Hesta lowered her eyes slightly and said nothing.
"...You can't ask me to come up with ideas for you while undermining me at the same time, do you understand?" Stella raked her bangs back in irritation. "Who was it who said she needed several weeks of city management authority? Who came to me asking if I had a way? Is my labor worthless, or does someone really think I'm a magic lamp, and all she has to do is tell me what she wants and I can conjure up a pile of solutions out of thin air—"
"Stella, I..."
"Think of something yourself! I'm out of ideas!"
Stella stormed out of Hesta's office.
The door slammed shut from the outside. Hesta's throat moved, and she scratched her head, a little at a loss.
"I'm seriously going to die of anger because of this person," Stella said, pressing both hands to her forehead. "Do you know what she said when I questioned her? She said, 'What if he runs away?' Earlier, she was the one who told me she suspected Albareda was secretly helping Bishop with some dirty business, and that was why Bishop wanted to keep using him—how could she not even bother coming up with a better excuse?"
Tie Xi filled a glass with ice, poured in whiskey, then added chilled soda water down the side of the glass and pushed it in front of Stella.
Bubbles surged up along the ice cubes with a faint, crackling sound.
"This person has absolutely no respect for my labor." Stella gripped the glass so tightly her knuckles went white. "But maybe it's my problem too. I really was too polite to her before. Looking back now, I was practically giving her whatever she asked for—"
"Calm down, Stella."
"How am