The Liberal Assassin

One Man, Many Faces (2)

Chuckling nervously I reassured Felix that it wasn't necessary. For Felix Riggs – the wealthiest man on Luna to call me on his own accord in the middle of the night meant a great deal to me. I met the man at one of the extravagant parties for elite businessmen that Alastair had forcefully persuaded me to attend.

In a nutshell, there was a man who was trying to get Felix to invest in his company and I overheard their conversation by chance. I didn't know who Felix was at that point of time but the man who was trying to get Felix to invest had a reputation for deceiving investors. After the investors made a credit-deposit, he would transfer the investment funds from a back door to his personal credit account before winding up the bogus company. From the goodness at the bottom of my heart, I exposed the fraudster and gained the good graces of Felix Riggs.

The wealthy entrepreneur offered to add me to his contact lists out of gratitude to which I agreed, not silly enough to turn down an ally. Never in my wildest imaginations did I expect him to be the founder of Luna's most successful business empires. That man was said to own half of the Inner City's wealth. From then on, Felix would occasionally call me out for a city tour to chat. The man always reminded me to approach him should I need any help after the incident. In my opinion, there wasn't a real need as I didn't help him with the intention of wanting a favour. I just hated dishonesty.

I've always declined his offer and like a routine, Felix's parting words every meeting would be, 'My offer still stands'. Tonight would be the first time I'm considering asking him for a favour. With graduation approaching and a mountain load of things to do, I needed all the help I can get. It was impossible for me to handle everything alone. Unlike the cheap clone stunt I pulled, this is not something I can fool myself into doing.

"I see that you have been busy as of late, Titus. How are your preparations for graduation coming along?"

Smiling fondly, I informed him about Raoul's more recent attempts of bullying and ranted about Alastair's pushiness as usual. The man merely guffawed at my tales and told me not to worry.

"I suppose a city tour would be inconvenient for you at this point of time. It's always a pleasure to chat with you, young man. I only wish you weren't so insistent on keeping up that playboy facade with the public. You've got great potential and there's no fooling me."

I did not reply, opting to settle for a scoff. How typical. It wasn't the first time the pompadour wearing man tried to recruit me as his assistant. Even if Felix was a man with a weird love for the pompadour hairstyle, he was far from harmless. As a shrewd businessman, he did his dealings with a lot of caution. One can never be too trusting of others in the Inner City. For me to be given such trust, is indeed a great honour.

"You know, my offer still stands."

There it was again. The momentary silence between us was broken by a sigh on his side. "I know your answer but I still want you to know I'm willing to help. You're so young and it would be a waste if you didn't make it."

I chuckled at that statement. "Thank you, for your offer but I'm fine… is what I would have said any other day."

There was a pregnant pause.

Almost as if I lit a fuse, Felix fired away rapidly, making wild guesses. "Really? Can I interpret that as a request for me? I can't believe it, Titus my boy you make this old man so happy… What can I do for you?"

The warmth in my heart spread when I heard him call me his boy, dousing the flames of regret from last night's episode temporarily. It was times like this that reminded me of how human I can be. The overwhelming joy from Felix was infectious and I nearly spilt the beans about my plans there and then. If it weren't for the reminder of how his affections were similar to Mia, I would have caved. Heart pounding and nervous, I did not trust my voice to speak until Felix's concern at my silence cemented my resolve.

"I don't want it to be a request actually, how do I say this? I have a proposal for you, an equal exchange as two businessmen. What do you think about it?"

The stumping silence on the other end dragged on as Felix tried to wrap his head around my logic. I was starting to feel insecure and ready to pass it off as a joke to protect the relationship we have when he didn't answer after a minute. Before I could utter a word, his thunderous laughter had me cringing. Those had to be some powerful lungs.

A minute later and with the patience of a saint, I waited till only wheezing sounds could be distinguished. I was a hundred and two percent sure that the middle-aged man was rolling on the floor in tears and clutching at his sides. That man laughed way too hard and it was always embarrassing to be seen beside him whenever he had one of his laughing fits.

