Chapter 129 Gentle Voice
After receiving orders to bring Xavier over to their boss, the 3 armed men in suits all suppressed their hostile intent. Xavier could still tell they were on edge and was amused by their futile attempts at appearing welcoming. However, since their orders were absolute, and it seemed as though their boss had taken an interest in the masked and hooded figure, they treated him with basic manners.
Allowing him to remain masked and hooded, one of the armed men led Xavier into the back of the car and told him to get in. He then walked around to the other side to sit beside him. As for the other 2 armed men, they sat in the front of the car.
All 3 of them were clearly trained professionals and, despite underestimating Xavier and not seeing him as a threat in the slightest, they still remained vigilant. Keeping their weapons on hand, they were ready to put him down if needed. But to their surprise, the masked figure was so relaxed he even fell asleep in the back of the car, which they reported to their boss.
"He must be an idiot. But at least he can sleep..." was what she said to herself upon hearing that.
She continued to receive regular reports from her subordinates, but Xavier remained asleep throughout the entire car journey. That's not to say he dropped his guard. He just made the most of the opportunity to get some rest and it wasn't like staying awake would've done him any good.
Then, after what felt like quite a long car journey, but also flew by since he was asleep the whole time, they finally came to a halt. Xavier immediately woke up once they did. Looking around, he was surprised to find that they were in some sort of car park that was filled with similar-looking large cars, as well as every other luxury vehicle he could think of.
'It seems I underestimated how criminals can live,' he thought to himself as he was led out of the car and into a lift that took him all the way to the top floor of the unknown building he was in.
The 3 men leading him seemed to still be receiving instructions through their earpieces. Taking Xavier into what seemed to be some sort of dressing room, they told him to clean himself up and get changed into something more suitable.
"Is that a request or an order?" he asked.
They simply gave him a stern glare and Xavier sighed, before looking for something that might fit him. Then, entering the bathroom, he inspected every single part of it for anything that might resemble a camera. Once he was certain there wasn't, he took his mask off and quickly showered.
There was a thick odour of sweat emanating from his body after the intense cycle to the meeting point. His clothes also weren't the most presentable and were definitely over-worn. So it was understandable for them to want him to clean himself before meeting their boss.
And after he dried himself, he changed into a plain white shirt and black trousers. It was the same set of clothing that the armed men were in, but he left out the tie and blazer. Although it wasn't his style of clothing and he preferred to wear comfortable clothing that could be worn on any occasion, he didn't have much of a choice.
Xavier also couldn't deny that he looked fresh and handsome. The shirt was tight enough to highlight his surprisingly robust physique, without being obnoxiously tight. Meanwhile, his damp curly hair swayed with every movement and his piercing blue eyes were both mesmerising and intimidating.
Putting on the mask, Xavier wasn't really bothered about concealing his identity as much as he used to. If the 5 elite guards of the one-eyed demon had been able to find it so easily, the one that had managed to get past Zack's firewalls and security to find his location wouldn't struggle much, either.
But it gave him an aura of mystery that he liked, and in the event that things went wrong, it was better than nothing in his current situation.
-
Satisfied with Xavier's appearance after getting cleaned up and changed, he appeared to be an entirely different person. For some reason, the armed guards struggled to look him in the eyes, and he also felt taller and larger. The change wasn't in the frame; it was more in presence, which was difficult to explain and understand.
There were only a few people that could make veterans that are experienced in combat, such as those armed guards, feel small and wary. Xavier became one of them. And, after informing their boss of that, she was even more interested in seeing him in person, which wasn't an opportunity that many had.
He was the first in a while that got the privilege of meeting their boss. At first, it was mostly because Zack's skills had impressed her and she was considering recruiting him. Then, it was Xavier's unusual arrival on a trashy bicycle with half a million dollars in a duffel bag. Her interest in him only increased when he figured out that she was female. He even had the guts to sleep despite being in a car with 3 unknown armed men. Yet, it seemed as though the more reports she received, the more intriguing and difficult to understand the masked individual was.
"I'll be able to confirm for myself if he really is worth forming a relationship with or not," she thought to herself while sitting before too many screens to count. Each had a different view of her building, and she continued to observe Xavier as he headed her way.
-
Looking around as he was led through the building, Xavier spotted all sorts of security devices, as well as other armed professionals. It led him to believe that whoever he was meeting was very cautious, despite sounding immature. And, the fact that they spoke so freely and informally prompted him to gather that whoever he was meeting was arrogant and very confident in their skills and what they had built.
Confidence was useful, but when it surpassed a certain threshold, it became delusion and recklessness.
Xavier sometimes went overboard, likely due to something similar, along with the fact that he could sometimes allow his emotions to get the better of him. That was why he could tell such a thing about her, despite the limited information he had. So, if she truly was similar to him in that way, then as long as he remained calm and aware of everything that happened around him, he should be able to catch her out and prove himself.
Either way, he wasn't out to make any enemies, and what better way to make that clear than to have a chat in person? The only issue was, the chances of him being able to speak to her alone were very low.
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Surprised by how spacious the floor was and remembering there being over a dozen floors, Xavier knew that there weren't many buildings that were this large. Therefore, it wouldn't be too difficult to find it once he left. That also confirmed to him that if he was unable to prove that he was a valuable partner enough to be left alive, he'd certainly struggle to get away in one piece.
'Just how I like it. Handling things with everything on the line but also so much to gain,' he thought to himself while remaining calm.
'It's time.'
His escorts finally stopped, and they reached their destination. It had taken them a while to navigate around the floor, and it was like a fortress. Even more secure than the Wild Dog Fight Club. But that merely emphasised to Xavier that it was all or nothing.
And after standing in front of a large door at the end of a large corridor filled with dozens of armed guards, someone finally called out to them.
"Let him in," a gentle voice on the other side of the door instructed, and once she did, the escorts opened the door and signalled for Xavier to head inside.