Assassination System-Chapter 225 Battle of Words
"Rodger Duterte from the Imperial Clan, aren't you a little bit selfish poaching someone under our watch?" Juliet mumbled in a venomous tone and Rodger turned to look at her in amusement. His eyes shone with confidence and it was as if he didn't even look at Juliet as someone who held the same status as him.
"Poaching? How dare you use that word in front of me. I simply offered him terms that were far better than what you offered. It was his decision to renege, not me." Rodger replied with an uncaring expression, looking relaxed. A smile of derison lifted on his lips.
"If offering to pay the termination fee for the contract that they signed with us doesn't mean poaching then black should be called white and white should be called black..." Juliet sarcastically said and Rodger's expression turned red in shame.
Juliet easily deduced that they offered such terms within the contract that they offered so that the merchants would willingly dissolve their cooperation with Juliet, striking a deep, fatal strike at the core of the Dreamy House, possibly crippling their operations.
Leonard Waga couldn't stand witnessing his guest being insulted inside his pavilion so he intervened with a solemn countenance, "My dear, Juliet, can you not cause such a scandalous affair inside my abode? We can settle the matter of compensation at a later time, just please don't cause trouble within my pavilion..."
"Shut the fuck up, old geezer, I will cause trouble whenever and wherever I want, daring to disrupt the normal operations of my business, you're courting death!" Juliet erupted in series of cursings that she picked up from her mother.
Leonard almost choked in his own saliva as the words that he wanted to say got lodged within his throat. Reddened in anger, he glared at Juliet but never spoke once again. He knew that engaging this little devil in a battle of words only meant his demise.
Zieve stared at Juliet with a bitter smile on his face, though he told Juliet that she should act like a cultured young lady whenever she can, the attitude that she picked up from her time at the slums still surfaced whenever times of conflict or stress, arrives.
Looking at the three, he didn't intervene, he wanted to see them baptized under Juliet's wrath, roasted to perfection under her domineering assembly of words.
Rodger lifted an eyebrow and stared at Juliet in displeasure. He hated Juliet to the core and hearing her series of curses served to aggravate the memories of indignance within his mind, glaring at her, he said.
"Isn't it quite inappropriate for you to start cursing the master of the house? Juliet? Did your parents even teach you about manners or do they even exist? I bet that little Zieve behind you merely picked you up from a slave merchant and pitied unto you because of his strange fetish of liking little girls..." Rodger replied, striking at the hearts of the two in one fell swoop.
Zieve flushed in anger and humiliation yet Juliet maintained her calm and cold temperament. Darting her gaze at Rodger, she replied.
"And who said that you're allowed to call my name or Zieve's name? Are you feeling close to us? Che! We don't have such a retarded friend or relative like you so don't casually call us with our names like we knew each other for a long time! Do you want us to be battered with malicious rumors for associating ourselves with a crazy bastard like you?!"
Rodger tried maintaining his composure yet the slight circulation of his disturbed Spiritual Energy and the light swaying of his body indicated the intense emotional upheaval that he was undergoing. If not for the fact that they knew nothing about the background behind Juliet, he and Vanadis would've struck and slashed her throat already so she would stop spouting nonsense!
"Young Juliet, Rodger Duterte from the Imperial Clan is one of the esteemed guests of my Waga Pavilion. Since he's inside my territory, he's under the Waga Clan's protection so if you insist on being scandalous here, we will have to ask you to leave or else, we will throw you out!"
Leonard warned, his expression looked cold and callous, void of the warmth and familiarity that he had when he first greeted Juliet and Zieve. One could say that he was truly angered this time.
"Aren't I also an esteemed guest of the Waga Pavilion?" Juliet smirked, flicking her wrist, a jade card appeared within her hand and she glared at Leonard. "Isn't this the VIP card of the Waga Pavilion? Those that have this should be treated as an esteemed guest of the Waga Pavilion. Or are you trying to say that I am not even with this?"
Leonard's countenance turned red in anger and shame. If he insisted on throwing her out, even when she had the VIP Card of his Waga Pavilion, that would mean throwing his face away.
Rodger's eyes gleamed with amusement as he stared at Juliet as if looking at a circus show. Lifting a smile on his lips, he turned towards her and Zieve before saying to Leonard.
"Pavilion Chief Leonard, just let them stay here. It's not like they'll be able to do harm against us..." His voice full of disdain as he casually swept his gaze across Zieve and Juliet.
Leonard nodded his head towards Rodger's proposal, "Young master Rodger is indeed wise! To think that you would be able to see the bigger picture than me. I'm really going senile." He turned towards Juliet and said with indifference laced within his tone,
"Since the Young master has said so and you also have the VIP Card of our Waga Pavilion, then you may stay here and do whatever you want." His voice hinted that if not for Rodger's kindness, they wouldn't be able to stay inside.
Juliet and Zieve lifted an eyebrow to his actions and Rodger kept a carefree attitude, it was as if he was the Emperor observing the commotion occurring between his subjects. No matter what happens, he would remain unperturbed.
Juliet and Zieve crossed her arms together and walked in front of Leonard. On the jade table, she placed a golden parchment that emanated the deep smell of Earth and the fluctuations of life. Just from the energy waves alone, one could tell that the contract written within this golden parchment could compare to an Imperial Decree.
Leonard and Rodger stared at Juliet with a pensive expression on their faces. Rodger's frosty facade turned colder and an air of urgency surrounded Leonard. If by some chance, a clause that he wasn't able to detect was present and Juliet used it against him, then he wouldn't have any other choice but to follow her whims lest a Heavenly Tribulation strikes him from above.
