n

n

n

"Well... maybe I can help you with that a little,

" Emilin softly said, twiddling her thumbs under the table.

n

"Oh?

" Owen and the other's attentions were entirely on the lass who hadn't really spoken much until now, despite having been the center of the conversation along with Margo for quite a while now.

n

"Well, it won't be much since I don't personally know anyone from the Diamond Palace, but I do know someone who does,

" Emilin downplayed it a little so the others wouldn't get their hopes up and then get disappointed.

nWhich wasn't really necessary since they didn't expect much to begin with, even after she said she could help.

n

"Really?

" Owen skeptically questioned before Margo could start blindly praising Emilin.

nNow was not the time for that, this was a pressing matter.

nMargo: What do you even mean by that? It's always time to praise Emilin. I take offense! Let's fight. Humph!

nTruth be told, in Margo's mind, Emilin was a rather shy girl, who didn't seem to have much confidence despite being so pretty and all around adorable.

nWell, this wasn't exactly wrong, but it wasn't necessarily right either.

nOwen: This is what I get for believing you *sigh that encompasses all the sadness in life*. Didn't we say bros before hoes?

nMargo: *flip the birdy* She's no hoe! And if you can't tell, then you are no brother of mine either.

nOwen: Fine. *Draws circles in a corner.*

nEmilin meekly nodded in front of these piercing gazes.

n

"I'll just be 4 minutes,

" she said as she pointed in the direction of the door while shaking her phone on her other hand to signal that she was going to make a quick call.

nEveryone watched as Emilin left the room and she could feel their eyes searing a hole on her back.

nAs soon as Emilin left their sights, the group restarted their conversation.

n

"Do you think she means it?

" Owen asked.

n

"What does that matter? As long as she says she can then she has to be able to. And if she can't do anything about it, then nothing has changed and that doesn't matter either. Either way, Emilin dear is trying her best to help us when she doesn't even have to, so feel thankful,

" Margo argued with a business-like voice.

nOwen had had thoughts that this Emilin may be an attention seeker, but he cut off those thoughts after a bit.

nIt was clearly unnecessary for her to seek attention!

nAfter all, Emilin wouldn't even have to turn around to find it.

nIn fact, Margo may as well serve all of her devotion up on a platter.

nStill, Owen found it somewhat stifling seeing Margo like this, so concerned about someone she barely knew.

nAfter all, what if Emilin was some kind of scammer right?

nWhat would happen then?

nAnd wasn't Margo warming up to this Emilin a little, no, a hella too quick?

nOwen had never seen this happen before.

nOf course, that was what Owen was worried about, despite being most clear about Margo's feline-like instincts.

nHe was worried about her safety.

nNot anything else.

nNothing.

nThat's all he was worried about, his long-time friend's safety.

n

"No need to be so defensive, I wasn't trying to insinuate anything.

"

n

"And I should just believe you if you say so?

" Margo crossed her legs and lifted an eyebrow at Owen.

nIt seemed like the effects of having Emilin around had expired.

nMargo was back in her serious business mode.

nHer obvious preferential treatment could make one go wild and crazy at the same time.

n

"Well, I don't know, I might have believed it if she said that she had some connections to the Golden Cinnabar since I met her in Malalakan, but the Diamond Palace? I think we best not get our hopes up.

"

nOne really couldn't understand if Mason was here to diffuse the situation or to fuel the fire, because if it was the latter, then it was working, and if it were the former, then he was really a failure of a human being.

n

"Well, we should just wait and see no? There's really no point in making speculations here on the sidelines, after all, we'll be finding out the truth in a few more minutes, not to mention it's not good to talk about people behind their backs,

" Noah butted in.

nHe didn't want to cross in this conversation since he wasn't officially a part of it, but he couldn't help but lend a helping hand when Noah realized that Margo was going to burst on Mason as she had with Owen.

nThen this would really go on to become an all-on fight, which was no good at all.

nProtecting Emilin had nothing to do with this.

