Chapter 72: A talk with Alexander
Ting!!!!
Alexander was jolted out of his deep thoughts by the sound of the elevator indicating that he had reached his destination.
The fact that he reached his destination earlier than expected, without the elevator making any stops, caught him off guard. This was particularly unusual given the size of the resort he was in.
What he didn't know was that one of the advantages of staying in a presidential suite is the privilege of using a special card key that grants exclusive access to the elevator leading to the suite.
If you happen to be the only occupant of the elevator, it will not make any stops on other floors, even if someone else has called it, until it reaches the designated presidential suite.
Once he regained his composure, he adjusted his suit and checked that his gun was still in place at his waist. He then took a step forward and exited the elevator, walking straight into the presidential suite.
"Welcome," a voice echoed through the expansive suite welcoming him.
As Alexander looked towards the direction of the voice, he saw a tall and attractive man walking towards him with his hand outstretched for a handshake.
Alexander reciprocated the handshake while simultaneously scanning the suite for any other occupants.
The man noticed his apprehension and quickly reassured him, "You don't have to be afraid, I'm the only one here."
Upon realizing that his apprehension was noticed, Alexander attempted to conceal his true intentions by saying, "Oh, I apologize for the misunderstanding. I was just admiring the beauty of the suite as it is my first time being inside one."
Alexander attempted to steer the conversation away from his previous actions and also inquire about the man's identity by saying, "By the way, I'm Alexander. And you are?"
Realizing that he had neglected to introduce himself, the man replied apologetically, "Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Aron, Aron Michael." He then proceeded to formally introduce himself.
....
Aron was quite nervous to meet Alexander, but thankfully he managed to calm himself down and act confident in front of him.
He met Alexander and shook his hand with ease, seemingly unconcerned despite the knowledge that Alexander was carrying a loaded gun.
"Shall we have a seat before we begin our conversation? This may take a while. I hope you have no other commitments for today?" Aron suggested, despite being aware that Alexander was on a break and had no scheduled meetings.
Aron's intention behind this act was to reassure Alexander that he did not know everything about him, as he understood how unsettling that knowledge could be for someone.
"Of course," Alexander agreed to Aron's suggestion, and the two began walking towards the luxurious and comfortable looking couches.
"Would you like something to drink?" Aron asked as they settled into their seats.
"No, thank you. Can we proceed directly to the topic?" Alexander replied, indicating a desire to get down to business as he was still nervous about this entire ordeal.
"Alright then," Aron replied, and he promptly began discussing the topic at hand.
"There isn't much that's new or different from what we included in our offer to help.
The purpose of this meeting is solely for me to have a face-to-face conversation with you before I decide to commit to our agreement," Aron explained without beating around the bush.
"Before you decide?" Alexander repeated, emphasizing the word "you."
He was wondering whether Aron was the one who would be providing the help or if he was merely a representative of the actual helper.
"Yes, me," Aron confirmed. "Although I may not look like it, I'm a billionaire."
When Aron finished explaining and saw the dumbfounded expression on Alexander's face, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"I know it's hard to believe that I'm a billionaire at such a young age, but it's true," Aron said, noticing the disbelief on Alexander's face.
"Excuse me for asking this, But how old are you?" Alexander inquired about Aron's age, curious about how young he could possibly be
"23" Aron replied confidently.
Upon hearing Aron's age, Alexander decided to move past the topic and focus on their agreement, as the age of the person did not matter to him as long as they were able to provide the necessary help.
"But why would you want to help us?" Alexander asked, still trying to understand Aron's motive behind offering to help.
"To be completely honest, I am not helping you out of pure compassion or any sentimental attachment. Instead, I am assisting you because your success in reaching your goals and fulfilling your promises will enable me to achieve something that my country has unjustly deprived me of."
"What is the essential thing that has been unjustly taken away from you, to the extent that you have opted to assist a rebel group in order to reclaim it?"
Aron replied curtly, "Ownership and control," without providing further details. However, a tinge of anger could be detected in his tone.
