My father sold me to the Mafia King

Chapter 23: 23/The Sword’s Business

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Robert’s Point of View

I arrived at the firm and headed straight for the upper floor where my office is located. The secretary greeted me with her usual smile, saying in a polite tone:

— ”Welcome, Director Robert.”

I was in no mood for formal pleasantries, so I said to her with brief authority:

— ”Call Daniel here, immediately.”

I entered the office, the space from which I pull every string of my business, and sat in my chair trying to calm my frayed nerves.

The rivalry between me and my brother, ”Harold,” had reached its peak; each of us runs his own firm, and each strives to be the most powerful in the market.

Now, there is this new invention on the scene, an invention that will completely shift the scales of the game for whoever possesses it.

Harold must not get it. To me, it isn’t just a deal; it’s a personal challenge. I must be the one to secure that signature, so the rights to this invention are sold to my firm, not his.

The door opened, and Daniel entered with his usual brisk steps. He approached and extended his hand to shake mine, astonishment written on his face as he said:

— ”Mr. Robert.. I haven’t seen you in three days. How are you?”

I shook his hand with a lightning-fast, dry grip, and did not let his hand rest in mine; I withdrew it instantly and sat behind my desk with sternness, saying in a decisive tone:

— ”Daniel, I am not here to chat about how I am.. I am here to find the identity of the person who owns that invention, and I want to know exactly what it is.”

Daniel fell silent for a moment, realizing I was in a state of seriousness that allowed no room for joking or personal questions.

He knew that every wasted second was an additional opportunity for Harold to stay a step ahead of us. I continued, looking sharply into his eyes:

— ”I want a full report on him: where he lives, his weaknesses, and what makes him hesitate to sign. Harold is hovering around him, and I don’t want to wake up tomorrow to find that the signature has gone to my brother’s firm.”

A light smile of confidence appeared on Daniel’s face, as if he had been waiting for my question to prove his competence. He adjusted his posture and said in a confident tone:

— ”But I have obtained this information already, Mr. Robert.”

His words piqued my interest. I sat up straight, signaling for him to continue, and he went on:

— ”His name is Jake Simon, and he lives in a small, isolated town near New York. As for his invention, which firms are salivating over.. it is a ’bomb defuser’ with advanced technology unlike anything seen before.”

I leaned back in my chair, analyzing his words. A bomb defuser? If this invention is as effective as rumored, it represents a revolution in the world of security and military contracts.

It wasn’t just a commercial deal; it was a winning card that would allow my firm to dominate the market entirely.

I said, my eyes narrowing in deep thought:

— ”Jake Simon.... a small town near New York.. Well done, Daniel. Now, what is stopping him from signing? And why hasn’t Harold reached him yet?”

Daniel paused for a moment, appearing to gather the threads of information in his head before replying:

— ”According to my information, he is a young man, and what he possesses now is just the prototype. He has only communicated with your brother Harold’s firm via email.”

My face paled slightly at the mention of Harold’s name. Daniel continued, watching my reaction:

— ”Harold has already agreed to see him, and I believe this young man will travel here soon to conclude the final agreement.”

I struck the desk with my fist, a bitterness filling my throat. Harold always finds a way to compete, but this time I won’t let him reach the finish line first.

If this ”Jake Simon” has the prototype, it means the deal is still in its fragile stages, and its course can be changed if I know how to influence him before he sets foot in my brother’s office.

I said to Daniel in a low voice carrying a hint of threat:

— ”So, Harold is expecting him? Daniel, I want to know the exact time of his arrival and which flight he will take. I don’t want him to meet Harold before he meets me. Do you understand?”

Daniel asked in a tone dominated by tension, as if fearing the dark thoughts that might be swirling in my mind:

— ”What shall we do to him?”

I went silent for a moment and directed my gaze at him with absolute coldness.

I stared directly into his eyes without blinking, until I saw signs of confusion appear on his face and he began to sweat under the pressure of my gaze.

I said to him a single word that came from between my lips like a bullet:

— ”Eliminate him”

Daniel’s face turned completely pale, and the blood froze in his veins for a second.

Before he could utter a word, I followed my statement with a sarcastic smile, adding coldly:

— ”Surely you will reach him and offer him a deal he cannot refuse for his invention.. we will pay him double what Harold pays.”

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief; I saw his chest rise and fall as if he had escaped the gallows.

To me, it’s simple: money is the language everyone understands.

If Harold thinks he can snatch this young man with a generous offer, I will make my offer a dream that Jake Simon cannot ignore.

I said to Daniel in a commanding tone:

— ”I want you to stay one step ahead of Harold. Go now, offer him double the amount, tell him our firm is the only one capable of protecting and developing his invention. I want no excuses; I want Jake Simon in this office before he even glimpses my brother’s face.”

Daniel turned to leave, but a thought suddenly flashed in my mind—a thought that hadn’t left me since Julie told me about the surveillance cameras she noticed. I stopped him with a steady voice:

— ”Wait, Daniel..”

He turned back attentively, and I added coldly:

— ”I want full information on a girl named Julie Michael.”

Bewilderment was clear on Daniel’s features, as if my request was entirely unexpected. He said spontaneously:

— ”Why do you want it? You’ve never asked me for information on a girl before.”

I stopped shuffling the papers in my hand and slowly raised my gaze to him. I gave him a sharp, sideways glance that made the air in the room heavy, and said in a tone filled with toxic sarcasm:

— ”Come, Daniel.. sit in my place so you can interrogate me better!”

Daniel’s face paled instantly. He took a step back toward the door, tension appearing in his voice as he tried to remedy the situation:

— ”I.. I didn’t mean that, Mr. Robert. Forgive me.. I didn’t mean to interfere.”

I didn’t answer; I simply signaled with my hand for him to leave immediately, for I could no longer stand to hear more of his nonsense or justifications.

As soon as the door closed, I leaned my head back and sank into thought. Julie Michael.. who are you really? And what are you hiding behind that mask of defiance?

I leaned back in my chair, the silence of the office suddenly feeling heavy.

I stared at the door, thinking about Jake Simon and his invention; this wasn’t just about outsmarting Harold, it was about securing the entire future of my empire.

Every deal I made, every risk I took, carved a deeper path into this dark world I had chosen to inhabit.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a sudden, sharp headache attacking my head; power and money were not just numbers, they were a responsibility that gnaws at the soul.

I realized then that peace is the only currency I cannot buy, no matter how great my wealth, and that the summit where I stand now is the loneliest place in the world.

My private phone rang. I looked at the screen, and a faint smile appeared on my face. I answered, saying:

— ”Hello, dear Carlos.. how are you?”

His voice came through the phone with his heavy Mexican accent—that accent he repeatedly tries to hide to claim sophistication, yet fails every time:

— ”My friend Robert.. I am now at the entrance of the club. I came to see you.”

I said to him while continuing to flip through the papers piled chaotically on my desk:

— ”I am at the firm now, but I’m leaving immediately.. wait for me there.”

I disconnected the call coldly, signed the last of the important papers, and handed them to the secretary to take to Daniel at once.

I left the firm with hurried steps, a hidden anxiety gnawing at my chest.

Carlos arrived only yesterday, and his coming to the club again today bodes no good at all. In our world, consecutive surprise visits mean only one thing:

”There is a major problem with the drug shipment.”