With each item presented, the domination of one man persisted in the auction hall.By the time the final item was brought out, Richard Smith, under the guise of a mask, drew the attention of all those present as he had spent a whopping 230 million dollars so far.Several had already made up their minds to befriend him, after all, a man with such financial depth was surely worth having as a close friend.Of course, Richard paid them no heed as he remained fixed on the price while Melinda sat beside him, no longer bothered by Julio as the young man had come to realize that before Richard and Melinda, he was but a child playing with coins.“This is our final piece for the night, folks. These are the property papers to the Lopez manor and all lands attached to it. With this, one can own the real estate that enables the Lopez family to be amongst the richest families in the country.“Due to its immense worth, we have decided to start the bidding at 150 million. So, ladies and gentlemen, do
Even though the chances of causing such a rich customer to never return were high, the chances of him being a crook were higher and that made the auctioneer unwilling to compromise.It was better to lose out on future profit than lose out on present profit, and let the future take care of itself.So with added resolve, the auctioneer remarked. “Though regretful, I insist that you pay for the items now sir.”“Fine by me,” Richard replied. The auctioneer nodded before gesturing for one of his coworkers on stage to approach Richard with the payment machine.She came closer and asked for Richard's card respectfully which the latter calmly provided.Seeing as Richard was so calm about everything, Julio began to fidget.What if this masked man was as rich as he claimed to be?... Wouldn't that mean he had ended up offending someone he shouldn't?Before he could even begin to consider the repercussions of such an act, the lady remarked. “The payment is successful.”Silence fell upon the hall
It was an insult to his capabilities but he understood that he was viciously outmatched.First at the Lopez manor and then, right now, Quinton had come to realize that the gulf between himself and the Reaper would never be easily breached.“Is that it?”“You…” Quinton quivered as he tried to back away.“I even allow you a preemptive strike yet you still fail to get at me. Pathetic.” Richard remarked as he approached, each step sounding like a death sentence to Quinton.Quinton's men, having wasted their ammo, pulled out knives and rushed to protect their leader from Richard, brandishing their weapons as they got close.Richard however, reacted quickly, dodging the first swing as he grabbed the wrist of the second and then delivered a powerful blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.The first tried to attack again, seeing as Richard was busy with the second, unfortunately, he forgot that Richard was hardly alone.Melinda struck him with an iron rod, knocking him out cold whi
Davina trembled, realizing that Anna wasn't just some weak girl.No, perhaps she'd always known but didn't want to accept it.Gritting her teeth, she chose her next words wisely before replying. “Leaving the country.” “Good. Each of you shall be sent to a different country, with a corresponding amount of money to last a little over a month if you spend wisely. Now please note that any attempts to return to this country, to engage in nefarious activities, or to do anything that would cause the Lopez family to be seen in a bad light would result in immediate punishment. Understood?”“...”“I said, understood!”“... Yeah, we understand.” Satisfied with their response, Anna shifted her attention to Quinton who instinctively backed away.“And as for you, I have already informed the Estebans of your idiotic actions. They will have to bail you out of here or might as well prepare for a very long retirement.”With those words, she turned and left with Richard and Melinda exchanging looks be
Richard and Melinda returned to Riverdale's capital that afternoon, leaving behind the contingent of armed fighters used to rebuff Quinton's attack on the Lopez to assist Anna in maintaining peace, utilizing a private jet to ensure time wasn't wasted.Lucia, as she had mentioned, was ready at the airport to receive them, a convoy prepared to ensure they were swiftly transported to the Ramirez Manor.“How is the situation here?” Richard inquired as he settled comfortably in the limo with Melinda seated beside him and Lucia across from him.Lucia replied. “Better than expected, after what happened before you left, the other Mafias have done well to not cross their boundaries, even paying tribute to avoid getting ripped apart.”“That would be best. I'd rather avoid getting into a fight with them to ensure the stability of the situation here in the capital.”“I agree. As for the enclave holding in two days, I've already begun to make preparations. I would like to know if I would be coming
The Lafayette family were one of the big dogs in the Golden Band and were also considered one of the richest due to the kind of businesses they dabbled in.Drugs, weapons, contraband… name it, they had it.Rumors had it that because they had deep connections in the military, Riverdale soldiers never tried to seize their goods as they seized others.It was even known that those who got into conflicts with the Lafayette would end up paying a huge price as they would suffer incessant harassment from the military until they would have no choice but to submit and apologize and even then, they would still have to pay a hefty price before being let off the hook.It was for that reason that no Mafia family apart from those on the same level as the Lafayette, dared to go against them or even dare to be in the same room with them.This was why when Richard's car got crushed, those watching couldn't help but pity him even as none were his allies.“Poor fellow, that Old dog from the Lafayette is
Lumian Lafayette hadn't expected Richard to react so calmly to the situation.When he'd learned of Richard's survival, he intended to use this incident to gauge Richard's reaction.Did he know about the masterminds behind the attack?... And if he did, how would he react to seeing them trying to bully him mercilessly?A single word spoken out of turn would have doomed Richard to a sure attack from all members of the upper echelon.Surprisingly, he didn't react aggressively and was even calm enough to twist the sword in their direction.One wrong move and everything would go to shit and that was something Lumian needed to avoid.Even with the money he collected, Richard not only managed to get compensation for the insults and destruction of property, he got it to look like he was being magnanimous.“A dangerous opponent indeed.” Lumian thought to himself as he managed a fake smile to avoid revealing too much of what he had in mind.Meanwhile, Richard hardly cared for what the old geezer
Many were in attendance as several began to make conversations with those they were interested in while keeping a wide berth from those they were not interested in. However, once Richard arrived, several states were sent his way as they began to ponder the depths of the young man.His heroics were enough to make many ponder if he was truly all that.Of course, not all dared to approach to test that as there was a hierarchy, and at this moment, only the upper echelons had the right to dictate his depths.Richard ignored their suggestive stares as he walked forward with Lucia beside him.She looked quite different from usual, having made herself up and worn a rather impressive gown that brought out her incredible shape.“You look wonderful tonight.” Richard complimented, earning a blush from Lucia as she found herself lost for words.“That…” Before she could articulate herself properly to offer a response, they experienced their first approach of the evening.“You must be Mr. Smith, I'