Giving a glance at his watch, he placed his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers, gazing at Xin expressionlessly.
In response, Xin clapped his hands twice. A woman with violet hair and eyes, with a mole beneath one eye, walked in with a tablet in her hands. With each step she took, her exposed cleavage bounced, her expensive professional outfit on display.
Seeing her seductive appearance, Mr. Gracia gulped and entertained the thought of buying her from Xin, but shook his head, momentarily regaining his sense of reason.
In feigned anger, he raised an eyebrow at the woman who had entered, secretly harboring lustful desires about her.
"And who could this vixen possibly be?"
Ignoring the man, the woman with sharp eyes bowed to Xin and walked until she reached his chair.
Tucking her dark violet hair, styled in a waterfall braid, behind her ears, she slowly sank to her knees and, to everyone's shock, kowtowed on the floor, offering a full view of her large, protruding buttocks.
"To my master and liege, Violetta announces her presence."
Mr. Gracia immediately stood in anger, pointing an accusing finger at Xin, spitting saliva.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why did you bring a prostitute with you?"
Even Ekidna furrowed her brows at the woman kowtowing to Xin and looked at him questioningly.
Only Dietrich looked amused at the sight he was so used to.
Without raising her head, the woman asked Xin a question with a hiss as her body trembled in unspoken rage.
"My liege, do you allow me to raise my head and speak?"
Xin merely rubbed the sole of his shoe on her head before removing it. The woman raised her head slowly and looked at Mr. Gracia with bloodlust.
"How dare you slander Master using this lowly one's na—"
"Violetta, enough. Stand up and explain why the bastard is late."
Without a glance, Xin ordered.
Without a word, the woman named Violetta stood up and took the tablet she had placed on the floor when she kowtowed.
"Master—my liege, it seems Vladimir will be arriving in ten minutes. The target was more troublesome than we anticipated."
Xin clicked his tongue. "Ten minutes can end a life."
A pause.
At her words, Xin nodded indifferently before signaling her to approach.
"Target? What target?"
Mr. Gracia narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar term. Supposedly, they were waiting for the contract Xin had written to arrive. What was this about a target?
Ignoring him, Violetta approached Xin and smirked at Mr. Gracia in mock contempt.
Mr. Gracia's expression darkened. He was always a man of short temper. He wanted to rebuke the girl and beat the hell out of her, but for the sake of maintaining his image, he gritted his teeth and endured it.
'Just you wait, you bitch of a whore. There will be hell for you!!'
"Hehehe~"
Violetta stood beside Xin as an angry and two curious gazes lingered on what Xin would do in the meantime.
He patted her head twice in response to her squealing like a five-year-old who stumbled upon a refrigerated, cold, legendary ice cream.
A few moments later, he withdrew his hand.
"I have rewarded you, I suppose. You are dismissed."
With a blush adorning her face, Violetta once more bowed to Xin before walking out of the room in a professional manner.
Xin looked back to the room that had gone silent. Santiago and the other guy were still sleeping, while Mr. Gracia wore an expression that screamed, 'Still loading...'
Dietrich's brain processed faster than Mr. Gracia's, like the difference between an up-to-date CPU and a shiny rock, and he only scratched his head awkwardly. At this point, he wouldn't be shocked if Xin wanted to fly to the sun using cardboard wings.
Ekidna, who could not understand why the woman was overjoyed at the head pat, slowly patted her own head, wondering if she was missing something.
However, just as she decided to tease Xin for it...
Ding!
The buzz of a message on his phone.
A photo. A live one of a girl, sitting in the back of a car, duct tape still fresh. A timestamp.
Xin's eyes lit up with an excited expression. He gave a quick glance toward Mr. Gracia that spoke volumes before looking toward the door, anticipation sharpening his features like a blade.
Mr. Gracia, who saw the strange look directed at him, shifted in his chair in discomfort as a dark and unsettling feeling slowly settled in his heart.
'Why did he look at me like that?'
"Ah. He's arrived."
Click!
A few moments later, the door slowly opened as a large, buff blond man entered.
Vladimir entered moments later, his expression unreadable.
He pushed a college girl forward gently—or at least gently for him—making her stumble across the room.
Xin didn't get up. Didn't even blink. He studied her like a puzzle he already knew the answer to.
"Does she have a name?" he asked.
Vladimir shrugged in indifference. "Didn't ask. Thought it'd be cleaner that way."
Xin smiled faintly. "You've learned."
Dietrich and Ekidna had curious looks on their faces as they studied the girl in front of them. She was sobbing, ruined makeup running down her face. Her school clothing was torn here and there, and her hair was messed up.
"Who is she, Mr. Olympia?"
Ekidna curiously observed the girl on the outside, but inside, her eyes scanned the room for the purpose of bringing the girl here and calculating profit. Dietrich was no different.
Her eyes stopped at the expression of a horrified man in the room, and she smirked inwardly.
'Jackpot.'
"A guest," Xin replied, his gaze lingering on the eyes of the unfocused Mr. Gracia.
With a trembling voice filled with rage, Mr. Gracia looked toward Xin as he pulled a handgun and pointed it at Xin's head across the table.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO, YOU DEGENERATE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?!"
He screamed as saliva flew from his mouth, and Xin wiped his face in disgust. Even the others around the table recoiled in loathing, wondering how a man's temper could shift 360 degrees in a moment.
Xin held up a finger, silencing him.
"She's here," he said, gesturing lazily. "And unharmed. For now. Who knew Mr. Gracia would have a soft spot for his daughter?"
Vladimir, who could relate to the man's pain, turned his head from the glare and closed his eyes bitterly.
The girl turned her head at the familiar voice, muffled sobs erupting behind the tape. Mr. Gracia's eyes locked onto her, blood draining from his face.
"You son of a bitch!" he shouted.
"Now, now, we're civilized ladies and gentlemen. You can't use such barbaric words, now, can you?"
Xin clicked his tongue while waving his index finger as if warning a little child not to eat biscuits without permission.
Mr. Gracia swallowed the swears he wanted to shout and merely glared at Xin. If looks could kill, Xin wouldn't have died a thousand times; nay, he would have died a million.
Xin tilted his head, feigning confusion. "What's the issue?"
"You said we'd talk! You said we'd finalize the deal tonight!"
"I did. And we are."
Xin stood now, finally. His movements fluid, deliberate, like a snake uncoiling.
"But your attitude... has been problematic. So I've adjusted the parameters."
The contractor's fists clenched, jaw tight.
"What do you want?"
Xin's eyes glittered, cold and calm.
"I want—"