I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior - Chapter 40

Since his secret had already been exposed, what was the point of interrogating how it was discovered?

“More than that, I’m curious about what Inspector Deniro intends to do with this information.”

That way, she could decide what to give and how to handle the situation. As if mocking Sydney’s wishes, Steve Deniro continued saying what he wanted to say.

“Victoria said there’s someone she wants to introduce to you, specifically on December 31st, and at a hotel at that. She even threatened that you’d regret it for life if you didn’t show up.”

“……”

Even though he wasn’t clueless, Steve leaned his head towards Sydney and whispered like a mischievous boy scheming.

“Don’t you find it strange? Your cousin sister even reserved the penthouse at the Armand Hotel. Moreover, the woman who was with Victoria at the restaurant and bar was Inspector Redford and……”

“Inspector Deniro!”

Sydney couldn’t bear to listen anymore and stopped him.

Her heart was pounding like crazy, and her mind went blank.

It was so embarrassing that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She barely regained her composure and asked in a confrontational manner.

“What are you trying to say?”

Only then did Steve Deniro erase the smile from his face and shut his mouth. After a brief pause, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Let’s start by being good friends who don’t recommend things we’ll regret to each other……”

A proposal that couldn’t be refused was a threat.

If Logan found out, it would end with just Sydney herself and the Warden family, but Steve Deniro wouldn’t stop there.

The friends and colleagues who had trusted her until now, and even Logan Redford, would be put in danger. She couldn’t dip her feet in the mud just to survive for now.

Hundreds of times, thousands of times…… Hadn’t she resolved to remain composed if a day like this ever came? Don’t be afraid, don’t have any lingering attachments.

Sydney Warden clenched her fists, steeling her resolve.

“Inspector Deniro. Even if I have to reveal my own secret and receive punishment for it, I will never betray the captain and the investigation team.”

“Break rather than bend. You really…… resemble your older brother a lot.”

“……!”

“You probably noticed, but I’m a different kind of person from Inspector Warden. I think it’s better to pursue practical benefits over faith, and to seek a moderate path of survival over reckless loyalty……”

Cynical self-deprecation, it meant that he could turn against Duke Yant at any time. To confirm, she asked again.

“Are you saying you’ll switch sides if things go badly?”

“You catch on quick. So that secret…… I’ll use it not as a leash to bind Inspector Warden, but as my own lifeline.”

Even if Prince Philip couldn’t seize the throne, Duke Yant would survive.

But what about Steve Deniro, who had faced off against the investigation team as the head of security? If things went badly, he had no choice but to seek a way to survive by helping Prince Edward. To do that, a reliable connection was essential.

“Wouldn’t it be better to make a deal with the captain or Walter? Why me?”

“Inspector Warden and I are pawns risking our lives fighting on the board they’ve set up. If things go badly, I want to avoid the fate of being used and discarded.”

“And you just so happened to get a hold of my weakness?”

“It’s an opportunity to build trust.”

“Just a moment ago, you said with your own mouth that you pursue practical benefits over faith.”

He grinned and bowed his head. Then, staring intently at Sydney, he spoke.

“I won’t reveal Inspector Warden’s secret with my own mouth. That much, I can promise.”

“I believe actions over words.”

In the silence, their gazes intertwined in the air.

At Sydney’s persistent stare, Steve Deniro’s eyebrows rose subtly. Then, his blue eyes deepened even further.

“I’ll show you through my actions.”

Sydney slowly turned her head towards the stage where the curtain was gradually rising.

As the grand music played, the stage lights illuminated the stage one by one.

Even as she blankly watched the stage, the contents of the performance didn’t register in her mind. She kept mulling over the conversation they just had.

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The performance was reaching its climax.

As the opera was nearing its end, the door burst open and the voices of a woman and a man could be heard.

“I said no!”

“Lady Burgundy! Please have a word with me for a moment……”

The identity of the uninvited guests was Ernest Holden and Victoria Owello clinging to his side.

Ernest pushed Victoria away and looked around to see who he was searching for.

“Why are you here with Inspector Warden? This viewing box was assigned to Lady Burgundy……”

“The person named Lady Burgundy asked me to come in her stead.”

Ernest Holden grabbed Sydney’s hand and asked excitedly, as if interrogating her.

“My goodness, you know Lady Burgundy?”

“To be precise, she knows my younger sister.”

Even though she blatantly showed discomfort and shook off his hand, Ernest Holden’s eyes sparkled as if he had discovered a treasure, and he poured out his words.

“Younger sister? If it’s Inspector Warden’s younger sister, she must be in St. Warden. Does Lady Burgundy live there too? How do they know each other? Could your younger sister introduce me to Lady Burgundy……”

“Inspector Holden, it seems Lady Burgundy doesn’t want to reveal her identity. Am I right?”

“That’s true, but this is a good opportunity for Lady Burgundy as well. Our publishing company wants to offer her the best treatment to sign a contract for her next work……”

“In any case, please don’t involve my younger sister.”

“So that it doesn’t cause trouble for your younger sister……”

Despite Sydney’s cold response, Ernest Holden tried to persuade her somehow.

In the end, Steve Deniro and Victoria Owello intervened between the two.

“Ernest, that’s enough.”

