AN: Here your last bonus chapter for this week.
....
"Excuse me, Mr. Mayor—Mr. Winters is here," the beautiful secretary announced, giving the door a few polite knocks.
"Come in," a deep voice called from inside.
Allen followed the secretary into the spacious, luxurious office.
"Mr. Winters, can I get you something to drink?" the mayor asked with an easy smile.
"Anything's fine," Allen replied casually.
The mayor stepped over to a sleek cabinet lined with expensive bottles. "How about a Heidsieck 1907?" he suggested, holding up the rare vintage—one famously recovered from a shipwreck and worth over two hundred thousand dollars.
Allen's brows lifted slightly. "Of course. That's an impressive choice, Mayor."
The secretary returned with the bottle and two crystal glasses, setting them neatly on the desk.
"Thank you, Margaret. You may leave us now—and cancel the rest of my meetings for today," the mayor said.
Margaret poured the wine before slipping out, the door clicking shut behind her.
"Mr. Winters, have a seat. And just call me Michael—it'll make things a bit more comfortable," the mayor said, lifting his glass. It was clear he wanted this to be a relaxed conversation with Allen.
"Sure," Allen nodded. "Then you can just call me Allen."
Michael chuckled and took a sip. "Hah… I'm really starting to like you, young man."
Michel Warrant was surprisingly easy to talk to.
With a demeanor like his, it was no wonder so many investors were eager to work with him, Allen thought.
"Mr. Michael, is there a particular reason you wanted to meet me in person?" Allen asked calmly. "The last time we crossed paths was at your daughter's birthday party—you invited me yourself. Do you remember? Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to talk back then."
Allen took a slow sip of the drink the mayor's secretary had poured for him.
"Hahaha, yes, my apologies," Michel said with an easy laugh. "I was caught up in another matter and never even managed to greet some of my own guests."
He waved it off casually before continuing.
"Anyway, I called you here because I need your help, Allen."
"Hmm… help? What kind of help?" Allen asked, leaning back slightly. "If it's about business, you can always contact my secretary directly. That would be much easier for you—and of course, I wouldn't turn down a good business opportunity."
Instead of answering right away, the mayor offered Allen a cigarette.
"Sorry, but I don't smoke," Allen said.
"Alright… hahaha, no problem. You don't mind if I smoke in front of you, do you?" Michel asked politely, still relaxed.
"Not at all. This is your office," Allen replied with a small shrug.
"Good."
Michael lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag before speaking again.
"Allen, you know my daughter, right? You must've met her at her birthday party. Lately, she's been approached by a man with… questionable intentions. He's trying to get close to her for certain sensitive information. His name is Benjamin. I want you to drive him out of her life."
He paused briefly, watching Allen's reaction.
"Besides, I think my daughter might have some special feelings for you, Allen."
"I see… but why ask me to handle it?" Allen asked, genuinely curious. "You could easily have Chief Brian take care of something like this."
He was certain there was more to it. This was too small of an issue to outsource personally.
"First," Michael said, tapping ash into a tray, "because you work for Umbrella, and I know Spencer. Second, my daughter clearly has feelings for you. I'd rather entrust this to you than to some stranger."
'Why is this mayor suddenly mentioning Spencer?' Allen thought.
This felt less like a simple favor and more like a test.
The mayor had deliberately brought up Spencer's name. That alone suggested the old man might've spoken to him. And if that were true, then this entire situation could be a way to evaluate Allen's character.
"Hmmm… I don't mean to refuse," Allen said with a faint smirk, "but you do know I already have a wife, right?"
At the very least, he wanted to play a little hard to get—just enough to assert some authority by casually reminding the mayor of his marital status.
"Haha, of course I know you have a wife," Michael replied with a light chuckle. "And not just one. Cough."
He cleared his throat slightly.
"In fact, one of them works for the police. How about I give Jill a raise? And your new girlfriend, Rebecca—I heard about her from Brian—I could increase her salary as well."
Another small cough escaped him.
The offer was subtle, but unmistakable.
A bribe—wrapped neatly in polite conversation.
"Please, don't joke about that," Allen said with a chuckle, giving a light cough of his own as if mirroring the mayor. "They're smart women. If their salaries suddenly increase without a clear reason, they'd immediately grow suspicious."
