Chương 65: Chapter 64

Nina quietly looked over the month's expenses and revenue. It was already time to close the store for the day, and the next two days would be the workers' scheduled holiday. As she stood on the first floor reviewing a few things, the door suddenly opened.

"Mom! Auntie Nina, I am here!" Nina looked up and saw Jake running toward her with a small bag of supplies in his hands.

"Auntie Nina, where is Mama?"

"She is inside. She is finishing a few things."

"Oh." Jake's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Look, look, look, Auntie Nina!" Nina looked at him.

"What is it?" Jake proudly pulled out a piece of paper with slightly messy handwriting.

"I got a star from my teacher!"

"Oh... good." Jake immediately puffed out his chest, clearly preparing to continue bragging about his achievement. However, before he could say anything else, Abelina walked out from the kitchen while wiping her hands.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Jake immediately ran toward her and hugged her.

"Hi, honey." Abelina crouched down and looked at him.

"What's with the rush?"

"Mama, look. I got a star today."

"Good job." Nina silently watched the scene. Even the personas were watching as well. Lily lightly poked Elias on the side.

"Still can't believe you forced a child to become your future worker through your so-called sponsorship."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault." Elias looked toward the conscious state where Nina was currently controlling the body.

"If I had known Nina would react so strongly to a mother worrying about her son's education, I would have planned things differently."

"But it was only two silver teals."

"Two full silver teals. That's two hundred pieces of silver."

"I know, I know. It is a lot." Just as Lily was about to speak again, Damien opened his mouth.

"We already invested over four million pieces of silver into this business. Why can't we spend a few hundred more?" Lily, who had been prepared to continue arguing, immediately closed her mouth. This was one of the few times Damien had actually taken a side. Seeing this, Elias quickly continued. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Anyways, I was able to get her to sign an even larger contract."

"But we did not simply pay her for nothing. I made her work for it." He sighed.

"Managing all of this without someone responsible would have been troublesome. Handling the money, organizing the business, and dealing with everything ourselves would have required too much time."

"It was fortunate that Rosa brought the remaining funds after exchanging the gifts for money. Without that, I am not sure we would have been able to manage."

"The system would have reached a point where we would have needed to find another solution." Elias paused.

"Regardless, I was able to make another agreement with Abelina."

"She will manage the additional funds, oversee the business expansion, and handle future developments."

"In exchange, besides her salary, she will receive one percent of the company's overall profits." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"That means she has to handle all of the expansion work as well."

"Exactly." Elias smiled.

"And to make sure she would not be taken advantage of, I introduced her to Mr. Hemmensway."

"It was a lot of work. Most of this month was spent running around arranging everything." He leaned back.

"Who would have thought Miss Abelina would be such a kindred soul?"

"She really understands how things work." Elias looked toward the others.

"So, the third floor is finished. What do you all think about allowing people to stay there for an extended period?"

"Any objections?" Elias looked toward Lucian.

"I have nothing to say."

"Lily?"

"I mean... I guess we can do it while we handle other things."

"Damien?"

"I have no input."

"Great." Elias smiled.

"Then the remaining money can be sent back to the system, right?"

"No." Lily immediately interrupted.

"If the third floor is going to be used, then we need to improve it properly."

"Even if it is not the best area, we should invest at least one million silver pieces into making the environment better."

"That way, we can earn more from it later." Elias stared at her.

"Are you seriously putting more money into a business that could possibly fail?"

"I..." Lily hesitated.

"Maybe."

"But still. Come on."

"We already invested so much. It would be a waste not to make it better." Elias sighed.

"Fine."

"I will tell the system that instead of receiving four million silver pieces, we can only hand in three million." … Watching the mother praise her son, Nina felt a slight warmth spread through her heart. Will to Live +5 Current Will to Live: 17 The harmonious scene touched something within her. Just as she was about to return to reviewing the monthly report, a loud bang echoed through the building. The entrance door opened. A man dressed in white robes with golden outlines entered, followed by several guards.

He walked forward with an unbelievable level of arrogance, as if the entire world existed only to obey him.

"Under the order of the Holy Saintess, commoner Nina is required to make her way to the Holy Temple, whether through force or willing cooperation." The man raised the document in his hand.

"If the person refuses to come down within the time of one candlestick, this establishment will be destroyed and burned to the ground." After finishing the announcement, his eyes moved around the area, searching. His expression was filled with undisguised disdain. Then his gaze landed on the woman and child nearby. Abelina and Jake immediately stiffened. Seeing the man begin walking toward them, Damien could no longer remain silent. He took control of Nina's body.

In an instant, he stood between the man and the mother and child, signaling for them to quietly leave.

"And who might you be?" The man's disgusting gaze moved over Nina's body. Lily immediately felt uncomfortable. She felt as if his gaze itself was a violation.

"That man is disgusting." Nina, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

"Damien, you have full authority." The moment those words left her mouth, Damien's body began to transform. The smaller figure disappeared, replaced by a tall, muscular man who stood half a head taller than the man before him. Damien — Relevant Stat Information Intelligence: 90 Perception: 100 Agility: 100 Strength: 100 Social Understanding: 100 Appearance: 80