“Yeah, it’s better to stop.”

As they were arguing like that, the audience had already left the opera house. Steve Deniro said he had something to discuss and took the lead with Ernest Holden.

The half-brothers who shared the same lowly blood that couldn’t be revealed, Ernest’s attitude towards Steve was closer to reverence than contempt or disdain.

Why did Ernest Holden, who would have everything in his hands as the heir to the Holden family, fear his half-brother like a mouse in front of a cat?

Victoria Owello linked arms with Sydney and whispered kindly.

“Sydney, please understand. It’s not just about the contract. Ernest really likes the author. But Lady Burgundy never reveals her face, so…… that dimwit is getting all worked up.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you. By the way, Emilia knows Lady Burgundy…… How did that happen? Emilia can barely go out.”

Suddenly, the words Hyle Wells had said flashed through her mind.

Even if he couldn’t guarantee a complete cure, if Emilia received treatment from him, she might be able to step out into the outside world……

Sydney smiled brightly, imagining Emilia’s delighted face.

“She occasionally attends book clubs.”

“Ah, so they met there. By the way, what about Steve?”

Without thinking, she shifted her gaze to look for Steve Deniro in the distance, wearing a gray coat over his black hair. He was greeting the few remaining people on the first floor with Ernest.

Victoria gathered the hem of her dress and held Sydney’s arm with her other hand. Then, she lowered her voice and whispered.

“I think Elder brother likes you……”

Just because someone is good to one person doesn’t guarantee they’ll be the same to another. Human relationships are extremely relative.

Even Sydney herself, who was wary and analyzed everyone’s words and actions, wasn’t she very lenient when it came to Victoria Owello?

“What are you two whispering about? Were you badmouthing me to Inspector Warden?”

Steve Deniro, who was giving Victoria a playful smile.

To Victoria, he was a kind and affectionate cousin elder brother, a charming man she’d want to introduce to her friends.

But that was a side he only showed to Victoria, the sole legitimate child of the Owello ducal family.

Deprivation. Just like Sydney herself, Steve Deniro, who lived with weaknesses, wasn’t a good person to get close to.

Because their very existence was a nuisance.

“We just decided to stay as friends.”

Sydney said as she helped Victoria into the carriage.

Victoria’s face showed apparent disappointment, but she smiled faintly and left, saying she understood.

It was fine to walk alone on the street late at night with no passers-by.

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The cold wind clawed at her face, and white breath spread where it passed.

The chill penetrating her lungs made her body shrink involuntarily, but her mind became clearer.

Sydney stopped walking and looked up at the night sky. She could see twinkling stars through the bare branches of the roadside trees.

“How long are you going to follow me?”

As her husky voice echoed through the desolate night street, the sound of snow crunching followed her.

“It’s a good night for a walk.”

Sydney’s green eyes slowly moved to take in Steve Deniro. He sniffled and quipped.

“Well, my cheeks are stinging, and the tip of my nose is numb to the point of losing sensation. And seeing how I’m smiling like this…… Aren’t you cold, Inspector Warden?”

“I am cold.”

“You can take my carriage now if you want.”

Steve stepped back and showed the carriage that had been following behind.

His smile and gaze, which seemed a bit clumsy yet earnest, were so unlike him that she couldn’t help but chuckle.

At the same time, the heightened vigilance and tension she had mustered also loosened……

“If you have something to say, say it now. Inspector Deniro, you should take the carriage and go.”

“I’ll just walk. I want to get closer to Inspector Warden.”

So be it. Sydney muttered softly and took a step.

With the sound of crunching snow, they entered Mayfield Avenue. As they passed by the luxurious buildings one by one.

“Can’t we hold hands and walk?”

“No, we can’t.”

“Then……… Can we hold hands and walk?”

Sydney glanced at Steve out of the corner of her eye and asked.

“Are those two questions different?”

“I thought maybe you’d accidentally answer ‘yes’ by mistake……”

This kind of sudden and silly conversation……. How should she put it? It untied the knot of tension that always constricted her. Anyway, she didn’t particularly dislike it.

“Are you usually this bland?”

“I tend to be taciturn.”

“……”

She thought this was a joke too, but Steve Deniro’s expression was more serious than ever.

Along with the whistling sound of the wind, his black hair fluttered, and his voice grew distant.

“It wasn’t really a secret.”

A secret.

Only then did Sydney notice the corners of his mouth twitching, and she burst out laughing too. Her steps also became much more cheerful.

“Inspector Deniro, you’re really funny.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that. In that sense, you can call me ‘Steve’.”

Sydney shook her head in refusal. Sticking close to her, Steve whispered.

“Wait a second.”

“……?”

And he removed a red hair from her coat’s shoulder. As he watched the hair fly away in the wind, he took a step back.

Steve Deniro pointed to a building with a nod of his head.

“12 Mayfield Avenue, is this it?”

She turned around slowly with her left foot back. In front of the building, Logan Redford was standing with his back to the light of a street lamp.

It was a bit disconcerting, but he would find out someday anyway. It wasn’t something that could be hidden even if she tried.

Sydney admitted calmly.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

“Then, I’ll be going.”

With her back turned to Steve, she bid him farewell and took a step. Towards Logan, who was standing without a coat in this cold weather.