[Congratulations!]
[Thank you!] Tiffany's lips curved up slightly, and she carefully continued messaging: [Senior Eagle, now that I am officially part of the organization, can I ask you for a favor?]
[What is it?] Eagle's response was still concise.
This succinct way of speaking, familiar to her, unexpectedly stirred something inside her.
Tiffany couldn't understand why, but she suddenly thought of Dominic, and her face flushed. She replied: [It's about finding someone, definitely not a big deal for you.]
[Who?] Eagle remained straightforward.
Seeing that Eagle didn't refuse, Tiffany felt confident that things were going smoothly. She sent another message directly:
[It's about Dr. Athena. An elder from a family I've been close with for generations is seriously ill and urgently needs Dr. Athena's help to save her life. Otherwise, I wouldn't trouble you with this.]
Dominic looked at the computer screen and lit a cigarette.
Was there any truth in what Tiffany said?
Yesterday, she talked about wanting to find Dr. Athena to discuss academic matters, but now it had turned into seeking medical help for a relative.
One minute, two minutes passed, and Tiffany still hadn't received a response from Eagle.
The sudden change in the situation, from being assured of success to encountering a variable, was something that anyone would find difficult to accept.
Tiffany's smile gradually faded, replaced by unease.
She tentatively sent another message, [Senior Eagle, can you help?]
Still, there was no reply.
Finally unable to bear it, Tiffany had to send another message: [Senior Eagle, are you still there? You can name your price, as long as it's reasonable, I can afford it.]
[Eagle, what's wrong with you?]
[Eagle, please reply when you see this!]
[Eagle, this matter is urgent.]
Dominic watched the messages coming in continuously, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, and instead of replying immediately, picked up his phone and called Tiffany.
After one ring, Tiffany answered, "Dom!"
Dominic remained silent for a moment before saying, "How's the problem sorted out? When will it be resolved? I need to inform Dr. Athena's friend."
What problem? She hadn't sorted out anything.
Tiffany felt guilty for a second but quickly regained her composure. "Dom, I've been too busy these days and haven't had time to sort it out. Can you help me to explain it and rearrange it later?"
Still lying, Dominic pursed his lips tighter and didn't mention the issue again. Instead, he said, "In an hour, meet me at your doorstep."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Tiffany was stunned. Did Dom mean to meet at her doorstep in an hour?
Could it be that he had finally realized his feelings for her and wanted to go on a date!
Indeed, her IronRose identity was useful.
Tiffany felt overjoyed, and her gaze returned to the computer screen. Eagle still hadn't replied, and she felt frustrated.
Just as she was about to put the matter aside, messages began popping up on the computer screen. Eagle's response was cold and straightforward: [I can't help you.]
Why the sudden change in attitude?
Tiffany was stunned. She sent another message to inquire about the reason, only to find out in surprise that she had been blocked.
Thinking back to their previous conversation, she couldn't find any reason to offend him.
Was Eagle sick?
Tiffany felt like she had been played.
One moment he was flattering her, making her feel special, and the next moment, he turned his face away, making her doubt herself.
From childhood to adulthood, she had always been treated like a princess, and she had never been played like this before.
The more Tiffany thought about it, the angrier she became. Facing the computer screen, she felt as if Eagle was on the other side, mocking her.
She couldn't swallow this insult.
She didn't believe that if Eagle refused, no one else couldn't help.
There was no problem in the world that money couldn't solve. Of course, the money would come from the Laroux family.
...
In the living room, Alessia sat down, still accompanying Riley, who hadn't had many sips of his drink, when the phone rang again.
She glanced at it and saw that it was M calling.
"When will you stop?" she answered, already knowing what M wanted to talk about.
"Not yet. Boss, something big happened," M said, trying to pique Alessia's interest.
"Get to the point." Alessia was straightforward and didn't fall for M's tactics.
M relented, "Okay, you have quite the personality. So, TiffByte knows that I have a good relationship with you, so she asked me for help to track down Dr. Athena."
As he spoke, M became excited.
"Boss, she just tried to get on Eagle's good side in the group, seeking his help. Now she's turned to you. Eagle definitely refused to help her, so imagine the satisfaction of seeing her face slapped like this."
Alessia remained expressionless. "So you called just to say this?"
M replied, "Isn't this matter interesting enough?"
Alessia said, "Not interesting."
She was about to hang up.
"Don't hang up, Boss," M hastily said, "TiffByte offers five million to help you investigate Dr. Athena, are you in or not?"
"What do you think?" Alessia hung up the phone.
She knew clearly that M's call wasn't genuinely about asking if she was willing to help Tiffany, but purely to gloat.
Look at how idle he was.
She would investigate herself; she wasn't sick.
Alessia sighed helplessly, picked up her glass, took a sip, and her phone vibrated again, several times in a row.
Her patience had been worn out completely. It seemed she had to give M some work and stretch his muscles.
Thinking so, Alessia opened her phone and found that the email sender wasn't M but Tiffany.
Without thinking, she knew for sure that M, unsatisfied with the scale of the issue, had forwarded her email to Tiffany.
Email content: [Cobra, as long as you agree to help me find Dr. Athena, the price is negotiable. If five million isn't satisfactory, we can raise it to ten million.]
[Please, you must help me!]
[Please!]
Seeing the three consecutive emails, Alessia felt trouble. She initially didn't want to bother, but she didn't expect Tiffany to send another one.
[Cobra, this is a matter of life and death.]
Was this an attempt at moral coercion?
If it was really a matter of life and death, why did Eagle lie yesterday, saying they were looking for Dr. Athena only for medical research?
Alessia couldn't be bothered to guess the messy relationship between Tiffany and Eagle.
To avoid trouble, she thought for a moment and replied to the email: [I'm not short of money.]
Not short of money? Who would complain about having too little money and not agree, just because the price wasn't right?
Tiffany stared at the computer, determined. She was about to raise the price again when she received another email:
[I'm busy and don't have time to play games with you. Two nights ago, Eagle already helped you find Dr. Athena. I am the friend of Dr. Athena. If you have time, organize your academic questions, and I'll pass them to Dr. Athena as soon as possible. There's no need to say more; Dr. Athena is on vacation and won't see any patients for anyone!]
Tiffany stared at the words on the screen. She recognized each word individually, but when put together, she didn't understand.
Eagle helped her find Dr. Athena two nights ago? But two nights ago, she hadn't even met Eagle.
Right, two nights ago she had asked Dom.
So Dom was Eagle?!
Her Dom was so excellent; it wouldn't be surprising if he were Eagle.
Tiffany felt a sense of pride, but then immediately realized something was wrong.
If Dom was Eagle, that would be terrible.
She had just asked Eagle for help finding Dr. Athena again, using a different reason. Dom must have known she was lying, which was why he called to urge her to organize her questions, actually testing her.
Then Eagle suddenly changed his attitude and refused straightforwardly. He must have been angry.
Boom! A thunderous sound echoed through the sky.
Tiffany shrank in fear.
She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down.
No need to be afraid; it was just a lie.
Right, Tiffany thought, her eyes brightening.
Dom had a conflict with Gordon Laroux at the hospital a few days ago. She only said she didn't want to upset him because of Gordon's relationship.
Tiffany finally came up with a solution. At this point, she couldn't let Cobra go and find Dr. Athena anymore.
She turned off the computer, changed her clothes, and by the time she was done, twenty minutes had passed.
Tiffany calmly picked up her phone, left the house, and stood by the side of the road, waiting for Dominic to arrive.
***