"What's wrong, Sir Leonard? You look awfully pale for someone that is considerably healthy. Are you eating fine?" Juliet smirked, her tone mocking. Leonard almost choked in his own saliva as he regained his calm and arranged his clothes, clearing his throat. He replied, "What are you saying? Awfully pale? It's just hot in here, that's why..."
"I don't really care if it's hot in here or not, what I wanna show you is this..." Juliet shrugged, unrolling the parchment, a burst of brilliant light exploded, forming distinct array of words that floated into the air.
Leonared saw the appearance of the brilliant light and his expression turned solemn. When he signed that contract with Juliet back then, the benefits blinded him and he didn't carefully look through the contract and just signed it.
'I just hope that she didn't place any venomous loopholes in that contract...' Leonard was someone that valued money and status. Because of his innate nature, he was an untrustworthy man that would jump ships whenever greater benefits were available.
Witnessing the Dreamy House's success, Leonard thought that he could rise the Dreamy House's coattails and rise through the apex amidst all influences within the Academy. Never did he expect that Rodger Duterte from the Imperial Clan would offer him a contract with far higher benefits than what Juliet offered.
His innate nature made him jump ships without thinking of the consequences and as a result, he felt nervous if Juliet really added some venomous clauses.
But in the end, he could only hope that Juliet was innocent enough that she wouldn't do such a despicable thing.
Juliet started scrolling through the thirty-pages contract and at the beginning Rodger and Leonard remained indifferent, the contents of the contract looked normal and void of abnormalities. But the further they progressed, Rodger and Leonared knitted their eyebrows and at the end of the contract, the two of them looked dark and gloomy.
"Eh? What's going on with you two? Why do you guys look like you've just eaten a fly?" Juliet lightly chuckled, her warm smile and bell-like laughter contrasted the darkness that surrounded the two before her.
Playfully smiling, she swept her gaze at Leonard and said, "Particularly, you. Venerable Chief of the Waga Pavilion, why are you sweating so much? Did you perhaps ate something spicy as breakfast and trying to your stomachache back?"
Rodger clicked his tongue, his expression looked somber as he said, "What's the meaning of this, Juliet? How could you include such a despicable clause within that contract? You're still this young yet you're already such a schemer."
His voice were filled with righteousness, a righteousness that made Juliet laugh at him as she said, "You're accusing me of being a schemer? Who was it that tried to poach my subordinate under my watch so that he could deal considerable damage to the normal operations of my company?"
Her reply was logical and sound. Rodger stumbled upon his words and wasn't able to reply as Leonard turned to look at Juliet with a pleading expression on his face. He carefully looked over Rodger's contract earlier and it included a similar clause within.
The only difference was the amount of compensation. Rodger merely asked for three times the invested amount, yet Juliet actually asked for ten times the invested amount! His expression became so pale as he lamented on how naive and stupid he was! He should've carefully checked that contract instead of looking for the clauses that indicated his benefits.
"Y-Y-Young Mistress, I know that everything is my fault, this subordinate of yours has been blinded with greed and became unable to do the right thing, I am willing to accept any punishment just spare the pavilion that I carefully established for several decades..." Leonard pleaded on his knees.
Violating the contract meant he had to give ten times the invested amount as compensation towards the Dreamy House. Even if he had to sell the entire Waga Pavilion and his entire assets. It would be impossible for him to amass such an amount for Juliet.
The sudden reversal astonished Zieve and he turned to look at Juliet with a shocked expression on his face. He was the one that made the draft of the contract. He didn't expect that Juliet would add something so despicable.
Juliet heard Leonard's pleading yet she never even looked at him. Instead, she stared at Rodger and said, "A subordinate of mine has said that the Imperial Clan is willing to pay the termination fee, right?" Her words shook Rodger's figure while Leonared recovered some hope.
Rodger momentarily closed his eyes and when it snapped open, he took a deep breath and glared at Leonard before replying, "O-O-Of course, the Imperial Clan would be willing to pay for the termination fee..." Despite trying to maintain his calm facade, Rodger's heart still bled when he said such words to her.
"Oh?" Juliet made an 'O' shape with her mouth and applauded with her hands. Stretching her palm forward, she gestured, "In that case, may I ask the so-called member of the Imperial Clan to hand over the fees for poaching a subordinate of mine?"
Her actions looked playful as Rodger ordered Vanadis to give the necessary amount for the termination fee. Leonard stared at Rodger with twinkling eyes, as Rodger placed the pouch of Spirit Stones above Juliet's palms with trembling hands.
"The Imperial Clan really is generous, to think that they could easily amass a hundred thousand Spirit Stones with just a single word..." Juliet lightly laughed and hurled the pouch at Zieve who was still in a trance.
"Thank you for everything, Rodger Duterte from the Imperial Clan and of course, you too. Uncle Leonard, you made me earn so much money in such a short time. I express my gratitude." Juliet even clasped her hands together in respects before disappearing from their sight.
Left alone inside the room, Rodger stared with cold eyes at Leonard as he kicked him towards the side.
"Useless greedy pig! To think that you would fall into such a scheme! vanadis! Take someone from the Imperial Clan and make him assume the identity of this bastard!" Rodger ordered and Vanadis swiftly ran at Leonard with his daggers in hand.
A miserable shriek echoed out as Rodger stared at the door where Juliet disappeared into. His eyes flashed with a crimson light of desperation and anger.
"If I cannot defeat this fucking bitch in a fair and square manner. There's only one thing that I can do..." He said as he tightly clenched his fists, strengthening his resolve.