As Alexander detected a hint of anger in Aron's response, he realized that asking for more information might not yield any fruitful results. Hence, he made a conscious decision to steer the conversation back to the main topic at hand.
"Could you please clarify how you intend to aid us in accomplishing our goal?"
"A great question, indeed.
My contribution will comprise both financial support and infrastructural support . Although the former might seem somewhat helpful, the latter is actually more significant," Aron explained.
He felt compelled to elaborate further as he noticed a surprised expression on Alexander's face upon hearing that Aron would be providing them with infrastructural support.
"Could you please elaborate on that?" Alexander inquired, eager to understand why Aron considered the infrastructural support aspect of his assistance more valuable than the monetary one.
"It would be more beneficial if you were to read and comprehend it yourself, rather than me explaining it to you," Aron responded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He began to fiddle with it, pretending to search for something to show Alexander. In reality, he was waiting for Nova to send Alexander the document containing the summary with the details on how his infrastructural support will be helpful to them.
tingiding!!!
Alexander's phone beeped, prompting a reaction from him. Aron noticed this and said, "Feel free to take a look. It's from me."
Upon hearing Aron claim that he had sent him something, Alexander hastily retrieved his phone from his jacket to see what Aron had sent him.
When Alexander unlocked his phone, he discovered that Aron had indeed sent him a file. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the file was quite lengthy.
"You can go ahead and read it now. We have enough time" Aron said.
Alexander didn't require any further prompting as he had already begun reading the document as soon as he opened it.
As Alexander began to peruse the document, the only words that escaped his mouth were, "Holy shit."
The phrase "Holy shit" continued to emanate from Alexander's lips as he delved deeper into the document.
After half an hour of intense reading, Alexander finally finished perusing the file. Excitement was evident in his voice as he eagerly inquired, "Is this plan for real?" His tone resembled that of a child who was eagerly awaiting confirmation from his father regarding the purchase of a new game console.
"Yes, the plan is real and will be implemented, provided that you still agree to our conditions by the end of this meeting," Aron confirmed.
With that being said, the conversation continued with a positive and uplifting vibe, as Alexander began to believe that this was not a trap.
The summary of the plan had given him newfound hope and optimism, which was reflected in his demeanor as they continued their discussion.
.......
[He left, Sir.] Nova's voice came from the phone the moment she saw Alexander get into the elevator and it started to descend.
"What is your evaluation of him?" He asked as he deactivated the shield rune that had been active and surrounding him throughout the meeting.
Yes, Aron didn't completely trust Alexander. After all, he had just met him for the first time and he knew that he had a loaded gun with him. Knowing the pain of being shot first-hand, he didn't want to take any risks.
[I was able to discern from the conversation that he truly desires the revolution to occur in order to liberate his fellow citizens from their dreadful living conditions]
"You seem to have taken a liking to him" he remarked with a smile on his face, observing the way she had spoken about Alexander.
[Since we're going ahead with the plan regardless, it's better to work with those who truly care about their country. It'll be killing two birds with one stone.] Nova explains why he seemed to have taken a liking to Alexander.
'And It will also lessen the guilt that you will feel once you see the bloodshed and pain resulting from your action or the action of those you helped' Nova added but she didn't voice it loudly for Aron to hear, it all remained within her Quantum RAM (QRAM) .
She knew Aron how would feel because she had access to his brain data which she had downloaded from the virtual headgear with his permission.
From her understanding of Aron's personality, gained through analyzing his brain, she knew that he would feel guilty when he sees the bloodshed that resulted from his support.
Alexander's genuine concern for his country and its people could be the key to helping Aron overcome his guilt after seeing the positive changes that resulted from his help, which was a welcoming thing for Nova who cared about her master more than anything.
.......
Alexander returned to his room late at night, exhausted from the long conversation he had with Aron.
Despite his fatigue, his face shone brightly, indicating that the conversation had gone well.
He collapsed onto his bed, feeling like a log, and struggled to keep himself awake. His eyes grew heavier and heavier until he could no longer resist and fell asleep in his suit.