If Only

Chapter 2: Ender Gray

Ender

Money and time were the most important things my parents told me to watch and handle well. One would say I grew up with those two as the foundation of my life and future. It's the same for everyone, isn't it?

We all chase money with all the time we can give. No matter what it takes, no matter how we do it.

My family comes from a long line of business people. Okay, maybe we were shady in the beginning and we still have the iron hand when it comes to implementing our rules and regulations within our company structure.

Order is a must. A given. That's the mafia rule of my family.

Even producing an heir for the family business has been put in that so called order. Thus, I'm going to get married to one of my business partners' daughter.

Everything should be in their right places. Love has nothing to do with what I do. I wouldn't know that concept anyway no matter how many times my best friend would ask me if I found the one.

Whatever that is.

Today, I would be finalizing my ventures for this month here in another city far from where I live, and I'm off to see the family of my future bride. Things over there should be a done deal and I will be back home with my wife after the wedding.

I just hope I don't have to stay for the town festival. I don't have time for it.

"We're here, Sir Ender," my driver, Crow, announced as he stopped the car in front of the hotel where I will be meeting one of the people I do business with, Jacob Williams.

I gave him a nod before I gathered my jacket and left my car. Two bodyguards followed me close by as I headed towards the main doors. Upon reaching the restaurant where I was meeting Jacob, my guards were immediately intercepted and forbidden to get inside.

"It's fine," I told them. They were stoic and as they were, nodding at me and standing firm by the door. I continued on and found the person I was meeting, smirking as he watched me walk his way.

I didn't put my jacket on and kept it hanging on my arm, folded. I gave Jacob a poker face and I took the seat across his without bothering to be invited.

"I didn't think you would actually let your bodyguards stay outside," he said with an amused tone in his voice. He tried to hide it but he should know by now how I like to read people and how good I am at it.

"And I didn't think you would risk not getting into business with me by doing such move against me," I said to him as a waiter walked our way with a tray holding a bottle of wine.

"Who said I risked it?" He stated, being bold and confident he was. "I simply wanted to see you without your underlings hanging about. They say they're your right and left hands. I wanted to meet and talk to Ender as himself."

How stupid.

"What's the difference? They won't be in the business talk anyway?"

"I'm the one who decides that. They're my men." Raising a brow a I let the waiter pour us our drink, I added, "The deal is off, Williams."

"What?" He said, disbelieving what I just told him. "We haven't even discussed a thing yet."

"I don't have time to discuss anything any further once I have seen what's ahead of me," I said flatly. "You didn't trust me enough to let my guards in. Second, you wasted my time coming here empty handed. I told you to bring the code breaker."

"I did," he said excitedly. The code breaker is the person I had been looking for to work for me but only Williams knew who he was and where he was. He promised to bring him in exchange for getting business in one of my territories.

Jacob gave an order to the person behind him and a young man in his early twenties revealed himself from behind the large pillar behind our table. I snorted quietly as Vincent DeLune met my eyes.

"See?" Jacob said to me, seemingly proud of himself for what he's got. "Now do you have the contract?"

There was a reason why I had this recruit or shall I say retrieval, of this code breaker, done in this manner. It's because I knew how Jacob does business. He was the one who caught and kept Vincent not knowing the guy works for me. He was damn good with keeping prisoners. For the price on my code breaker's head of which others were willing to pay as well, Jacob would be able to get himself out of debt which I made possible.

We need Vincent in the company. As an asset, it's the same as losing money or time if I let Jacob sell him to another buyer. So I devised a plan to get my code breaker without paying a dime.

"I do have a contract," I told Jacob. I took a piece of folded paper from my shirt's pocket an handed it to him. His face turned red in anger as he read the contents of the letter.

"It says right there that if you stop me from taking the code breaker, free of charge, you'll have to face the Blue Dragons. And I know how much they like you there," I said blankly. The Blue Dragons is another group with a base in China. Williams has a huge beef with them and for someone who knows where he operates, I have leverage.

"You are one sneaky bastard," he spat as his eyes twitched. He grabbed his wine glass and drank the contents in one go before he motioned his men to do something.

I smirked.

"I wouldn't do what you think you're going to do, Williams. Those two outside may be my hands but..." I paused as I stood up and grabbed a fork from the table . In a millisecond, a thud was heard and his head security was laying on the floor with blood oozing from his throat.

"If you didn't want to draw attention and risk getting located by the Blue Dragons, you should have acted accordingly," I said as I put my jacket on. I could feel his anger exploding from under his eyes on me. He wasn't going to attack me right after one of his men fell that easily.

"This isn't over, Ayutthaya," he hissed.

"Said every person who lost to something... or someone," I told him. Jacob Williams is a coward, hiding behind his organization. He was only coming out to meet me personally because he needed the money and new place to operate his more or less disgusting way business. Human trafficking. Drugs. Other than that, he would have stayed hidden.

My men outside got into the restaurant and stood on either side of me as I turned around. Then I left before they followed me, what happened at the restaurant being just another day. Now I was off to another one. My wedding preparations.