Meeting with the Devils

"Good morning, Mr.~,"

"Oh, just call me Mevious, sir!" Mevious greeted. He was in a VIP room at a fancy restaurant in France. With a new lead after talking to Hanz, he decided to fly to France with Ana.

"Call me Fabrizi," the old man said. Though was smiling, he had a glint of darkness in his eyes that made him appear mysterious. "So, let's get straight to the point. I don't have much time. I hope you understand, Mr. Mevious," he said.

Mevious nodded and took a folder of documents from his briefcase. "Here's the business deal, sir," he said as he handed him.

Mr. Fabrizi went through the documents, flipping the papers over and over while Mevious nervously waited for his answer. He adjusted his spectacles then went through it again. "So, you're into diamond mining, eh?"

"Yes, sir. Currently, we have mines across the country and overseas as well such as in Australia, and some countries in Africa. Having you as our conglomerate would be a huge boost in our company for sure. But of course, you won't go empty-handed. Your jewelry company will have an all-year supply of the finest diamonds. So, what do you say?" Mevious explained.

Mr. Fabrizi stared at the document then stared at Mevious who was looking at him intently. "Can you give me more time to think about it?"

"I don't think you have another option, Mr. Fabrizi," Mevious frankly said. "You see, I already went through your financial statement and guess what I found."

Mr. Fabrizi was clearly taken aback but he regained his composure fast. Then he stared at Mevious and asked, "Who are you?"

"Someone giving you a fresh start," Mevious replied. After a long moment of relenting, Mr. Fabrizi sealed the deal. Mevious left the restaurant with a winning smile plastered on his face.

"One down," he thought triumphantly. "Two more!"

That afternoon, Mevious met with a man he had been interested in. A business mogul called "The Bulldog." Like a bulldog, this man bit his opponents and never let go unless he had inflicted a fatal blow. Mevious was aware of his cunning way of business negotiation, so he came prepared with a sweet proposal the "Bulldog" would never refuse.

"Good afternoon, sir. It's an honor to finally meet you," Mevious greeted as he shook the Bulldog's hand. This man was intimidating, by the way he spoke, he acted. He exuded a threatening authority and Mevious could feel it. He is the man they describe him to be. He simply took a deep breath as he took his seat in front of the Bulldog.

"So, tell me. Why do I have to waste my time on you?" the Bulldog asked with as stern face and a deep, scratchy voice.

Mevious loosened his neck tie before giving him the documents. "I would guarantee you that this won't be a waste of your precious time, sir," he started. "My company supplies diamond to companies around the globe, but we have a newly discovered diamond that is so rare. Bigger than the "Star of Africa I" and rare than the red and pink diamonds," Mevious explained, catching the Bulldog's attention. The man was a sucker for rare gems that he had about two thousand unique and exquisite gems in possession, more than all the royal families combined. And Mevious knew about it.

"Hmm...," he groaned, seemingly unconvinced. Mevious took a photo from his suit case and placed it on the table for the Bulldog to see. The man's eyes widened as soon as he laid his eyes on the photo. Mevious smirked quietly as he observed his predicted reaction. "Is this true?"

"I have a raw video at the mining site when we first extracted it from the mother nature's belly," Mevious assured. The Bulldog couldn't contain his excitement. Greed was all over his face and was itching to touch the rare gem.

"So, how much is it?" he asked without taking his eyes off the photo.

"That's for free," Mevious replied. The Bulldog nearly fell from his seat if not the arms of the chair that kept his balance.

Mevious looked at the man as he juggled his thoughts. "That is bullshit! How can you just give me the most precious stone on earth? Now, I wonder whether this is a hoax," the Bulldog commented. His voice was threatening, even clentching his fists.

"Wow! You're really clever, sir. You're right, I can't just give away that rare gem without something in return," Mevious said then he cleared his throat. "I want your protection," he added. The Bulldog remained quiet for a moment, just staring at the photo, contemplating.

After a long eerie silence, the Bulldog spoke. "Alright, tell me the details."

Mevious smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Our experts did a survey. They studied the area and found a bed of those diamonds at least five square kilometers wide. The only problem is that... it's in a restricted zone. The government has constant patrol, scouring the area and they were ordered to kill anyone tresspasing," he explained. "We went underground, literally trespassed underground. But, with the immense number treasures beneath the earth, I'm not taking any chances. So, I need your help, you are the president's brother after all."

"So... this is the reason what Mongali has been hiding all along. What a greedy bastard!" the Bulldog groaned. He looked even more intimidating with his nerves pulsating in anger, his fists were clenched, and his face turned scarlet. "How dare he! After taking my dream becoming the president, he's taking these diamonds all to himself? That bastard!"

He turned to Mevious with his eyes filled with rage. "Tell me what you need. You have my support. It's time for me to stand up against my greedy brother," he roared. Mevious simply nodded and smiled.

"Thank you. I promise that you will have a generous share. Anyway, the Bulldog's heart will be shipped first thing tomorrow. I hope you already arranged a private plane to collect it," Mevious told the man, who was looking so pleased that Mevious dubbed the gem his stone. They exchanged a tacit agreement. Mevious bade goodbye and went straight to his decoy hotel.

He was well aware that someone was spying on him and he was right. From his window, he saw a man following his path. He saw him looking up the hotel then called someone on the phone. Mevious laughed.

"Do you really think that you will get me this time? Never!" he screamed before facing the mirror with a maniac smile on his face.