Number 7

"Why are we waiting here?"

"Why are you asking that question? You should already know the answer, shouldn't you? Because the boss ordered us to."

"You really aren't any fun. Like, at all. Did you have any friends in your old life?"

"I never particularly tried to obtain any friends. You, on the other hand, were incapable of obtaining any."

"Wha- I had friends! There were so many people that wanted to hang out with me all the time, thank you very much. I was a very important person, after all."

"So the only people you could get to hang out with you are those who were after your money?"

Valerie and Melissa sat inside a conference room, arguing needlessly as they always did - though only one seemed to be arguing while the other casually threw insults around.

Celia seemed to watch the two with concern, unsure whether she should speak up and stop the two, however in the end she said nothing.

These three had been ordered to wait in this place shortly after having reported to Gerard.

As for why, they had not been given an explanation - only that they were to wait here until Gerard arrived with some guests.

"It's always something with you! I'm getting quite sick of your insults, you know!"

"The fact that you take my statements as insults only reflects your own incompetence, given that I am merely stating facts. And the facts happen to be against you."

"Were you always this much of a bitch, or did something happen to make you this way?"

Changing her tone, Melissa suddenly shifted from her usual whining to become serious as she investigated.

"I mean, working as an assassin isn't something that you normally just fall into. Why did you-"

"Enough."

Cutting Melissa off as she attempted to probe into the background of Valerie, the black haired woman sliced the air with her voice.

"You have no reason to know about my past."

"So why the hell can you act like you know about mine?"

"Because you're a blabbermouth who always brags about how rich you were. But where are those riches now? You were the one who lost them, no?"

"That- I wasn't..."

Melissa seemed to squirm, however at the words of the assassin she became suddenly quiet.

"It wasn't my fault..."

"Is that what you tell yourself? But you've never told me how you lost them in the first place, so I can do nothing more than to assume it was your fault, given your reckless personality."

"Alright. I won't press you any more. But you need to stop pressing me."

"Oh? So you finally say something intelligent. Very well. I'll take that deal."

Smiling as she crossed her arms, the woman seemed to rein victorious.

"You're awfully mean, you know. I know I might come off as some arrogant prick, but even I have emotions."

"Yes, I know that quite well. You never seem to be quiet about expressing your feelings to others - particularly your discontent."

"Um! I think... we should try to get along."

"Yes, yes. Celia, we are getting along. You understand that, don't you? If we didn't get along, we wouldn't fight like this."

"Hah!? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly as I said. I may criticize you, and you may shout out in response, but I would never do such a thing to a person that I didn't know well, or a person that I was merely using for my own benefit. If that were the case, I would butter them up with kind words in order to use them to the maximum extent. And you would never present yourself in such an uncouth manner to such a person. So despite our inherent arguments, would you not agree that we have become quite close over our time here?"

"I... suppose so."

Melissa seemed to be reluctant to admit it, but now that she heard Valerie say such things out loud she began to reconsider their relationship.

'Is that really true?'

She was left to wonder about such a thing.

"At... at any rate, I think the boss is coming."

Celia made this comment quietly, her gaze falling upon the door.

"Hm? How do you know that?"

"Oh, well one of my... ER! I... I just feel like that's the case."

Cutting herself off, the other two girls seemed to glance at the shy one with suspicion, however this suspicion could only last a moment, for the door opened at that same instant.

"Stay seated, girls. Everyone, feel free to take your own seats. There should be one more coming, but it looks like the three of you are already here."

At the head of a large group, the overweight man slithered past the women as he took a seat at the head of the table.

Yakov stood directly behind the man, and the other five people entered the room without a word, each of them taking their seats quickly.

'A woman, a girl, and three men...'

Valerie glanced over to the people as she watched them intently, studying them meticulously as her eye landed upon a particular black haired businesswoman.

'And without a doubt... that one is their leader.'

However despite her deduction, someone else took a seat at the opposing head of the table.

'Hm? That's strange. The girl?'

Melissa seemed to be shocked as the girl took the position at the head, and Celia looked back and forth with confusion.

