Upon the large door being opened, a giant penthouse was revealed, and it was unlike anything Xavier had ever seen before. Several metres away from the entrance was a moderately sized pond, and the aesthetic was a mix of modern and oriental.

The floor was made of white marble with golden swirls and veins. Meanwhile, the penthouse was brightly lit by large golden chandeliers that were suspended above. It was so well-lit that Xavier almost forgot what time it was.

Then, looking at all the glass walls and seeing how dark it was outside, as well as all the other large buildings around, it was a breathtaking view. Taking a moment to appreciate the sight of the penthouse and the large buildings that pierced the sky, Xavier froze in place for a second.

Being nudged from behind to head in by the armed men who had escorted him there, he snapped out of it and scratched his head. He had a wry smile on his face that was concealed by his facemask. And as he turned to face the armed men, he noticed a hint of amusement in their faces.

Seeing his behaviour, the armed men behind him couldn't help but think that he was getting cold feet. Little did they know, it was actually the opposite, and the more he saw, the more interested and excited he became.

-

Xavier began to walk inside slowly while admiring everything around him.

'It wouldn't be too bad living like this. Mother would love this sort of stuff," he thought to himself, imagining one day having more money than he could count.

But before he could reach that level, he'd have to get past this stepping stone just like he had done with others so far. However, this stepping stone, unlike the others, wasn't very large and was one that he'd have to be very careful while passing...

-

Looking around, he found a young woman sitting at the end of a large table that was placed in the centre of the penthouse. Standing behind her on either side were 2 armed figures. Signalling for him to sit at the opposite end of the table, Xavier stopped observing his surroundings and looked straight at the figure before him.

He didn't speed up or slow down after being signalled to join her at the table, remaining calm and confident as he headed over.

"Nice to meet you," she said as he sat down.

He merely nodded his head in response while he continued eyeing her up.

"So what kind of business did you have and what are you looking to purchase that costs half a million dollars?" she asked.

Xavier didn't answer her question and for some reason felt as though something was wrong. It was almost too easy to meet her. If she truly was as elusive and mysterious as the rumours say, then either his fate was sealed or the woman before him wasn't who he was looking for.

Either way, something was amiss and he would have to navigate things carefully.

"Can't we eat before we talk business?" he asked, seeing as the table was set for a meal between them.

There was a plate, a napkin, a knife and fork and a few different glasses, so it was safe to assume that food had been prepared. The woman before him smiled, slightly surprised by his request, but didn't seem to mind as she instructed one of the men that stood behind her to handle it.

Then not long after food began being served by waiters, and in that time, Xavier had been keeping an eye on the actions of the woman before him and confirmed to himself that she wasn't the one he had spoken to and was just a stand-in for the real one behind everything.

Her acting was sloppy and there were too many inconsistencies between her acting and the personality she displayed over the phone that was too significant to be overlooked. Meanwhile, Xavier's instincts were never wrong and for some reason, he felt danger from the 2 men who stood behind her.

They gave him a foul feeling and seemed to be leaking murderous intent, or at least something was coming from their direction. Although it did seem as though they were doing their best to conceal it. He couldn't tell who it was aimed at or what exactly was going on, but more and more things were coming up that he had to pay attention to.

-

After the food was served, Xavier was hesitant to eat and something about it felt off. The food he was served was identical to that of the woman sitting opposite him who claimed to be the one he was looking for. Meanwhile, there seemed to be pressure on him to eat from the 2 men standing behind her, so he did exactly that.

Pulling down his mask, the young woman in front of him was surprised, as were the 2 men standing behind her. They also took a moment to stare at his face and were surprised by how young and handsome he was. Symmetrical, sharp, and alluring were the 3 words that came to mind in the head of the woman sitting opposite him.

But Xavier couldn't care less about what they thought about his face and had noticed that there were cameras in the penthouse. However, he didn't see much of a choice. He knew he'd eventually be pressured into taking it off, so it was better for him to do it of his own volition.

However, he also realised that he had dug his own grave by asking to eat before talking about what exactly he was looking for. Not only did he have to take off his mask, which he didn't mind that much, but he had to trust the food and drink provided.

Eating sparingly but enough to show that he was eating, his instincts were screaming at him that there was something wrong with the food. He wasn't sure if it was poison or some sort of paralyzing substance, but he trusted his gut.

"Why aren't you eating much?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to eat before talking business?"

Despite the questioning of the 2 men behind the young woman opposite him, Xavier remained calm and responded confidently.

"It's the middle of the night. I just wanted a chance to share a meal and relax before I got a chance to speak to your boss."

However, he noticed that upon saying that, their faces twitched ever so slightly, just enough for Xavier to catch on to it.

'It seems as though the woman I am dealing with is much more careful and elusive than I thought,' was what Xavier thought to himself, but he couldn't shake the bad feeling that he had.

'Just what on earth is going on and where is my money?!' he exclaimed internally while trying his best to remain calm.

Then shortly after he did, he suddenly jumped up...

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