Under The Veil of Night

Kanae looked towards Kevin with disbelief. A cruise was something she could only dream about in the past. Only those who were extremely rich could afford to go on a cruise, and she was certainly not included. Now that the offer suddenly came to her door, she wondered what she did to make this offer came to her so suddenly.

"President, are you sure it’s appropriate for me to come? I’m sure it’s intended for the core member of your company."

Kevin nodded his head. "Are you not included in those people? You are working on the most important papers for the past few weeks."

She couldn’t refute that. Staying by Kevin’s side all these times allowed her to touch the work she originally unable to. After all, she was a mere employee while Kevin was the president.

"I’m not sure about this," Kanae answered hesitantly.

"You don’t have to pay for anything. The company will be the one paying for your trip. This is also the way to compensate you for working so hard this past week."

"But everyone is working so hard."

"This is the chance for you to enjoy some day offs."

"Why are you so kind to me, President?" Kanae frowned as she looked towards the president with a confused look.

Kevin didn’t even bat an eye as he answered. "I’m not kind. I’m just giving you what you deserve. Without you working here, we won’t be able to finish all those works."

"What about the others?"

"They will get a bonus."

"...and I don’t?"

"You can say so."

Trading the small amount of bonus for a cruise trip was a major win for her. Not everyone has the chance to go for the trip as it should be an important trip. Besides, during the cold weather like this, only those big ships dared to sail even if it was not far from the shore.

"Tell me about the business meeting first."

"It’s the meeting that the four biggest families in this city hold. They want to make more connections with the other small companies such as us and many others. It might even lead to a deal after New Year as there are a lot of sales happens during that time."

Four biggest families...

Kanae felt that phrase made her numb instantly. She was part of their group in the past, but the Nali Family has been treating her like an outsider lately. She didn’t mind their treatment, but she didn’t want to meet with them or being associated with them. She had enough of pain from her past.

However, she knew that she would have to face her uncle again. After all, she couldn’t keep hiding from him forever.

"If you don’t want to come, I can just give you a bonus," Kevin added.

Kanae nodded her head. She knew that Kevin was treating her well because she was his friend. This ice block didn’t have a lot of people who he could trust, and Kanae has been invading into this circle slowly, so he was trying to get more chances for her to know him.

"May I have some time to think?"

"Sure, you can call me later or come over tomorrow to tell me the answer. There’s no need to hurry," Kevin answered lightly.

"Thank you, President."

After that, it was the time for Kanae to continue working. She worked for another hour before going back to her place while Kevin had to face the question thrown to his face from his two subordinates.

"Boss, why are you asking her to come? Isn’t it enough to have us from the core members? Besides, there might be danger for her to come in close contact with the Nali Family," Neo was confused.

Kevin glanced up for a moment. "I want to know more about her relationship with the Nali Family. If we want to beat them in terms of company, we need to know their weakness. Since she comes from Nali Family, they shall be the first one we try to get to know."

"You can just hack their company," Neo mumbled.

"Those big families have some feuds here and there with their offspring," Mike added. "Getting to know them personally is the best rather than using their company data. It will be harder to track their record as there are too many layers."

"But, if you do this, you’re using her."

People wouldn’t like the feeling of being used by other people. If Kanae knew about this, she wouldn’t be pleased to know that Kevin was trying to gain more information about the Nali Family from the inside.

"I’ll tell her in the future," Kevin answered calmly.

Mike and Neo looked towards each other and chose to not get involved. They had seen how their leader acted during Kanae’s time here. He has been showing much more emotions lately. If their president became attached to Kanae....They couldn’t imagine the consequences.

On the other hand, Kanae was still thinking on the invitation from Kevin to go on a trip with him. It was tempting, extremely tempting for someone like her. After all, she never got the chance to enjoy the luxurious life as a member of Nali Family. Still, she felt that it was weird for Kevin to suddenly ask for her to come with him.

If it was working with him, she knew that he appreciated her ability and willing to have her got closer. As for this trip, did he want to make use of her to learn more about the Nali Family? After all, there was bound to be some interaction between her and those people if they met.

When she was thinking, the phone by the side rang. She quickly picked it up.

"Yes, this is Kanae speaking."

"Sis!" the sound of a cheerful young girl immediately brightened up Kanae’s mood.

"You finally call me," Kanae smiled warmly. "How is your condition abroad?"

"It’s really fun. I get a lot of new friends and learn a lot. But I didn’t call for that. I hear from the bank that you send me another batch of money. They’re too much, I can’t accept them."

"The living standard overseas is more expensive than here. You’ll surely need them for your study. You’re always interested in different fields, right?"

"Sheesh, this is why I tell you that you worry too much. I’m already in my third year in Junior High, and I only need to pass the national exam in my school. Besides, as a 14 years old girl, I don’t need money this much."

Kanae laughed. "Then you should just keep them in your account. They are safer with you rather than with me."

"Fine, but sis, you have to keep enough with you for your living expense, okay? I don’t want to return back only to see you living badly without me."

"Uh..." Kanae scratched her cheek. She did only live simply, but if her sis saw this, she would be killed without mercy. "I’m living a simple life, but it’s quite well for me, so you don’t have to worry."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I can’t return home this winter holiday because I have to attend the preparation class. Is it fine, Sis?"

"Don’t worry, just focus on your study."

"Kay, see you later."

Kanae put down the phone. She felt relieved to be able to talk with her again. They rarely called each other because an international call was expensive and it would be a huge problem if they wanted to call on a daily basis. In the end, they just called every few months to inform whether they could return or not.

Kanae recalled back the invitation from the president. If that president was going, her daily life would be boring here because she couldn’t go to the top floor again. Thinking about it, she made another call.

"Hello, this is Kanae, I want to leave a message to the President that I accept his invitation."