My home is where my heart lies

Enough

At some point in the trial, the businessman distanced himself from the dark-haired teen and the AI construct, yet he hardly stopped paying attention to their conversation, taking mental notes every couple of sentences as if trying to recreate it within the depths of his mind. It had been a while since he could hear his long-dead friend speaking for this long, undoubtedly invested in the contemplation. It was a refreshing experience; the man wished he had more opportunities to witness and perhaps occasionally participate in. That being said, after all these years, the girl was finally found, meaning his long vigil was at its end. Only a few -- it would seem -- minimal concerns to address, and it would be all over. The rather unexpected realisation perplexed him briefly, but in the grand scheme of things, it mattered little, if anything at all. Without as much as an ounce of hesitation, the businessman turned around and approached Akali's legal guardian.

"Could we speak privately for a moment, Miss Smith?" Mister Winsome asked, halting for a fleeting moment beside the magenta-haired woman.

"What about her?" Evelynn immediately replied with a question of her own. "What will happen with Akali?"

"I would not worry about her if I were you," the man retorted casually. "As far as I am perceiving this, they are both engaged in a thrilling conversation – something each had not experienced in a long while," he added confidently. "Can we speak privately for a moment, Miss Smith?" the question was repeated.

"Of course," the golden-eyed Goddess slowly responded, turning around. "Lead the way, please," she said politely.

Without anything to add, the businessman resumed his temporarily halted stroll, heading towards the exit with the magenta-haired beauty following a few steps behind. As soon as they left the trial hall, he led them through the same long corridor they had crossed earlier, turning left after a short while. The branching they entered served only as an opening to another long corridor, which could be described as an exact copy of the previous one. That being said, Mister Winsome did not delve deeper into it, stopping by the first door to his right. With as little effort as sliding his ID card through her scanner, the entrance automatically opened, revealing a dimmed, relatively small, and secluded room with sparse furnishing. The businessman stood by the door, inviting the lawyer to come first, gesturing reservedly.

Evelynn hesitated for a moment but ultimately ventured inside, situating herself in the nearest chair. It was a wooden piece of furniture of relatively decent quality. The room was also equipped with one additional chair, a heavy metal rectangular table, and an interactive display hanging on the opposite side, which was currently powered off.

"Let me start with a short: thank you," Mister Winsome finally broke the silence between them, sitting down on the opposite chair.

"Can we drop this act?" Eve immediately questioned, already too tired of dealing with these games of etiquette. "Mister Winsome, you asked me for a private talk... wouldn't it be more beneficial for both of us if we conclude whatever business there is as soon as possible?"

"Pardon me, Evelynn," the businessman retorted, opting to use her name. "If you really want me to drop the formalities, then so be it," he added, lacing his fingers on the table's face. "I will be brief, then. We knew everything about you adopting Akali," Jeff stated plainly, staring at her eyes with coldness she did not expect of him. "Would you like to explain it yourself, or should I summarise it for you?"

"What do you mean?" the lawyer replied automatically, perplexed with a rather unexpected question.

"Eh," a short yet heavy sigh filled the air as the businessman straightened up. "I think I made myself clear, Evelynn," he added after a brief pause, staring her down with the predatory glee in his cold eyes. "We know everything about the whole farce this 'adoption' has been."