Chapter 174: VOL 3 - 12: Business.
In the middle of a luxurious hall with wooden floors and enormous glass panels in place of walls on its northern side—panels that revealed the location sat atop a vast lake nestled within a sprawling metropolis filled with buildings of every shape and kind—sat a woman behind a gleaming four-seat wooden table. She had delicate, harmonious features, wheat-toned skin, long, softly wavy hair black as onyx, and piercing dark eyes.
The beautiful woman wore an elegant black dress that left one shoulder bare, lending a touch of subtle sensuality to her dignified and graceful image. She was slowly sipping a glass of red wine while gazing out the window, almost as if lost in thought, an air of melancholy surrounding her that elevated her natural charm to another level.
After glancing at the clock near the wooden door, the elegant woman smiled softly and rose from her seat. She walked over and opened the door, where she found a handsome young man with starry hair and green eyes, dressed in the university's pristine white uniform. He was followed by two stunning women—one with black hair dressed in a maid's outfit, and the other with light chestnut hair wearing a black uniform that identified her as an assistant.
"A pleasure to see you again, Erik." The beautiful woman greeted warmly with a captivating smile, to which the star-haired young man responded with a calm smile of his own.
"The pleasure is mine, Laura."
Without delay, Laura guided Erik to the table, where he took a seat. Sofia sat to his left, looking a bit nervous, while Seraphina remained standing behind him with a professional expression on her face. Still, that didn't stop her from casting Laura a sharp, almost warning glance as the older woman sat across from Erik, revealing one of her long, well-shaped legs through the slit in her dress.
"Do you have a preferred drink, Erik?"
Though curious about the young woman accompanying Erik, Laura asked in a warm voice that conveyed both confidence and ease, to which the star-haired young man responded with a smile.
"Not really; anything non-alcoholic is fine."
"Oh, you don't like the taste of alcohol?" Laura asked with mild curiosity, to which Erik softly shook his head in response.
"It's not that I particularly dislike it; I just prefer not to consume things that could negatively affect my decision-making ability."