienced growing up in poverty.
She couldn’t help but look up, dazed, at the man before her, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
It was like that fleeting burst of sweetness on her tongue, gone in an instant. Yet for that brief moment, sheer bliss left her spellbound.
—She wanted to keep looking at him.
The thought had barely formed before it was crushed by overwhelming self-doubt. The girl startled at her own audacity, too afraid to dwell on it further.
Sunlight cast the shadow of hanging spider plants onto the floor, mingling with the faint floral scent in the air.
Exquisite food, the soft voice of a woman narrating the news nearby, a room bathed in sunlight, the man’s slender fingers gripping a dinner knife.
Dark memories flickered through her mind. Compared to the suffocating, lightless room of her past, this place felt like paradise.
This moment was forever etched into the girl’s heart.
She feared it might vanish like a bubble, so she resisted everything Jonas brought into her life.
But once someone has tasted the light, how could they willingly return to the darkness?
It was a gentle trap. Yet compared to dying alone in the shadows, drowning in false sweetness seemed the kinder fate…
………………………………
After these days together, Elise had grown accustomed to her new surroundings.
The purple-haired girl trailed behind Jonas like an inconspicuous shadow.
Perhaps the scars of her past ran too deep—Elise resisted interacting with anyone but Jonas.
This made her cling to him almost obsessively, following him everywhere.
Eiffel found the situation exasperating.
They were supposed to be addressing the firewall breach in the Arte District, yet Jonas seemed to have forgotten entirely, playing house with Miss Elise instead.
Miss Eiffel was at her wits’ end but powerless to intervene.
After three days of this, Eiffel finally confronted Jonas for a serious talk.
At last, Jonas decided to bring Miss Elise to the Vetting Conglomerate’s branch office in the Arte District.
Truthfully, Eiffel held no expectations for the girl.
She just wanted Jonas to stop fooling around.
What happened next, however, left Miss Eiffel utterly bewildered.
………………………………..
Arte District, Vetting Conglomerate Branch Building.
The purple-haired girl followed behind Jonas, clutching the hem of his coat, her gaze timid as she surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.
Everything here felt alien, and she faintly guessed what was coming.
Jonas led her into a server room. At the far end was a massive screen flashing streams of data.
The staff inside stood up to greet Jonas as they entered.
“Mr. Jonas…”
Jonas rubbed her head without responding verbally. Instead, he turned to look at the other staff members and said:
“From now on, you’ll assist her in executing the firewall counterattack operation.”
The expressions on the staff’s faces were somewhat strange, as if they didn’t believe a young girl like her could surpass their expertise. Just as they were about to speak up and dissuade her, Jonas spoke first:
“I don’t need your opinions.”
Hearing this, the staff had no choice but to fall silent.
He then turned to Elise and asked earnestly:
“Miss Elise, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Elise was momentarily stunned by his words before nodding firmly.
“Mm!”
As she looked at the man before her, Elise silently resolved in her heart:
—Even if it takes everything I have, I must do something for Mr. Jonas.
This was her clumsy way of repaying his kindness.
With that thought, Elise no longer hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
Her figure gradually overlapped with the image of the 【Brain-Melting Witch】 in Jonas’s memory.
What did you think of this chapter?
0 reactions
Discussion
0 comments
No comments yet.