Zodiac Story

Behind Terracotta Walls, The Finest Green Rose Stands Resolute Part 1

Today was supposed to be a time to relax. Róisín wanted the familiar comforts of a rosewater-scented bath, with the bath being sweetly accented by actual pink rose petals and green apple-scented candles lining the room. The linen towels would have been freshly pressed and her auburn hair would be floating dreamily in the water as the bath accentuated her natural beauty.

No, she had to be sitting in an abandoned computer cafe negotiating—the mere word sent a tremor to her neck—with the bitch who stole her money through a computer terminal.

"If you refuse to turn over my money, rest assured that I will use the considerable financial and human resources at my disposal to track you down to whatever hovel you've holed yourself in, strip you of everything that you held dear, and dump you in a place where neither heaven nor earth can find your worthless body," she threatened.

I believe that you have considerable financial resources and people to do as you bid. I doubt you would be able to find me. I've concealed my presence in the real world. No virtual inspector would be able to discover my location.

Róisín sneered at the flickering blue symbol on the computer. Aquarius the Waterbearer, just like her lessons taught her.

"If you truly have no fear of me, then you would be party to all of your financial assets seized, liquidated, and turned over to my company and family, whom you've deeply wronged." She already had her phone out. She could call the company's chief cybersecurity experts, and ask them to comb through every crumb that this would-be hacker would have inevitably left behind.

I'm not afraid of your company, your board, or your family. There are more dangerous threats loose in the world. I think your family would be well aware of the nature of your threats.

She kept a calm façade. Aunt Alcyone always told her to never show any weakness in the face of her enemies. Róisín imagined herself on top of a throne of bones, dominating over all that opposed her. She would think about the exact structure later. For now, she sought restitution. The liquidation of the ingrate's bank accounts satisfied her. Their home was unlikely to be worth much, but the land would be valuable enough. Another property of hers to own. As for the bitch...she was hers to do as she pleased, once she found out their identity.

"Return the twenty million euros you stole from Seven Sisters Investment Holdings without any latent Trojan horses or any such viruses, and you will be untouched." Róisín narrowed her pale green eyes. "This would be a mercy."

I will decline your offer and make a counteroffer instead. Your ill-gotten twenty million euros, with no strings attached, directed to the bank account registered in Lemuria. In return, I will require your services in escorting two persons of interest. One is a close friend of the Libra of the Seventh House, the other is the Dog of the Eleventh Gate.

This person claimed to possess the Dog and...a random human? Tch, they couldn't take the Libra herself and decided to grab the next best person. How worthless.

You can accept my offer, or I use it for my ends. There are a few charities in need of a large donation. For the Orphans of Calamity Fund, the Red Cross, and Amnesty International, a boost in their finances would do wonders. It would be in your name, seeing how you exemplify the virtue of generosity.

The threat of them touching her money made Róisín recoil internally. She summoned her hammer in case she needed it. The ingrate lived in the digital network, so smashing computer terminals wouldn't be helpful. The company's IT experts couldn't find where the money had vanished. They were a ghost, nearly untraceable. To send her an encrypted message telling her to meet here alone and with such insane demands that any sensible person would have refused, they must have been desperate.