CHAPTER 40: A BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Brian and Louis both turned toward the voice and saw a man seated on the wingback armchair of the room. From the deep voice, they could tell it was a man, though his entire body was concealed in sleek black armor, including a black face mask. The only visible part of him was his eyes... cold, sharp, and fixed on them.

He sat with one foot planted firmly on the floor and the other leg casually slung over his knee in a figure-four position. His hands rested confidently on the armrests, giving off the impression that he owned the place.

Both men were visibly shocked. They hadn’t noticed anyone entering the room and had no idea how or when he got in.

Breaking the silence, the black-masked intruder spoke again. "Mr. Morgan, why the rush? You crossed the Atlantic to do business here. There’s no need to return empty-handed. Miss Li has a business proposal for you. The Langford family will provide the land you wanted. In exchange, you’ll build a small park with modern facilities accessible to the public for free. The rest of the land will be developed by you. Langfords will hold 51% of the shares, Miss Li 19%, and you will retain 30%."

"If you agree," he continued, "submit a detailed plan to Miss Li at Heimdall Technologies in Manchester. Don’t worry... Miss Li will invest according to her share. You won’t lose. But if you don’t wish to do business with her, you’re free to leave the kingdom... after I leave your room."

He paused briefly before adding, "Oh! I almost forgot. I have an important message for you. Mr. Morgan, Miss Li said she loves the Mission Blue Butterfly. And Mr. Turner, your friend Juan David is currently having breakfast at his home in Usaquén, Bogotá, Colombia."

A chill ran down both men’s spines. Despite the room’s air conditioning, sweat beaded on their foreheads.

The masked man looked at them playfully and said, "Gentlemen, please look at your window."

Involuntarily, they turned to the window. There was nothing there... no shadow, no figure... nothing suspicious in or outside. The room fell into an eerie silence.

Suddenly, Brian jolted at the sound of his phone ringing. He grabbed it from the bed. "Hello?"

His secretary’s excited voice echoed from the other end. "Sir, all the airplanes suddenly became available. You can come to San Francisco anytime. Should I book a private or public flight?"

Brian turned to the chair, only to find it empty... completely vacant, as if no one had ever been sitting there. He ended the call without answering and called out, "Louis!"

Louis looked at him. "What?"

"Look at the chair."

Louis turned and was struck with the same disbelief. His voice trembled as he asked, "What just happened?"

Brian replied, "Apparently, I couldn’t charter a plane or book any seat because of this meeting. Miss Li must have blocked all ticket sales and private charters. Now that the meeting is over, I’m free to leave."

Louis grinned, relieved. "Then book the flight. Let’s go to the airport."

Brian sat down on the bed, his legs trembling. "I can’t go now. Didn’t you hear what that man said?"

Louis frowned. "What? He talked about business and said you were free to choose. Sure, he tried to threaten me using my friend’s name, but I’ve covered my tracks. Besides, it’s easy to find out where someone powerful like him lives in Usaquén."

Brian looked at him with pity. "You won’t understand unless you call your friend. Ask him where he is doing right now."

"Okay," Louis said, dialing. "Hello, Juan. How are you?"

"Louis, my friend! I’m fine. Are you in Colombia?"

"No, I just remembered you. We haven’t met in ages. By the way, where are you now?"

"I’m at home, having breakfast. Why?"

"I was just thinking of visiting Bogotá. I’ll let you know if I can make time. Enjoy your breakfast. Bye."

Louis ended the call and looked at Brian questioningly.

Brian asked, "Is your friend exactly where that man said he would be?"

Louis nodded. "Yes."

Brian continued, "You’re confident you covered all your tracks. But if your friend ever comes to the Kingdom, will the situation still be the same?"

Louis scoffed. "Why would he come here? He has an arrest warrant for a drug smuggling case..."

He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening in horror.

Brian smiled knowingly. "Exactly. You’ve covered your tracks, but the one loose end is your friend. Believe me, when that man mentioned his location, it wasn’t a guess. He’s under surveillance. They could kidnap him anytime and hand him over to the police here, destroying you in the process. You’ve never dealt with these big players before, so it’s taking time for you to grasp the situation."

Louis said, "But why threaten me? I’m not even part of their business proposal."

Brian replied, "Maybe they want you to keep quiet. Or maybe they’re counting on your cooperation in the future. You’ll understand soon enough."

"But they didn’t threaten you. Why don’t you want to leave now?"

Brian hesitated. "I wasn’t going to tell you, but since we’re both in this together, I’ll share. He did threaten me. Remember when he talked about the Mission Blue Butterfly? I own a luxury apartment building located within the restricted habitat of that butterfly. Although none have been seen there since 1996, the area is still protected. They could destroy my career using that one piece of information."

Louis looked even more horrified. "How could they gather all this intel so quickly? I’m sure they never saw me before today."

Brian said, "You’ve been after the Langford family’s land for years. Did they ever sell it to you? Or even offer a partnership? No. Did you see any of these people before today? Again, no. Yet, in mere minutes, they secured the land that you couldn’t get in years. These are powerful people. They have means beyond our comprehension. But this might work out for you. If you play it right, you could benefit. I have no choice but to work with them. Join me, and I’ll secure Miss Raynor’s backing for you."

Louis hesitated. "Will it really be okay?"

Brian nodded. "Don’t worry. When I go to meet Miss Li with the development proposal, I’ll take you with me."

He paused before adding, "Now please order some food to be delivered here. I need to call my office and draft a new proposal as soon as possible."

They both got to work, still shaken but aware of the gravity of the opportunity... and threat they had just witnessed.

***

Edward Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham.

Eleanor’s convoy pulled over to the side of the road. To avoid creating a scene, she instructed her entourage to remain inside the vehicles. Only she and Teresa stepped out.

A man who had been waiting near a local food store approached them and bowed slightly. "Good afternoon, Madam. Please follow me."

The two women followed him through Eastwood Road and stopped in front of a small, somewhat run-down terraced house. Unlike its neighbors, it had no flowers in the front garden.

The man confirmed the address and promptly left. Eleanor stepped forward and knocked on the door.