Let's Talk Business

The distant but sufficiently audible chirping of the blue jay birds filled by ears as I listened gleefully whilst fixing my gaze out the window of the room and on to the beautiful cherry blossom trees. I let out subtle groans as I alighted from my unusually soft bed and walked towards the mirror to arrange my hair.

“Hmm? Mirror? Why is there a mirror here?” I pondered out loud in utter confusion as to why even the scenery of my room looked different, and then it happened. My eyes widened in realization of the fact that I had currently slept, for the first time in my entire life, in a man’s house. Terror overwhelmed my entire body, as my brain suddenly began to organise my thoughts from the previous night.

I arrived at the house at about 10pm last night, We both enjoyed the large dinner prepared by his servants, he offered me a room to stay in and we both shared a few drinks complaining about our work experiences in the company before I collapsed at the table, bringing us to the present. As I still tried to piece together the missing events in my mind, a soft knock at the door intruded my thoughts.

“Please come in!” I said meekly, not giving thought to my current half naked appearance. A blonde petite young lady with an indifferent expression wearing a maid uniform, strut in holding a little basket containing some clothes and lightly prostrated herself in front of a shocked Rose.

“Master Louis wants you to freshen up quickly so you could join him for breakfast.” She conveyed her message swiftly and dropped the basket on a vacant chair in the room before turning to leave. I watched the door shut behind her and shifted my attention to the basket she dropped at my feet and began to ponder on why he would go as far as getting me new clothes. However, I shrugged those thoughts aside and went into the elegantly designed bathroom and washed up. ‘If there’s life, there’s hope. I’ll just have to ask him later.’ I thought to myself as I wrapped myself in a towel while wringing my hair.

I arrived downstairs only to see a bountiful breakfast set laid out on the table although my target was now nowhere to be found. The same maid that brought my clothes to me was currently arranging the set and taking away some dishes. She looked like the scary type so I was conflicted on whether or not I should inquire of--

“If you’re looking for master Lucas, he asked me to tell you that he had a call from a friend who needed his help so he couldn’t meet breakfast with you.” She declared apparently catching my intense stare and confused expression. “Although he did say that he would be taking you our for lunch, so there are no problems. Finish your breakfast and please prepare to depart to meet him at the cafe.” She said finally meeting my gaze after clearing one-half of the table.

“Its no worries, I’ll hold out till afternoon when its time to meet him instead of consuming so much money because of something like that--” I said in hopes of mitigate unnecessary expenses but was interrupted by,

“Finish your breakfast and please prepare to depart to meet him” She said with her expression ever unchanging. “But its okay, I’m used to staying long hours at work--”

“Finish your breakfast”

“...yes…”

I quietly sat down at the other edge of the table and laid waste to the three course meal prepared for me that morning.

…

Staring through the window of the Rolls Royce that conveyed me to the location Lucas planned our lunch made me consider and ponder on the events that had taken place so far. Firstly, I was currently sitting in a fucking Rolls Royce owned by a billionaire and I’m being driven to meet with him for lunch. Secondly, I slept in said Billionaire’s house and was attended to like a master in the household when I was supposed to be here for just a weekend to attend a company party where I was very close to spending the nights on the streets. Truly, this wasn’t your average week.

As the car pulled over to a stop, the scenery that greeted me was a cozy garden café tucked away in a quiet corner of town. It was an oasis of simplicity in a world often overwhelmed by extravagance. White linen tablecloths fluttered gently in the breeze, their edges weighted by small vases of wildflowers. The sun, a silent conspirator, cast a warm, golden hue on their table, making the whole scene feel both magical and down-to-earth.

“Alright miss Rose, I’ll hopefully be seeing you home tonight for dinner. Enjoy yourself!” The driver said indifferently before reversing and zooming off into the distance. I waved frantically at the driver as I watched the car all the way into the next street. That’s right, The third thing I forgot to mention, the maid was also the driver.

