"How's the investigation going?" Veil wiped the corner of his mouth and asked casually.
Kai immediately dropped his smile, his expression turning serious as he got down to business. "Julia Murphy and Jodie Murphy are biological sisters, both from the Murphy family in Veyport City. One is still in school, while the other serves as the acting general manager of the Murphy family's company. As for Saoirse, her background is a bit sensitive—she seems to have deep ties to the Black Dragon Syndicate."
Veil nodded. "Not bad. Are we short on manpower?"
Kai let out a bitter chuckle. "The Murphy sisters have bodyguards around them, and Saoirse is constantly surrounded by a group of men. Ordinary people can't even get close, let alone tail them. We'll need to pull elite members from the villa's security team."
"The villa's security detail cannot be compromised. If we're short on men, recruit more. You handle this. Make sure they're reliable." Veil gave him a firm look. "Set the pay as you see fit. Also, from today onward, all bodyguards will receive a salary increase of five thousand. Yours goes up by ten thousand."
Kai was momentarily dazed, then a wave of gratitude surged in his chest.
Even the recruitment of private security was entrusted entirely to him. Had his status in the young master's eyes risen this high?
God is fair after all!
The young master was finally no longer only concerned with women's chests and thighs!
"Work hard. Before long, you'll have your own car and house. You won't have to scrimp and save for a month just to afford three or four trips to those exclusive clubs. When you have money, you can practically live there!" Veil patted Kai's shoulder.
As a former elite soldier in the special forces, Kai was unquestionably skilled. Even if he went toe-to-toe with Roy, who had just returned from abroad, he could last over a hundred rounds.
More importantly, his loyalty was beyond doubt.
In the original story, he had willingly put his life on the line to cover Veil's retreat, enduring a brutal beating from Roy that left him permanently disabled—just to give Veil a fighting chance.
How could Veil not be willing to give such a loyal man more authority?
Granting power to the loyal was a sign of wisdom. A leader who refused to delegate would sooner or later face either failure or betrayal.
As for the risk of betrayal even after delegating authority—that depended on how well one managed people.
"Young Master!" Kai gritted his teeth, his voice filled with emotion as he firmly grasped Veil's hand. "Rest assured, I'll see this mission through. From now on, if you tell me to go east, I won't go west. If you tell me to eat beef, I won't even look at chicken!"
"Good. I believe in you." Veil subtly exerted some force to retrieve his hand. "Bring the car around. We're going shopping."
The villa was stocked with clothes—enough to wear a different outfit every day for a month without repeating.
But the original host's taste was unbearable. He wore his brand logos as if he feared people wouldn't recognize how expensive his clothes were.
He might as well have tattooed "rich second-generation heir" on his forehead.
Veil preferred a more understated style.
His gaze drifted to Alice, who was bustling around on the second floor. "Come down."
Alice looked flustered, with a bit of foam still clinging to her cheek. Veil stepped forward, lightly wiping it away with his thumb.
Startled, Alice immediately took a step back, lowering her head in embarrassment. "Y-Young Master… is there something you need me to do?"
Veil rubbed his fingers together, glancing over her petite frame. The blue-and-white cleaning uniform was an eyesore. "Come with me. Pick out a few outfits for yourself. Watching you walk around in that cleaning uniform all day is annoying."
Alice hesitated briefly but eventually nodded.
She wanted to say she had spare clothes at her rental apartment, but after spending the night cleaning and witnessing the villa's luxury, she realized her old clothes would feel like an insult to Veil's status.
More than anything, she feared her attire might displease Veil and get her fired.
So she resolved to dip into her small savings and buy a couple of slightly pricier outfits.
Kai drove them to the mall and went off to park the car.
As Veil and Alice walked in through the entrance, they immediately drew attention.
"Wow, what a handsome young master! Which powerful family is he from? So good-looking, and that physique…"
"Oh my god, he smiled at me! That smile is so healing! I'm going to faint!"
"He's literally my dream prince!"
"Ew, who's that cleaning lady next to him? Walking so close—clearly doing it on purpose! Has she even looked in a mirror? How shameless. Does she really think being near him will make him notice her?"
Alice, dressed in her cleaning uniform, felt the burning stares and muttered whispers around her. She lowered her head, too nervous to make eye contact with anyone.
Veil exuded an aura of nobility—an air of regal refinement that drew admiration and awe.
Meanwhile, she looked like a lowly servant, unworthy of standing beside him.
Instinctively, she took a step away from him, widening the distance between them.
"This store should do. Go pick out two outfits." Veil stopped in front of a women's boutique, gestured toward it, and then walked off, leaving Alice behind as he wandered through the mall.
He entered an Italian designer boutique specializing in custom-tailored suits. After selecting more than a dozen outfits, he swapped out his previous wardrobe—one that practically screamed "money"—for sleek, refined suits.
Veil's aura became even more subdued, exuding quiet sophistication.
"Young Master, if I weren't with you every day, I'd think you'd had plastic surgery! This is unreal—you've completely transformed! You look way more dashing now!" Kai marveled in genuine admiration, devoid of any flattery.
Veil adjusted his tie, took the receipt from the starry-eyed store clerk, and casually stuffed it into a shopping bag. He simply smiled without refuting the remark.
A 98-point charisma stat—do you think that's a joke?
Glancing at his watch, he frowned slightly. "It's almost ten. Alice isn't done yet?"
