Cherished By Seven Sisters by Melvin Houle

“Mr. Lund, how may I help you?” A polite voice rang out from the phone speaker after the call connected. “Help me hack into a personal network. I want all the documents and pictures on his computer. Send the files to me as soon as possible.” “Yes, Sir!” After giving the brief and concise instruction, Emrys hung up the call and sent the other party a man’s resume. The resume belonged to none other than Zachary. Emrys was present when Cordelia fired Zachary yesterday. Through his observation, he noticed something fishy about Zachary. First of all, when facing Cordelia’s interrogation, Zachary didn’t even bother to explain himself and directly admitted that he had colluded with Allure Group. Secondly, he flashed an obvious smirk during his departure as if he was scheming something. Considering the recent and upcoming activities planned by Cordelia Group, Emrys had a hunch that the most likely event to be tampered with was the company’s new product launch the next day. He had copied Zachary’s resume from the company’s database and ordered someone to hack into the latter’s computer. Emrys was confident he could acquire some dirt on Zachary to prevent the latter from doing anything foolish during the press conference. That was Emrys’ safety measure. After breakfast, Emrys went downstairs to take a walk. When he arrived at the mansion garden, he saw someone standing outside the courtyard door. The stranger was a man in his forties with a squarish face and closely-trimmed beard. He wore a stern and dignified facial expression. That man was Osmond Langdon, but the people of Jadeborough usually addressed him as “South River King.” “Greetings, Empyrean Lord! I’m Osmond Langdon, South River King,” Osmond greeted in a sonorous voice, abruptly bending his b*dy into a ninety-degree bow when he saw Emrys. He had been waiting there for over an hour, standing with a straight back the whole time as if a moment of slacking would lower his reverence toward Emrys. He had changed only his posture into a bow when Emrys showed up. “You’re quick to receive news of my arrival,” Emrys uttered nonchalantly while glancing at Osmond. He wasn’t familiar with anyone who went by the title “South River King,” but he could sense that Osmond practiced martial arts. “My elder brother is General Chance’s subordinate, and he deliberately reminded me to care for your needs, Empyrean Lord.” “Care for my needs? Aren’t you here to butter me up?” Emrys snorted. “I would never dare to do that!” Osmond broke out in a cold sweat. He felt as if a mountain was pinning him down and suffocating him. Empyrean Lord’s aura is too terrifying. Others might think Emrys was just an average Joe. However, anyone who was slightly acquainted with him would realize the more ordinary a person seemed, the scarier they were. Osmond was a prime example. If he weren’t informed about Emrys’ identity in advance, he would assume the latter was just a typical teenager. However, after he learned about Emrys’ status, Emrys’ every word and action brought immense pressure upon him. “Relax. Regardless of your intention, you have come at the right time.” Right when Osmond was about to be smothered, Emrys’ words revitalized him. “Your wish is my command!” “Good.” Emrys nodded. “There are a few things I need you to do. First, I suspect Prime Realty has something to do with the fire at Sunshine Children’s Home fifteen years ago, so I want you to carry out a thorough investigation on the person in charge. Second, my sister’s company, Cordelia Group, will be having a press conference for their new product launch tomorrow. I hope you’ll set an example. The third thing is…” After Emrys explained the tasks to Osmond, the latter retreated politely, utter excitement churning within him. The opportunity to serve Empyrean Lord is an honor countless people yearn for. I wonder how many people will be jealous of me, knowing I am fortunate enough to be blessed with this privilege. Not long after Osmond left, Emrys received an email notification. He returned to his room and used Cordelia’s computer to log in to his email account to download the compressed folder. After unzipping the file, he noticed the folder contained some shocking content. Emrys couldn’t help but curl his lips into a contemptuous smile. “Amazing!” Nothing will happen to Zachary if he stays obedient. Conversely, if he’s foolish enough to stir up trouble during tomorrow’s event, these documents I have are sufficient to ruin his reputation. The next day, one after the other, members of the media showed up at the conference hall on the thirteenth floor of Cordelia Group. Cordelia emphasized, “You must check their work ID properly and don’t let any irrelevant people enter.” The chief security officer, Henry Graham, patted his chest and assured her, “Ms. Youngblood, you can count on me.” Nevertheless, Cordelia still felt uneasy when she was preparing backstage. Emrys pinched her palm and asked, “What’s the matter, Delia?” “I don’t know. My right eyelid has been twitching since morning. I can’t shake off this sense of foreboding in my heart.” “Things will be fine. I’m here. Even if the world collapses, I’ll be here to support you.” “The only thing you’re capable of is comforting me.” She glared at him. Although she knew he wouldn’t be of much help even if something were to happen, Cordelia felt inexplicably more at ease after listening to his words. At ten o’clock sharp, the press conference commenced. Cordelia touched up her makeup before walking up the stage, instantly astonishing all the media members with her appearance. They had heard of her name in the past and were aware of the existence of the gorgeous female CEO in Jadeborough. Still, most of them believed the stories to be exaggerated. After all, in this day and age, any woman with proper facial features could be considered a beauty after putting some effort into preening themselves. Even an ordinary woman could turn into a goddess, especially with the assistance of image editing and camera filters. However, when Cordelia came out, the members of the media realized they were wrong. Cordelia had a tall, slender build and an outstanding temperament. Her enthralling facial features were extraordinarily captivating. Unlike those influencers who relied on heavy make-up to look good, Cordelia could outshine ninety-nine percent of the women out there by applying just a light layer of cosmetics. She was indeed as exquisite as rumored. The reporters were immediately invigorated. Cordelia’s performance didn’t disappoint the crowd either. She introduced her company’s new products in an orderly and graceful manner. Her nervousness when she was preparing below the stage seemed to have disappeared without a trace. The first half of the press conference went smoothly. Cordelia let out an inward sigh of relief and wondered if she was truly worried over nothing. Unfortunately, the situation took a turn for the worse after a short while. A female reporter suddenly stood up and asked, “I received information saying you fired a seasoned employee to promote a toy boy. May I know if that is true?” Whoosh! The faces of all personnel of Cordelia Group changed drastically. “What’s the problem with that reporter? Who permitted you to raise such a senseless question?” A few of the company’s security guards wanted to chase the female reporter out of the hall, but Henry stopped them. “Please answer my question, Ms. Youngblood.” The female reporter was persistent. The other media members also trained their camera lenses on Cordelia’s face. They were more interested in discovering the pretty female CEO’s private life than the launching of Cordelia Group’s new products. “That question is unrelated to today’s press conference, so I refuse to respond,” Cordelia replied while wearing a frosty expression. “How is it unrelated?” At that moment, the door to the conference room was pushed open, followed by the entrance of Zachary. Tagging alongside him was Simon. Simon was sitting in a wheelchair, and both his legs were in casts. One of his arms was also covered in bandages and slung in front of his chest. When Henry took in the scene, instead of stopping them, he stepped forward and took the initiative to help Simon push his wheelchair. A reporter immediately placed a microphone near Zachary’s mouth. “Sir, are there any grudges between you and Cordelia Group?” “Of course. I’m the seasoned employee who was dismissed by Cordelia.”