"Okay, Mr. Young, you're looking to buy the used Cadillac CT5 Coupe, correct?" The sales representative asked as he slid into his seat and glanced at his monitor.
I gave a nod, and the man continued, "Alright, then the window price is 54,689. Now we have several financing options if you would just take a look here," The sales rep started to turn his screen around, but I held up my hand to stop him, "That's alright, I'm looking to pay in cash if you can knock that price tag down to 52,000."
I saw the man's eyes light up, and a grin stretched across his face from ear to ear, "That is more than agreeable, Mr. Young. Let me just double-check with my supervisor, and if everything clears, I'll be right back with the paperwork."
Twenty minutes later, I was pulling out of the dealership with my brand-new midnight-blue coupe with a broad smile on my face. "Damn, I forgot how good it feels to drive."
---
"What do you mean you can't find anything on him!" Preston stressed as he paced back and forth in his study, "Are you telling me that this guy is some sort of ghost? He runs a damn kitchen for fucks sake. Certainly, he had to do some sort of licensing with the town, to get an inspection or something!!"
"I'm sorry, Preston, but I can't help you with this one. I don't know how you got involved with this man, but my suggestion is to walk away and never speak of it again."
Preston froze at the very specific advice, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Avery? Why the fuck should I walk away from some damn chef?!"
Avery was silent for a long second before he responded, "If you really want to know, I'll consider it the favor I owe you."
Preston paused for a second before biting the bullet, "Fuck it, just tell me what you know."
"When I sent one of my agents to pull up the records of one Ramon Young, their clearance was denied. I then tried it myself after, and wouldn't you know it, I was denied access as well. I sent in a report, wondering if it was just a clerical error. I was then told to forget about ever hearing that name." Avery replied in a grave voice.
"How is that possible?! I can count the people who outrank you on one hand, and one of those is for the fucking President!"
"Now you understand why I said to walk away." Then, without another word, Avery hung up, leaving Preston more confused and scared than ever, 'Just what the hell is going on?!'
--[Ramon]--
Pulling up in front of the restaurant, I grinned when I saw the newly installed windows, thick panes of glass that would take a couple of rounds from a very determined shooter with some very serious armaments to break through.
But instead of getting out of the car, I lay on the horn, creating a ruckus until I saw the blinds in the upstairs apartment move as Patty peered through the window, no doubt wondering who was making so much noise until she saw me sitting there staring back up at her.
I watched as she turned and yelled, no doubt calling for Megan, and sure enough, a second later, Megan was pressed up to the window as well, and I watched her squeal before they both ran from the window.
Less than a minute later, both of them came running out of the alley with wide eyes full of excitement. Getting out of the car, I laughed at their bewilderment, "Not bad, right?"
"Not bad, it's a fucking Cadillac!" Megan swore as she looked back and forth between me and the car, "Is this where you went after getting the Penthouse?!"
"Well, now that we're all going to be commuting to work, we needed so type of transportation, oh, and speaking of," I reached into my pocket and pulled two black metal cards, "You're going to need these to get into our new place."
"Are you sure I need one of these? I'm not moving in just yet, I still need to break the news to my parents and pack up all my clothes and stuff," Patty stressed as she stared at the card in her hand like it was worth its weight in gold.
"I am absolutely sure, Patty, even if you aren't living their it's still your place," I reached out and rubbed the top of her head, which seemed to calm her down surprisingly well as a faint blush and a pleasant smile spread across her face.
"Yeah, and besides, you'll have to come over at some point for a booty call. I know you like to act all innocent and chaste, but you're just as hungry as I am," Megan teased with a grin, making Patty look away guiltily.
I was about to respond when my phone started ringing, and when I looked at the number, I grinned, "Excuse me, girls, I need to take this. How about you go inside and start packing things up so we can move out." '
"Say less!" Megan cheered as she grabbed Patty's wrists and pulled her back towards the apartment, while I took out my phone and answered the call, "Have you come to a decision?"
There was silence on the other side for a long second before I heard Preston respond with clenched teeth, "My wife and I…have come to an agreement."
"Excellent, have her on the curb in thirty minutes. I'll be there to pick her up." I replied with a mocking smirk before hanging up the phone, 'Good, he gave up his wife just like I thought he would…now just a couple more steps and then Preston Northwest will be nothing more than a cautionary tale.'
Seeing my victory on the horizon, I temporarily put aside my thoughts of revenge as I pulled up the system and moved over to the property management section. 'Now that I have the penthouse and Tiana on staff, I should be able to go ahead and do this.'
[Upgrade Requirements Met]
[Confirm Upgrade of Ramon's Grill to Tier II for $35,000 Y/N]
[Warning once; upgrade is confirmed. Please vacate the property within twenty-four hours. Additionally, the property will be unavailable for forty eight hours once the upgrade process begins.]
'Well, no wonder it required me to have another place to live in before upgrading.'
I clicked yes and watched the money in my account dwindle further, but I was confident I would make it back in no time at all once the upgrade was finished.
--[Priscilla Northwest]--
I could barely keep myself from vibrating with rage, standing on the curb like some prostitute waiting to get picked up and get into a car with some random man.
'Fuck you, Preston, and your damn gambling debt! Was betting the yacht last time not enough of a thrill for you!?' I had half a mind to turn around, march back up the driveway, and lock myself away, whatever consequences be damned.
But before I could work up the courage, a car came around the corner, making me freeze and pray that it wasn't the man coming to pick me up like damaged goods. I was sorely disappointed, however, when the car came to a stop right next to me and shifted into park.
However, after getting over my dread and giving the vehicle a once-over, I was a bit confused, 'This car can't cost more than a $100,000, just what low life did Preston end up selling me off to?'
Somehow, that fact stung worse than when Preston had originally told me of his mistake, but before I could become any more indignant, the car door opened, and the driver stepped out, "Ah, you must be the lovely Mrs. Northwest."
I froze and stared at the man walking towards me with a brilliant smile on his face, revealing a perfect set of teeth, "T-that's me."
I hated the way my voice sounded like some love-struck girl, but I couldn't help it as my eyes roamed over the man's muscular body, his curly black hair and captivating dark blue eyes.
"My name is Ramon, and I have the pleasure of being in your company tonight," Ramon said charmingly as he moved around to open the passenger door.
Shaking my head, I ripped off the rose-tinted glass and remembered why I had ended up in this situation to begin with, "Don't bother with the charade, no matter how charming you act, you're no better than my husband! How many times have you made a bet so you could sleep with someones wife?!"
Ramon paused for a moment as he looked at me, "A bet? Is that what your husband told you happened?"
Now it was my turn to hesitate as a curious look appeared in Ramon's eye, "Why, was that not the truth?"
Ramon grinned and gestured to the seat in his car, "I think we should take this conversation somewhere a little more private, don't you think?"