The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

278 Wise Advice

“All right, I promise. Damn... why are you being too much?” Emma mumbled as bit the tip of her chopsticks while giving an awkward laugh to lighten the mood.

Levi realized that he was too much. He quickly relaxed his tense shoulders and back as he let out a long sigh. Now, the anxiety in his life was increasing.

The more people you love, the more burdened your mind would be. It was something he didn’t like and had always avoided. But unfortunately, he was stuck with it now.

“Forgive my overreaction. I just don’t want my friend to get into trouble. As long as I can help, I will do everything.” Levi said.

‘Friend, eh? Good effort, Levi.’ Emma said inwardly.

It seemed that Levi was quite manipulative. He had promised not to make them both fall into unwanted feelings. However, in the end, he realized that he couldn’t help but do the little things that made both of them feel comfortable with each other.

Together with Emma ??made Levi show the different side of him. He couldn’t help but placed her on his first list. He couldn’t stop himself from saying sweet things to her, honestly saying out what was in his heart.

Even though Levi didn’t want to admit it, in his subconscious, he knew that he was actually in love with Emma.

Like Emma said; love could make a person do unusual things. And this was what Levi was experiencing now.

.....

However, Levi kept himself sane so he could think logically. Even though he felt a mass of butterflies filling his stomach when he was with Emma, ??he still had to be aware of reality.

What Levi loved was maybe only ten percent of Emma. It was because he only knew ten percent of her life, and so did Emma, who only knew ten percent about his life.

In other words, their feelings were naivety. Like a fan who idolizes an idol. She would follow all the idol’s social media posts and any news about the idol – watched videos of the idol’s daily life and fell in love with him. But in reality, she didn’t really know what and how the real life of the idol was.

Unable to contain his own attitude, Levi could only always issue one statement to save things – A sentence that was like a ball of destruction that was always ready to be swung against the walls that had been built higher and higher.

‘We are friends.’ Was a sentence that became a blockade to stop a development. It was the words that brought the two of them back to their senses.

“How is your work?” Emma asked.

Levi shook his head with a faint smile. “Things are getting messy. But I’ve made some decisions that, hopefully, can save things.”

“Well... I’m curious about what you’re doing,” Emma said with a thoughtful face.

Levi chuckled, “It’s just a small service business. Lukas and I happen to have high positions there, so we are the busiest men in the company,”

“Looks like I can learn a bit from you,” Emma laughed.

“Are you going to start a business?” Levi asked.

Emma thought for a moment, then nodded uncertainly. “Actually, I just started it and it’s under development now.”

Emma was referring to her Black Swan group. But if she thought about it, to enlarge her group, she could also use a business strategy. And maybe, Levi, who was experienced in the business world, could provide her good input.

“That means you’re the leader in the business. You’re asking the right people, Emma.” Levi folded his arms across his chest with his chin raised, “What do you want to know?”

“Well... It looks like the small business is actually not that small. I smell the big boss here,” Emma narrowed her eyes and laughed.

It seemed that behind Levi’s attitude that often boasts, the man was actually a humble person. He never wanted to show how rich he was and how big his business was.

Levi laughed too then shook his head slowly. “You keep judging people. Just focus on your own business.”

“Okay, okay...” Emma said. Then, she thought for a moment before asking the first question, “How do you make your business big?”

“You just have to do it well. As a leader, you have to pay attention to the smallest details and have a broad view. First, focus on your business system. The second, pay attention to competitors,” Levi answered.

“Actually, I’m a bit confused about my business system. I don’t seem to pay much attention to it,” Emma said with a thoughtful face.

“Of course, you have to know it clearly, Emma. You have to know what exactly you are doing and what your goals are. For example; if you want your business to be the biggest in this city, then you have to work hard to achieve it. Ambition is needed in running a business.”

“I guess you’re right, Levi. Come to think of it, I think I don’t ambitious enough about this. I just let it move with the flow,” Emma looked lethargic.

“In that case, I predict two things would happen to your business. Either it will stand still or it will be completely destroyed. In running a business, you must not surrender to circumstances.” Levi said.

“When you just started your business, did you have that much ambition?” Emma asked.

Levi nodded firmly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all of this, Emma. Even when everything seemed impossible, I never gave up hope. When I had nothing, I was willing to cut off my hands and feet to make my plan work. That’s how big my ambition was and is,”

“I’m relieved you didn’t really have to,” Emma chuckled. “But I have to admit; it’s very inspiring.”

“Emma, ??if you want to dream of something, just dream it as big as you can, even if it seems impossible. When you no longer care about risk and what people say, you can do anything.” Levi said.

“Well... I understand,” Emma nodded slowly.

What Levi said was true. All this time, Emma had always thought about what people thought about her. She was afraid to accept the risk that her identity would be exposed and she would return to living the same life as when she was at her father’s house.

But Emma realized that now, she liked what she hated so much before. Now, Emma was able to see the world of violence from a different perspective. In fact, it all came from within her herself whether she would let the environment change her or she would change the environment.

“What else do you want to ask?” Levi asked as he continued to eat the food.

Levi noticed that Emma had started to stop eating, which meant that she was full already. And with all that much food, he ended up having to finish alone.

“Um... Do you need a lot of people to grow your business bigger?” Emma asked after waking up from her daydream.

“Of course. In running something big, you need a big team because there will be a lot more to do. And all of your people must have good skills and are reliable. You don’t have to look after useless people.”

“What about competitors? How to beat them?” Emma suddenly remembered the most important point in her group’s current goal. They had to take down other gangster groups.

“Before trying to beat them, you must know clearly; who and what your competitors are. Those competitors will continue to emerge. When one falls, new ones will come. Therefore, you must not be ignorant and easily complacent.

You must continue to strengthen your business, even though everything seems fine because you wouldn’t know whether someone is sharpening their sword behind your back,” Levi explained.

“That is very wise. Looks like you’ve really been through a lot,” Emma said in amazement.

“To be honest, I’m currently doing what I just said. Some time back, I was caught off guard because everything was going so well. But when I realized, everything had become a mess, so I had to work hard to clean it up. That’s why I often complain in front of you lately.” Levi chuckled.

“That’s terrible. I hope you get over it quickly, Levi.” Emma said.

Levi nodded with a faint smile. “That’s what happens when you decide to own a business. Your life will not be calm. However, it is a classic art in business. Over time, you will get used to it and you will no longer panic, although there is still a feeling of fear to fall in your heart.”

“But I’m sure the results will be worth it, won’t it? Come on... No need to be naive. Otherwise, what are you doing it for?” Emma laughed. She didn’t need to guess to know that Levi’s comfortable life now was the result of his big business.

The girl’s joke made Levi laugh out. “Yes, I did it for my family. Of course, I want my mother to spend her old age living comfortably. I’m tired of living a hard life. It’s better to ache my head because of business but still be able to eat well than have to think about whether you can eat or not every day.”

Emma smiled faintly. “I see. The fact that you’re doing this for your family makes it even better.”

“I love my family so much. They are the reason I am still alive today. I will do anything to make them happy.”

“With a family like yours, I wouldn’t be surprised if you think that way. I would do the same if my mom were still alive.” Emma muttered.

After the long talk to buy time to finish all the food Emma ordered, Levi finally managed to finish it all.

“I feel like my stomach is going to explode,” Levi said as he walked slowly out of the restaurant with a stupid face because he was full.