The build-up

After all the joking was done and everyone had returned to their seats, the conversation turned back to the matter of Olivia and her backer. "So, now that we have all gathered here and Olivia has returned from where she came, let us discuss what to do next." Since this had been the main reason for them to gather here, everyone quickly agreed with Noah. "I'm not sure what we can do. I feel like we know too little to take any action yet."

Steve was the first to respond to Laila's words and said, "Yes. I think you are right. If we act too soon, we might ruin whatever chance we have to get rid of the threat she poses without any damage to ourselves. If that happens, all our efforts until now will have been in vain. I have been able to discover who her backer is with a 95% accuracy but a 100% I am not. For that they have been far too careful even though they should have no idea we were suspecting any foul play at all. My suggestion is that for now we focus on gathering as much information as possible. The more we know of their plan, the better we can counteract it and form our own."

Maria was surprised by Steve's words and said, "My, my. Who knew you could actually say something sensible. You can be smart when you want to be. I agree that for now it is wiser to watch a bit longer and see how the situation develops. The more we know, the better that we can prepare ourselves. What is there to know for us regarding her backer? Or at least the most likely candidate for the role."

Steve lifted his nose in the air to show that he was proud of receiving Maria's praise and quickly followed it up with a laugh and a smile in his eyes aimed directly at her. For just a split second, both Noah and Laila noticed that Steve's sudden laughter and the look in his eyes had caused her to blush, before quickly turned back to normal. If they didn't already know that she liked Steve but was too shy and awkward to admit it, they too would have probably missed it or dismissed it as an illusion. But now that they knew, there was no way for it to slip their attention. However, despite looking directly at her, Steve seemed to have missed Maria's moment of fluster.

Laila whisperingly blamed it on him already wearing too thick of a pink glasses for Maria to be able to notice her turning pink, whereas Noah simply blamed it on Steve being dense. Either way, Steve would not be able to recover that moment. Fortunately for all those present and involved, this was only the start where Steve was concerned. Though no one knew it yet, he planned on creating many more moments for Maria to feel flustered by. So, missing one or two wouldn't hurt him in the slightest. In his eyes, this was just the first one of the afternoon but certainly not the last one. Let alone the last of the day.

As Laila and Noah were busy whispering, Steve was busily explaining what he knew about Olivia's backer. He was telling her how the man was someone that they had crossed paths with early on. "He had already owned a business in town and it was doing very well. Sadly the company was just in possession of much power but poor management. This caused them to lose much territory to us at the beginning and he never managed to recover from it. Somehow he blames us for that, most of which he directs at Noah. So, although we have not earned his grudges, we do have them and therefore we have to deal with them as best we can."

Noah got a bit tired of the build-up, especially since he already knew the identity of the backer, and said, "Enough with the stalling. Even a secret agent wouldn't be able to keep the name hidden for as long as you have during this one conversation. Just tell them the name already."

Steve responded with a ditzy chuckle as he said, "Oh right. I forgot I didn't mention his name yet. Sorry about that. Let me get rid of that mystery for you now. The man in question is called Harold Richardson. He is someone famous in many parts of the country and though he is weakened here now, he won't be for long if we aren't careful ourselves."

Maria responded in shock and repeated Steve's words. "Harold Richardson?! You mean THE Harold Richardson??" Laila was in shock too and looked in silence as Steve nodded his head to confirm. While Laila was trying to process what had been said in silence, Maria continued to speak. "Wow. Leave it to that plastic witch to get a backer like that. Unbelievable. If I wasn't concerned before, I certainly am now. Even though I don't come from around here, I have heard enough stories about him from people who do or have, to know that he is bad news. Even in our town he has slowly been gaining power over the last few years. If we are dealing with someone like him, we can never be too prepared. So, let's focus on gathering more information for at least the next week and plan our next actions accordingly. Meanwhile we should think of ways to get said information because it won't just come to us if we sit and wait."