Chapter 10 Enlightenment

• Grace was actually swamped. So, she immediately hurried off after saying those words.
• Cyrus surveyed the security department and shook his head in dismay. "These monitoring systems are truly inadequate. I will replace them with a new set once I have the funds tonight."
• Pierre wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stammered, "C-Captain Nikolaou, are you not concerned about potential retaliation from the Howle family?"
• Cyrus chuckled. "It would be ideal if they do come. I have been rather short on funds recently."
• Pierre could only stare at him, utterly at a loss for words.
• Meanwhile, someone was having a bit of a tantrum In the Nikolaou residence.
• Cyril was currently having the time of his life, turning the couch into his personal punching bag out of sheer frustration.
• His expression was icy, and his teeth were clenched as he snarled, "Grace. That f*cking woman dares to defy my orders as if they mean nothing! I explicitly told her to stay away from Cyrus. Yet, she not only disregarded my words but also brought Cyrus over to her company and even gave him a job as a security guard!"
• Cylas, who was sitting beside him, merely chuckled. "Cyril, there's no need to get so worked up. I believe Grace is simply foolish! She rejects you, an exceptional man, and insists on seeking out that worthless man who just got out of prison! Gosh, assigning that failure to do security work is indeed making the best of a bad situation. After all, what else can an uneducated and underprivileged loser do?"
• Cyril clenched his fist and sneered, "Very well. Since Grace refuses to see reason, then she shouldn't blame me for being ruthless! Contact Emile and have him handle Grace! Haha! If Grace refuses to show me the respect I deserve, then I, Cyril, will demonstrate who truly rules Rodon!"
• ...
• Grace, who was elegantly dressed in a pencil skirt, held onto some documents as she entered the car with Cyrus.
• Cyrus drove steadily as he effortlessly overtook one luxury car after another.
• Grace perused the documents, unable to conceal her delight.
• "Why are you so cheerful?" Cyrus inquired.
• Grace turned to Cyrus with a smug wink. "This is a deal worth 800 thousand! With this money, the company will be in a much better position."
• "So, you're going to collect the money." Cyrus chuckled lightly. "800 thousand is pocket change! Is it truly worth it for you, the CEO of a company, to personally go to this meeting?"
• Grace shot Cyrus a playful glare. "How can 800 thousand be pocket change? You don't even have 800!"
• "You're right. What am I even saying?" Cyrus nodded in resignation.
• Grace continued, "This time, I am going to personally collect the money from Emile and express my gratitude for his support. Perhaps there will be opportunities for future collaboration. Mr. Marais is actually quite generous. Now that we no longer have the backing of the Nikolaou family, we have to secure more clients for the company's continued survival."
• A smile involuntarily crept onto Cyrus' face upon hearing Grace's words.
• It turned out that this woman had been enduring such hardships!
• Yet, she still chose to stand by her principles and oppose everything the Nikolaou family stood for in the face of adversity!
• Soon, the car pulled up in front of Oceania Corporation's entrance.
• Grace clutched the documents with a desperate grip as she entered the building with Cyrus in tow.
• The receptionist promptly escorted her to the top floor of the building upon learning that it was Grace.
• The top floor featured a glass sunroom, which could reduce energy costs as it allowed natural light to enter during the day. Emile was seated on the opposite side of the round table with his legs crossed.
• The table was adorned with several drinks and dishes.
• Additionally, 12 security guards stood in the four corners of the glass room with their hands clasped behind their backs. Every inch of their profile exuded nothing but professionalism.
• "Hello, Mr. Maraias," Grace greeted and approached swiftly despite wearing a pencil skirt.
• Emile's gaze lingered on Grace's elegant legs and discreetly swallowed upon eyeing the treat.
• He then flashed a smug smile.
• He had initially assumed this beauty was under Mr. Nikolaou's protection and out of his reach.
• Little did he know that Mr. Nikolaou was now attempting to ruin her.
• Well, this was truly a stroke of luck!
• Emile gestured towards a chair and said, "Miss Lindgren, please take a seat."
• Then, he wasted no time pouring a glass of white wine for Grace.
• Grace was surprised and immediately waved her hand, saying in astonishment, "Mr. Maraias, what are you doing? It's business hours. We shouldn't be drinking."
• Emile raised his head, smiled, and said, "The rules are simple. You get paid if you drink! If you want the money, Miss Lindgren, you have to follow the rules."
• "I..." Grace felt her cheeks warm in anger. Alas, she had no choice but to endure such humiliation for the sake of that 800 thousand dollars.
• Thus, she inhaled deeply before opening her mouth and gulping the entire glass of white wine in one go.
• "Mr. Marais, is that enough?" Grace forced a smile as she spoke.
• Emile poured another glass. "I'm afraid that's far from enough. One has to drink three glasses in a row to qualify."
