"…Let me be blunt. When you get home, I hope you won't mention what happened today. Or, at least, don't ask about the story behind it."

"Why?"

"Your father asked me to keep you in the dark, and for that, he paid me quite a bit extra."

"…"

Emily Bennett let out a sigh, her clear eyes gazing at me intently through the rearview mirror.

Faced with the test of pure innocence, I lasted less than three seconds before giving in.

"I can give you a 10% kickback."

Emily Bennett immediately took a magnetic card out of her handbag.

"There's two hundred thousand on it. Tell me everything."

This girl is just too damn cute!

I instinctively reached for the card, but a flash of warning in my mind stopped me. Is this money really that easy to take?

After thinking it over for a long time, I decided to be hypocritical for once.

"Miss Bennett, I can only seek my own best interests within the bounds of the agreement, but leaking information here would violate my agreement with Old Master Bennett. That would ruin my reputation. I'm sorry, I can't take this money. If you want the truth, you can go back and ask Miss Grace."

Emily Bennett looked at me in surprise, slowly withdrew the card, and said, "You're better than I thought… If you had really taken this two hundred thousand, I don't think I could accept someone like that as my bodyguard."

Don't worry, I like to play the long game. A mere two hundred thousand isn't enough to hook me.

But this little sister is more cunning than I expected—she even tried to test me with two hundred thousand. Too bad she's still young and inexperienced. If she'd offered two million, wouldn't I have taken the bait?

Two million… Now that I think about it, what a pity. Should I remind her?

…Forget it, I'm not actually stupid.

After this test, Emily Bennett felt a bit more at ease with me. She would occasionally make small talk, neither warm nor cold, just to distract herself from the fear brought on by the exploding truck earlier. I responded absentmindedly, my thoughts already drifting far away.

Before long, the Iron Duke drove onto the floating platform, and the little sister in the back let out a long sigh of relief—finally home.

If Raven still had any intentions today, now would be the time. But until the Iron Duke drove into the {Wen Family}'s courtyard, I sensed no further danger.

The crisis had passed, but the trouble was just beginning. As soon as Emily Bennett entered the house, she rushed off to question Grace Bennett about what had happened. I saw a flash of shock and anger in Miss Bennett's eyes as she glared at me, her gaze as sharp as swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—ever-changing, but all fiercely menacing. But it was useless; I wouldn't feel guilty, and Emily Bennett's attitude wouldn't soften because of it.

After hesitating for a long time, Miss Bennett finally couldn't withstand Emily Bennett's clear gaze. She shrugged helplessly and pulled her little sister into the bedroom. The door slammed shut in front of me. Whether Miss Bennett told the truth or just brushed her off was no longer my concern.

An hour later, dusk was falling, and the setting sun cast a golden glow on the door. Emily Bennett came out, her expression calm as water. Seeing me waiting outside, she gave a slight smile and walked past me. Then Grace Bennett came out, exhausted, not even having the strength to glare at me. After a moment of silence, she said, "I think we need to talk."

Alright, let's talk then.

This was my first time entering Miss Bennett's boudoir. Grace Bennett got straight to the point.

"This is not what we agreed on."

I admitted, "That's true."

"What happened, Xiaoyin has already told me… It's not your fault, including your attempt to bribe her with a kickback—my god, that was truly idiotic—but I can understand. No one expected the other side to act so quickly. If you hadn't arrived in time today, the consequences would have been unimaginable. In a way, I should thank you."

"You're welcome."

"…Since Xiaoyin already knows the truth, let's leave it at that. But what happened today was really beyond my expectations. There are a few things I need to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"First question: why was there a fraud chip in Xiaoyin's phone?"

"Naturally, someone close to her tampered with it. If the other side can bribe the gate guards, they can bribe people inside the house too."

Grace Bennett sighed, "So it really is like that… Second question: will there be another incident like the exploding truck?"

"That was just the appetizer. Do you think they'll stop before serving the main course?"

Grace Bennett said anxiously, "Appetizer!?"

"It was just one exploding truck. What did you think it was?"

"This is Tianjing City!"

"I never said this was Montreal."

Grace Bennett's face flushed red, rendered speechless by my retort. Her small fists clenched tightly, as if she might explode at any moment. Making your employer angry is a big taboo for mercenaries, so I quickly explained, "Raven is one of the top fifty assassin groups. If they hadn't taken this job, it would be one thing, but once they accept, they have no scruples. Besides, their roots are in New Terra. Even if they cause chaos on the home planet, at worst they just escape back to New Terra and go on the run—no one can do anything to them."

Grace Bennett looked a bit lost. "But… this is Tianjing City…"

"The security environment in Tianjing City is indeed the best on the home planet, but it can only limit ordinary crime. If Raven wants to kill someone, ordinary people can't stop them."