Kai, arms laden with shopping bags, immediately offered, "I'll go find her."
Veil glanced at him and shook his head. "You look like a walking closet. Drop off the bags at the car and wait outside. I'll get her."
Returning to the women's boutique, he scanned the interior but saw no sign of Alice.
Instead, in a secluded corner, he caught sight of a familiar blue-and-white uniform.
As he approached, he found Alice curled up in the corner, quietly sobbing.
Seriously? Am I actually running into one of those cliché 'snobbery' scenes?" Veil frowned at the thought.
"What's going on? I told you to pick out a couple of outfits—why is that so hard? Why are you crying? Did you even choose anything?"
His voice was cold and sharp, his expression stern.
Alice choked on a sob, her words coming out in broken fragments. One hand wiped at her tears, while the other clutched at her stomach, as if holding herself together. "Young Master, can we go to a different store? The one you picked… it's too expensive. I can't afford it."
Veil's frown deepened. "A different store? Then what's the point? You might as well just wear what you had before. We're sticking to this one. Now get inside."
His tone was resolute—there was no room for refusal.
Alice kept her head down, not daring to protest. Like a timid little follower, she trailed behind Veil, stepping into the store once again.
Just then, a heavily accessorized young woman, her outfit garish and over-the-top, strutted over with a sneer. She lifted a delicate hand to her nose as if she had just smelled something repugnant, dramatically pretending to gag.
"Oh, dear God. Who let this stench pollute the air I just freshened up in? Disgusting."
Rolling her heavily mascaraed eyes, she turned her attention to Alice with open disdain. "Weren't they talking about you earlier? Or do you not get it? A janitor, shopping in a place like this? Do you even belong here? You'd have to work two months straight just to afford a single handbag!"
"I… I can afford it!" Alice declared, her voice shaky but determined. She stepped over to the display shelf and glanced at the price tags. The long string of numbers blurred before her eyes.
Her breath hitched.
More than anything, she was terrified of embarrassing Veil. If she did, he might fire her.
And if that happened, she would be turned over to the police. Her life would be completely ruined.
"I… I'm not buying a handbag. I just want some clothes," she muttered, moving toward the clothing racks.
Alice wandered from one end of the store to the other, scanning the shelves, but never reaching for anything.
9,888. 8,888. 11,800…
Every piece of clothing she glanced at had a price tag that made her stomach churn. Even the cheapest ones cost over 8,000.
8,000—Alice used to have that.
After more than a year of working and scrimping, she had managed to save up 50,000.
But just recently, when the orphanage director needed funds to buy beds for the children, she had donated 45,000 without hesitation.
Now, after paying her rent in advance, she had only 5,000 left. It was more than enough to cover her basic living expenses for the next four months if she was careful.
But spending that much on luxury goods? Let alone on a single handbag?
That was simply out of the question.
The gaudy woman fanned the air in front of her face, as if trying to disperse an offensive smell, then sneered, "What's wrong? Didn't you say you could afford it? Then go ahead—pick something out and pay for it."
"What are you wandering around for? If you can afford it, buy something! People like you—filthy, low-class nobodies—should stay in the garbage heaps where you belong. High-end stores like this aren't for the likes of you. You're tainting the air and polluting my vision."
Alice's small, trembling frame stiffened.
She clenched her fists, her voice shaking with anger. "What's wrong with being a janitor? I work hard for my money—it's honest and clean. Who says I'm not allowed to shop here? Do you own this store?"
Her voice wavered, her words filled with both frustration and indignation.
"I didn't ask you to look at me, so why do you care? Just because I wear a janitor's uniform doesn't mean I'm dirty—I wash it every day! There's no smell! Why are you saying these awful things about me? I've never done anything to you—why are you treating me like this?"
Despite her defiance, her voice grew weaker toward the end.
No matter how hard she tried, she wasn't used to standing up for herself.
She was like a stray kitten, fur bristling in anger, trying to puff itself up to look bigger. But in the end, she was still just a small, defenseless creature—one that knew it wouldn't win a fight, couldn't out-argue its opponent, and could only curl up in a dark corner, licking its wounds in silence.
"Oh my God, can you stop crying already? If you want to bawl your eyes out, do it in your little garbage heap! You're so damn annoying! Where are the store clerks? Where's the management? We, the real customers, are your gods—why the hell are you letting a janitor wander around here? Associating me with a cleaner is an insult to my taste!"
In the midst of the woman's shrill complaints, Veil crouched beside Alice and silently held out a silk handkerchief.
"Stop crying. Wipe your tears."
"Thank you…" Alice instinctively took it, dabbing at her eyes before giving a little sniff.
She stood up, gripping the handkerchief tightly, looking at Veil with a mixture of shame and gratitude. "I'm sorry. I got it dirty. I'll wash it and return it to you later."
"That handkerchief isn't mine." Veil pointed at a nearby display case. "I just pulled it from there."
"...Huh?" Alice froze, stunned.
"You… you!"
The gaudy woman nearly fainted from sheer outrage.
That handkerchief—that exact one—was something she had been eyeing for ages. She had been pestering her boyfriend to buy it, but even she hadn't been willing to spend that much.
And now?
Now, this janitor had used it to wipe her nose?!
"You are screwed! Absolutely screwed! Do you have any idea how much that handkerchief costs? 42,000! That's right, 42,000! Even I couldn't bring myself to buy it, and you just—you just ruined it?!"