Why was the Second Young Miss here?
Ray watched Carlotta walk up, momentarily at a loss for words.
Carlotta, however, remained composed, her posture elegant, a smile on her lips as her gaze lightly fell on Phrolova, examining her carefully.
Then, she turned to Ray, tilting her head slightly. The look in her eyes seemed to silently ask: 'Aren't you going to invite me to sit?'
Ray paused briefly, then shifted aside, making enough space for Carlotta.
"Second Young Miss, why are you here?" Ray whispered to her.
"Oh? Not happy to see me?" Carlotta gave a light laugh, her fingertips tapping the table. "As your 'girlfriend,' I think... I should at least help share your workload a little, right?"
Though her words were soft, they drifted unmistakably into Phrolova's ears.
The moment Phrolova heard those words, the teacup in her hand trembled almost imperceptibly.
Hearing this, Ray's expression changed. He lowered his voice urgently. "Second Young Miss, you can't just say that. What if someone else hears? Didn't we agree this act was only for the traitor within the family and Giacomo?"
Carlotta nodded unhurriedly, her tone matter-of-fact. "Exactly. The more people believe it, the more convincing the act. They'll think I'm lost in love, too preoccupied to bother with family affairs, and naturally, they'll lower their guard around me. Or perhaps..."
She leaned in slightly, close to his ear, her voice so quiet only he could hear.
"Playing the role of my boyfriend... makes you uncomfortable?"
BAM—!
Phrolova's teacup landed heavily on the table. She looked up at the two, her gaze clearly suppressing visible anger.
"In that case, it seems there's no need to continue this discussion."
"I'm leaving."
"Wait, hold on!"
Almost instinctively, Ray reached out and grabbed Phrolova's wrist.
Phrolova's body trembled slightly. She then glared at him with clear disdain, saying coldly, "Let go."
Carlotta crossed her legs, folded her arms, and looked at Phrolova with a faint smile in her eyes, completely at ease. "Miss, business is about mutual willingness. Why don't we all sit down... and have a proper talk, hmm?"
"I, Carlotta Montelli, the well-known art investor of Rinascita, as long as you agree to cooperate with me, I can offer you a condition you cannot refuse."
"A condition I cannot refuse?" Phrolova gave a cold laugh, a light snort escaping her. "A canary locked in a cage, what gives you the right to speak so boldly here?"
The atmosphere between the two was a bit delicate.
A tense, explosive feeling hung between them, like two barrels of gunpowder about to ignite, just one spark away from blowing the whole place up.
"Everyone, calm down, calm down. There's an old saying in Huanglong: even if the deal doesn't go through, goodwill remains." Ray was genuinely afraid they'd start fighting in the shop the next second and quickly stepped in to mediate. "Miss Phrolova, about this matter... we can discuss it further."
Then, he leaned in slightly, closer to Carlotta's ear, and whispered in a low voice.
"Second Young Miss, why are you so fired up today?"
"How about this? Let me talk to her alone for a bit. Could you wait outside for a while?"
Carlotta thought for a moment, her gaze lingering on Phrolova briefly before she finally shrugged helplessly with a soft sigh. "Alright, since you put it that way."
She stood up and walked out of the shop.
Seeing her leave, the anger in Phrolova's chest eased slightly, and she sat back down.
"Ahem, Miss Phrolova?" Ray ventured cautiously.
Phrolova glanced at him, her tone still icy. "Didn't you say you agreed because of a 'promise'? So that's the kind of 'promise' you meant. I bet you probably made the same promise to that Acolyte before, didn't you?"
First Carlotta, and now...
Why does she keep bringing up Phoebe?
"That... that's actually a long story... sigh, we're getting off track." Ray straightened his expression, trying hard to steer the conversation back on course. "Weren't we just making good progress? I've already explained the whole story clearly. As for your side... have you considered it?"
Phrolova turned her head, looking out the window at the street scene. An extremely unnatural smile suddenly touched her lips, not heartfelt, more like a mechanical curve.
"Interesting. Even now, you can still so calmly ask me what If I have considered."
She paused slightly, her voice dropping lower:
"However, I can agree to your request."
"But in return, once this matter is over, I'll also need you to agree to a condition of mine. Oh, wait, no."
She stared into his eyes and said:
"It's a promise."
"A promise? What kind of promise?"
"You'll know once this is over."
...
...
Carlotta leaned against the railing by the sea, letting the sea breeze brush past her ears, the sound of the waves rising and falling beneath her.
Hearing approaching footsteps behind her, the corner of her lips lifted slightly as she turned to look back.
"You've got quite some nerve."
"I've never seen an employee who dares to send the boss out during a negotiation and make decisions on their own."
"Tell me... should I dock your pay, or cancel your year-end bonus?"
Ray smiled helplessly and shook his head. "Isn't there a third option? Like... rewarding me or something?"
Carlotta tilted her head teasingly. "That depends on whether you successfully negotiated that cooperation."
"With me handling it, is there any possibility of failure?" Ray looked confident.
"You actually succeeded?" Carlotta showed a hint of surprise. "I thought she'd give you a hard time."
"No need to worry about that, Second Young Miss. But speaking of which, why did you seem so prickly when talking to her today? And..." Ray looked at her thoughtfully. "Earlier, it seemed like you deliberately acted extra close to me in front of her?"
Carlotta casually swept back her wind-tousled hair, turning to look at the sea. "That... I just happened to pass by and saw you being given a hard time. As your boss, of course I wouldn't be happy. My people, besides me, no one else gets to bully."
Ray fell silent.
There's something a bit odd about that statement. Is it just my imagination?
"As for that little act just now..." Carlotta chuckled lightly, a playful note in her tone. "It was just a bit of my mischievous fun."
"Didn't you say you look a lot like that person who has a special relationship with her? So I deliberately wanted to provoke her a little. I didn't expect her to actually get worked up."
Ray fell silent again.
"Let's go. The equipment from the New Federation has also arrived. I'll take you to get familiar with it."
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If we cross 200 powerstones, there will be another bonus chapter.
Read advance chapters on [email protected]/lost_moon