I fought to keep the smile off my face as I hung up the call and pictured the world-class tantrum Preston was throwing right now. Men like him weren't used to dealing with the consequences of their actions, so having someone call them out on their dirty laundry was essentially a punch to the face.
But I wasn't delusional or arrogant enough to think that Preston would let such a massive blow to his ego go unchecked. No, he would retaliate, looking to strike me down once and for all to restore his damaged sense of self-worth. Which is what I was betting on and preparing for.
As for my blackmail request, it was really to force Preston's hand; in the next twenty-four hours, he either needed to dispose of me, let me sleep with his wife, or give me fifteen million dollars.
Of all the options, I could only see Preston choosing between the first two; the primary reason was that the millionaire loved money more than air. It was what he used to set himself apart from the people he despised and looked down on. Giving that money to me would not only make him 'less valuable' but put me on an equal standing to Preston himself.
So the only real question was whether or not Preston could hire a hitman to take me out within twenty-four hours. If he couldn't, Preston would default to offering up his wife because he didn't truly love her. Men like Preston like the idea of having a wife, another object to be bought with money and influence, but there was no genuine emotional attraction to her. She might as well have been a literal trophy, which presented an opportunity I was more than ready to exploit.
"Excuse me, Mr. Young?"
I looked over as my name was called and saw a middle-aged woman in a pantsuit holding an electronic tablet. "Yes, that's me, and you must be Susan."
I stood up and walked over while holding out my hand for her to shake, "Indeed, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Young. I'm so glad that we could find a date on such short notice. Now, according to the inquiry form you filled out, there's only one of our listings here on the property that matches your specifications, which happens to be the penthouse suite. Now there are plenty of more affordable options if you're willing to compromise, and I have no issue touring them today if you want."
"Let's start with the penthouse unit, and I'll make up my mind after," I suggested with a friendly smile that Susan was quick to mirror, "No problem at all, just follow me to the private elevator, and we can start the tour."
We proceed to do just that, and the moment the doors closed, Susan launched into a what was clearly a well-practiced spiel, "As you can see, the penthouse comes with its own private lift, which is unlocked via a key card."
Susan then demonstrated by scanning a black matte metal card, which caused three buttons to light up, "From here you can access the parking garage, the lobby, and of course the penthouse itself, which we'll of course be visiting right now."
Susan pressed the top button, and a split second later, I felt the elevator begin to ascend; it was notably smooth and fast, taking only half a minute to reach the twelfth floor.
"And here we are, stepping out into the foyer," Susan announced as we walked out of the elevator.
"To our right, we have some closet space for all your coats and shoes, while to the left is the laundry room, with the latest washer and dryer models." Susan pointed to the nearest doors along the long horizontal corridor, with another door at each end, "That one on down leads to the master bedroom, which comes with its own walk-in closet and bath, while the other door leads to the two guest rooms that also come with their own closet space and bathrooms which are much smaller and something you'll see later when we look at the rooms, but first I want to make note of what I like most about this unit which is this open air kitchen design."
Another step forward, and Susan entered the living space, accessible through openings on either side, a wide pillar of black stone tile that turned out to be the back wall of the stove, with a built-in hood vent.
Scanning the living room and kitchen, I saw they were built like an upside-down T, with the stove and countertop at the front, then leading to a cluster of plush chairs centered on a square ottoman, facing a set of floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a clear view of the town's skyline.
"As I said, so much space, a great place to both host social events or just lounge in when the sun is up, and you can get some nice natural lighting," Susan continued, painting a picture, trying her hardest to sell me on the unit, "On the wings, we have a more formal dining seating with a wet bar I heard that home craft mocktails are a big thing right now. Then there's the more casual den on the other side with your TV and entertainment system. You'll also find a door leading to a balcony, which is mirrored on the other side as well by the two guest rooms. Any questions so far?"
"No, everything looks great, though I was hoping that we could see the master bedroom next," I asked with a hopeful tone.
"Absolutely, we can go there right now," Susan replied before backtracking her way to the door at the end of the first hallway, which opened up to reveal a massive room dominated by a large bed with a dresser at the foot, "Here is the master bedroom, on the right wall you have your walk in closet and that door over there leads to the bathroom."
Opening the latter of the two, Susan showed me the bathroom, which was nearly as big as the bedroom itself, with a shower big enough to fit four people at once and a bathtub that might as well have been a hot tub with its size and the amount of buttons and jets I could see at just a glance.
"If you're all done here, we can move to the guest rooms and-"
"Not that's alright, I've made up my mind, how much is the rent?" I asked, and Susan paused for a second as she turned on her tablet and glanced at the screen, "I-its u-um, the rent is $10,600 dollars a month, which includes the penthouse unit along with utilities, access to our in-house amenities such as the gym and pool, and three VIP parking spots in the garage at no extra cost."
"Perfect, I'll take it," I answered without a second thought at the price, which was well within my budget for a space that would fit me and my coven as it continued to grow for quite some time.
"G-great, that's fantastic," Susan laughed before clearing her throat and adopting a more professional attitude, "When would you like to sign the papers?"
"Today, actually, if that's alright."
"That is no problem at all, Mr. Young. I have the lease drafted up in my office downstairs."
"Excellent, let me just make a call real quick, and then we can go down," I replied while reaching into my pocket and pulling out my phone.
"R-ramon?"
"Why do you sound shocked that I called you?" I asked with a grin.
"W-well, you normally call Meg if you need something," Patty answered plainly, which only made me smile more. "Yes, but Meg wasn't the one who told me about that apartment complex, which I just finished touring, and I'm about to sign the lease on."
"Y-you listened to my advice?" Patty stammered, and I could hear the smile stretching across her lips.
"Of course I did, best thing about you in your brain. Which is why I'm hoping you'll be around a lot more once we move into the penthouse."
"Y-you got the penthouse?? W-wait, what am I saying…of course you got the penthouse, but that's great, I can't wait to tell Meg she's going to freak out!"
"I figured you would get a kick out of that," I smirked, "I gotta run off now, Patty, I'll be making one more stop before I come back to the restaurant, so feel free to order some takeout since I won't be there to cook."
"Okay, see you soon," I heard Patty blow me a kiss before she hung up.
With a final grin, I put away my phone and turned to Susan," Alright, sorry for that, now let's get to signing some papers."