nNothing at all...

nAfter all, Noah couldn't care less about her, someone who had been messing with him earlier.

nThey didn't have to wait long either as Emilin came back less than 2 minutes later.

n

"Wow, you don't say, you really came back right on the 4-minute mark,

" Lisa mumbled. As a professional assistant, Lisa was rather sensitive with time.

nIt was quite interesting meeting someone who could estimate the length of a phone call so on the mark.

nThis wasn't exactly good news though, after all, a short call or a short time used to make a call could very well mean that Emilin had been quickly rejected, or perhaps the call hadn't even made it through.

n

"Is there any news?

" Owen was once again the first to ask, which made him seem the most eager.

nEmilin gave Margo a small glance before looking back down when she heard the question.

n

"Yes. They agreed to check your products and I told them that you would contact them within the next 3 months since I don't really know when you will be prepared. You can just send them the things whenever you can,

" Emilin shyly said after she sat herself down.

nShe hadn't even realized that she had spoken as if she had spoken to the people of the Diamond Palace directly rather than through an acquaintance as she had initially claimed.

nBut the others didn't notice either.

nKnowing that they might not believe her at first, Emilin passed a tissue paper with a few numbers written on it.

n

"This is his phone number, you can message him first to confirm everything if you'd like.

"

nEmilin said passing the tissue to Margo, whom she sat next to.

n

"I've received your sincerity~<3,

" Margo said with a wink, to which Emlin just nodded slightly.

nBut to Noah, who was observing her closely, he could see that a slight blush was crawling up Emilin's neck, and even her lowered face seemed to be more excited than usual.

nNoah: What is this???

nNoah: A love rival I never expected! Wait what?

nNoah: What love rival trash. I didn't say that.

nNoah: Miss Lier-nim can you take that off the script please?

nAuthor (you-lier): I don't know what you are talking about...

nNoah: *Cries on one side about how unreliable this author is*

nOwen stood up slightly from his seat to see the paper that Margo held tightly in her hands.

nMargo typed the numbers into her contact as Owen turned his head to the side in an attempt to see what was written down there.

n'It's indeed a number from Polo Country!' He thought.

nMason on the other hand, though interested, didn't make such a big fuss.

nHe also wanted to know what was on that tissue, but he wasn't going to stand up and make more of a mess. He was better off eating while those two dealt with it.

nIt was just as Noah had said. He was going to find out sooner or later anyway, there was no point in making a fuss.

nMargo, who had already added the contact sent the other side a message through What's up, an international communications app used by the general public.

nWhile Margo thought of what to send to this person whose contact Emilin had given her, Emilin had some thoughts of her own.

n'I should probably thank Mister Abel later,' Emilin thought.

nAbel, her acquaintance from the Diamond Palace instantly rose in ranks when it came to her impression of him.

nIf Abel had known that everything he had done previously, including all the discounts and a lowered fees, as well as all those gifts, send to Emilin monthly had done less than this one time he agreed to lend a helping hand, he would probably cry.

nWell, it wasn't truly lending Emilin a helping hand, but the idea was there.

nIn the end, though, Abel would have to thank Margo, the first person that Emilin didn't know through any other means that she had been able to talk to properly, as well as the most friendly person she had ever met.

nTo be honest, that was the reason she had agreed to call her sister Margo.

nAfter all, she wouldn't really sell relations for some simple cakes and drinks and cats. Well, at least not easily.

n*wink* *wink*

nBut Emilin was determined to take these steps, no matter what they were to make closer and lasting relations with others.

nAfter all, one of her other end goals was to make lots of lots of friends in this life.

nPerhaps Emilin also knew, but deep down, she still had a little demon.

nA fear of dying alone, with no one who cared for her.

nNow, even if Emilin didn't know it, she had already set herself on the path of people.

nA road in which she would surround herself with people that she loved and who loved and cared for her too.

nTo live happily.

nTo live a meaningful life.

n