Chapter 1412: Intermission 5: The Stalking Girl (4)

I had heard of the company before.

Honestly, hearing the name alone was already enough to make people pay attention. It wasn’t the kind of company that quietly floated around in the background either. People talked about it constantly in business circles, and even outside of them. Its influence had spread far enough that ignoring it was basically impossible unless someone had been living under a rock somewhere.

Still, despite all that, I never expected the founder herself to be here.

Out of all places.

"I’m surprised you know me," I said.

"Well, your identity really isn’t hidden from anyone, you know?" she replied with a small smile resting on her lips. "Besides, I can tell you’re not the type of person who’d struggle to buy wine this expensive."

Her voice carried this smooth, almost teasing tone to it. Calm and elegant on the surface, but there was definitely something underneath. Something sharper.

Then she looked at me directly.

That gaze of hers was strange.

Sultry was probably the best way to describe it, but that still didn’t fully explain the feeling. It was like she was studying me while pretending not to. Like she was casually peeling layers apart in her head while smiling the entire time.

Honestly, people in business really were scary sometimes. One second they were complimenting you, and the next it felt like they were mentally calculating your entire net worth down to the last coin.

I wasn’t uncomfortable exactly.

Still, I stayed cautious.

"Well, as a fellow businessman, I’d be willing to give you the wine for free," she said. "Think of it as a gift."

I looked up at her for a moment before glancing at the bottle again.

"That sounds pretty generous," I said. "This wine’s expensive, isn’t it?"

"Well, I already told you, didn’t I?" she replied smoothly. "Since we’re both businessmen, I think building some kind of relationship with each other would be good."

Well, I understood what she meant.

People in business always operated like that. Connections mattered almost as much as money itself. Sometimes even more. A single relationship could turn into a partnership, an investment, a collaboration, or some massive opportunity later on. Half the time, businessmen talked to each other while pretending it was casual when both sides were quietly evaluating the other the entire conversation.

Pretty exhausting way to live, honestly.

"It definitely doesn’t hurt for people like us to get to know each other," she continued. "In terms of business ventures, I think people like us who pursue innovation while constantly learning from it are necessary. People need individuals willing to see things through properly, and I believe that’s something incredibly important."

I listened quietly while she spoke.

Truthfully, there were parts of what she said that I didn’t fully understand. She talked in the kind of polished business language that sounded smart enough to convince people even when they barely followed half of it.

Still, one thing was obvious.

If Amon ever ended up talking with her, those two would probably get along ridiculously well. They’d probably end up discussing business strategies for six straight hours while I sat there pretending I understood anything beyond the first ten minutes.

"Fufufu, you really are an interesting person," she said with a soft laugh. "I think we’d be able to enjoy quite a lot together if we got to know each other better."

"I don’t think I really need anything from a business that isn’t even close to ours in scale," I replied bluntly. "So what exactly makes you special?"

Her expression softened into an amused smile.

"That’s a little hurtful, you know? Hearing you call my business small like that."

"Sorry about that," I said casually. "But since you understand business yourself, there are naturally going to be questions. Businessmen are opportunists by nature."

"Well, you’re right about that," she admitted. "Still, you don’t have to think about it so deeply. I don’t think there’s any reason for you to doubt whether I’d be useful or not. This could simply end up being a passing acquaintance."

A passing acquaintance.

I seriously doubted that.

Something about her felt off in a way I couldn’t explain properly. Not dangerous exactly, but layered. Like there was a lot more hidden underneath that composed smile and calm tone of hers.

People like her usually didn’t approach others without a reason.

And honestly, people at the top of the business world rarely did anything "casually." There was almost always a purpose somewhere underneath all the politeness.

"You can have this, Mr. Faust," she said as she handed me the bottle directly. "I’d be more than happy to give it to you free of charge."

The bottle rested carefully in her hands, the dark glass reflecting the warm lights inside the shop.

"I heard you have quite a lot of women around you," she continued casually. "I’m happy to tell you that this wine actually contains a slight aphrodisiac essence. If you want to enjoy a little fun in bed with your women, then isn’t this the perfect wine for the occasion?"

She said it so naturally that it almost caught me off guard.

Almost.

Honestly, hearing something like that from someone carrying herself with that level of elegance created a weird contrast. Sophisticated businesswoman on the outside, casually recommending bedroom wine on the inside.

Human beings really were full of surprises.

Still, she was genuinely handing it over for free.

Well, it wasn’t like I was worried or suspicious or anything.

Definitely not.

Okay, maybe just a little.

Still, even if I stayed cautious, I couldn’t deny that the wine itself could actually end up being useful somehow. Considering the amount of women around me lately, something like this probably had more practical value than I wanted to admit.

Life had gotten weird enough that I accepted things pretty quickly these days.

"Well, thanks then," I said.

I grabbed the bottle from her hand.

The glass felt cool against my fingers as I pulled it closer before turning away from the shop.

Even while walking away, I could still feel her gaze lingering on my back.

Although she claimed this encounter might just end up being some passing interaction, I didn’t believe that at all.

Meeting someone like her usually meant something followed afterward. Whether it turned into trouble, opportunity, or something in between, I had no idea yet.

Still, I was almost certain this wouldn’t be the last time our paths crossed.

Something would come out of this eventually.

I could feel it.

***

Foriel’s POV

What an interesting encounter.

A faint smile slowly spread across my lips as I stood there quietly after he left.

Meeting someone as fascinating as that person wasn’t exactly common.

Especially not for someone like me.

As a person deeply involved in the business world, someone who had built her company entirely from scratch, I understood very well just how influential that man was.

And influential honestly wasn’t even enough to describe it anymore.

He was famous.

Very famous.

His name had spread throughout the world to the point where almost everybody knew it already. Business circles talked about him constantly, investors paid attention to him, and even ordinary people recognized the name without needing an explanation.

At this point, even people hiding somewhere in forgotten corners of the world had probably heard of him already.

That level of fame didn’t happen by accident.

"Well..." I murmured softly to myself. "I think I might stay in Milham for quite a while."

The thought itself felt strangely amusing.

Usually, I wasn’t the type to linger around places for personal interest. Most of my decisions were practical. Calculated. Efficient.

Yet somehow, this meeting had managed to stir something unusual inside me.

Excitement.

Genuine excitement.

A soft laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Honestly, it had been a while since someone managed to intrigue me this much.