• Grace immediately jerked to her feet as she realized that something was fishy with the alcohol he was serving her. The alcohol content within this wine was off the charts! Therefore, she would definitely end up as drunk as a skunk after chugging three glasses in a row!
• Grace looked at Emile. "Mr. Marais, what is the meaning of this? You promised to give me that 800 thousand. Yet, you're forcing me to drink before forking the money over? Are you being serious right now?"
• "Do I not look serious?" Emile laughed heartily while shaking his head, "Miss Lindgren, this is how business works. It's just three glasses of wine. I'm not asking you to drink 30 glasses. I promise I'll immediately give you the 800 thousand you're promised! Of course, you can also leave if you don't wish to drink. Unfortunately, that just means you're losing out on that 800 thousand!"
• Grace clenched her jaw as she bore holes at Emile's face. Finally, she took a deep breath, donned a professional smile, and said, "I'm sorry. I was a bit out of line. Please excuse me. I have to use the powder room."
• Grace walked away without waiting for his dismissal.
• Once she was in the restroom, she couldn't hold her angered tears back any longer. Thus, her tears wasted no time flowing down her cheeks as though a dam had broken.
• Has it always been this difficult to earn money in earnest without going through such things?
• Why do these men have to get their kicks out of humiliating others like this?
• Alas, she needed the money. So, she could only endure it!
• After all, Oceania Corporation was one of the many big companies in Rodon! There was a high chance that they would collaborate with one another in the future.
• Plus, even if she did get wasted, Cyrus would be there to send her home.
• When she thought of that, she bent slightly to wash her face and touch up her makeup.
• It didn't matter how much pain she had to endure; it didn't even matter how many tears she would shed in the future because she could only swallow them if she wanted to succeed in life!
• On the other hand, Emile looked at Grace's slender waist as she retreated and smiled lecherously. "Tsk... A tiny company that's not even up to standard. Why would I bother dealing with you if I didn't want to sleep with you?"
• Cyrus stood silently behind them the whole time.
• The second he saw Grace leave in distress, he couldn't restrain his temper anymore. Thus, he strode over and delivered a resounding slap to Emile's face.
• Emile fell to the ground, staring at Cyrus in utter shock.
• 12 bodyguards, who were brandishing knives and the like, charged toward Cyrus without hesitation.
• Cyrus didn't bother holding back as he leaped into the air with a series of kicks.
• All 12 bodyguards were sent flying within seconds. Then, they fell to the ground with a series of thuds, unable to get up. The only signs that they were still living were the moans of pain escaping from their lips.
• Cyrus grabbed Emile by the neck and lifted him up.
• "W-What are you doing? What the hell... are you trying to do?" Emile shouted angrily in false bravado.
• Cyrus didn't bother responding. Instead, he carried Emile outside the building and left the man suspended in mid-air.
• The distance from here to the ground was rather significant. So, Emile would definitely turn into a very bloody pancake with bits splattered here and there if Cyrus decided to let him go on a whim.
• Emile was instantly terrified, trembling as he pleaded, "Please! Please don't do this! It's not worth it, bro! It really isn't worth dirtying your hands because of me!"
• "You have one minute to transfer the money over!" Cyrus intoned calmly.
• Emile was so terrified that his pupils were so blown that one could barely notice the color of his eyes. Nonetheless, he hastily took out his phone, dialed the number for the transfer, and screamed into the phone the second the call was answered, "Hurry! Transfer 800 thousand to Cyrace Cosmetics within 30 seconds... No, transfer one million! Hurry up!"
• Emile gripped Cyrus' hand desperately as he begged, "Sir, spare me! Please have mercy! It was Cyril who ordered me to trouble Miss Lindgren. I swear I used to be very respectful with Miss Lindgren. S-So, please, for the love of god, don't... don't let go!"
• Cyrus scrunched his eyebrows into a displeased frown the instant he heard Cyril's name. Then, he lifted Emile over the railing and tossed him to the ground.
• Emile remained sprawled on the ground like a dead possum, not daring to move.
• Cyrus walked toward the bathroom.
• Grace had just finished touching up her makeup when she suddenly heard her phone chime.
• She instinctively picked up the phone and looked at it. She skimmed through the words and found it was a message from the bank, saying that one million had been deposited into her account.
• "Huh? Where did one million come from?" Grace was beyond surprised.
• Cyrus stood by the bathroom door, waved at Grace, and said, "Let's head back. I just spoke with Emile. He has acknowledged his mistake and paid you the money."
• "What? How did you manage to talk to him?" She was genuinely astounded.
• Cyrus shrugged. "I merely had a discussion with him. Well, it might have to do with the Christian teachings and principles I shared with him. He seemed to have a moment of enlightenment and decided to give you one million. Let's head back. He's actually quite insightful when he puts his mind to it. So, let's try not to hold his previous behavior against him."