It was night. Ada, now in her pajamas, sat in the villa Matthew had gifted her. A complex glint flashed in her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon the brand-new villa key on the bar counter. Matthew's words, spoken when he handed her the key, involuntarily echoed clearly in her ears.
"Since you're my assistant, you can't be without a comfortable living environment. Take this key; it has the villa's location on it. Just go find it yourself, and I'll have someone transfer the deed to your name."
"As for a car... do you prefer a sports car or an SUV? A Bugatti or a Bentley? Or perhaps I'll give you two million to buy one yourself?"
"Oh, right, once you have the car, remember to be on time for work."
Ada leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the luxurious crystal chandelier hanging above. A deep sense of helplessness and bewilderment appeared on her uniquely charming face.
'Wait, is your company's treatment really this good? Then what was all my struggling and fighting for all these years? Was it just to prove I could fight?'
Only at this moment did she truly grasp the profound meaning of the phrase, "Only after going outside did I realize it wasn't raining at all." At the same time, a strong sense of unreality enveloped her.
After washing up, she lay on the excessively soft, large bed. Years of wandering and fleeing had long accustomed her to a life without a fixed abode.
Yet the tangible sense of belonging beneath her, coupled with the pure admiration Matthew conveyed in his words and actions, caused a strange idea to quietly sprout. 'It seemed... working for a boss like this wasn't so bad?'
He didn't question her background, offered generous pay, gifted a house and a car, and there were no disgusting unspoken rules. Moreover, reading between the lines, if she ever ran into trouble, the company would even become her backing.
She recalled the 'unreasonably good' reputation Matthew had within the company. Treating subordinates generously, valuing talent regardless of status, department salaries forty percent higher than headquarters, even the cleaning aunties praised the boss endlessly.
This deepened Ada's bewilderment. 'Do such people truly exist in reality?'
In the past, Ada might not have understood why so many people in books were willing to follow Liu Bang to conquer the world. But now, she finally understood.
If such a boss truly existed in reality, she too would be willing to follow him to conquer the world and carve out a new path. After all, everyone else called her a spy, an agent, an assassin, but only he called her a talent.
And a rare one at that.
Just as her thoughts surged like a tide, the phone on the nightstand suddenly vibrated. Buzz, buzz, buzz, the screen displayed: [Unknown Source].
...
After a brief silence, Ada still reached out and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"It's me." Wesker's cold voice came from the other end of the line, devoid of any emotion, as if merely checking the status of a tool. "How is the mission progressing? Any developments?"
Hearing this, Ada fell silent for a moment. Her gaze swept over the luxurious interior decor, then glanced through the window at the sleek sports car in the courtyard.
'Progress... does getting rich count?'
Though she thought this inwardly, Ada ultimately just uttered a few faint words into the receiver: "No progress yet."
"No progress at all... You disappoint me greatly." Wesker's tone suddenly dropped, his dissatisfaction almost piercing through the phone.
"The target is merely a newly appointed head of the Security Department, with no foundation within the company and no training whatsoever. Yet you've been his assistant for a full seven days, and you haven't made even the slightest progress."
"This makes me seriously doubt your professionalism."
"Your incompetence has angered The Organization."
"If the mission is still stagnant when I inquire next time..." Wesker's words carried a hint of threat, "I believe the Federal Bureau of Investigation would be very pleased to receive a detailed file on you."
Before he finished speaking, the call was abruptly cut off. There was no asking for reasons, no time given for explanations, not even a hint of hesitation. In his view, without results, all explanations were meaningless.
Listening to the dial tone, Ada twitched her lips and tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. Her sleep quality had always been excellent.
Years of wandering had long accustomed her to falling asleep quickly in unfamiliar environments. Yet, for some reason, tonight she was uncharacteristically sleepless.
Every time she closed her eyes, the stark contrast between the two companies' treatments, one heavenly, one hellish, flashed through her mind. It was truly a case of 'no comparison, no harm'!
On one side, the leader had no human warmth; on the other, not only was he full of warmth, but he also didn't just make empty promises, always delivering with real money. Even a fool would know which side to choose.
But even so, Ada still thought about it all night.
The next morning, Ada, after waking up, sat before the mirror and looked at her reflection, which clearly showed dark circles under her eyes. Helplessly, she used extra concealer to cover them.
Arriving at the company, Ada habitually prepared a cup of hot coffee for Matthew, using Evian Mineral Water. Matthew took the ceramic cup, took a sip, then chuckled and said, "Actually, I was just teasing you when I said to use Evian for coffee."
He set the cup down: "Besides, I don't really like coffee... it's bitter and nasty, like traditional Chinese medicine."
Although Eleanor always said how precious the coffee beans here were, he truly couldn't tell good from bad. Even with his considerable wealth now, his highest appreciation for beverages probably only extended to distinguishing whether iced lemon water was seventy percent sugar or full sugar.
That day, Matthew transferred some of Eleanor's original work to Ada. This was her first time dealing with core task scheduling and departmental accounts since joining the company.
After some rough calculations, Ada discovered that based solely on the recorded income and expenses, the department's expenditures seemed to far exceed its income. She picked up her tablet, walked to Matthew's desk, and voiced her concern: "Mr. Lawrence, according to my preliminary calculations, if we maintain the current high salaries and generous benefits, the department's finances might soon hit rock bottom."
Hearing this, Matthew merely smiled easily and reassured her, "Don't worry."
"I applied for an additional financial budget at the last meeting."
"Besides the funds on the books, headquarters also has a special subsidy of two hundred million dollars."
"In short, our department won't be starving anytime soon."
After speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to Ada: "Ada, after work today, come with me somewhere."
"There's a project I need your help to oversee."
"Mhm." Ada, engrossed in her work, simply responded and then re-immersed herself.
Dusk was falling. It wasn't until their work was temporarily concluded that the two got into a car together and drove towards the city's edge.
The car finally stopped in front of a slightly old building. The building's interior was brightly lit, and roars of construction echoed from within.
Excavators, pile drivers, and the shouts of workers mingled together, creating a din that made one want to cover their ears. Ada frowned slightly, raised a hand to plug her ears, and looked at Matthew with confusion: "The project you mentioned, is it this?"
Matthew nodded: "That's right."
"Emmm... alright, assistants always have to accept all sorts of unreasonable demands from their bosses." Ada teased, "Even though the company clearly has departments specifically responsible for these kinds of projects."
"But, what are you planning to build here?" She tilted her head, guessing what kind of secret department Matthew intended to establish here: "Is it a research institute? A weapons development department? Or..."
But before she could finish, Matthew's calm answer interrupted her. "It's a children's orphanage."
...