"Sir, did that child just take the head seat? Is that really alright?"

Melissa was the first to speak up at such a bizarre occurrence - however Gerard's words were like those of a slap across the face.

"You will not refer to my niece as a mere child. That is Lady Isabella - to you."

Raising his hand with a disgusting expression, the man rebuked his subordinate with a greasy smile.

"Sorry Bella. But it seems like my subordinates just don't have an eye for greatness. They're too focused on appearance, and can't see beyond that."

"I have no qualms with such things. After all, I was nothing more than a mere subordinate until quite recently. Even our bond as uncle and niece is not set by blood, but by adoption."

"Such a thing doesn't matter. You're a part of this family. You became a part of it the day your brother took you as his own.", the man said with the wave of his hand, as if he could whiff away all issues.

Silence seemed to envelop the room for a moment, and each person present seemed to be feeling out the others.

"She certainly is taking her time to get here. Yakov, you did call Eclaire, didn't you?"

"She is on her way. I can assure you of that. She has had quite a bit of work to take care of recently, but I believe she will only be a bit longer-"

Just as the man made this statement, the door opened.

"Sorry I'm late! I just had a little bit of trouble with one of the employees on the first floor. And you know how long it takes to ascend that staircase."

Walking in with a grand expression, Eclaire quickly took a seat directly next to the owner.

"You don't have an issue with that, right?"

"There are no issues, so long as you're here. Everyone. Listen up, because I'm going to go around and introduce you all. Sitting across from me is none other than Isabella Stirling."

Lowering his tone, the man's expression became serious as he spoke his next words which sent waves through the hearts of the women present.

"The current leader of the third branch."

----

'She's the current leader of the third branch?'

'It doesn't make any sense.'

'How could a little girl...'

Melissa was caught up with such thoughts, finding it impossible for someone so young to be in such a position.

However Valerie thought otherwise.

She was not surprised at all that the girl was someone of the standing Gerard had just described.

'But if she truly is the leader... then why is she just a puppet for that woman?'

However, her focus was on another.

'Is this merely a case where a child is subject to someone older and more powerful than them because they don't have the power to fight back?'

It wasn't uncommon in the era of kings and queens for the ruler to die, leaving behind a son who was too young to rule a nation.

In situations like this, the uncle or the retainers would take control of the country, and so while the young ruler would technically have the title of King, the real power would be transferred to the effective leaders.

However Valerie felt that there was something more to this entire situation.

She felt that this was not merely a case of a young inheritance hindering one's ability to rule.

'She IS capable.'

These were the thoughts that Valerie had on the child.

'And it's exactly because she is capable of ruling the third branch... that it makes no sense that she would become the pawn of another.'

----

"Everyone I've gathered here are among my executives. You've already met Yakov, so you already know that he's my head Janitor."

The man whose name had been mentioned took a polite bow as he was brought up, not speaking a word as he smiled calmly.

"You four. Go around and introduce yourselves. Keep it brief. Then the other four will do the same.", Gerard ordered.

Sylvia immediately focused as she analyzed the situation.

'It seems that Gerard is the leader... but I sense that he isn't exactly a leader because of anything like pure power. Rather, he is the type of leader who can lead exactly because he surrounds himself with powerful people who are loyal to him.'

There were many different types of leaders in the world.

Some led from the shadows, not taking any official position as they manipulated others to do as they pleased, putting someone else on a pedestal as the figurehead.

Others would be flashy and charismatic, gathering people around them due to their appeal as a person.

Some were simply skilled in their respective areas, and naturally flowed to the position of leadership due to their own competence.

Others were merely accustomed to managing people, even if they weren't skilled themselves. The majority of project managers fell into this category, given that they would have to manage people from all different areas of specialty and bring them together.

But when one took a position of leadership, there was one constant - they had to have the power to do so.

There had to be a reason for such a person to be in power.

If it was not due to their own skill, then it was due to their ability to gather skilled people around them. Some would use brute force, while others would use more coercive means.

Sylvia could tell that this man was not capable himself - and rather that Yakov held all the power.

While the other executives were likely skilled in their own fields, they were kept in check by Yakov - the older man who gave off the appearance of a proper gentleman.

