Ding dong…
Jody walked out from the living room and headed to the front door. When she opened it, she found Seraphina Gilmour standing there.
The American girl stepped aside, letting the English girl in. The moment she entered, a rich aroma hit her nose.
Sniff sniff… sniff sniff…
Butter… and was that beef?
"What's that smell? Smells amazing…"
"Syd made steak," Jody replied.
Seraphina's eyes lit up immediately.
"Wowww…"
As she made her way toward the meeting table, the scent only grew stronger—so did her hunger.
She hadn't eaten anything that evening, and now she couldn't take her eyes off the source of the smell. From her usual haughty demeanor, she now looked like a cat fixated on prey.
"He cooked this himself?!"
"Yeah, all by himself," Jody said, joining her.
Syd was already at the table, admiring his handiwork.
But then Seraphina noticed something… there were only two plates on the table.
"…"
Jody walked past her and sat down next to Syd—right where the second plate of steak was placed. In other words…
He only made dinner for two.
"…ah."
"…..?"
Both Jody and Syd glanced up at Seraphina, who was still standing there, staring.
"What are you looking at? Let me eat in peace first—we've got a meeting after—"
He didn't finish that sentence.
Grrrroowwwl...
"….."
It came from Seraphina.
She quickly slapped a hand over her stomach—not that it helped.
"Jeez… that was loud enough to be a goddamn elephant—"
"I can't help it, okay?! You wave this around in front of me and expect me not to be hungry?!"
Seraphina barked, trying to cover her embarrassment.
"Syd, stop teasing her already," Jody scolded.
"Heheheh. At least now we know Miss Gilmour's stomach growls louder than an elephant's—"
"Syd! Shut up! Shut your filthy mouth right now!"
"Oh? You sure about that, missy?"
Before Syd could grab a steak knife and leap across the table to stab her, Jody managed to hold him back just in time.
"Hey, hey, you can't get mad at her this time—you started it."
"…"
Realizing he was about to make Seraphina blow another fuse, Syd sat back down in silence.
"Sigh… tell me to shut up, will you… well, what are we gonna do about—"
Suddenly, he pulled something out from under the table.
"There we go…"
It was a third steak—prepared for Seraphina all along, but deliberately hidden.
Her eyes sparkled again.
"Hm… Syd, interested in working as a chef at my house?"
"…"
Syd turned to her with half-lidded eyes and a curled lip, clearly saying, What kind of question is that?
"…"
Seraphina cleaned her plate in no time.
"I mean it. That was amazing. At first, I totally resented you—always badmouthing British cuisine like some know-it-all, and I kept thinking, 'Why don't you cook then?' But now… you've proved it. Medium rare, no less. Come on, be my personal chef."
"I wouldn't stoop that low."
She narrowed her eyes at him again.
"Are you insulting the chef profession? That's horrible…"
"No. I mean I wouldn't stoop to working for the Gilmour family."
"Tch… sssssss…"
Seraphina clicked her tongue. Great, another burn.
She honestly couldn't understand how Jody could tolerate this guy.
"And this is just me you're dealing with. I can't imagine what'll happen if one of my friends meets you…"
"And who exactly are these friends?"
"Can't tell you. But one of them—he's way sharper than me. He doesn't say much, but when he does, it's like getting stabbed with a harpoon—clean through. Just imagining him facing off with you is chef's kiss."
"Bring it on. I don't scare easy."
"Suit yourself. Anyway, enough talk. Let's get to business."
Syd placed his laptop on the table and tapped to get their attention.
"We're going to the Westfield Mall."
He pulled up a green floor plan of the shopping center.
At this point, neither of the girls questioned how he got his hands on it.
"This is the only way we'll get close to Mr. Lake. He's not a recluse like the principal or that priest. Tomorrow, dress as formally as possible—except you, Jody."
"…Why?"
Syd zoomed in on a particular room.
"My team has already arranged a fake deal with Mr. Lake. We're posing as investors planning an event at the mall. I'll be the lead investor. Seraphina, you'll be my secretary. Don't worry about fake documents—I've already prepped everything."
He tossed a thick stack of paper to Seraphina. As she skimmed through it, she could see the fake documents were meticulously crafted, down to the legal-sounding clauses.
"If we were random newcomers, it would take months to even get a meeting. But my team found one of Lake's business partners who'd only spoken with him by phone—Lake's never seen him in person. So we're going to impersonate him."
Syd held up a fake business card. It had his picture but a different name and details.
"I'll be Steven Lee, a half-Asian entrepreneur. As for you, Seraphina, want to pick your own name or should I?"
"You pick."
"Okay. Piggy."
"Wait—never mind. I'll pick myself."
"Whatever."
He turned to Jody.
"Your job is to pose as a janitor. That room right there…"
He zoomed in all the way.
"That's where Lake meets clients. It's our best shot at being alone with him. He'll probably have a lawyer or assistant there, but only clients and janitors are allowed to come and go. Once we're inside, you come in. Know why I want you to come in last?"
"…So I can clear out any guards or staff outside?"
"Exactly. That way, the target can't escape. The moment you enter is our signal that the outer perimeter's secure. Got it?"
"…Got it."
Jody's air bullets were as lethal as live rounds—and nearly silent.
"As for you, Seraphina. Take this."
He tossed a thin white cloth to her. Inside was a bundle of black material.
"What's this?"
"Sound-dampening sheets. I'll do the talking. While I distract him, you create more sheets and coat the room with them."
"…Alright…"
"And check this. We'll exit via the fire escape with our target and hijack his own car. There are no security cams back there. That's the whole plan. Any questions?"
"…"
"Good. Meeting adjourned."