OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 150: Meet My Mother

Emir explained his backstory, telling her everything she should know about the Order, his and Lyra's relation to them, and how he discovered Aether.

Just as he was about to get to their current situation, Mariane interfered with a raised hand.

With her brows furrowed and brown eyes bloodshot, she exclaimed:

"Stop! Stop... Just give me a moment to process all of this. I'm scared that the next thing you'll be telling me is that all of what happened to my shop is because of the Order."

Her face scrunched up even more as she watched him clap his hands, acting as if what she said was exactly right.

"No... No way. Emir! You can't be telling me that the entirety of my life's work was snuffed out as an example to scare you. Please!" She pleaded, her voice strained, even though for the past fifteen minutes she hadn't said a single word.

Stopping his playful actions, he donned his neutral face.

"As I said, I don't pity you... I won't apologize to you either."

"The one responsible is my enemy, someone I've long since sworn to kill. And he wants control of my life, so my gaining a solid foundation is something he would never want..." "Case in point, he used your shop as an example of his capabilities. Without even a single word, the Elite did whatever they could to be in his good graces, and you were the perfect target for them to show me what could happen to my mother's company in three months' time."

Tapping on his terminal a few times, a hologram appeared, stating:

{Subject: Court Summons - Your Company's Grim Fate Awaits}

{Dear Laura,

Prepare for the theater of justice. The court summons you to its chambers. Within three months, you shall attend as they revel in determining the wretched destiny of your pitiful company, Prince Emporium.

You are commanded to appear, to dance upon the stage of this malicious spectacle. Failure to comply shall unleash wrath upon you, as the vile court may unleash a damning ruling or further torment.

Engage your pitiful legal counsel, for they shall serve as your desperate voice in this theater. Seek their guidance if it brings you any solace.

Acknowledge your receipt of this missive and your intention to embrace this vile gathering. Contact the court clerk at any of our offices or send a reply to the court address provided above.

With sinister anticipation,

Yours dearly,

Hargrove Moonscribe.}

Letting out a chuckle, he said:

"As you can see, they're having fun with it as if they know that they'll get us. But we've got plans to combat that, and if you want to know more about it, I'll have Lyra explain it to you, I've had enough negotiating for today."

He checked on the time and added:

"They'll bring the sweets in a few moments, you can take that time to digest what I've laid out for you."

Emir watched as Mariane's eyes began to twitch, and as her face disfigured into fury while she bellowed, finally losing control:

"YOU ARE JOKING AROUND EVEN NOW?!"

He tilted his head as if he had done nothing wrong.

"What do you mean?"

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"You... You're impossible." She uttered in defeat.

Suppressing himself from laughing out loud, he thought:

'No wonder they think of each other as sisters, they even say the same things.'

Noticing his rising grin, she was about to stand up and rush him but stopped herself as a knock on the door resounded in the room.

Pressing on the button in the middle of the table, he unlocked the door, and a butler entered the room with two plates containing their orders, one on each hand.

He set them on the table and quietly took his leave.

Seeing him gone, Mariane visibly relaxed and then proceeded to pick up the cake and stuff herself, not minding the loss of her dignity.

Not that any was left in the first place.

Not wanting to embarrass her further, Emir ignored what was happening in front of him and ate like how a normal person would.

Sometime later, they both finished eating and after cleaning their hands and mouths with tissue, they focused back on the issue at hand, with Mariane much more relaxed this time around, the cheesecake doing wonders.

"So what now?" She asked.

"Well, now you'll be meeting my mother." He answered after a moment of thought.

"Are you proposing to me?"

Shaking his head, he rebuked, "No, that isn't how it goes, if I was proposing, I would go to your mother instead-I'm sorry..."

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Finally noticing a shred of genuine emotion on his face, her eyes slowly began to brighten as

she remembered who the person in front of her was.

He was only a teenager... Not even that, just a kid going through all of this while facing unimaginable enemies, never a day when he would think about having fun.

Only planning, only attempting to loosen the neck hanging over his neck, wanting to be free, to be seen as a person with his own will, his own ideals, and principles.

Not a tool for war, he simply wants to protect those he loves, and seeing that he even came for her, she might even be someone that he considers a friend, someone he would also look after,

so what was she hesitating for?

At least, that's what her face told Emir...

'If only she knew that I'm technically a grown man, though I guess it wouldn't be a lie to say

that I'm a teen...'

'And well, I mainly came here since she would prove useful, I might've helped her out, sure, but taking a loss? Nah... I already have enough on my plate with my family and Lyra... Maybe.'

'I can't afford to add more to that pile...'

Looking to be pumped up, Mariane stood up and grabbed Emir by his arms, dragging him to the door while saying:

"What are you staring at me for? Let's go say hi to your mother!"