He was perfectly loyal to Gerard for a reason that Sylvia could not understand, and his loyalty ensured that nobody would go against this man - instilling his position as the ruler.

'He's the biggest threat... but that one as well...'

"My name is Valerie Lofthelm. I serve as the bodyguard of the 3rd branch Leader. I hope that we will be able to work together to ensure our prosperity."

With a calm and calculated statement, the black haired woman introduced herself.

She somewhat reminded Sylvia of herself - her cold demeanor, her calculating nature, everything she did seemed to be laced with suspicion and caution.

Something that Sylvia could understand.

"I'm... Celia Marinor. I worked as a... well, I worked as a sort of ambassador before the Calamity. I would often deal with the police and local government forces to ensure that our activities went under the radar."

The woman with short cut blonde hair seemed to speak softly without a shred of confidence, yet her words seemed to oppose such a thing as she declared that she used to work in a diplomatic area.

To Sylvia, her demeanor made little sense, as typically someone dealing with relations would be someone bold and charismatic - not someone who would be easily intimidated.

'But perhaps...'

"I'm Melissa Touchette. I'm the firstborn daughter of the Touchette family, and I have been working here as the manager of this hotel. All activities, employees, and development is under my jurisdiction. Of course, with the permission of the owner."

Sylvia's thoughts were cut off with the haughty introduction of the brown haired girl who looked to be some sort of princess.

Or at least, that was how she displayed herself.

'Someone who likes to brag about their own achievements and position, always making themself seem more important than they really are. I've seen many of these before.'

"And I'm Eclaire Armstrong. I've been assigned as an executive recently to handle external affairs pertaining to this new world. Of course, I've been working together with Celia, but she isn't exactly suited to go outside in this world, so I offered to take the risk in that area."

"I... I'm sorry... I don't really have any ability to fight... those things..."

Celia seemed to look down in shame at Eclaire's introduction as she apologized, however Eclaire spoke up in response.

"Oh, I didn't mean to jab at you, Celia. I understand that we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we should keep to them. That's the reason we have multiple executives, right? But even so, once we have a better map of the world outside I should be able to take you to some places and we can do business with the local survivors."

"That's actually why I gathered you all here today.", Gerard noted, picking up the attention of all with a loud voice. "I want the four of you to work together with my niece and her subordinates to better understand the state of the outside world, and link our business to it."

Motioning to Isabella, Gerard seemed to hand off the torch to her.

"Isabella. We've done you the courtesy of revealing our executives and their roles to you. Will you please have your subordinates do the same so that we can better understand each other's capabilities?"

And with this statement, Sylvia immediately realized exactly what the plot of this man was.

'Ah... he purposely controlled the information he revealed to us, in order that he could force such information out of us as well. But even so, we've gained quite a bit more than he has.'

"Sylvia Berith. Administrative specialist."

With a quick statement, Sylvia made sure that her words were precise and straight to the point, revealing as little about herself as possible while complying with Gerard's demands.

"Marcus Coran. Middle management."

Marcus seemed to catch on, following his lead.

"Bradley Vendetta. Owner of Vendetta Consultants. To put it simply, I solve problems for people - usually by eliminating them at the source."

"Oh? The other two didn't seem very interesting, but I've heard of you."

Leaning forward with a grin, Gerard seemed to look at Bradley with intrigue.

"You're the one who people call if they wish to take revenge on someone else... the serial killer who makes a decision on whether he will assist the client or the target AFTER he takes the job. Isn't that right?"

"You seem to be well informed. I suppose I never exactly tried to hide my actions. I spent some time in jail recently, however I was acquainted with Sheldon after a certain incident and began to work underneath him. With him gone, my loyalty has been shifted to the young Mistress."

When one tells a lie, the closer the lie is to the truth the more convincing the lie will be.

By making all of the details close to reality, any questions which pop up can be answered with ease, and it will be difficult for the opponent to know that one is lying.

Sylvia listened carefully as Bradley seemed to employ such a strategy in his discussions.

"And you? Who are you?"

