Oswald was about to reason with Ririko. Her current monthly credit card limit of a hundred thousand was already perfectly reasonable; any more would only encourage consumerist vanity...
Just then, a knock came at the office door.
Butch pushed the door open and said mechanically, "Mayor, a Ms. Elizabeth Crown is here to see you."
Oswald let go of Ririko's hand and frowned toward the doorway. "I don't have an appointment with that woman. Get rid of her."
Butch nodded. "All right."
He was just turning around when Elizabeth appeared in the doorway.
She paid no attention to the intimate scene between the two people in the office, her voice utterly flat. "Mayor Cobblepot, I have something extremely important to discuss with you."
Seated beside him, Ririko quietly studied the middle-aged woman who had come uninvited.
Her silvery hair and refined features exuded aristocratic elegance. Even her breathing seemed affected. Just what one would expect from the Crown family, one of the Four Great Families.
Oswald furrowed his brows and told Elizabeth, "If you want to see me, fill out a form in the lobby downstairs, then go home and wait to be notified."
Elizabeth stood her ground, her face devoid of emotion.
"Surely you wouldn't want... everyone finding out about your private rendezvous with a woman during working hours, Mr. Cobblepot."
Oswald narrowed his eyes. Every trace of a smile vanished from his face, and the silver head of his cane struck the floor with a sharp crack.
He hated being threatened more than anything, but since she was a Crown, he couldn't simply shoot her dead.
"...You have five minutes."
He turned to Ririko and said, "Wait for me in the reception room. This won't take long."
Ririko lifted her chin, rose from her chair, and headed for