CHAPTER 94: KIYOMI KINGSLEY

— Morning —

Maximilian, still in the guise of Max, walked down from the second floor. Rebecca, who had already woken up early, greeted him with a smile.

The two chatted briefly before Maximilian flipped the sign to "Open."

The first guest to walk through the door was none other than Gu Yichen. Since yesterday, he had already read and comprehended some key points of Qi cultivation. Today, he came to ask Maximilian for guidance.

After getting his coffee set and a slice of cake, Gu Yichen went to sit at his usual spot.

From time to time, he asked Maximilian for clarification on the parts he had understood. After half a day, he headed to the basement of the shop, which Maximilian had opened for him to use as a training space.

The morning passed without anything special—just a usual day of café operations without interruption.

But in the afternoon, an unfamiliar guest entered the café. She wore an expensive-looking black suit and skirt, dressed like a typical corporate CEO.

The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She had long black hair tied in a bun at the back of her head, and her features looked like a mix of Asian and Caucasian. Overall, she looked like a strikingly beautiful businesswoman.

The moment Maximilian laid eyes on her, he frowned. The Blood Mongoose instincts, honed over years, warned him that this woman was anything but ordinary.

He observed her posture and the way she moved. She kept her right hand close to objects that could be easily grabbed and used as weapons, and positioned herself in a way that allowed quick access to cover, such as a table, if ambushed.

"Hello, ma’am. What would you like to order?" Maximilian asked politely.

A customer was still a customer. As long as she didn’t cause trouble, Maximilian didn’t mind her presence.

"Oh! I’d like a latte and a slice of butter cake," the woman ordered.

"Please take a seat, ma’am," Maximilian said with a smile, then began preparing the coffee as requested. Meanwhile, Rebecca walked to the cake display, took out a slice of butter cake, and placed it neatly on a plate.

Maximilian brought both the cake and the freshly made latte to the woman and served her.

"Your order is ready, ma’am," Maximilian said with a polite smile.

"Thank you very much," the woman replied graciously.

But before Maximilian could step away from her seat, the woman raised her hand, drawing his attention.

"How may I help you, ma’am?" Maximilian asked, turning back to her.

"Let me introduce myself, Mr. Graham," the woman said, slowly standing up elegantly, then gesturing to herself.

"I’m Kiyomi Kingsley, the heiress of the Kingsley Group." She extended her hand to Maximilian in a businesslike manner.

"It’s good to meet a rare Grandmaster like you, Mr. Graham, especially someone as young as you," Kiyomi said with a professional smile.

"Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kingsley. I had a brief encounter with Mr. Kingsley. He seemed like a great man," Maximilian responded in kind.

However, after hearing what Maximilian said, Kiyomi’s expression briefly faltered, just for a moment, before returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, he’s a great businessman," she replied. She emphasized the words a great businessman rather than simply a great man as if intentionally correcting him.

Maximilian, of course, noticed both her fleeting expression and the subtle emphasis in her tone. There was clearly something behind it, but he didn’t want to pry. Whatever it was, it seemed like a deep hole, and he had no interest in stepping into it.

"You’ve come to visit me. Can I help you with anything?" Maximilian asked, voicing what was on his mind.

"Actually, I’m here for you," Kiyomi replied.

"For me?" Maximilian’s frown deepened.

Why does she want to meet me? Is it because of her father? Or maybe because of the shares he left me?

"Is it because of the Kingsley Group shares?" he asked. It was the only reason he could think of why this woman wanted to meet him.

"No," she shook her head. "I want to hire you to train me in martial arts." She paused. "Especially the strike you used to destroy the Behemoth. I want to learn it."

Maximilian was stunned when he heard that. Wasn’t that supposed to be classified information? He remembered that he hadn’t used that specific power during the Golden Valley company incident.

So... this lady didn’t learn about it from her father.

Which could only mean... she learned it from somewhere else and somehow got wind of what he did during the expedition.

"I’m sorry, but I already have a disciple, and I don’t want to take on more," Maximilian said, shaking his head.

"Please don’t be too quick to refuse," Kiyomi said. "I guarantee that the compensation will be worth your while. You can even choose your own time frame for the job. Even if you don’t want to relocate to Triune City-State, I’ll make myself available on whatever training days you prefer."