"Ah… forgive me. I just wasn't expecting that…"

Neither was I.

"Titus Crowley, you are truly one of a kind. I never expected to be turned down in such a way. You're going to be a worthy business rival in future. Since you've put it that way, I shall treat you with the same professionalism as I do with others. Let's hear this proposal of yours."

I shifted, the nerves acting up again but I squashed them quickly. "I'm still in the finalising stages of this plan and I promise you it is huge. I can't tell you much as of now because I want to ensure it works perfectly once we set the wheel in motion. However, I'll need an office immediately and have no time to scout for it with graduation approaching. I'll work on the business proposal as soon as I am an official citizen."

Amusement and interest were evident in the way Felix hummed. I swallowed thickly before continuing.

"I might take a few weeks to a few months to gather all my sources and evidence before I pitch my proposal but as of now, I'm hoping for a business joint venture. The interest of this potential market is huge, untapped in the Inner City."

It was going to be hard to get Felix approve the proposal when I had no concrete facts and data to show him. The only thing at my disposal to win Felix over was my ability to convince him. I was gambling everything upon the trust he has in me, which was actually the worst possible move I could make. However, it isn't impossible to gain his approval with his trust in my abilities.

"You know, Titus, this isn't how I normally work. I like to have numbers and evidence before I place my investment chips."

My heart sank a little. I'll need to try another method as expected.

"However," Felix continued, rekindling the dying hope. "As a friend, I will take you for your word. Don't disappoint me, boy. I'll contact you once I have your office, don't worry about this and focus on what you need to do."

Jaw slackened, it was hard to believe I had gotten a deal with the wealthiest man alive in Luna so easily. It was a little bit of an emotional tug of war but the mission was a success. A strange feeling choked up at my throat and I felt it hard to breathe much less talk. Struggling to get the words out, the only sounds heard for a while were undignified squawks.

Felix's hearty laughter brought back that warmth back in my chest. The waterworks in my eyes overflowed like a broken dam. It felt like Mia's spirit was guiding me from afar. Not too long before I was cursing life at how hard and bitter it was. Yet now, I'm being supported by frien— no, Family.

If this was what it meant to be human, I'm glad to be born as one.

After bawling my eyes out for an incredibly long time and mumbling my thanks, Felix ended the conversation with his blessings. The weight that had been on my shoulders this whole time had been lifted considerably with Felix's help. I had been struggling, even before Mia's death, with the righteous part in me who was bitter at Luna's corruption.

Something about determining a person's worth based on credits bugged me. With Mia's death, the weight became crushing. Graduation was approaching and I was nowhere near ready to face the world.

I didn't know where to start before but now, I had someone to turn to. Someone whom I could depend on.

Slowly but surely I felt my eyes grow heavy as if they were going to sink. There was still something I had to do before I retired for the night. Pulling myself together, I had Kevin dial for Mr N and duly noted that tonight Titus Crowley has officially lost his marbles. Not once but twice, I was seeking help from the least expected people.

The dialler finally connected and immediately a grumpy voice greeted me. "State your name and business. If you're selling anything, I don't want it."

"Nash, it's me. I'll be sending you the results of my findings with the next batch of Pantiumite due in two weeks. Meanwhile, could you help me scout some information?"

There was a pause. "Scout information? I'm not the tech wizard here."

Ignoring his sarcasm, I mailed him my encrypted file. "You should be receiving a map I just sent you. It's something I found in Area Forty-One that night. The route is marked out for you. As graduation is approaching and there are many things to finalise, I can't move around too freely. Please, I'm counting on you now."

A groan was heard from the other end, making me smile.

"I hate you," he huffed.

A small snort came from me. "I love you too. Good night!"

Without waiting for a reply, I ended the conversation and glanced over at my flow chart. Two items were struck off the list of things that needed to be done and I sighed. The list stared back at me disapprovingly. Apart from graduation preparations, the Night Walker's gadgets were still waiting to be modified and an unfinished business proposal was on the desk. I groaned.

This will take a while.