Chapter 481 --481
’[Host, please! At least have a little bit of shame!]’ the digital lion groaned, covering its eyes. ’[You are a veteran agent! You have met thousands of impossibly gorgeous men across hundreds of worlds! Why are you still getting flustered and acting out over an old man in his thirties trying to flirt with you?!]’
Heena didn’t even miss a beat. ’’Listen to me, you useless piece of code. You have eaten ice cream your entire life, right?’’
’[...Yes?]’ the System replied cautiously.
’’And yet, whenever someone puts a perfectly scooped bowl of rich, double-chocolate ice cream right in front of your face, your mouth still waters, doesn’t it?’’
’[Well... of course it does,]’ the System admitted.
’’Exactly! That is my point!’’ Heena shot back, thoroughly defending her honor. ’’It doesn’t matter how many veteran men I have seen in my countless lifetimes. When an incredibly hot, highly trained professional is actively standing right in front of you, specifically trying to seduce you... it changes the atmosphere, okay?!’’
The ten courtesans left behind looked at Heena with intensely pitiful, almost blaming gazes. They didn’t utter a single word, but their eyes were so incredibly expressive and heartbreaking that Heena genuinely felt modern, award-winning actresses were completely useless by comparison.
The Master noticed their lingering looks. He scoffed, waving his hand haughtily to dismiss his subordinates. "She is my prey. Get lost and get back to your work."
With that, he boldly clung to Heena’s arm, pulling her away from the parlor. Recognizing that this was the only way to finally get down to business, Heena allowed herself to be led away.
Soon, they entered the Master’s lavish private chambers, and the heavy wooden door clicked shut, sealing them inside.
The Master elegantly settled onto a plush silk divan. He gracefully peeled a fresh green grape and leaned forward, attempting to feed it to Heena with a deeply alluring gaze.
Instead of opening her mouth, Heena coldly grabbed his wrist. "Tell me about the Su family."
The Master’s expression froze for a fraction of a second, a flicker of genuine danger crossing his perfectly powdered face. But he quickly recovered, his lips curving back into a gentle, seductive smile.
"Aiya, My Lady," he purred smoothly, letting his free hand reach out to lightly caress her cheek. "Why is it that every time you come to visit me, you are always in such a terrible hurry?"
His fingertips traced down her jawline, slowly drifting lower along her neck. Just as his hand reached her shoulder and attempted to push aside the collar of her cloak, Heena moved.
Her hand shot out like a viper. She seized his wandering index finger and ruthlessly bent it backward at a horrific angle.
"Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" the Master howled, his romantic aura instantly shattering as his entire body contorted to follow the angle of his bent joint.
Heena paused, looking at his pained expression with entirely dead eyes. "Before I break it completely, control your hands."
Her tone was absolute, freezing cold. With a dismissive flick of her wrist, she released his finger.
The Master stumbled back onto his cushions, frantically waving his throbbing hand in the air. He glared at her, completely dropping the seductive act. "Are you completely crazy?! What kind of barbaric woman are you?"
Heena calmly brushed off her shoulder and sat down in the chair opposite him. "I asked you about the Su family."
The Master cradled his hand, letting out a dark, mocking scoff. All the fake vulnerability vanished, replaced by the dangerous arrogance of a true underground boss. He leaned back against the divan, spreading his legs wide in a posture of complete defiance.
"My Lady," he sneered, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, "do you honestly think that I will just obediently do whatever you say just because you demand it?"
Heena slowly shook her head, her expression completely unbothered. "No. You do not need to do whatever I say."
The Master’s smug smile widened. He adjusted his silk robes, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "See? I didn’t think I needed to—"
"I will just go directly to the Emperor," Heena interrupted, her voice dropping into a casual, conversational tone that instantly paralyzed the man. "And I will tell His Majesty all about the massive, unauthorized tunnel you have secretly dug deep beneath the capital’s foundations."
The Master’s smug expression was instantly wiped clean. All the color drained from his face.
Heena leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, her sharp eyes gleaming with lethal amusement.
"I am actually quite curious to see what the Emperor would do if he found out that a brothel master was quietly moving resources underground to take control of his empire," Heena mused softly. "After all, my new husband is the most prominent top scholar in the Imperial Court, and I am the sole heir to the Marcuset Vanguard. If we just mix a few words here and there... I can absolutely guarantee that you will be hanging by your neck from the city walls before sunset."
The mocking smile remained on the Master’s perfectly contoured face, but the temperature in his eyes instantly dropped to absolute zero.
"Aiya, My Lady," he sighed, though the playful lilt was completely gone from his voice. "You are so incredibly cold. Especially after all the help I have given you in the past."
Heena didn’t flinch. She simply offered him a chilling, perfectly calculated smile of her own.
"Come on. Just like you, I am a very business-minded person," Heena said smoothly. "I have my own work to worry about, and I need to make absolutely sure I am not walking into a losing deal. Tell me... if I were to lose my head today, why on earth would I let you keep yours? After all, wouldn’t it be quite beautiful to drag you and your entire team of flawless beauties down into the grave with me?"
The Master’s expression entirely froze. The last remnants of his seductive disguise fell away, revealing the ruthless underground boss hiding beneath the silk.
"My Lady," the Master murmured, his voice laced with genuine danger. "Sometimes I really do not understand you. Aren’t your dreams flying a little too high?"
Heena’s smile didn’t waver. "It’s not that my dreams are too high. It’s just that you cannot handle them. Isn’t that right?"
He clicked his tongue, adjusting his posture. "Fine. Fine, fine. What can I do? You are the beloved, terrifying daughter of the Marquis. But you must know... the Su family? Do you truly understand exactly who they belong to?"
Heena’s internal void stilled for a fraction of a second, but outwardly, she just chuckled softly. "Why wouldn’t I? If I didn’t know who they belonged to, do you honestly think I would have come directly to you?"
Of course Heena had done her research.
The Su family was a massive, looming shadow over the capital, so finding basic intelligence on them wasn’t hard. What ’was’ hard was the horrifying political reality of their lineage. They were not her maternal family. They were not some random aristocratic rivals.
The Su family was the maternal family of the ’’Empress’’.
The current reigning Empress of the empire was the one actively trying to kill her. That was the absolute biggest problem on the board. Going after the Su family meant committing high treason against the Crown.
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