"Good. How goes the acquisition of the properties left behind by the Black Hand?" Richard inquired as he leaned into his chair.Maria replied. "We tried to acquire them quickly but the government was faster in confiscating everything and now, they are planning on holding an auction to sell them all to the highest bidder.""Hmm." Richard pursed his lips, pondering something for a moment before nodding. "Alright then, ensure that I am informed when the auction is to take place. I have a promise I must fulfill no matter what.""Understood sir," Maria muttered, her expression betraying that she had something she wanted to say.Richard noted this as he inquired. "Is everything okay, Maria?... I noticed even when I was giving Mia her punishment, you didn't seem okay.""That…" Maria hesitated to speak, her eyes darting about for a moment before she inquired. "Sir… I can trust you, right?" "Hmm?" "Please sir, I need you to answer me.""... Of course, you can.""I'm going to tell you now, ev
Watchdog was the leader of the guards protecting Pietro's stronghold.He'd always been treated with respect with most fearing him which was why as Richard stood before him, blatantly disrespecting him, Watchdog could barely wrap his head around it."How dare you!" Watchdog bellowed.Richard sighed as he shifted his attention from Watchdog to address Maria. "Close the door please."Unsure of what to make of the situation, Maria did as she was told and closed the door with Richard doing the same before going ahead to lock it.Then, he shifted his attention back to Watchdog."You bastard!... You think I won't kill you right now!" Watchdog pulled out a gun as he spoke, his men doing the same until everyone had their guns on Richard.Richard didn't even falter as he walked up to the man, a few meters between them as he asked. "Where is Pietro?""You…"Watchdog didn't even get a chance to finish his statement as he found himself on the ground, his back suddenly aching."Ugh…" he groaned as
Pietro had never lost a game of poker in his life.He'd always cheated to ensure he got a straight flush, defeating many and then taking all they had if they dared to say anything against him.Today was supposed to be a repeat of all those other times so what was going on?How had Richard gotten a royal flush when he'd tampered with the cards in the deck?But staring at the cards placed before Richard, it was unmistakably a royal flush he had which meant only one thing."Cheater!" Pietro bellowed as he rose to his feet, his breathing uneven as he glared hatefully at Richard.Richard chuckled. "Cheat?... I did no such thing.""I thought you were an honest man yet you do such disgusting things?""Look at who's talking?... I knew your plan from the beginning, Pietro. I only entertained it to show you your place. Now, bring Maria's mother out.""How dare you!" Pietro pulled out a gun and cocked it, aiming it at Richard's head but the latter didn't move, instead, it was his men that did, a
The sitting room was enveloped in resounding silence until Daniel broke it with a burst of hearty laughter."I never would have thought I'd see such a thing again." "See what?" Richard inquired."The day a boy would threaten me so casually without knowing who I am. It is quite the novel experience."Richard snorted. "Your first mistake is calling me a boy and I don't care who you are. You can be the leader of the Yakuza for all I care. Harm Anna and I will make you pay.""..." Daniel turned silent, taking the time to meet Richard's piercing gaze.Realizing Richard was indeed serious, he nodded in understanding. "You are a tough man, no wonder my granddaughter takes such a liking to you.""Grandpa!" Anna called out with reddened cheeks."Fine then, I'll do as you've said. No harm shall come to Anna where I am taking her to."Richard didn't immediately reply, instead taking the time to read Daniel before nodding. "Alright then, I'll take your word for it.""Richard…" Anna called out so
"Mr. Smith, are the rumors true that you plan on marrying Ms. Melinda Dawson?" Melinda replied. "I won't say no but for now, let's just say that we are working things out."Amidst a series of gasps from the crowd with some commenting on how good they looked together, a reporter inquired."Mr. Smith, what do you have to say about the auction tonight?""If anything, I hope that the money spent tonight would go to greater causes than filling the pockets of corrupt officials." Richard calmly replied.Just then, Varun stepped up and introduced himself. "Hello, Mr. Smith, I'm Varun Walia.""Nice to meet you," Richard remarked, trying his best to remain civil though he could sense that Varun was there to stir up trouble."I've heard a lot about you." Varun began in a mocking tone. "Mr. Smith must feel like some sort of hero considering how many cases you've been involved in. How about joining law enforcement?... I'm sure it would suit you quite well." And there it was, Richard thought, Var
"How about we start the auction with the deed to the Martinez family manor?... It is currently worth 10 billion dollars so then, do I hear an 11?" The auctioneer began in a spirited fashion.A black screen came up behind him where the values that were placed by the bidders were shown.($11 billion)($12 billion)($13 billion)($20 billion)"20 billion dollars going once, going twice… sold to Mr. Smith!"Claps erupted in the hall at the announcement with a few grumbling at losing out but regardless, the auction pushed on.After that, the shares the Martinez owned in multiple companies were placed up for auction.Once again… "Sold to Mr. Smith!" Then came their company. "Sold to Mr. Smith!"Then, they moved on to the next family properties, and even then. "Sold to Mr. Smith!"By the time they were done with the second family properties, the entire hall was drenched in silence."Did Mr. Smith just purchase the properties of both families?""But that's worth over $195 billion!" "How's
[I agree. It's the best way to go about it so we can at least save some face]"Fine then, but how are we going to split it?"[There are five of us so if we split the remaining three into five equal halves, it should be possible.]"Hah, fine then. I'll meet you all in the hall."Ending the conference call, Tony quickly left the VIP room to return to the auction hall.There was no way he'd be beaten so easily!***"Mr. Walia, you are sure this would work right!?" Jared, one of those that Tony had spoken with, inquired as he glanced at Varun seated away from him in his VIP room.He was the son of a corrupt politician who had collected numerous contracts from the capital to build affordable housing for citizens but instead of doing so, he built subpar houses and kept the rest to himself.In any case, he had sent Jared to help in purchasing the properties in the auction but so far, Jared was unable to get anything.Just as he was getting frustrated, Jared got a visit from Varun who had bee
"The winner of the auction is Mr. Tony Spector. Congratulations to the winner." The hall was instantly engulfed in silence at the strange news announced by the auctioneer.How did Tony win when he hadn't won any of the bids?Wasn't it meant to be Richard Smith?Richard was no less surprised by the announcement considering he'd put in a lot of money.It was easy to guess that there was foul play but for others, no one would say anything after all, the Spector family was where the minister came from and he was a terrifying man that very few dared to go against.Even billionaires had to bow to him because he held their dates in his hands."It would seem despite his extravagant showing from earlier, Richard Smith is still less compared to the minister and his family.""Of course!... What do you expect?... The minister had money, power, and connections. Richard Smith is nothing compared to such a powerful figure. I dare say he would never be able to do anything worthwhile again in this ci