He leaned back slightly, clearly signaling for Michael to offer something more convincing.
The mayor frowned, unsure of what else he could possibly put on the table. Allen wasn't some ordinary businessman—he was practically a conglomerate-level figure. Money alone wouldn't move him.
What could I possibly offer him? Michael wondered.
Sergei had once told him the kid could be manipulated if you dangled women in front of him. But that approach clearly wasn't working here.
"Well," Michael said with a slow exhale, "tell me what you want. If it's within my power, just name it."
Allen's lips curved into a grin.
"How about a helicopter? Brand new. And I want the military version. If I try to purchase one myself, the paperwork and approvals will take too long. But for someone in your position, I'm sure it'd be easy to arrange."
There was unmistakable enthusiasm in his voice.
In truth, Allen could build one himself—but that would take time. And if he was going to spend time designing something, he'd rather create something far more interesting… like a Quinjet from the Marvel movies. A standard helicopter was simply a temporary solution.
The helicopter alone would cost at least twenty million dollars per unit.
Of course, since the funding would ultimately come from taxpayer money, the mayor didn't even blink at the number.
"Alright," Michael said after a moment. "But I want the hidden cameras he owns handed over to me. Do you understand?"
So that's the real objective, Allen thought.
"Deal," Allen agreed without hesitation.
"Aren't you curious about the data from those cameras?" the mayor asked with a thin smile—one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Allen shook his head calmly. "Not interested at all. I'm a businessman. I wouldn't have accepted your offer if it weren't for that helicopter."
He returned the smile, relaxed and confident.
"Hahaha! No wonder Spencer wants to recruit you—even though you already run your own company," Michael laughed heartily, clearly satisfied with the arrangement.
"Hey, my company is still small. It's nothing compared to Umbrella. That's exactly why I'm interested in working there—to gain more experience," Allen said modestly.
He deliberately praised Umbrella. The way Michel had mentioned Spencer earlier made him feel like someone might be observing this exchange from the shadows.
"Oh, by the way," Allen added casually, "could you give me your daughter's phone number? Leave the rest to me."
"Of course. Here."
The mayor handed him a small card with his daughter's contact information neatly printed on it.
Allen accepted it with a polite nod.
After chatting a little longer, he finally stood up and left the office.
As he stepped outside, Allen narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the Resident Evil game he once played.
If he remembered correctly, the footage from those hidden cameras contained evidence implicating both the mayor and Chief Brian.
Troublesome.
Allen actually had no desire to involve himself in dirty political schemes—especially knowing that this city would eventually face an outbreak. Getting entangled too deeply would only complicate things later.
However…
Since this involved a beautiful woman, it seemed he had no choice but to step in.
With a faint sigh, Allen headed toward a nearby bar. Once seated in a quiet corner, he activated Wednesday and began tracking down a man named Benjamin first—along with locating Katrine's current whereabouts.
If he was going to handle this, he might as well do it efficiently.
.....
Meanwhile, inside the mayor's office, Michael remained seated behind his desk, a cigarette burning slowly between his fingers.
"Spencer… you think I don't know your intentions?" he muttered under his breath, smoke curling around his face. "Good. Very good. Does he really think it'll be that easy to get rid of me?"
The hidden camera footage Benjamin possessed contained clear evidence of corruption between him and Chief Brian Irons. If that material ever became public, his carefully built image as mayor would collapse overnight.
"This is unacceptable…" Michael's eyes darkened. "Just you wait, Spencer."
.....
At the same time, at the Arkley Mountain mansion, Spencer had just received the latest report from Sergei regarding Allen.
"Hahahaha!"
Spencer burst into laughter after reading its contents.
According to the report, inside the laboratory, the boy wasn't seriously conducting research as expected—instead, he was openly flirting with William's wife and several female researchers. Outside the lab, he was busy pursuing a new woman named Rebecca and even bribing Brian to smooth the process. And now, he was making moves on the mayor's daughter as well.
"A man like this is such a fool," Spencer scoffed coldly. "No wonder Alex can manipulate him so easily. His ambitions are nothing more than collecting wives. A typical womanizer."
He leaned back in his chair.
