[comprehensive] villain friend

Washington Strange Tale【Ⅱ】

Washington is a nice place to live.

Even more so than New York.

But for Dolores, it doesn't matter how livable it is.

Not just because she loves New York, but because...

She didn't come to Washington voluntarily.

……

Dolores sat in the back of the car and let the door be closed by the bodyguards in black.He raised his arms to support his cheeks, expressionless.

"If you like to run in the morning," said the man sitting next to her, "I'll ask my husband to have a treadmill in my house."

"What's the fun in running around a room?" Dolores returned. "And, that's not my 'home,' it's just where I'm staying in Washington."

"Stay for a month?" The other party didn't care, "If I were you, Miss Hayek, I would be happy to settle in Washington."

"Ah."

"So—I'm assuming we've reached a consensus?"

"No, we haven't. We're not going to agree." Dolores said quietly. "You and I both know this. Unless I go back to New York and go back to my normal life, otherwise, there will be no What consensus."

"What's wrong with Washington?"

"What's wrong with New York?"

"...Why can't you cooperate? Obviously, you also know that this arrangement is to ensure your safety."

"Is this a threat?" Dolores raised an eyebrow.

"...No." The other party put on his black sunglasses, which was a gesture of refusal to talk, "—this is an order."

……

Dolores hated orders the most.

A month ago, she dragged her exhausted body back to New York, only to find that the house had been burglarized——

Perhaps it cannot be called a thief.After all, nothing was stolen and everything was in its proper place.Perfect spot.But Dolores found out anyway—someone had entered her house.

It's incredible.She made an interesting deal many years ago when she handed over all the wealth she got from Hayek to another powerful man.That man must guarantee her absolute freedom - she must make her house the safest place, even if it looks like an ordinary dwelling on the surface.

The other party was very trustworthy - it was because she confirmed this that she signed the agreement.

Soon she learned why.Because the person who invaded her territory this time, the other party didn't want to and couldn't stop it.

...she couldn't help it.

Or maybe, she just needed such an annoying thing to suppress some messy thoughts.

……

"Mr. Hayek is waiting for you inside, Miss." The waiter standing in the hall nodded, and stretched out his hand to open the heavy door.

Dolores walked in with a blank expression.

Wearing a dark gray slim-fit suit, the man leaned on the sofa and looked over from afar—the goblet in his hand poured slightly, and the broken gold swayed in the cup, showing the gloomy color of those dark golden eyes.This man was of Germanic descent, with profound features, and a sharp, unidentified meaning in his eyes, which blurred his actual age.

"...It's not good etiquette not to say hello when you see an elder." He said, raising his chin and motioning Dolores to sit down with his eyelids drooping.

"Well, what do you want me to call you, Mr. Undersecretary?" said Dolores, as she sat down naturally as if on her own territory, stooping to pick up another glass of champagne from the table and beckoning to him. , and then showed a sarcastic smile, "—could it be 'Father'? "

"Don't mention that damn title." Edmund Hayek frowned. "When I hear it, I think of the stupid things my conservative and stupid brother did.—I shouldn't have brought you to Washington, He looked at Dolores indifferently, "You are just a little devil, an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf."

Dolores didn't care, and even smiled, the first real smile she'd had since entering the room: "To each other."

"I really can't figure it out—how could he be so stupid and think you are my kind?" Edmund glanced up and down at Dolores with critical eyes, which made him look extraordinarily mean, " Obviously...you are one, half blood?"

"Maybe it's because you told him before you 'died' that you had a girlfriend while you were working in Asia?"

"..." Edmund stared at Dolores in astonishment.

"Don't look at me like that, Mr. Deputy Minister. If you had an uncle who kept thinking about the past and relatives, you would know so much." Dolores shook her head. "I can't figure it out—he How can you think that a guy like you will die so easily?"

Edmund smiled contemptuously, and an inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes very quickly: "Because he is stupid—maybe he can indeed be called a genius in the business field, but he failed completely in other aspects. From his From the day you and your mother brought the Hayeks back home, he's been lighting fire."

"I thought he started the fire by believing the day his brother really died."

Edmund's expression twisted slightly following Dolores' words, he seemed to recall some very unpleasant memories, staring at Dolores: "Shut up, you don't know anything, what's the matter?" qualified to say such a thing.”

——This sounds really familiar.

He took a breath and calmed himself down: "In short, I hope you can behave a little bit during this time—stay in Washington until New York calms down again."

"...I don't understand you, sir," said Dolores. "I knew you hated me when we first met at a funeral years ago—it's perfectly normal. Well, no one would be too happy to find out they had an extra nominal daughter and were 'dead'. I totally understand. And you then dismissed Hayek's vast legacy and asked me to sell it off to the enemy Considering that you are the only real heir to the Hayek family, even though I knew you were out of childish revenge, I did it."

"To be honest, I don't expect to get along well with you at all. I don't want to get along well with you." Dolores said calmly, "So I always thought that we had reached a consensus. Not to interfere with each other...Isn't it ?”

