As Sanemi stepped outside, the garden stretched before him. A small gazebo sat at its center, its wooden frame draped with vibrant flowers of different hues. Further back, a tall apple tree stood proudly, its branches heavy with fruit.
Sanemi followed the cobblestone path until he reached the gazebo, stopping just short of the entrance. He offered a polite nod toward the man seated inside.
The mayor sat behind a square table, his white hair slicked neatly back. Despite his position, he wore nothing more than loose shorts, his upper body bare as he sipped from a steaming porcelain cup, tea, most likely.
"Good to see you again, Mr. Arthur," Sanemi greeted with a smooth smile as he slid into the seat across from him.
"Oh my, it's been some time, Sanemi boy," the mayor replied warmly, his voice rough with age. His sharp gaze, however, betrayed a cunning beneath the pleasantry. "Now, what brings you to my humble home dressed so… elegantly?"
Sanemi's smile didn't waver, but his thoughts sharpened. Damn old man, I can already feel your greed from here.
Clearing his throat lightly, he leaned forward.
"Right, Mr. Arthur, I don't know if you remember my request from last year… It was about investing in my 'merchant company.' Roughly three million berries, if you will."
He reached inside his suit and withdrew a neatly folded document.
"This," he said, sliding it forward, "is the finalized investment plan. All that's left is your signature."
With a flourish, he produced a pen from his pocket and placed it atop the contract, nudging both closer to the mayor.
Mr. Arthur gave him a long, thoughtful look before lowering his gaze to the pages. His eyes scanned over the bold header..
WAYNE GROUP INVESTMENT AGREEMENT
And below it, line after line of dense, incomprehensible jargon…
"Clause 12.4(b): The undersigned acknowledges the irrevocable nature of profit-divergent stipulations as delineated in Subsection 7, contingent upon shareholder quorum ratios (excluding non-majority silent partners, unless otherwise stipulated in Annex 9)."
"In the event of maritime loss (see Section 18: Acts of Sea Kings), the investor agrees to defer liability to the Wayne Group for all recovery, indemnity, and posthumous liquidation purposes."
"Note: By signing, the undersigned consents to the Wayne Group retaining full rights of unilateral expansion, branch autonomy, and any future restructuring as deemed 'necessary' by the Chairman (Article 1, i.e., Sanemi)."
The mayor blinked, his brows knitting together. "…Hmph. What in the world is this?"
Sanemi leaned back in his chair, smile sharp as ever.
"Just standard procedure, Mr. Arthur. Nothing you need to worry about. All you need is your signature at the bottom."
The mayor gave him an odd look before setting the contract back on the table untouched, stretching his neck.
"Is there a problem? Mr. Arthur," Sanemi muttered, hiding the veins beginning to pop at his temple.
Mr. Arthur laughed awkwardly as he avoided eye contact.
"You see… I might have spent quite a lot on acquiring a few more maids…" he coughed, offering his flimsy excuse.
Sanemi stared at him for a long moment before slowly clasping his hands together. This damn old man…
Seeing the twitching smile on Sanemi's face, the mayor quickly motioned for the maid from earlier to guide him out, pretending as though nothing was wrong.
Sanemi breathed out slowly, then retrieved the untouched contract and pen from the table. He straightened his suit with deliberate grace and walked off elegantly.
But the moment he left the garden, his composure cracked.
"Are you fucking kidding me? This bastard burned three million and perhaps more on slave maids?!" Sanemi's voice was sharp, his face dark as veins pulsed along his forehead.
Although his request from a year ago had never been a guarantee, all trust and remaining faith he had in the old man evaporated in that instant.
Truthfully, the mayor had always been a gamble, one Sanemi already suspected would fail when he noticed the flow of nobles through his villa in recent months.
"It's fine. A businessman must know when to take setbacks. It's fine… it's fine…" he muttered to himself, over and over, until his mask of calm finally returned.
By the time he left the property completely, his expression was once again polished, his steps elegant.
"I need to speak with Liora." He decided and made his way back to the tavern.
(A/N: 10 Berries is around 1 dollar, so the old man burned 300k on maids. 🙏🙏)
…
Wayne Group's Tavern…
On the second floor, the attic served as the Wayne Group's meeting room. A young woman with blonde hair sat at the wide oval table, her hands moving swiftly through a stack of papers.
Some detailed the company's accounting, income and expenses neatly tracked, while others summarized quarterly reports and projections. It was clear this woman oversaw finance.
She smiled faintly as she signed off on the last of the yearly statements and set them aside.
"He really does know how to squeeze a profit…" she thought, noting the final figure. A net gain of five million berries.
Click.
The door opened, and Sanemi stepped inside, shrugging off his suit jacket with a tired sigh. Liora chuckled the moment she saw his face, she didn't need to ask to know how things had gone.
"No deal?" she teased lightly.
"Don't even get me started," Sanemi muttered, dropping into the chair at the head of the table. "The old bastard blew it all on maids."
Liora burst into laughter, nearly doubling over. His expression, a mix of rage and helpless disbelief, wasn't one she often saw on the usually composed chairman.
"Anyways," Sanemi continued, waving off her laughter, "onto more important things. Plan D will go into effect. We don't have time to waste on B or C." His tone was decisive, but a flicker of regret lingered in his eyes as he looked at her.
Liora arched a brow, a little surprised by how quickly he'd cut through the alternatives, but she simply nodded. "If that's what you want."
"Huh? That quick? You don't mind going back there?" Sanemi asked, genuine confusion in his voice.
Instead of answering, Liora only smiled knowingly and gestured toward the corner of the room.
There, stacked neatly, were several heavy bags of gold.
Sanemi blinked, then grinned, leaning back in his chair with a small chuckle.
"Good. This saves us a lot of time. I owe you one, Liora."