"A man like this is perfect as a subordinate."
After finishing the report, Spencer looked at Sergei.
"You can focus on keeping an eye on Albert. As for this boy, let Alex handle him."
At that moment, Spencer was in high spirits. Alex's research was progressing exactly as he had hoped. His dream of achieving immortality felt closer than ever.
What he didn't realize, however, was that Alex was secretly planning to drain his resources—and when the time was right, stab him in the back without hesitation.
.....
Later that night, at a bar downtown, Katherine was having dinner with Benjamin. He had invited her out, wearing his usual charming smile.
Not long after, the front door opened and Allen walked in.
He looked like he had just finished work at the lab. As usual, he greeted a few familiar faces. Allen was quite well-known here—he often stopped by after work to grab drinks and food with Barry.
The moment his eyes landed on Katherine and Benjamin sitting together, he headed straight toward their table.
"Yo… long time no see, Benjamin," Allen said casually, though his eyes were cold.
Katherine blinked in surprise. "Ben… do you know Mr. Winters?"
Benjamin stiffened. He glanced at Allen, clearly uneasy. "Uh… hello… do I know you?" he replied hesitantly.
Katherine's brows slowly furrowed.
"Hey, man… are you seriously pretending you don't know me?" Allen scoffed. "Especially after the last time we met? You personally interviewed me about my discoveries. And right after that, you published my work under your own name. I heard that paper even got you nominated for an award. Heh."
His voice carried open mockery.
"Mr. Winters, please don't slander Benjamin like that," Katherine said quickly. "I'm sure he's not that kind of person."
But inside, she was conflicted—torn between Allen, her first crush, and Benjamin, the man she had recently been getting closer to.
"And may I ask who you are, pretty lady?" Allen continued smoothly. "I feel like we've met before."
He pretended not to remember attending her birthday party.
Katherine pouted slightly. It stung that he seemed to have forgotten her.
But Allen ignored her reaction and continued, "Don't tell me you're Benjamin's girlfriend."
"I—I'm Katherine Warrant… and yes, we have met before," she replied softly. "And yes… Benjamin and I are dating, but—"
She wanted to clarify that they weren't officially together, but Allen cut her off.
"Ohh, so you're Miss Warrant. The mayor's daughter… I remember now." He nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's hear it directly from Benjamin. There's no point arguing like this. So? Do you want to confess, or should we drag this out? And stop pretending you don't know me. Don't you have any shame?"
Ironically, Allen himself had none.
Benjamin instinctively stepped back, as if cornered.
Katherine noticed. Her expression darkened.
"Just be honest, Ben. Do you really know Mr. Winters?"
"I—I don't know him," Benjamin insisted. "I only met him once. I interviewed him once, that's all."
"Ben, don't play cheap tricks with me," Katherine said, anger rising in her voice. "Tell me the truth. I hate liars."
Whatever good impression she had of him was fading fast.
"Stop slandering me, Mr. Winters!" Benjamin snapped nervously. "Do you have proof?"
"Yes," Allen replied calmly. "You were the only one who interviewed me. The very next day, my paper was published without my name. And I only met you that one day."
He spoke with complete confidence.
Then he pulled out his phone and showed Katherine their conversation records.
Her legs nearly gave out.
So this is the kind of person he really is…
"Alright!" Benjamin suddenly broke. "I admit it! I was paid by someone to do it! Please, don't report me. I can't lose my job."
Katherine stood up.
Slap!
The sound echoed across the table.
"Don't ever see me again."
Without looking back, she walked away.
"Katherine, wait!" Benjamin called out, but he didn't follow. Instead, he slowly sat back down, rubbing his cheek before picking up his drink.
"Man… that slap actually hurt," Ben muttered, taking a sip.
Allen burst into laughter.
"Hahaha… your acting was impressive. Ever thought about becoming an actor?"
Yes—the entire confrontation had been staged beforehand.
"Alright," Benjamin muttered. "Where's the rest of my payment?"
Allen handed him a thick envelope. "This is what you wanted."
In exchange, Benjamin handed over the memory card from the hidden camera—exactly what Allen had requested earlier.
Benjamin carefully counted the cash, a satisfied look appearing on his face.
Business concluded.