The Royal Contract

Tonight, he was determined to get to the bottom of the root of the problem. He had to determine if it was the same man behind this or another enemy he was yet to name.

It would seem that more and more were forming alliances against him. He wanted to know who was fueling this rebellion and why? Did it have anything to do with his association with Haley or his ambition to run for office?

“He is here.” Mike followed him into his small office, informing him that the man he wanted to see had arrived. “Do you think he would admit that he had betrayed you, or would he concoct some lie about his involvement in all this?”

He immediately took one of the chairs before him while Gerald sat behind his desk, brooding about his current situation. He could not blame his friend because he would not want to be in his shoes right now.

He bet the man would lie through his teeth to deny leading the mutiny against their boss. They all trusted him, only to discover that he promoted the uprising against Gerald as the new head of the organization.

“We will find out soon enough,” Gerald said as he entwined his fingers together in front of him and squeezed it tightly, wanting to feel the pain that he wished to inflict on the man if he had no good excuse for what he had done.

.....

He had treated the man with much respect because of his close association with his father. Then, in addition, to his support for his position. But he would not tolerate whoever that man was and whatever he had done for him if he would eventually stab him in the back.

“Sir, Don Lorenzo is here to see you.” One of his men guarding his office announced by the door.

“Send him in.” Gerald touched his gun hidden underneath his desk, itching to shoot the man right between the eyes if he decided to say the wrong words.

He had already proven to them that he had every right to lead this organization, but they seemed determined to replace him with whom? Some stupid asshole who could not differentiate between his face and his ass.

“Gerald, you have a nice place. I heard this is newly acquired.” The man confidently greeted him as he entered his domain. He seemed to have no clue why he invited him or was good at acting innocent.

“Don Lorenzo, it is nice of you to accept our invitation,” Mike responded to his guest. “Why don’t you take a seat beside me?” He offered the other available seat in front of the big boss’s desk.

“It is also nice to see you again, Don.” Finally, Gerald greeted him, unhooking his hand from his gun to extend his hand to his guest, which the other man took without reluctance but with a friendly smile.

Gerald had to commend the other guy for being calm and collected despite their current situation. But he had more experience in this business than he did. However, he was still the brain of this organization, not him, for a reason.

“As I said, if you need me, I will come to your aid,” Don answered him like he was hiding nothing from him.

He wished he could believe his old friend. But once he had proven this man had betrayed him, he would also suffer the same fate as the others. He could not let him live and tell the tale.

“Good.” He clapped his hand as if he was happy with his answer. He wanted to see if his demeanor would somehow change, but it remained calm as always.

“So, I am sure we are not here to talk nonsense. Do you have anything you wish me to do for you?” Don asked as if he was in his service.

“Of course, I will not want to waste your time,” Gerald answered, his voice void of absurdity. “So, I will be straight with you.” Gerald shifted in his seat, assuring he had easy access to his gun in case this line of questioning would go south.

“That is what I like about you. Always straight to the point.” Don interrupted him before he could say his question. But he could see that he also made a gesture that alerted his man standing near the door.

As he suspected, he was not clueless about this meeting. He was expecting that he would confront him about his disloyalty. But he would not judge him until he had heard his reasoning and the rest of his story.

“Then, you would not mind answering why you are leading a revolt against me.” He asked, calmly leaning forward to his table to get a better position against the man before him.

He knew his friend was already alerted by his action. So were his men, who Mike had already briefed on what to do. Don Lorenzo might have brought his best men, but he had the numbers. He had the upper hand and control of the situation.

Don remained calm despite his question. He even widened his lips into a smirk while sitting comfortably in his chair. The older man did not seem alarmed by his accusation. Then, he crossed his legs and tapped on his pants as if dusting them off.

“I believe in you. That is why I help you get where you are now.” The man started explaining. “But you have grown weak and soft.” He continued, shaking his head in disapproval. His face looked like he was disappointed in him for some reason.

“Your father knew a traitor, an enemy, and a friend from a mile away. I thought you inherited the same trait as he had. But it took you a while before you caught one of my spies in your organization.” He continued as if he was teaching him a lesson.

One, Gerald noticed the man said. But he already caught two. But Don might not be aware yet of his latest captive. Still, he remained silent, wanting to hear everything he had to say.

He was glad that he was sharing this information without the need for him to force them out of his mouth. At least that would save him the trouble. But still, he had to take everything he had to say with a grain of salt.