Chapter 68: The meeting II
Xavier looked at him.
That’s it, he thought. No case files. No consultation. No analyst work. He held Vincent’s gaze. He just wants to be positioned next to whatever I’m building. Close enough to benefit when the scale changes.
Smart, he thought. Very smart.
"Partnership," Xavier said. "On what terms."
"Loose ones," Vincent said. "For now."
Xavier nodded once.
Loose terms, he thought. From a man who has been watching for three months and still can’t explain what he’s seeing.
Fine, he thought. Loose terms work both ways.wouldn’t cost me shit I guess.
"Agreed," he said.
"In exchange for what," Xavier said.
Vincent almost smiled. "Direct," he said. "Good." He leaned forward slightly. "In exchange for access to my network. The firms we work with. The cases we handle. The rooms we operate in." He paused. "You’re building something Xavier. I don’t know what it is or how you’re doing it. But you’re going to outgrow what Kenvale can offer you faster than you think. When that happens you’ll need infrastructure. Connections. Cover." He held Xavier’s gaze. "I can provide all three."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Xavier looked at Vincent Hale across the clean desk.
He’s right, Xavier thought. On all counts. The network, the infrastructure, the cover. All of it becomes necessary at a certain scale. He thought about the USB drive and the document he’d spent two days reading. And he’s offering it without asking me to explain the source.
He doesn’t need to know the source, Xavier thought. He just needs the result.
Then his phone chimed quietly in his jacket pocket.
He didn’t take it out.
Not now, he thought. Later.
"I’ll consult," Xavier said. "On specific cases. Nothing ongoing, nothing that requires me to disclose my methods." He held Vincent’s gaze. "And the access to your network is reciprocal. Anything your firm learns about my financial activity stays inside this room."
Vincent looked at him for a moment.
"Agreed," he said.
They shook hands across the clean desk.
Selena was in the corridor when Xavier came out.
Not waiting. working, tablet in hand, reading something with the focused attention of someone who didn’t waste time between tasks. She looked up when the door opened.
Their eyes met for exactly two seconds.
"I’ll show you out," she said.
They walked the corridor back to the lift in silence. Not uncomfortable silence. Just two people who didn’t have enough information about each other yet to fill it with anything worth saying.
At the lift she pressed the button and stepped back.
"Selena," Xavier said.
She looked at him.
"How long have you been with Hale & Associates," he said.
She studied him briefly. "Two years," she said. "Why..."
"Just getting a picture," he said.
The lift arrived. He stepped in.
She looked at him through the closing doors with the expression of someone who had just been assessed and was deciding how she felt about it.
The doors closed.
Xavier checked his phone in the lift.
[DING]
[ REBATE SYSTEM — MAIN QUEST ]
The Ascent
Objective: Accumulate $3,000,000 worth of investments
Reward: Special Package 2 — Contents Unknown
[ Hint: The previous special package changed the trajectory of everything that followed ]
[ Current Investment Portfolio: $0 / $3,000,000 ]
He checked his phone in the lift.
The system dropped the quest notification, he thought. Again. He looked at it. Pretty sure it already dropped this at home . He scrolled up. Yep. Same notification. Same numbers. Same hint. He locked his phone. Either the system is high on something or it really wants to make sure I don’t forget about the $3,000,000.
He pocketed his phone and looked at the lobby doors as the lift reached the ground floor.
I heard you the first time, he thought. Relax.
He almost smiled.
The lift reached the lobby. He walked out into the afternoon.
Vincent Hale, he thought. Partnership. Loose terms. Future reasons known to him. He leaned back, stretching his body. A man who couldn’t explain what he was seeing and instead of walking away he walked toward it.
Smart move, he thought. On his part.
On mine too.
Not a bad trade, he thought.
What have I actually learned from this, he thought. Vincent took initiative. Reached out. Positioned himself next to something he couldn’t explain but recognised had value. He tapped his finger on his knee slowly. There will be others like him who won’t take that initiative. Who’ll sit back and watch and wait until it’s too late to get close. He looked at his balance on his phone. Which means I can’t afford to look like I’m operating on luck. I need proof of cash flow. Legitimate, traceable, explainable cash flow that makes sense to someone looking from the outside.
Spend wisely, he thought. Build the visible picture alongside the invisible one. Vincent sees the results without the source. That works for now. But as the numbers grow more people will look. He pocketed his phone. And the ones who look need to see something that makes sense.
Proof of cash flow, he noted. Add that to the list.
He ordered a premium Uber and got in.
[ REBATE SYSTEM ]
Transaction Detected: $26 spent on Premium Uber
Base Multiplier (Tier 2): 2x
Total Return: $52
[ Net Balance: $673,460.00 → $673,486.00 ]
He leaned back against the seat and looked at the city moving past the window.
Selene Adler, he thought. 2% favorability. Two years at Hale & Associates. Sharp. Composed. Completely unbothered by an eighteen year old walking into her building.
He paused.
And those big racks hiding behind those blazers me... He stopped that thought before it finished itself. Okay. Focus.
In this life she’s older than me, he thought. In my previous life that gap wouldn’t have meant anything. He looked at the city moving past the window. Starting from 2%. That’s fine.
But mehn, he thought. The world really does have things worth seeing when you stop tunnel visioning on one person.
He almost smiled and put his phone away.
One thing at a time, he thought.