By now, nearly all the fallout from the Alt District incident had been dealt with.
The incident had shown most people in District Twenty-Five what the Wetting Conglomerate's heir was capable of. Unlike the negative reports of the past, Jonas's performance this time had been impeccable.
Precisely because of this, Mr. Jonas had become even more notorious in District Twenty-Five.
Seemingly realizing that it could no longer curb Jonas's rise, the Wetting Conglomerate's headquarters had offered some compensation over the matter.
Though it was unclear what negotiations and arguments had taken place within the board, it was easy to imagine the ugly looks on those old geezers' faces when they learned that Jonas had resolved the Alt District incident flawlessly.
Once the fallout from an incident was dealt with, a reckoning usually followed.
Jonas thought so too.
The Destiny Organization had targeted him, and he had never intended to let them off easily.
He had to make them pay a devastating price...
And it would all begin with Miss Amau Sueko.
At that thought, he picked up the coffee cup beside him and took a small sip. As the bitter coffee slid down his throat, the corners of Jonas's mouth lifted.
Beside him, Iris raised her head and stole a glance at Jonas.
As if his mood had rubbed off on her, the girl lowered her head and giggled.
Mr. Jonas seems to be in a very good mood today.
Innocent as she was, Iris had no idea that Jonas's delight came from the tragic fate about to befall another girl.
Hearing her giggle, Jonas reached out and ruffled Iris's hair, then asked:
"What were you thinking about?"
Feeling the warmth of his hand on her head, Iris's cheeks grew hot as she replied:
"N-nothing."
Jonas did not dwell on it. He simply smiled and said:
"Oh, right. About what I promised you earlier-what would you like, Miss Iris?"
Much of the credit for resolving the fallout from the Alt District incident so quickly belonged to the girl.
Pinpointing that hacker's location would have been almost impossible without Iris's help.
In other words, if she had not poured all her effort into locating the hacker group for him, Jonas might still have been agonizing over how to resolve the Alt District firewall incident.
He understood the importance of appropriate rewards and punishments. Loyalty might not be governed by affection, but it could certainly be sustained through benefits.
At Jonas's words, Iris froze for a moment. Then, blushing, she held his hand against her head and spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz:
"Mr. Jonas, could you pat my head like this more often?"
Jonas was taken aback, only grasping what she meant a moment later.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After a long pause, he finally smiled and said:
"Of course, if you like it."
I really am a terrible sinner.
A rare pang of guilt surfaced in his heart.
Their peaceful break soon came to an end.
Inside the black bulletproof car, the streets on either side streamed past.
Miss Iris leaned against Jonas, her eyes half-closed.
It was a sign of deep trust. At that moment, Miss Iris was like a skittish kitten who would let no one but Jonas come near her.
Looking at the girl's completely unguarded posture, Jonas could not help letting out a soft sigh.
As though something had suddenly occurred to him, he asked:
"Miss Iris, have you had the sex doll chip removed?"
He had already lifted the restrictions imposed on her as a sex doll. Iris could have the chip removed whenever she wished.
As Jonas had said at the very beginning, he needed Iris, not a sex doll who did nothing but obey orders.
The sex doll chip would become a barrier between them. If possible, Jonas would rather establish a normal relationship between a superior and a subordinate.
Of course, there was another very important reason...
The original owner of his body had trusted the sex doll chip's control over Iris far too much, which was why her betrayal had hit him so hard.
In truth, later on, Iris would need only a thought to break the chip's hold over her body.
For the two of them, that chip would only be a boulder blocking the development of their relationship.
That was also why Jonas had so readily told her to have the sex doll chip removed on the very first day.
"Uh, I... I've already had it removed."
Iris stumbled over her words, but her strange manner did not draw Jonas's attention.
He merely nodded and said with a smile:
"Good. That's a relief."
The car stopped in a villa neighborhood. This was the home Jonas had prepared for Iris.
Jonas unlocked the villa's door, then handed the key to the girl and said:
"You can live here from now on. Your old place was a little too dangerous."
Iris took the key in a daze. As she listened to Jonas's instructions, warmth rose in her heart.
"All right, that's everything. Remember to take care of yourself."
"Mm..."
Hearing her response, he smiled, turned, and left.
Iris watched Jonas's retreating figure, lost in thought.
She gently stroked the scar on her arm, where the sex doll chip had been implanted.
Feeling that faint connection, Iris pressed her thighs together and pursed her lips.
She had lied to Jonas. She had not removed the sex doll chip.
The girl craved a sense of security, and this twisted relationship made her feel safer instead.
She did not dare hope for any more happiness from Jonas.
And this... was merely the girl's last little ploy to obtain love.
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