Karen had come to the main office of the Billion Bloodline group on her own, exactly as it had been requested of her. The request had felt more like a demand, a firm condition for allowing her a seat at the table. Seeing as she had very little choice in the matter and her options were dwindling by the hour, she had complied without her usual protest.
As she stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the sleek, modern facade of the building, a number of thoughts raced through her head.
’A new VC company coming out of practically nowhere,’ she mused, her eyes narrowing as she studied the architecture. ’They hardly have any history to speak of. For a firm to just pop up like this and command such a presence, they have to have someone incredibly powerful backing them from the shadows.’
She took a step toward the entrance, her heels clicking against the pavement. ’Powerful enough that it seems like they don’t care about the Gilt Rat group’s influence. Even the Curtis family seemed confident that these people could help deal with my issue. If they aren’t afraid of the Rats, they must have a formidable bite of their own.’
Having been cleared at the gate, Karen started to walk into the facility. The interior was just as impressive as the outside, clean lines, expensive art, and a quiet, professional hum. She reached the reception area, and there she found Sheri sitting right at the main desk.
"Ah, Ma’am!" Sheri said, standing up quickly and taking a polite bow. "I was informed that you would be coming today. I will let them know that you are here immediately."
Sheri reached for the phone, but before she could dial the extension, Karen placed her hand firmly on the receiver, stopping her.
Karen looked around for a moment, her eyes scanning the lobby and the hallways branching off from it. She remembered that there was another Stern family member who was also working for the Billion Bloodline group. The family web was tangled, and she had to be careful.
Of course, she could just be here for standard business, but if word got out about the specific troubles she was having among the other families, it would be disastrous. Even if the person she was meeting wasn’t behind the attacks, someone in this shark tank would surely try and take advantage of her weakness.
"This boss of yours... how is he?" Karen asked, her voice low. "Is there anything I should watch out for? Anything that makes him quick to anger? And most importantly, are they trustworthy?"
Sheri placed her finger on her lip, tilting her head to the side as she offered a small, mysterious smile.
"Ah, the truth is... I’ve never directly met with the boss," Sheri answered honestly. "But working here has been great so far. They really are reliable in a lot of different ways, even when things get difficult."
Sheri’s mind momentarily drifted back. She thought about the times she had heard Max and the others preparing for their missions, including the whispers of those brutal underground fights. She had asked why they were doing such dangerous things, even pressing Max for answers after all of the chaotic events they had been through.
She had realized early on that a lot of the other people hanging around the office were those from school, the ones who were part of Max’s little delinquent circuit. When she had finally demanded to know why they had done all of that, Max had simply stated it was because of the head of the Billion Bloodline group.
The mysterious leader was using Max and his allies together as a singular unit. The revelation made Sheri even more curious as to who this leader could be, but she knew better than to pry too deep into the boss’s business.
"I see. But they seem to have treated you well? There are no ongoing lawsuits against employees or anything like that?" Karen asked, her professional instincts kicking in.
A nervous, slightly strained smile appeared on Sheri’s face. What was she supposed to say? That she had recently been kidnapped and that the company was currently dealing with violent gangs and underworld figures?
If anyone had the right to a lawsuit, it would have been her. However, the group, and Max specifically, was the reason why Sheri had been saved in the end. It was her own personal troubles which had brought trouble to the company door in the first place, so she just shook her head quickly.
"No, nothing like that," Sheri reassured her.
"Alright. Let them know I’m here," Karen said, finally removing her hand from the phone.
Sheri noticed the change in the woman. She had met Karen a few times before in family settings, and this was the first time she had seen her so soft-spoken. Usually, Karen would walk into a room like she owned the place, even if she didn’t have a dime of equity in it. It was quite clear she was troubled by something heavy. Having gone through her own share of trauma recently, Sheri recognized that look of suppressed anxiety.
Eventually, the elevator dinged. The doors slid open, and Darno was seen walking out from the secure area of the facility.
"Oh, it’s you!" Karen said, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Right. I told you, didn’t I?" Darno said with a casual shrug. "I told you that I worked security for a firm that paid rather well. That’s why I’m here."
The demeanor of Karen changed quite a bit upon seeing a familiar face. The tension in her shoulders dropped slightly as she walked ahead, willingly falling into step by Darno’s side as he led her toward the elevators.
"I was a bit worried that there wouldn’t be any reliable people here," Karen admitted as they walked. "But now that I see you here, I guess there’s nothing to worry about. At least I know the security is competent."
"You might be right about that," Darno replied, his tone neutral as they stepped into the elevator. "But remember, you don’t need to impress me. You need to impress my boss. He’s the one holding the cards."
Up in the executive office, Max was sitting quietly by his desk, looking out over the city skyline. Aron wasn’t by his side today; instead, Na stood in the corner. They had made the switch because Aron was a dead giveaway to other members of the Stern family. If Karen saw him, his identity would be compromised instantly.
Max reached into his drawer and pulled out his mask. He slid it onto his face, adjusting the fit. It was a new one, seeing as the last one he had used had been broken during a recent altercation.
"Karen wanting to meet the head of the Billion Bloodline group," Max mumbled to himself, his voice muffled by the mask.
He leaned back in his chair, tapping a pen against the mahogany desk. "I accepted this meeting because it didn’t seem like a standard request for investment. She’s desperate. She wouldn’t come here personally if it was just about a loan."
He watched the elevator light on his console signal that someone was ascending to the top floor.
"What trouble have you gotten into now, Karen? And more importantly... how can I use this to take advantage of the situation?" A cold, calculating light shined in Max’s eyes. "Just like I did with your son, I’m going to make sure this meeting ends with the Billion Bloodline group on top."