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“Times are changing,” he said. “It’s not about blood or territories anymore. It’s about getting stronger.”
“So what? You’ll be at war with the Rat and the Snake to get a measly portion of Chicago?”
Dante smiled, but he did not answer. Instead, Eden watched him slowly cut his portion of steak, and bring it to his lips. She was nervous once again. Not because she feared him, but because she couldn’t decipher his intentions.
“...It’s not about the territory,” he then said.
“Money, then?”
“No, power.”
Eden frowned. Those enigmas. Again. She couldn’t understand his train of thought.
“I want it all,” he said.
“...All of the Dragon’s territory?”
“All the territories.”
Eden remained silent for a few seconds, rendered speechless. Then she chuckled nervously.
That man was crazy. She laughed uncontrollably, even if she knew he could kill her for that if he wanted to. This was just so unbelievable to hear. After a while, and since she was still alive, she grabbed her glass, shaking her head. She took a long sip, tasting the delicious champagne for the first time. The fizzy and sweet bubbles on her tongue somehow made her laugh even more until she put it down.
“You’re crazy,” she said. “You might be able to conquer one territory. But you can’t have them all. People won’t respect you, and the Core will hunt you down. They will send their agents to shoot you down. They are letting the Zodiacs be because you’re powerful but not powerful enough to annoy them. The Core hunts down people who threaten them. It’s not–”
“People like you?”
Dante’s sentence made her lose her smile.
Eden regained her seriousness. He wasn’t laughing at all. In fact, he didn’t even have the beginning of a smirk on. Not only was he serious, but he believed in his own madness, which was even scarier. Eden took a deep breath.
“Yes, people like me. However, I’m not stupid to let people know my face and my name when I commit crimes against the Core. Hackers act undercover. Mafiosos don’t. That’s where the line between us is drawn. You keep the balance in the Suburbs and kill each other peacefully. The hackers attack the Core. If you start attacking the Core, you’ll be dead in no time.”
“Should I be scared, then?” asked Dante, a cunning smile appearing on his face.
“That, or crazy, and I think you’re the latter.”
He chuckled and cut another piece of steak. What was going on in his mind? And more importantly, how had she gotten herself into that mess with such a crazy bastard?
Eden wasn’t hungry anymore. She was back to making plans to get out of there, out of his grasp, and as far as she could from him. She never wanted to be involved with the Italian again. She already hated him, but now she wondered if she shouldn’t kill him. It felt like a lot less work.
“...Why did you become a hacker?”
Eden frowned, turning to him. They were back to personal questions now?
“...I had to survive, so I found a way.”
“No one becomes a hacker by mere chance. It takes knowledge that someone your age doesn’t get just like that.”
“I did what every hacker does: I learned from someone else. Why are you interested in that too now?”
“I need the best hacker by my side for my plan. I need to know if you’re the best.”
Eden was speechless.
So that was why that man wanted Ghost. Not just for Ghost to work for him, but to help him with his crazy plans. She was too shocked to even speak. This was madness. Of all people, she had fallen into the hands of a crazy megalomaniac, some narcissist with crazy ambition in which she had become a part of.
“You’re really crazy,” she mumbled.
