Benny slowly looked away from Natasha, but her mind remained deeply unsettled.
The disgusting aura surrounding that woman still lingered in her senses like poisonous smoke.
Now she finally understood something else too.
Christopher.
That same rotten stench existed faintly around him as well.
Not as overwhelming as Natasha's…
But enough for Benny to notice immediately.
Her brows furrowed thoughtfully.
So she's already leaving her mark on him…
Among supernatural beings, evil energy could spread through repeated emotional and physical connections. The deeper the bond, the stronger the transfer became.
And Natasha's corruption level was already terrifyingly high.
Normally, someone constantly involved with a person carrying such darkness should gradually absorb more of it until their own soul became stained completely.
Yet Christopher's corruption level was strangely inconsistent.
It should have been much worse by now.
Unless…
Benny narrowed her eyes slightly.
Unless Christopher still carried traces of guilt and regret inside him.
That would explain why the corruption around him kept fluctuating instead of completely consuming him.
Regret weakened the corruption.
It slowed the spread.
And deep down, Christopher clearly regretted something.
Or rather
Someone.
Almost unconsciously, Benny's eyes drifted toward Dinah.
Her thoughts shifted again.
This time toward Oliver Queen.
The man she served.
The King feared across the supernatural world.
Unlike Natasha, Oliver's darkness was completely different.
It wasn't corruption.
It was power.
Three terrifying entities existed within him simultaneously.
The first
His original identity.
A Lycan.
Not just any Lycan, but an Alpha born with overwhelming dominance.
The second
The Demon.
That entity awakened during the bloody massacre that happened after the death of Gwenevere… Dinah's previous incarnation over seven hundred years ago.
Back then, Oliver lost his sanity completely.
Entire bloodlines vanished overnight.
Cities burned.
The supernatural world nearly collapsed under his rage.
That was when the demon sleeping inside his bloodline awakened fully.
But unlike Natasha's twisted corruption, Oliver's demonic side came naturally through inheritance.
His mother herself had been a hybrid
Half Lycan.
Half high-ranking demon.
Oliver simply inherited both bloodlines.
He only needed a trigger powerful enough to unlock them.
And losing the love of his life became that trigger.
The third entity inside Oliver remained the greatest mystery of all.
Even Oliver himself didn't fully understand it.
A serene and ancient presence.
Silent.
Powerful.
Unknown.
Sometimes Benny wondered if that final entity was the only reason Oliver had not destroyed the world completely after Gwenevere's death.
Because without it…
The Oliver Queen of seven hundred years ago would have drowned the entire earth in blood.
"Why are you staring at her like that?" Dinah suddenly asked playfully. "Do you like her?"
Benny snapped out of her thoughts instantly.
"Eww… disgusting," she muttered dramatically.
Then inwardly she added:
Who would love someone like that? Well… except Christopher.
A smile quickly appeared on her face as she looked back at Dinah.
"Stop teasing me," Benny replied lightly.
Then she leaned closer and whispered jokingly,
"So that's the almighty Natasha everyone keeps talking about?"
Dinah laughed softly.
"Almighty is definitely an exaggeration," she replied calmly.
Then after a short pause, she added quietly,
"I don't really blame her though."
Benny glanced at her carefully.
That answer surprised her.
Most humans would have spoken with bitterness after everything Natasha and Christopher had done.
But Dinah sounded… tired more than hateful.
Almost pitying.
And somehow, that made Benny respect her even more.
While the two women remained in their own world, the General Manager returned to the center of the room.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"And now," he announced, "to give honor where honor is due…"
The room gradually became quiet again.
"Please applaud Mrs. Natasha Adams for the major impact she made toward Team C's success."
Applause followed immediately.
Some genuine.
Some forced.
"And also," he continued quickly, "Miss Benny Smith, whose support ensured everything went smoothly throughout the project."
This time the applause became weaker.
And confusion immediately spread through the hall.
"What?"
"Why are they giving Natasha all the credit?"
"What exactly did she even do?"
"Wasn't Dinah the one handling most of the interview preparation?"
"And Benny barely appeared during the interview itself."
"Isn't this unfair?"
Whispers filled nearly every corner of the room.
Even some employees looked visibly uncomfortable.
The General Manager noticed the growing tension immediately and forced a nervous smile.
"Well… allow me to explain."
He adjusted his glasses quickly before continuing.
"Mrs. Natasha was actually the person who first suggested the idea of interviewing Mr. Queen."
More murmurs spread instantly.
"And through her personal connections," he added carefully, "the interview became possible."
He gestured politely toward Natasha.
"She may not always be physically present in the office, but she works remotely and contributes significantly behind the scenes."
Some employees slowly nodded.
Those who didn't know the company's internal politics accepted the explanation easily enough.
But the employees who did know the truth looked stunned.
Because everyone involved in the project knew exactly who worked day and night preparing for Oliver Queen's interview.
Dinah.
Not Natasha.
Dinah handled the research.
Dinah stayed overtime repeatedly.
Dinah coordinated the schedules.
Dinah practically carried the project.
Yet now
Her contribution was being erased publicly.
Benny's eyes darkened slightly.
Across the room, Miss Chan looked happier than she had all day.
Finally.
Something satisfying.
A triumphant smile spread across her face as she glanced toward Dinah.
But once again
No reaction.
Dinah simply sat there calmly.
No anger.
No outburst.
No humiliation visible on her face.
Miss Chan frowned slightly.
She hides it well, she thought bitterly.
The meeting slowly came to an end afterward.
People stood gradually, gathering their belongings while whispering among themselves.
Some congratulated Natasha.
Others avoided eye contact with Dinah out of discomfort.
Christopher glanced toward Dinah several times during the commotion, but she never once looked back at him.
Not once.
Meanwhile, Benny stood quietly beside Dinah with a faint smile on her face.
Good, she thought coldly.
They started this first.
Which meant…
Nobody should complain about what happened next.
Beside her, Dinah simply smiled faintly and picked up her gadgets.
Truthfully, she had not expected much from this meeting anyway.
The moment she learned Natasha's father bought the company, she already understood Natasha's intentions clearly.
Control.
Humiliation.
Power.
Still…
Even Dinah had not expected things to become this blatant.