After the official announcement, Emilio decided to just go back to training. It might have been interesting to see what KimTec was doing, but they didn’t say anything he didn’t know. At least he knew they were taking him seriously, which meant he also had to take his new job seriously.

  He might not have a teacher yet, but it was still better to try to improve as much as he could. Or maybe he just wanted to destroy another set of clothes.

  His routine didn't change much without anyone guiding him, he still trained as a target with Amelia and with his daggers when she got tired. He could see he was improving because he was hurting himself less. Even like that, less was not nothing and he still had to stop to heal every once in a while.

  At midday, Emilio’s cell phone rang and once again Amelia had to answer as he was in no shape to pick it up.

  “Mili told me to put it in hands free mode for you to talk,” Amelia approached him with the photo in her hand.

  “Hi Emi, are you in psycho mode again?” Milagros asked.

  “Hey, be careful of what you call me in front of my niece!” Emilio exclaimed.

  “Like it would change what I think after I saw you cutting yourself with daggers for two days in a row,” Amelia remarked.

  “Should I stop? After all, I will be getting a teacher soon, will I not?” Emilio asked.

  “I was calling to tell you about that, Gabriela will be there today at 2 o'clock, so please be presentable. You should also be getting your lunch delivery at 1. I sent you the contact number of the restaurant by mail.

  “Also, your wooden daggers, custom made, will be sent to you tomorrow, which is the fastest I could get them. I managed to find a teacher to teach you how to wield your daggers. His name is Rafael Perez. He is from Mexico, so he will be over there tomorrow, but has to do the Trial after reaching Villa Urquiza. He is a martial artist who actually specializes in short weapons and I really can’t believe a man like that did not do the Trial yet.

  “With this, I don’t really think I can do much else for you. The rest of your training is in your hands.”

  Emilio heard how Milagros solved everything he asked for in one morning and couldn’t believe her effectiveness. Was this how it felt to have a giant supporting you?

  “Thank you for everything Mili, how did you get all of this done when you are also part of KimTec’s communications? I suppose you will be there in today's broadcast too, won’t you? Did you even catch some sleep last night?”

  “Yes, I will be there too,” Milagros confirmed. “Actually. I have a huge team behind working with me, you are not the only talent to train and after today we will have many more. This might be the biggest investment ever for the company. But with your information we might recover our losses in a few days. We already have a full business plan ready”

  “Well, it is good to know we are actually developing more people. But this still tells me you didn’t sleep at all, right?”

  Emilio could hear as Milagros sighed over the phone. “I will rest after the press call. I believe that the news you gave me is worthy of an all-nighter.”

  “Try to rest. It will do no good for anyone if you are not thinking straight. Do you want me to go to the public broadcast?” Emilio asked.

  “No, you have to focus on your training. Also, I believe you didn’t want to be exposed as the source of the information.”

  “Well, that’s true. On another subject, should I share my Stats with you?” Emilio asked, as it was what he was instructed to do in the previous meeting.

  “Did you lie to me about them?” Milagros asked.

  “No, but you said we should.”

  “Yeah, no need for you, you already signed the new contract, so there is no reason for you to show them. Also, I trust you.”

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  Amelia had been hearing both of them while holding the phone, when she suddenly realized something that might help her uncle.

  He had been finding loopholes in the System, but that time Amela was the one who found one that left both of them stumped. "Hey Mili, shouldn’t Uncle Emi receive the raises you promised from his Stats?”

  “Didn’t I already get my promotion?” Emilio asked, having received the biggest promotion he could ever ask for.

  “Yeah, but they talked about the raises after your promotion, you signed the contract yesterday didn’t you?” Amelia asked, knowing that the contract was dated on the previous day.

  “Uh… Emi, she might be right,” Milagros agreed, really surprised by the loophole they left in their newest contract. “Actually, if you decide to take us to court for this we might have a lost cause. There was not an exception in your contract nor in the announcement and the official communication was already sent.”

  “But wouldn’t the raise be more than double in my case?” Emilio asked, making the mental math from the announcement.

  “I will have to call Marcos over this. I already stretched your salary by changing what was supposed to be gross to be net. Just to be sure and completely off the record. Will you pursue this legally?” Milagros asked.

  “No, I am already on the lucky side and my raise was much more than what the percentages would get me from my original salary. At the same time, you are supporting me with all you can. I see no reason to go to court. I can also sign whatever you need to get out of this,” Emilio admitted. He had no need for more money and above some amount, it was just a number in an account. Considering his current salary, he might actually be over the number soon enough.

  Why would he go against the ones who were supporting him to make that number bigger?

  “Don’t do anything rash. You didn’t propose this and you didn’t realize this issue. I’ll see if I can strike some kind of deal. Is that ok?” Milagros asked.

  “Just don’t burn any bridges, I am quite satisfied with the support you are giving me.”

  “Who do you think you are talking with? Just leave it in my hands. Anyway, be ready to receive Gabriela today. I have to rush and talk with Marcos before you realize we messed up the contract.”

  “Do whatever you need then. See you later.”

  As soon as the call ended Amelia frowned at her uncle for his decision. “Why didn’t you pressure her about the pay raise?”

  “Ami, it is not always the best idea to take advantage of a loophole. If you do, you might make someone mad at you. They are treating us really well and our training is more valuable than any amount of money right now. They actually found us teachers that were able to teach us here, even relocating someone from Mexico that didn’t do the Trials.

  “That is something I wouldn’t be able to do with money, much less in one night. I will not pressure them for this, but they will not let an exploitable loophole for the future. They might offer me some amount to solve this legally. It will be lower than what they announced and I will take it because what I really need is their support.

  “Actually, the fact that you were the one who asked and not me is even better, because it was not me who asked about this issue.”

  Amelia kept thinking about what his uncle said, but she was still not convinced.

  “But doesn't everyone always say that you have to take every advantage of your employer?” She finally asked.

  “Do you see them taking advantage of us? Are they just fulfilling the minimum they can to fulfill a contract? Are we just a number for them? Do you really think that I should give them back that way of thinking?” Emilio asked.

  “But they treat you like that for your talent! You will be equally talented even if you asked for more,” Amelia countered.

  “Yes and no, if I push to get as much as I can, they will still support me for now, but I don’t think they would go above and beyond for someone who has no real loyalty. To be really successful you have to think differently. Sure, you have to fulfill the contract, but there is more to it. You have to develop real trust in both sides. I have to trust KimTec and they have to trust me. That is also why I asked for Mili to be my manager. I can trust her.

  “All the freedom we have has to do with the negotiations I had with Marcos. What I asked for was not more money, but had to do with my relationships and humanity itself. That’s also why he agreed to promote Mili and take her to the C-Suit. If I suddenly go for the easy money, then it shows that I can be bought out and I am not worth the investment. They will just find another person with my Stats, or even higher. Even someone slightly worse than me might be good enough if KimTec can trust them,” Emilio explained.

  “Does that mean you are just going to take what they offer you and not negotiate at all?” Amelia asked, “Won’t that make you a pushover?”

  “It depends on what you really want, if you only want money then you negotiate back, but it also shows that you will go for the highest offer, and money is not everything. Of course more money is better, but the more of it you have, the less important it actually is and the more important other things are.”

  By the look on Amelia’s face she was still not completely convinced by the argument yet.

  “Just think about it and you will understand. Put yourself in Mili’s place or even Marcos’ or the owners of KimTec. There is always someone else on the other end of every deal. I will go take a shower and make myself presentable for our new teacher.” Emilio added and left for the shower leaving a thinking girl in the backyard.

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