Under the Heiress' Facade

"A hundred times the price? That's over 300 million dollars! Who does he think he is to ask for such an outrageous amount?"

Amelia conveyed this message to Queenie.

"Why doesn't he just go rob a bank!" Queenie cursed.

"These hackers may sound fancy, but they're nothing but uncultured nerds. They're so greedy. The tenfold increase you offered has only fueled their greed, hence the skyrocketing prices," Queenie criticized Amelia's approach.

"I've looked into it. Someone offered three times the price before, but he turned it down. We offered ten times the price, so I thought he was sure to be tempted," Amelia explained.

She strategized with Queenie, hoping to impress her. Amelia wanted to prove to Queenie that she could be more valuable than Queenie's favorite, Zyler. That was why she spared no expense to hire the hacker when a problem arose.

Amelia hadn't expected Raven to be so arrogant!

"But now, both our home and company security systems are under close surveillance. We're facing the constant threat of being hacked. Since it's urgent, why don't we triple the price—"

"No! Just stick to ten times the price. If he refuses, find someone else! If we can't find anyone locally, we'll search abroad! I don't believe that our family can't afford a meer hacker," Queenie declared.

Queenie had just mentioned that she would hire him at any cost, but when it came down to actually spending over 300 million dollars, she felt the deal wasn't worth it. After all, businesspeople prioritized profit.

"Okay." Amelia nodded. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

She also believed that the price they were offering was enough to find someone comparable to Raven!

…

After finishing her morning routine at Skyview Heights, Hera happened to see Bernard coming out of the kitchen with a glass of hot milk.

"Morning," he greeted.

He was dressed in a black silk loungewear robe with a gray apron tied around the front. It accentuated his tall and well-built figure. Despite his elegance, he had a touch of earthly charm.

On the dining table laid a sumptuous breakfast spread that Hera loved, including fried shrimp, bacon, French sausages, and steak.

Hera was surprised. "Did you make all this? You can cook?"

In the Killian family, women were expected to be versatile, excelling in both their careers and housework. Men, however, were groomed for management and finance, with the notion that they should stay out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I didn't do so well with the Killian family, so I had to fend for myself," Bernard said with a hint of self-pity.

Hera eyed him suspiciously. Had this been a few days ago, she might have believed him. But she was no longer so gullible ever since the incident at the Everett residence. Even Aaron Ludden, the eldest son of one of the four influential families, followed Bernard's lead without question.

"Try some." Bernard pulled out a chair for her and looked at her expectantly.

Without hesitation, Hera cut a piece of the steak and tasted it. Instantly, her eyes lit up. The steak was perfectly seared, tender, and delicious.

Seeing her enjoying the food, Bernard reached out and took the steak from in front of her as she was about to go for another bite.

Hera looked up, only to see Bernard's faint smile as he asked, "How is it?"

"Perfectly seared on the outside, tender on the inside. It's a perfect steak," Hera praised him without hesitation.

"Do you want more, then?" Bernard's tone sounded like he was tempting a child.