The Spider Queen

(Planet Caorn- Jasimin Island)

(Mariena Hotel- Penthouse Suite)

Sophie tossed her wrist communicator on the bed and pulled a chair towards the edge of the mattress.

She took a second to compose herself and then sat down on the chair with a heavy thump.

There was a terrible stillness in the room.

All that Sophie could hear was the sound of her own breathing as she gently inhaled and exhaled and tried not to fall apart.

"Call Katarina… activate hologram projection,' Sophie calmly spoke.

The wrist communicator on the bed vibrated twice and then a large beam of light erupted from its center.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The seconds felt like hours as Sophie sat motionless on the chair and seemed to be frozen in place.

Like a glass statue that would crack at the slightest touch.

"Young miss!" a concerned voice interrupted the silence. The beam of light widened, and a translucent figure made of hard light appeared in the room.

"Are you alright? I…I... I know that this must be shocking news."

"Katarina," Sophie's voice was no louder than a whisper and yet the coldness inside her tone sent shivers down her loyal servant's spine.

"Is it true?"

The question hung in the air.

Katarina bit her lip nervously and looked down at the secret report in her hand.

Duke Peterlor had disappeared during the Insectoid invasion and those monster were known to eat corpses.

If he had not reached out by now… then he was probably dead. The duke had disappeared once before but now he was a god stage cultivator.

Anyone or anything capable of making him vanish… would be able to kill him.

"Yes… young miss…" Katarina slowly spoke.

Sophie did not say anything.

The hybrid girl leaned forward and placed her head in her palms. Her chest shuddered several times but no tears would come out of her eyes.

A piping white-hot fury flooded her mind with rage and the golden hue of her eyes began to disappear and be replaced by a crimson tinge.

Sophie drew in a shaky breath and pushed down the emotions with all the force that she could muster.

She wanted to throw up.

She felt sick.

And yet… she could not collapse.

Not until she did what she needed to do to prevent her father's legacy from falling apart.

Sophie took her head out of her hands and stared directly into Katarina's eyes.

There was a thin layer of determination masking the uncertainty hidden behind her steely gaze.

"Tell me the situation. How many employees are left? Have any of the other high nobles began to make moves?" Sophie spoke in a serious tone.

"My lady… I think you need some time to grieve and process this…" Katarina's voice trailed off as Sophie raised her right hand.

"That is an order," Sophie commanded with a sternness in her voice that Katarina had never heard before.

At least… not addressed to her.

In that moment, the young miss bore a striking resemblance to her father when he commanded the full attention of a room.

"The news has just broken and already six percent of our employees have turned in their resignations or disappeared," Katarina replied truthfully.

"So far most of these positions have been low level employees but it is expected that the more important roles will also see a wave of resignations."

"There have been some reports of looting by ex-employees but I have been unable to verify that information without a proper investigation."

Vultures…

Sophie's lips morphed into a thin frown as she listened to Katarina' words. Perhaps it was to be expected.

Duke Peterlor was competent man who was known as the Federation's youngest god stage cultivator.

In comparison… she was lacking.

The ambitious or the cowardly employees would flee at the first signs of trouble and Sophie could not find it in herself to blame them.

However, she would not tolerate looting.

"Discourage all employees from quitting by offering them a twenty percent bonus for the next year at least," Sophie coldly spoke.

"Do not force anyone to stay against their will if they are truly determined to leave as long as they go through the proper channels and procedures."

"As for the looting… send the dark guards and pay the information guilds to see if there is any credence to the rumors."

"Send legal letters to those with minor offenses and for any employee who stole important assets… kill them."

She needed to set an example.

The carrot and the stick approach.

The twenty percent bonus would at least keep the employees at the company for a longer time and hopefully when the situation became more stable… they would stay.

As for the stealing, Sophie did not plan to kill all of the guilty but instead make an example of the egregious ones.

"Yes young miss," Katarina nodded her head and then reached into her pocket to pull out a smooth metal tablet.

She typed out Sophie's instructions and then sent a message to the planet administrators and the heads of the major departments.

After that she contacted the secret guards and the information guilds to begin the investigation into the rumors.

Sophie leaned against the chair and could feel its hard wooden surface pressing against her back.

The hybrid girl glanced at her fingers and discovered that they were trembling ever so slightly from side to side.

She had learned management courses over the years from her father and other tutors as part of the high noble education but…

There was a great deal of difference between theories and the real world.

Sophie could not help but second guess herself as Katarina continued to follow up on her order.

Was she making a mistake?

What if she pushed the other employees to leave?

Was giving a bonus a smart decision or a declaration of weakness?

Sophie gritted her teeth as the doubts began to fill her mind. Her father's legacy… how could she possibly hope to maintain it.

"My lady… it is done," Katarina suddenly spoke as she looked up from the tablet.

"Good. Now tell me about the reaction of the other high nobles," Sophie spoke quietly as she forced her fingers to stop shaking.

Katarina thought about what to say for a moment and then opened her mouth to reply,

"The reaction so far is a mixture of shock and disbelief. Many do not seem to think that Duke Peterlor is really dead and are waiting for others to make the first move."

"Your father's allies have already declared that you are under their protection and Duke Braveheart has taken over as the new head of your father's faction."

"At least for now… you do not need to worry about the other high nobles. Even those with anti-human believes have not made any public statements."

"Yes… they are probably waiting to see if my father's estate will implode. Proving them right that a hybrid was not fit to be an heir," Sophie growled darkly as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

"Schedule a meeting with the planet administrators and bring a starship to planet Caorn tomorrow to pick me up."

"I will be leaving the tournament and returning home."

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