Overdue

"Boss... I understand!"

After confirming that the boss had a family, Susan seemed to suddenly understand. She nodded repeatedly and didn't bring it up again.

Once they got into the car sent to pick him up, Duncan had Steve go to the Umbrella Security Company campus to fill in as an instructor, then sent Natasha to help handle the company's affairs. He put them both to work like tools.

Only then did he go eat some Kenjiji under his bodyguards' escort. Afterward, he slept in Isaac's mansion basement.

It was a shame the old man didn't have a young, pretty daughter. Otherwise, Duncan could have taken over that, too.

While Duncan rested, the Aremus family learned he had taken over Umbrella Corporation and were thrown out of the office building by security. Watching the men and women plead incessantly, Susan stood behind the guards with a delighted expression.

She had never been this domineering before. These billionaires had to speak to her in gentle, deferential tones, and some even seemed to be begging. The thrill of a slave turning the tables was more satisfying than spending a hundred thousand dollars in one night.

Once you treated me like I didn't matter; now you can't afford to get on my good side!

Susan folded her arms across her chest, pushing her breasts up into a steep slope. Her expression was the picture of false sweetness as she huffed, "Hmph. The boss said he doesn't have a family like you!"

The Aremus family were furious when they heard that, but Umbrella was just too wealthy. They had to swallow their anger.

If they could persuade Duncan to turn around and sell the company, they'd have the greatest fortune in the world at their disposal and could do whatever they wanted!

No matter how much they pleaded and begged, Susan wouldn't soften. On the contrary, she only grew more delighted.

In the end, the Aremus family realized that Duncan truly didn't want to see them. They cursed him as heartless outside the company, then left.

Duncan slept from noon until the next morning. Fully rested, he woke up in his new bed, washed up, and headed downstairs.

He'd been planning to drive to the office, but three cars were already waiting outside the mansion.

He'd only just taken over such a huge company, and he still wasn't quite used to it. He hadn't grown into the role yet.

"Good morning, boss." In the second black sedan, Natasha gave him a smile that seemed to conceal a knife.

Along with that eerie smile, her face looked quite haggard. Processing paperwork had thoroughly worn her down.

Steve, in the passenger seat, looked energetic, though. Duncan's short-term assignment had suited him well, bringing back the feeling of his days as a soldier.

Ignoring Natasha's piercing gaze, Duncan naturally opened the rear door and got in.

The three cars started up and headed toward the Umbrella Corporation office building.

After they'd driven a little way, Steve looked out the window and said, "There's no need for us in this world anymore. We should go back. The Hydra remnants haven't been wiped out yet, and the fight in our world still needs us."

"Right!" Natasha immediately chimed in.

Duncan nodded slightly and sighed. "It really is time to say goodbye. It's only been six days, but you've both helped me a lot. Since it's not easy to come all this way, I'll have my secretary prepare some local specialties for you!"

Their temporary jobs were coming to an end, and he felt rather reluctant to see them go. They were both talents Umbrella badly needed, and they hadn't even put their full value to use yet.

"Looks like it might be a long time before we see each other again. There's so much to do here. I'll have to wait until the transfer warehouse is built before I can find time to visit your world."

Natasha and Steve repeatedly said they'd show him around if he came. Neither refused the gifts. Umbrella was simply too rich; no matter how expensive something was, it was nothing to the company.

After chatting about some work matters, Duncan remembered something else and asked Steve, "Have you met Alice? What do you think of her?"

Steve recalled the blonde woman he'd seen at the training ground the previous afternoon. She'd looked a little vacant, with occasional flashes of confusion after losing her memories. "She seems pretty good... a little strong-willed, and she's skilled, too."

"I have another small request. I'd like her to join you for a while and train. You can take her along to fight Hydra." Duncan stated his purpose. He wanted Alice to train with the Avengers, master a few skills, and come back as his personal bodyguard.

Only by learning from Steve could she develop the superhuman physique the T-virus had given her.

The T-virus enhanced her strength somewhat less than the Super Soldier Serum had enhanced Steve's, but her recovery abilities were definitely superior.

Even if all her cells died, the T-virus could repair them. As long as her body was still there, Alice could keep coming back to life.

Steve didn't understand the request. He turned to Duncan and asked, "Why?"

Natasha, who was driving, was just as surprised. She'd met Alice, too. When she'd first seen her, Alice had seemed like a newborn, gazing around with curious, probing eyes.

Given her mental state, joining them to fight Hydra didn't seem appropriate.

Duncan didn't hide anything. He told them everything about Alice, from beginning to end.

When they learned that Alice was actually a clone of Alicia, whom they'd encountered in the Hive's underground base, Natasha and Steve were both astonished.

Duncan's acting had grown more and more polished. He looked out at the traffic of Raccoon City with a complicated expression. "She's technically my employee, so I feel for her... Never mind. I'll tell her the truth later. If she's willing, I'll leave her in your hands."

Wait! We haven't even agreed yet! You've put it like this—what are we supposed to say?

Natasha and Steve both fell into thought. After a moment, they decided they didn't mind. A Super Soldier joining the Avengers would give their understaffed team some fresh blood.

Having another person to help out wouldn't be a bad thing, and it wouldn't cause them any trouble.

Besides, Duncan had said Umbrella's biotechnology could bring Alice back to life after she died, as long as her body remained mostly intact. They needed more Super Soldiers to fight Hydra.

The journey passed quickly as they chatted, and they settled a number of things in the car.

Natasha and Steve would leave in two days. If Alice was willing, they could take her to Marvel with them to join the Avengers for a while.

After Duncan went into the company, Natasha and Steve left the group and prepared to explore Raccoon City, treating it as a vacation.

He took the elevator to his current office and saw the files neatly arranged across his desk. He nodded in satisfaction and opened them. Seeing the suggestions and notes on the attached slips made him even more pleased.

Natasha really was great at her job. She knew exactly what she was doing!

Then there was the other one...

Susan set a cup of coffee on the desk. She was holding a tablet and wore a tailored women's suit. The black stockings under her pencil skirt shifted as she moved, and her attractive face wore an ingratiating smile.

Her work skills were ordinary. There was no way she could immediately take over the massive volume of information and complicated files, so Duncan had given her the tablet. It was just a device; the one actually handling the files on it was the Red Queen.

"Boss, the governor's secretary just called. They said he wants to meet you. Should I accept?" Susan asked cautiously, afraid of making her unpredictable boss unhappy.