A butler opened the door for Dante, and Dante saw two people, a man and a woman, standing inside the mansion. The man was standing a few steps behind the woman, so Dante could easily tell that the woman was the one in charge between them. They both wore impeccable suits, and the man was carrying a file filled with documents. Once Dante walked into the house, both of them bowed their heads to him, and the woman spoke.
"Boss Dante, my name is Florence Huges. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Dante nodded once, and his eyes immediately travelled towards the tab above her head.
——
Name: Florence Huges
Affiliations: Lucas Corp
Title(s): The Ultimate Secretary, The Human Calculator.
General Skills: Negotiation, Business Management, General Assistance, Financial Expertise.
Loyalty Progression: 60%
——
'Human calculator?'
Dante hummed internally when he read the second title on her name. This was the first person that Dante would see with more than one title, and he couldn't help but be impressed. For the system to call her a human calculator, it meant that she had to be really good with numbers. Dante gave the woman a proper glance, and he saw that she was also quite beautiful. She filled out her suit with a moderate-sized bust and hip, and she had a modest poise that you would expect from someone who was a part of high society with a small and oval face. She had full red lips and green eyes, and her black hair was tied up into a simple ponytail. Dante noticed that her affiliation was to Lucas Corp and not him, but he didn't mind since he could see her loyalty progression was at 60%. At least, Dante could be certain that this woman wasn't an enemy.
"What do you want?"
These were Dante's first words to Florence, and Dante said it with a slightly irritated expression that told Florence that he was not in the best mood. Dante had actually not meant to sound dismissive or annoyed, but he just got back from a literal battleground, and he was busy trying to fix the mess that Randy had caused, so he didn't have time to deal with anything else right now! Florence turned to take the folder that the man behind her was holding, and she spoke quickly!
"I just received news that you are to be sworn in as the new CEO of Lucas Corp. I was wondering if you have any time to look through the numbers for the company. There are a lot of issues that we need to address, and—"
Dante released a harsh sigh, and Florence immediately stopped talking when he raised a finger to stop her. Dante ran a hand through his hair, and he waved for Florence to follow him as he started walking. Florence was surprised when she noticed Dante moving so quickly, but she didn't allow it to deter her! Florence had come here as soon as she heard about the new development concerning the family! For the past few days, Florence had been preparing documents about the affairs of the company, and she had been planning to send them to Fredrick because she believed that Fredrick was the one who would be the new CEO! In fact, every single person in the company thought that Fredrick would be named as the new CEO! So when Florence heard that Dante Lucas was named as the CEO instead of Fredrick, she knew that she had to come here herself and present him with the documents so that he would know just how serious things were!
Dante was walking very quickly towards the other side of the mansion, and Risa was following behind him easily with her hands held in front of her, but Florence was struggling to catch up, and she told the man who she came with to stay behind as she ran forward with the folder and quickly began talking.
"Sir, if I can just get a few minutes of your time. There are a lot of things that need to be handled. The company's quarterly analysis is coming up, and there is an executive dinner tomorrow that you need to be a part of."
"I'm not exactly in the mood for anything regarding business right now, Florence."
Dante spoke up as he reached a door on the opposite side of the mansion. A butler bowed and opened the door for Dante, and Dante walked through and arrived on a large field that had various horses and cattle grazing. Dante had always enjoyed coming back here to spend time with the animals when he was a kid, but now Dante couldn't even spare them a glance as he began walking towards a barn on the other side of the field. Florence was still following behind Dante, and she spoke up again.
"Sir, I know you're in a hurry. But if I can just get a few minutes."
Dante finally stopped in his tracks, and Florence quickly screeched to a halt so that she wouldn't crash into him! Dante turned around to regard her, and she released a harsh breath to try to calm her racing heart as she presented him with the folder again.
"Please, this is really important. The quarterly review is going to determine our valuation for the next year, and if you aren't present at that dinner, then the stockbrokers will feel insulted. Our reputation depends on this."
Dante hated this. He hated it so much that he felt like taking a gun and shooting George Lucas in the head for putting all this nonsense on his shoulders! Dante already had enough to deal with as the head of the Cleaners, so having to handle the business as well as the other sectors of the Lucas family was something he didn't plan for! But Dante could see the seriousness on Florence's face, and he knew that she was not joking about how serious this was, so he decided that he would listen to her. Dante told Florence to come with him as he turned to continue walking towards the barn. Florence was a little worried that Dante was going to start speed-walking again, but when Florence saw that Dante was walking slower this time, she quickly composed herself and followed him forward.
Florence began explaining about the business and what they would need to do over the next few days, and Dante listened with as much attention as possible. Florence's explanations were simple and straight to the point, and even though Dante wasn't the most business-minded person, he was still able to catch enough of what she was saying. But after some time, a tab suddenly opened in front of Dante!
Ding!
[Due to repeated action, the user has gained the general Skill [Business Management]]
[Business Management: This skill grants the user an unparalleled understanding of all business and finance-related topics. Increasing this skill will make the user more knowledgeable and capable in the running of any business.]
[The user has gained the specific skill [Financial Expertise - D] under the general skill [Business Management]]
[Financial Expertise: Money! Stock! Forex! The user has gained the ability to understand all finance-related topics with minimal effort! This skill extends into all forms of business that involve the exchange of money! Increasing the rank of this skill will allow the user to understand more complex financial topics in a shorter time!]
——
SKILLS
[Weapon Proficiency]
-> Firearms [Rank C (69.5%)]
[Analysis]
-> Physical Analysis [Rank C (50%)]
[Espionage]
-> Eavesdrop [Rank D (5.5%)]
[Aura]
-> Menace [Rank C – (20.0%)]
[Riding Mastery]
-> Cars [Rank C – (5.0%)]
[Business Management]
-> Financial Expertise [Rank D – (0.0%)]
——
Dante ignored the tabs that opened in front of him with a practiced ease, but he could immediately notice how much the new skill had changed him. Florence's words had sounded foreign to Dante just a minute ago, and Dante was using a lot of effort to make sure he didn't get lost in the middle of all the business and money-talk. But once Dante received the Business Management skill, he could feel the words resonating with him far more easily and deeply than before!
'This system is completely broken!'