Two Hundred and sixty eight

CHAPTER 268

"I may be ignorant of the

the law, I've run afoul of the constitution and statutes, but I know you'll remain a fugitive as long as you live in this world.

a fugitive as long as you live in this world."

Ace furrowed his brow

deeply. "I'll have to think about it."

The Fixer picked up the bag

with the money and held it in his lap like the baby he loved. While picking up

several stacks of money and smelling the odor, The Fixer continued, "If you'd

agree to my game, you can come the day before you're due to leave for

England. Oh, and take Alicia with you. She has to 'die' with you too,

right?"

They exchanged glances for

a few moments, before Ace finally turned around and left The Fixer's hidden

The Fixer's hidden warehouse. He handed over the one million dollars he got

from stealing Amanda, Jill and Jason's money in order to escape farther than New York.

than New York. But faking death? Ace hasn't thought of that

before.

Meanwhile, inside

his base camp, The Fixer was feeling good about the cash in front of him.

It was a lot of money. He didn't even have to work hard to

get the money, but the money came to him. 

Matt cleared his throat and tried

to speak. "Sorry to interrupt your time, Boss. Can I ask you something?

to you?"

The Fixer raised one

eyebrows, then stowed the money in his hand back into his

bag. He lifted his face when he faced Matt. "What's wrong?"

"What about her mom?

Mrs. Angela gave you the money too, didn't she?"

The Fixer's laughter broke the

the silence of the warehouse that had been The Fixer's base camp for years.

years. He patted the bag of money on his lap and pointed at

pointed at Matt. "If you don't mention that woman's name, I won't remember!

Tsk, that woman is just bait. She's already given us a lot of money and we've

helped her find Ace's whereabouts. It's none of my business if she doesn't

manage to take Ace with her."

Matt just listened to

The Fixer's words without judgment. He just nodded in understanding and returned to

his place, which was outside the door, standing guard with one of his other colleagues.

Meanwhile, The Fixer

took his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He scrolled through the screen, then dialed

a number on one of his contact lists. There was a waiting tone, before

someone on the other end picked up the call.

"Hello, Jake?" The Fixer

picks up the cigar on the ashtray, then begins to take a slow sip. "Someone

just paid me to flee New York. Can you help me

keep an eye out for a girl in town?"

[...]

"Yes, her name is Alicia.

She is the ex-girlfriend of Ace Blake, the son of the CEO of Golden Group. Can you

find out more about her. And, oh, can you keep her safe from

a woman named Angela?"

[...]

"Keep him at a safe distance,

because there will be many people watching her from now on. That girl is

is really attractive. She's of high value, so don't let her get hurt. You

understand?"

The Fixer turned off the

the call. He stared at the phone screen for a long time, before the smirk on his lips

began to show more and more clearly. "What am I supposed to do with a million

dollars in my hand?"

 

*** 

Meanwhile, outside the warehouse, Ace sat pensively looking at the warehouse, which looked empty and unoccupied. His eyes stared straight ahead, while his mind was filled with heavy considerations.

"Faking death?"

Ace's fingers tapped on the rim of the steering wheel, he bit his lip and looked agitated. Shaking his head, Ace began to argue with himself.

"But I have to stop Mom's crazy idea. She's going to do an illegal project and endanger everyone. I have to stop her." Ace's brows furrowed, another thought plaguing him. "But what if Alicia has really fallen in love with Nicholas? Will I just stay with Alicia's body, while her heart is for someone else?"

Ace sat in his car, with the heavy weight of The Fixer's plan weighing on him. Faking his own death seemed like an extreme measure, but as he pondered the potential consequences of his mother's dangerous plan, he couldn't dismiss the idea entirely.

The air of the day was tense as Ace contemplated his next move. A million dollars lighter, he couldn't shake the feeling that the road ahead was uncertain.

Back at The Fixer's hidden headquarters, a sinister plan began to take shape. The Fixer, driven by the allure of his million dollars, contemplates the chessboard of life he holds. His fingers dance on the edge of the money bag as he relishes the power he now wields.

The phone call to Jake was just the beginning. The Fixer has more moves to make, more pieces to manipulate. Angela, the woman with the dangerous agenda, is an unexpected backup player in this game. The Fixer knew that he had to play his cards right to maintain control.

"I think I should call Angela, I wonder if she'll give me a higher price than just this one million dollars."

The man with the beard on his face picked up the cell phone again, he dialed Angela's number with a sense of excitement. He imagined Angela's reaction of anger, or curiosity, or despair when The Fixer told her that Ace had just paid him in cash. One million dollars. Would Angela be able to beat the million dollars Ace had given her?

"Hello, Mrs. Vashylchenko? It's good to hear your voice. You're doing well, aren't you? Because today... you're about to hear some very, very surprising news from me."

The Fixer deliberately slowed down his speech for dramatic effect. He wanted to see Angela walk into the trap like a mouse about to eat the cheese The Fixer had thrown on the floor.

[...]

"Well, Ace just came to see me. But he didn't come empty-handed. He came with a million dollars in his hand. Looks like your boy is serious about his plans. He'll be leaving New York within the next week, you're running out of time. If you want me to catch him, make sure you can deliver more than this million dollars."

The Fixer's smile came when he managed to turn off the call unilaterally. He was completely satisfied.