"While you wear Hayek's surname?"

"...if you mind me bearing this name," Dolores stared at him, "you shouldn't have used your power to prevent me from changing my name."

"Stop you? I didn't do that." Edmund frowned impatiently.

"..." Obviously this is not what should be entangled now, Dolores has no intention of arguing with Edmund, "After all, you don't have much affection for me, do you? Even if something happens in New York, it's with you It doesn't matter at all... I..."

"Do you think I want to control you?" Edmund sneered, "You think I like to meddle in other people's business? Thank you to that stupid man. His last wish before his death is that you can inherit the surname of Hayek—— Maybe he really has Alzheimer's, so he really sees you as his blood-related niece, the last Hayek."

"But you know I'm not."

"I don't care. I don't care what Hayek's future will be like, and I don't care who will continue it, and how it will be carried on. An old man's request that does not violate humanity."

"..."

"Don't worry. When things happen in New York, you can go anywhere or do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me. As long as you don't die under my nose, you can do whatever you want."

Dolores paused slightly.

Edmund stood up, and glanced at her condescendingly: "—I got an interesting psychological evaluation report not long ago. About you...... When did you have [strong suicide and Anti-social tendencies]?"

Dolores looked up and met his gaze.Sitting there, she was obviously three points shorter than the other party, but her posture was somewhat arrogant: "Does this have anything to do with you?"

"Of course it doesn't matter." Edmund chuckled, looked away, and gently turned the golden tie clip with his fingers, the jaw line was clearly revealed, making it difficult to see his expression clearly, "... ..It's just that some people feel worthless for someone—who would have thought that what they tried their best to protect turned out to be something the other party wanted to discard."

"...I wonder how a compassionate man like you got to be in this position? Our country is really going to end, isn't it?" Dolores said, "Sir, instead of Concerned about the mental health of an insignificant person, it is better to focus on your own job - Deputy Secretary of Security, sounds like a joke in the current environment in the United States. Right? You can ensure the safety of American citizens ?"

"'Ask not what your country has done for you, ask what you have done for your country.' Although I don't like President Kennedy, I must admit that occasionally he has something nice to say - that's my answer to you ’” said Edmund, looking at Dolores with those hawk-like eyes, as if he wanted to open her heart.

"—because I was going to ask you, ask you, what have you done for this country? What have you done for New York...to turn a blind eye to something that is detrimental to national security? A crime that doesn't fester? Or play with your word skills...inciting the masses so that the ignorant will be your spear and your shield?"

"Didn't you do that? Is our great federal government spotless and spotless? When you're planning to drop that nuke on New York, when you blame everything on superheroes after the fact, ask yourself, aren't you Do you think the public is your spear, your shield? Admit it, you try to use the sword of public opinion to stab those superheroes you can't control, but one day...you will find that your sword is stabbing is the heart of America."

Edmund stared at Dolores, silent for a long time.

"...Choices are inevitable, and sacrifices are necessary. Everything is for a good result... If a decisive decision cannot be made at that time, the entire earth may become an alien colony .”

"Oh, a perfect utilitarian." Dolores laughed mockingly. "Since the government doesn't think it's done something wrong, why doesn't it dare to announce its actions? If it thinks what it did If it is just, then at the end of the Great War in New York, it should tell the people what kind of government the people have elected."

"I don't know what the people who made that decision were thinking at the time," Edmond said, "but I can tell you what I thought. I never thought that decision was just, but there is no doubt that it was right at the time Yes. I would never think that people who have no independent thinking ability and only see their own interests will understand this decision. So the best course of action is to keep them in the dark about it."

"...I was wrong. You are a good politician, sir."

"It's always been." Edmund ignored Dolores' sarcasm, "So, be good. Wait until the dust settles."

"What if I don't?"

"That would be very interesting." Edmund raised his chin, "...Maybe soon you will have an agent as your personal bodyguard - I promise you won't like that feeling."

"FBI?"

"No. Ever heard of the Homeland Strategic Defense Offensive and Logistics Agency?"

"..." Dolores was silent for a moment, "Can you repeat the name again?"

"Strategic Homeland Defense..." Edmund was stuck, he paused, and also fell silent.

"I hope it has a new name." She leaned back on the sofa.

"It's not important." Edmund said, "The important thing is their agents."

"Including the Avengers?" Dolores stroked her hair, "...I heard that the Avengers seem to be formed by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"The Avengers were formed by S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Edmund repeated, frowning, "No. That's just an NGO and has nothing to do with the government. —I thought you didn't like the Avengers .”

"Do you think? Or your information?" Dolores asked subconsciously, and then smiled, "Of course...it doesn't matter, it's the default rule. I'm just surprised, As an important member of the government, you actually don’t know as well as I do... The Homeland Strategic Defense Offensive and Logistic Support Agency, or S.H.I.E.L.D., changed its name not long ago, sir, your intelligence system should be updated."

"...Or, Hydra's intelligence system should be updated?"