Chapter 27: Double the Compensation.
Earlier, Violet had been genuinely hungry, which was why she stepped into the restaurant, but now that she was about to get information from Emily, she didn’t want to bother with food, so she didn’t touch it.
Violet let out a breath and asked, "Why did Jill and Jones give you this document?"
Upon hearing their name, Emily’s eyes turned dark. She balled her palm, anger seething through her. "Have you heard of the ultra-modern city that’s being talked about online?" She asked, but didn’t wait for Violet to reply before she continued.
"They are building it in this district. They’ve bought every building around and had people and businesses evacuated. But I do not want to sell, I don’t want to move." Emily said.
From the insight of Emily, Violet knew why she didn’t want to sell the building, so she didn’t bother to ask. Instead, she steered the conversation toward the representative the system had mentioned.
"This means they’ve sent you a representative." It was more of a statement than a question, and Emily affirmed it with a nod of her head.
"They come here each day, sometimes five times. They’ve increased the compensation countless times."
Violet eyed the envelope lying on the table, wondering why she had left such an important document lying around idly.
"I’m guessing this representative has been here today."
"Yes." The girl inhaled deeply, her eyes softened. "He has given me a lot of reasons to sell off the building, but I do not want to." Violet wondered whether she’d be able to meet him.
"If I were you, I’d sell this building. You won’t believe me when I say this, but things will change, and you’ll be at a great loss if you don’t." The building’s foundation was lower than the surrounding structures, which meant little chance of surviving the catastrophic flooding that would plague the district after the apocalypse began.
Violet didn’t know why she gave the advice. All she knew was that Jill and Jones could not encounter any difficulties before she got Leo to sign the contract. If she could use her system to make one more person hand over their property, then she would do it without any hint of guilt or remorse.
The girl eyed her suspiciously. A part of her knew this strange, nosy customer should be sent out, but her entire body seemed to welcome her. It was as though she was under a spell.
Emily propped her chin with her palm. She didn’t know why she was considering Violet’s suggestion—the same suggestion she had refused multiple times in the past.
Just then, the door of the restaurant opened, and the bell attached to it chimed loudly, informing both women of the arrival of a new person.
Violet was the first to lift her head, and her breath caught in her throat. The man was young and undeniably handsome with brown hair and striking features, radiating a quiet confidence that made him harder to ignore.
She quickly schooled her features and looked away.
Emily frowned when she saw him, but she didn’t stand up or yell at him to leave like she did two hours ago. "I see you are busy." He said. "I hope I am not interrupting." He was impeccably dressed in a black tailored suit, which did nothing to hide his good build, and was at least 6.3 feet tall.
"Not at all," Violet said. "We were just about concluding, weren’t we?" She asked Emily. A small smile appeared on her face.
The man took a few more steps towards them. He saw the documents between them, and his eyes lightened. "Have you considered it? Do you want to sign?" He asked enthusiastically.
At his question, a sudden realization fell on Violet. She knew he was the representative of Jill and Jones.
Emily let out a breath and closed her eyes.
Violet held her breath as she watched her, remembering that her mind push had not included telling her to sign the documents, so she couldn’t be too sure she would listen to her words.
When Emily opened her eyes, a new resolve shone in them. "Yes." She answered. "I’ll sign them." She said. "But I demand that the compensation be doubled."
Violet let out a breath. ’Good. Turns out she is also business-minded.’
The man beamed. He would agree even if she wanted five times the compensation. He immediately brought out a pen, and she placed her signature on it. He signed too and extended his hand for her to shake, but Emily didn’t take it.
Violet was stunned at how fast things went. It felt too easy that she almost didn’t believe she had any hand in it.
She simply looked at Emily and said, "I guess I won’t be eating this." The sun was beginning to set, leaving its thick dark shadows on the building. It was already late, and she had to leave, but she still had one more thing to do.
Violet was yet to figure out why the system wanted her to take an invitation, or how the invitation related to her business with Leo Kings. But she didn’t question it. After all that had happened over the past few days, she had grown to trust her system completely.
"I’ll place it on take-out for you. Give me a while." Then to the man, she said, "You should thank her. I signed because of her." Emily said and took the tray away. She didn’t know why or how Violet had influenced her decision, but that didn’t change the fact that she played a major role.
After she left, the man’s attention shifted to Violet. He studied the blonde, attractive woman in front of him. Noticing his stare on her, she turned.
"I’m Dominic, Dominic Blackburn. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself to you earlier. I’m a representative of Jill and Jones." He said, extending a hand.
Violet took the hand. "I’m Kierra, Kierra Adams." She said. "It’s nice to meet you." Her tone was professional.
"Yes, thank you so much for helping me. With her agreement, this project can finally begin properly." Dominic’s voice was drenched in relief and gratitude. "What can I do to express my gratitude?" He asked.
Violet didn’t need to think. "There’s something I want, but I won’t tell you here. It would be best to step outside."