The café, a hidden gem nestled in the heart of the city, was Lucas's private sanctuary. As Rose approached the unmarked entrance, she marvelled at the intimate setting. Inside, a single candle flickered on the elegantly set table. The ambiance was one of quiet sophistication, with antique wooden chairs and rich crimson drapes. As she stepped into the warm, cozy atmosphere, her eyes met Lucas's. He rose from his chair, a welcoming grin on his face. "Yo," he greeted, his voice infused with delight at her arrival.

…

In a dimly lit, smoke-filled room, a round table dominated the centre, shrouded in shadows and laden with tension. This was the inner sanctum of Blackbone, the most prominent and established group in the American underworld. This family had single handedly washed out every other group or organisation that had dared to rise for decades. With their absolute control that granted them the figure of the order for the dark world, even the world powers on the surface were influenced by any decision they made. And today, those individuals had decided to hold a private meeting.

The gathered members, dressed in impeccable suits that concealed their lethal intent, leaned in closer as they discussed the most sensitive matter at hand - the boss's kid.

One of the figures suddenly puts his right hand on the table and took off his hat, he had decided to break the ice.

“So what’s the plan now?” he said while taking a pause to sip from his glass. The rest of them as if flipped on, adjusted their sitting positions and focused their gazes on the man who just spoke, attempting to find an answer to the question that summarised their reason for gathering.

“Can’t we just send some guys to erase that other guy and the rest of his petty gang from this world? I honestly don’t think this is a real issue that needs a meeting” A short dark haired lady in a dark gown suggested with a carefree demeanour. “I just want to go home already. I have loads of things I have to get done.” She carefully sipped her wine as soon as she ended her whining, and thus the argument ensued.

A portion argued to keep the status quo, a portion argued to be more active and aggressive, a portion argued that they just want to go home.

“Enough, This is getting nowhere!” Silence enveloped the room as soon as that voice resounded boldly. The one seated at the head of the table, a figure cloaked in authority and experience, cleared his throat and began his own piece.

“I’ll be going on a trip soon, so we observe till then. The time is already near, being unnecessarily patient now won’t help anything. I’ve mapped it all out, just maintain the status quo with your usual functions and for those slacking, I’ve got it out for you” His eyes shifted to a certain short haired  lady who had been hammering on the notion of going home, with her casually dodging his gaze.

“In any case, there shouldn’t be anything else related to this tangent after this, correct?” The room maintained its ominous silence to infer unanimous agreement. Feeling satisfied, he narrows his eyes and with the snap of his fingers, the candles are blown out creating a pin drop silent  dark space where it was impossible to identify any signs of life with the ordinary eye.

“Well then, Let’s talk business”

…

I sipped my cup of coffee whilst listening to Lucas’s humorous stories, laughing along each funny reference. We had already spent close to an hour in the glamorous cafe, talking about the most casual of topics to pass the time. We both obviously are trying to set the tables for the ‘big question’. However this guy just doesn’t  know when  to give up. He’s cute and I love his stories and all, but I’m sure he realizes there are a lot of other things we should instead talking about, or is he possibly planning to waste away this chance cause neither of us would bring it up.

“Hey Lucas…” I finally took the courageous step and he too, as if instinctively notified, mirrored my seriousness and took another sip of his tea.

“How do I pay you back? Actually, the question I should be asking is ‘what the hell is actually going on?’ but you’ve done do much for me between yesterday and today that its just too outstanding to call normal. I’ve--” I was suddenly interrupted by a sudden tap to my forehead and his gracious smile.

“That’s what you were thinking of? You don’t have to worry about that. You’re a really charming and all round interesting person, I really can’t let you go like that. Besides we’re at least friends at this point right?” He asked with such a wide and captivating grin that it wouldn’t have been far off to mistake it for the morning sun. For the first time in many years, in practically my life, I could feel my heart skip a beat.