"George Troladi. I'm an informant. I had infiltrated the ranks of the police, and I worked for Sheldon from the inside in order to feed him information. Though I suppose my position as a cop isn't exactly meaningful anymore."

Sylvia was surprised with how quickly George had whipped up such a story, but it seemed to line up quite nicely with what she could tell happened quite often in the mafia.

Cops were often corrupt, paid off in order to leave certain groups or factions alone. The idea of planting a spy in the police force wasn't something out of the question.

"I see... a spy, eh? How... interesting."

The one who said this was Eclaire, who seemed to lean forward with a gleam in her eyes.

"I certainly would like to see your skills in action... though I doubt we will have any opportunity to see such a thing quite yet."

"If the opportunity arises, I will be sure to serve Lady Isabella to the fullest."

If anything had been established within these conversations, it was that the four were absolutely loyal to the child that they called their leader.

There was no hesitation, and not a single bit of discourse on this matter.

'Perhaps it would be suspicious, however that's a risk we are willing to take. In the mafia business, you're loyal to the boss or you die when your disloyalty is found out. So we play the parts of loyal dogs. Even if they're suspicious of us, they would only be suspicious of our loyalty - not of the fact that we don't actually consider her to be our leader in the first place.'

With this logic, Sylvia considered the information that had been revealed to be acceptable.

"Very well. I think that should do it for introductions. So let's get down to business. Melissa, it's your job to make sure that the Hotel properly functions, so I don't anticipate that you will be sent out on any expeditions. As for Celia... well, depending on the situation I may send you out with protection."

Placing his hand to his chin as he stroked his mustache, the man seemed to be in thought as he came to a decision.

"Eclaire and Valerie. You two will work alongside them in order to establish contact and intimidate any survivors as necessary. If you need, you are free to utilize those clients as you please."

"Sir, if I may make a comment, I don't trust these people. Should we truly be allowing them to have so much power? After all, if they try to betray us-"

"If they try to betray us... then you and Yakov will eliminate them before I even get word of their betrayal."

While Valerie had spoken up with her concerns, Gerard made a bold statement - saying these things in front of the very people in question.

Sylvia understood all too well that this was no mere slip of the tongue - this was a threat.

'These two alone will be enough to destroy your group completely.'

This was exactly the message that the man managed to get across with his words.

"Very well. Then, you all heard the boss. If there is even the slight hint of any sort of deception, do not claim that we didn't warn you."

"We will keep such a thing in mind. I don't particularly mind your words, uncle, but don't you think that someone else might have taken offense to your words just now?", Isabella questioned.

"I'm not speaking to someone else. I'm speaking to you."

Gerard's response was as prickly as ever, however he reinforced his tone.

He knew exactly his position.

He understood that Isabella would not be irritated by such a threat, and so he had made it - that was all.

After all - it was her responsibility to ensure that her subordinates remained loyal to the Stirling Family.

"In that case, I will take my leave for now. I must catch up with some of my subordinates, but I will be in contact soon enough with information to share regarding the factions and survivors around us. At that time, I may request the assistance of some of your executives."

Standing up, Isabella immediately headed for the exit, showing herself out without any permission to do so - and as she did this, the other four immediately followed in suit.

The group quickly left, the door closing behind them, and Gerard was left with his five executives as silence encroached upon them.

"I suppose that's that. Yakov. Your thoughts?"

"They cannot be trusted. Should I watch them more closely?"

"Don't bother just yet. Keep your focus internal. Any threats within the 4th branch are much more critical than external ones. Valerie. Let me know if they contact you further."

"Understood."

"Celia. You may be of use in this case. You should understand exactly what to do, no?"

"Yes Sir."

Her expression suddenly becoming serious, Celia lacked the usual fear which she displayed as she responded to the one she ordered about.

And as she did so, Gerard seemed to relax for a moment.

"Now then... I suppose I should check out the lounge to see for myself just how much progress has been made."

Standing up, the girls watched as the man took his leave, with the older gentleman following closely behind him.

"Don't ease up for a moment. I want this entire hotel to become a paradise by the time we find customers to serve."

----