"I’m sorry, Ms. Kingsley, but I still don’t want to accept more disciples," Maximilian said, shaking his head again.

"Start with six figures per month! How about it?" Kiyomi smiled confidently and held up six fingers to indicate the number.

Seeing this, Maximilian let out a tired sigh.

"It’s not about the money, Ms. Kingsley. I just want to do what I enjoy—which is running this café," Maximilian said, gesturing toward the shop.

Hearing this, Kiyomi paused and looked around the café. She then turned to the cup of coffee she had yet to taste.

She elegantly sat down and took a sip of the warm drink. After tasting it, a small smile appeared on her lips.

"Not bad, Mr. Graham. It’s not the best coffee I’ve had, and not as good as what my butler brews... but still, not bad," Kiyomi said after taking a sip.

Maximilian felt a slight irritation after hearing her comment. He was the best in his household at brewing coffee! But he didn’t say it out loud.

After elegantly placing the cup back on the saucer, Kiyomi then tasted the butter cake next.

But... the moment the cake entered her mouth, she quickly rushed to the nearest bin and spit it out.

"Cough! Pfft! Pffft!" After nearly a full minute of trying to rid her mouth of the taste, she looked at Maximilian as if he had deeply offended her.

"Hey! That’s rude!" Rebecca snapped, clearly irritated by Kiyomi’s reaction.

Seeing this, Kiyomi pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and elegantly wiped her mouth.

"Oh... forgive my rudeness," she said softly, then neatly folded the handkerchief and returned it to her pocket.

"I assume the cake was bought from somewhere else and not baked here?" she asked.

"Isn’t that obvious?" Rebecca replied, irritatedly.

"Oh, Ms. Employee, I’m speaking with your employer right now. Could you please refrain from interrupting?" Kiyomi politely rebuked Rebecca, though the soft venom in her voice grated on Rebecca’s ears.

Hearing this, Rebecca smiled strangely, but her smile looked more like she was gritting her teeth, barely holding back the urge to choke the life out of this woman.

In the end, Rebecca deliberately moved her lips slowly, making sure Kiyomi could read them:

{B*tch}

But Kiyomi ignored her. Her attention hadn’t been on Rebecca at all, which only irritated her more.

"Your answer, Mr. Graham?" Kiyomi asked, shifting her gaze back to Maximilian.

"My answer? You mean... the cake?" Maximilian asked, unsure of what she was referring to.

"Of course, the cake. You bought it from somewhere else, didn’t you?"

"Yes. Why?" Maximilian frowned.

Kiyomi didn’t reply immediately. She simply smiled, pulled out her tablet, and input something into it before handing it to Maximilian, who was still confused.

Taking the tablet, Maximilian read what was on the screen, and his face immediately paled. He felt the sudden urge to burn his entire cake inventory to ash.

His lips twitched and pursed as if he were fighting the disgust in his throat.

"Are you serious? You’re not bluffing, are you?" Maximilian asked, struggling to believe what he was reading.

"Of course not. If you don’t believe me, you can look it up yourself. But I assure you, any flour rated below B-grade isn’t organic. It’s made from dried innards of mutated insects. It might have that authentic flavor and appearance, but there’s a... distinct touch.

If you press the cake made with that kind of product against the roof of your mouth and leave it there long enough with your saliva, you’ll start to feel like there’s hair in your mouth. That’s because the insect innards still contain trace amounts of Xeno-Isotope, which can’t be fully purified. These isotopes cause the tissue to regain part of its original texture."

She paused, then added, "But... I assure you, it’s safe to consume—as long as you don’t eat the raw meat of those insects. That’s when the parasitic—"

"Cough... Ughhhhhhhh!"

A loud retching sound cut Kiyomi off mid-sentence.

"Huh?" Kiyomi turned toward the source of the noise and spotted a half-eaten butter cake near the counter—and Rebecca, currently talking to the sink and faucet, clearly trying to expel everything in her stomach.

Maximilian let out a wry smile.

If this was Kiyomi’s revenge for his refusal, then it’s clear Rebecca had just become collateral damage.