THE OWNER OF GERMAINE real estate was called Mr. Germaine. Yes, he named the company after himself. He was a short pudgy man with a tiny voice. He came out to meet with Arthur in front of the company. "Mr. Salvatore," Mr. Germaine said, extending his hand for a handshake which Arthur accepted. "I am Germaine." Arthur nodded. "Your staff, Helen, said something about you wanting to sell the place," Mr. Germaine looked at the building and nodded. "Yes. I want to move on to another phase of life. Understand?" Arthur nodded. "How much is the place worth?" Germaine chuckled and stroked his mustache. "The company is worth a lot, I assure you." He looked at the building again. "We are not running at a loss or anything like that. The company's future is secured. I just want to move on."Arthur smiled. He knew that Germaine was lying. The company was almost on the verge of bankruptcy, He remembered that Helen had said something like that. "So how much do you want to sell it?" Arthur aske
"THE GRAND REOPENING of Le Savoureaux restaurant is a great success. The new owner, Mr. Arthur (surname not provided) graced the event with his million-dollar one-of-a-kind bike and his handsome looks. He did not have much to say to the press, but the manager and previous owner, Mr. Jean Lambert said that le Savoureaux will continue to serve the best French meals in the city, and that is without a doubt. Mr. Arthur has told the press that he will complete the renovation of the restaurant's kitchen and higher the staff's salary resulting in better customer service and better meals. There are talks to introduce English and even Italian meals to the restaurant, as rumor has it that Mr. Arthur is learning his chef skills from one of the best. The grand opening is one that will definitely be remembered by the city for a long while due to its success and the amount of money spent. And it's all thanks to the mysterious billionaire, Mr. Arthur. From left to right in the image below; The
"Mr. Cole Snr.?" Arthur asked. He was surprised and wondered to himself what Mr. Cole was doing here. He looked at Mr. Lambert and asked, "Didn't you tell him that you're the one in charge?""Someone like Mr. Cole…" Lambert said. "... when he asks for the owner of the restaurant, it's better for 'The owner of the restaurant' to meet him… not just the manager or one in charge."Arthur rolled his eyes. He hated this fear and reverence that they showered on the Cole family. He hated the entire Coles too. The oven made a Ding! sound. "Yep, that's for me," Arthur said. "But sir, Mr. Cole is waiting," Lambert said. "Phillipe would get really cross if these get burnt," Arthur said, stuffing his hand into the mitten, he turned and added, "If Mr. Cole cannot wait, he had better leave. I am running a business here." He opened the oven and took out the tray lined with golden brown-crusted delicacies. "I will, um, go and delay him for a while," Mr. Lambert said, shuffling away. Arthur took
"WE REALLY NEED to talk," Liam said again, starting to walk into the restaurant. "Uh, we can't talk in there," Arthur said, pointing at the restaurant.Liam stopped. "Aren't you the owner?" Arthur sighed and nodded. "You saw it on the news." "Yeah, we all did," Liam said. "Including your father." "Did he recognize me?" Arthur asked. "We need to talk," Liam repeated. "Well, we can't talk in there," Arthur said. He did not want anyone including his staff or his customers to see him with Liam. Some nosy person might go and start an investigation and connect the dots. "Let's go to my house." "Downtown?" Liam asked, entering his Porsche. "I know it. I'll race you there."Arthur chuckled and shook his head as he climbed his bike. "I've moved." "Moved? To where?" Liam asked. "And where the hell did you get that monster bike?" Arthur snapped on his helmet and kickstarted the bike. "I moved to Beverly Hills. Follow me." He screeched off the parking lot. Liam sat in his car for some s
ARTHUR WOKE UP to a call from his secretary, Helen. She basically ran his whole life schedule now from his gym sessions to meetings with dignitaries and governors of the state to even press conferences. He rolled over in his bed and groaned when he looked at the caller ID. He tried to recall if she had told him about any meeting for today, but he could not think of anything so he picked up the call."Yeah?" He answered gruffly. "Morning sir," Helen said brightly. Sometimes Arthur wondered how she did it. When he wanted nothing more than to collapse back on the bed and sleep as long as he wanted, her voice was always sharp. It was like she did not sleep. "Hello, Helen," Arthur muttered. He swung his leg over the side of his bed and stood up. He might as well fix himself a cup of coffee to wake up. "Yes, sir," Helen said. He could hear the sound of traffic in her background and realized that she was on the road already, this early. What time is it? He glanced at the digital clock.
HIS NEXT STOP was a fashion store. He glanced at the clock on the car's dashboard, the time was 8.56 a.m.He chuckled. He still had time. He trapped his fingers on the steering wheel slightly as he cruised the street, looking for the best fashion store around. A glass and chrome budding caught his attention and he drove to the parking lot. His car was getting the attention of some nearby people, and they stared as they walked by. A girl quickly took a selfish in front of the car. She was going to post it on her Instagram and pretend that she knew who owned it. With a smile on his face, Arthur got out of the car, and the people around gasped. They could not believe that such a shabby-looking man could own such a wonderful car. Arthur pressed the key button to lock the doors and the car responded with the flash of lights. He walked into the store and was welcomed with pleasant cool air. He could immediately see his type of clothes – a regular shirt and baggy jeans – lined on a shel
[New Task >> Get the information from the man. Either by negotiation or by Physicality] "What?" The tall, muscular man muttered to himself. "Get the information from your witness," The computerized voice said. "You have two options to do it. Negotiate, or use Physical contact." The man paced the dark room. "What does Physical contact mean?" He muttered to himself again. No answer. The system remained silent. "Did you hear me?" The man asked in a fierce whisper. The system remained silent. The man's bodyguards shuffled on their feet uncertainly, wondering why their boss was muttering to himself and leaving their witness – who was the chief of staff of the Salvatore Empire – seated with a smug smile on his lip. "You can't do anything," The witness said. His name was Hobie Galdin, the chief of staff and major controller of the Salvatore Empire. The tall man stopped his pacing and faced Hobie, "What did you say?" He asked. Hobie chuckled, "You think you are something. You think
FIVE YEARS AGO... The Salvatore Mansion, Connecticut. "Arthur, don't be an ass." The shrill voice rang through the whole room. Arthur took a deep breath. He completely loathed family dinners such as this. He plastered a fake smile on his face and nodded before looking down and chewing on his food. "So tell me again, Arthur," His stepmother said again in her nerve-scratching voice. Arthur groaned inwardly. He just wanted to eat his food in peace, give a few nods and shakes of his head, and then disappear from this mansion for as long as he could. "Tell me, What is it that you're doing in New York again?" His stepmother asked. He knew exactly what she wanted to hear and her aim – to embarrass him even further – and he wanted to tell her to go to hell, but he did not have the guts or courage to voice out his mind, so with some difficulty, he swallowed snd said in a small voice, "Well, you see, right now, I am working two jobs…" "Hmm," His stepmother said, playing around with her f