Chapter 78 - War Conference

The walk from the bus stop didn't take very long. However, Jasper decided to take a detour. Neither Alex nor Scarlet looked ready to enter the battlefield.

"Wait! The company is over there, where are you going?" Alex pulled Jasper back as the boy strayed away.

The young entrepreneur gave her a flat look. "We are going to hold a strategy meeting."

Scarlet and Alex gave him confused looks. Why were they having a strategy meeting now? They were going to be late and if they rushed, they might still make it. What was Jasper doing?

Seeing their reluctant looks, Jasper sighed. "Look, that call we received earlier was cryptic. I can't believe neither of you understood his secret message."

"Cryptic?" Scarlet couldn't understand. What could possibly be cryptic in that conversation? It was rather straightforward.

Likewise, Alex didn't understand. Why would her father need to go in circles to talk to them? They'd never needed to do so before. If Wilmer said that Carol was busy and there was no other way out then that was it. Although it sucked, they would have to be prepared to face the scolding they deserved for being late.

Unlike Alex, the young writer was beginning to think back on the conversation. She also found it odd that Wilmer was unwilling to do something about the situation just because his personal secretary was out. As the CEO, surely he could find a solution easily enough. The only reason why Wilmer wasn't doing so was because of limitations to his ability and image or that he simply doesn't bother. Scarlet would place her money on Wilmer being helpless rather than unhelpful. Still waters run deep and although the Wilde Group was doing great on the surface and in the stock markets, there were clearly many huge internal problems.

The three child geniuses settled in a nearby McDonald's. People were giving them strange looks because there weren't any schools nearby for students to be patronising the area on an afternoon. Most kids would be content going home to play games or hanging out with their friends in arcades. The unluckier ones would mostly be trapped in a miserable remedial class or groaning at an after school care centre. Nobody would expect students to visit the financial hub district voluntarily. Maybe these kids were waiting for their parents? Nobody knew for sure but they didn't bother them. For all they knew, the serious discussion could be about puppy love and class gossips.

For Alex, she was the only one unconvinced. Why would her father not tell her the truth? Was there really a hidden message? The artist couldn't understand the gravity of the situation. Her father might be the CEO of a large corporation but that didn't mean he was a superhero. The girl was convinced that there were many things he couldn't do because of how she knew him to be that father with a serious case of daughter complex.

Scarlet didn't blame her sister. For someone who'd only known Wilmer to be a foolish man who loved his wife and daughter to bits and was a major man child in their presence, Alex had every right to not know what the CEO was truly capable of. However, that was going to change very soon. The corporate world was Wilmer's battlefield that he was a commander of. The girl would soon learn that Wilmer's words carried weight and he could easily arrange for a transfer of department of any senior manager or cancel a planned promotion someone worked for. He could easily make the decision to hire anyone he pleased and dismiss those he found unsuitable for the job. Arranging for a guide on their first day wasn't a difficult task. Wilmer's intentions behind denying them a good first impression must be a deliberate choice. While the young writer didn't know if Wilmer sent Carol out deliberately to create the unfortunate circ.u.mstances, Scarlet was now convinced about Jasper's suspicions.

"What do you think Wilmer wants us to find out? Why do we have to start on bad terms with the manager?" she asked.

Jasper frowned and munched on some chicken nuggets they ordered. Alex didn't know how her childhood friend could still eat. Every second that ticked by was time they were wasting. Before this, they might have a chance to be punctual. Right now, they would be late without fail.

Sensing Alex's worry, Scarlet held her sister's hand and fed her fries. "Don't worry, I'm sure the manager will be understanding. We're only kids and it's our first day without a guide. I'm also with a cast on my leg. If she doesn't seem understanding then you can be sure that she's a nasty person. It's easy to know who else we can trust and how much we can rely on them by seeing how they react. We can't always depend on Carol, this internship is a test for us."

Alex eased up a little after hearing that. If this was a test, she would have no fear. Besides, it was true that she didn't want to rely on Carol or her father too much. The artist remembered her frustration when she wasn't able to keep up with Scarlet and Jasper's progress or conversations. She felt like of the three,she was always the slowest. It was also why she worked hard to accomplish something by herself. Even if getting accepted into the special Art & Sculpture Club was a small accomplishment, for Alex it was a huge milestone.

"What should we do then?" the Wilde princess asked.

Scarlet waited for Jasper to speak as well. Now that Alex had calmed down, she wasn't as worried. The worst that could happen was Alex ruining everything for Jasper with her ignorance. While certain things were better kept away from the blonde artist, this wasn't one of it. In order to succeed the team mission, they had to collaborate. In fact, Alex would be a very good lure.

Alex didn't like the look her sister and childhood friend were giving her. She suddenly felt that their smiles were scary and carried an edge.

"Why are you both looking at me like that...?"

Scarlet beamed and held Alex's hand tightly so that she couldn't escape. "Don't worry, sister. It's nothing difficult or dangerous. It might make you slightly embarrassed but think of the team when you do it, alright? We cannot succeed without you, you're a very important member to execute the most crucial part of our plan."

Alex wanted to run but Scarlet had the upper hand. Jasper smiled and started to reveal his intentions, confirming the artist's fears.

"I refuse!"

Scarlet pouted cutely. "But we can't weed out enemies and spies if you don't... Please take one for the team?"

Seeing that it wasn't working, Jasper threw in something else that would sweeten the deal.

"Can you imagine how proud your father would be if he knew that we were able to catch all the baddies because of you?"

Alex paused. It was obvious that these traitors were just trying to bait her into accepting the short end of the stick but it was too good of a deal for someone with such low self-esteem to pass up.

Squaring her shoulders, the artist groaned in defeat. Scarlet gave the young entrepreneur a wink as they toasted to fries and cola.