A week later.(Monday).
Felix and his team rose earlier than their typical routine, commencing their preparations for the meeting that was scheduled for the afternoon.
In order to be perceived as sincere, Felix and his team had to arrive at the presidential palace at least an hour prior to the scheduled meeting time. This, coupled with the fact that the palace was quite a distance away from their hotel, meant that they had to leave early.
“Since everyone is present, let’s proceed,” Felix announced upon sighting the final person who would be accompanying them.
Subsequently, they departed from the hotel to where the car was waiting to transport them to the palace.
Throughout the journey, they rehearsed their bullet points for the 457th time, striving to ensure that nothing went even slightly amiss.
After a three-hour car ride, they finally arrived at the gate of the presidential palace, where they were stopped.
Their cars came to a halt as heavily armed guards approached.
After the stop, the armed guards commenced a search of the car. The team was then instructed to open the boot, and a dog was brought in to conduct a scent inspection.
The security measures were exceedingly meticulous; the team was subjected to a bomb search and their phones and other electronic devices were confiscated.
Upon completion of the search, they were eventually granted permission to pass through the gate. However, their driver was replaced with a guard who would take them from that point onwards.
They were guided through a labyrinth of corridors and grandiose rooms until they finally arrived at the dictator’s private chambers.
The dictator, Adolf was seated at his desk, accompanied by his advisors. As Felix and his team entered the heavily decorated room, he looked up and gazed at them, attempting to act as if he didn’t remember them.
Nonetheless, Felix strode forward confidently, his four team members standing steadfastly behind him like a sturdy wall of muscle and fortitude.
When Felix noticed the dictator struggling to recall where he had placed them, he realized that the leader was purposely trying to assert dominance over them. If the dictator truly had forgotten about their scheduled meeting, they would not have been granted permission to enter the palace.
He was certain that the dictator had conducted a thorough background check on them prior to the arranged meeting.
Nevertheless, Felix proceeded to play along with the dictator’s facade and introduced himself and his associates, explaining where they had initially made contact with the leader and how they had arranged the meeting.
“Aha, so you’re the individual who has been attempting to arrange a meeting with me since the commencement of the party,” exclaimed Adolf, elevating his tone to give the impression that he had just realized who they were.
“Yes, Your Excellency,” Felix replied confidently, bowing slightly. “We are honored and grateful for the opportunity to meet with you today. Thank you for taking the time to see us,” he added with a forced smile, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the dictator’s poor acting skills.
He wondered silently to himself whether the dictator’s assistants were hesitant to inform him about his subpar acting abilities.
“Very well, let’s get to the matter at hand. I have several other crucial meetings to attend to,” declared the dictator, underscoring the significance of his time and conveying his disinterest in the current meeting.
“Certainly. Your Excellency, before we commence, please allow us to express our gratitude for your agreement to meet with us,” spoke Felix in a respectful tone, gesturing towards one of his team members to hand over the briefcase.
The briefcase was the sole item they were permitted to bring into the office, having undergone a search to confirm that no hazardous materials were present.
Upon noticing the briefcase, Adolf motioned to one of his aides with a nod, indicating for them to retrieve the briefcase and reveal its contents.
The aide obeyed and retrieved the briefcase from Felix’s hand, placing it on the table before opening it while ensuring it was facing towards the dictator.
“Mmmmm…” Adolf exhaled heavily as he laid eyes on the freedom units filling the briefcase.
Despite being taken aback by the substantial amount of money before him, Adolf attempted to maintain his composure and act unaffected by the sight of the funds.
“Proceed,” he instructed, struggling to divert his gaze from the briefcase.
“Of course. We require your assistance and approval for a matter,” stated Felix, conveying a sense of dependence on the dictator’s help as if nothing could proceed without it.
“Very well, let me explain,” responded Felix, sensing that the dictator’s ego had been inflated. The dictator raised his hand, gesturing for Felix to proceed and state the purpose of the meeting.
“We are interested in purchasing the Telecommunication companies in Eden,” stated Felix succinctly.
“What benefits would I gain from assisting you with this endeavor?” questioned Adolf, seeking to understand what he stood to gain from the proposal.
“We are prepared to pay you fifty percent of the amount equivalent to that in the briefcase each time we successfully acquire a company,” reiterated Felix, emphasizing the generous financial compensation that would accompany the dictator’s assistance.
“Sure, that sounds good, but why should I allow you to buy them?” Adolf asked, feigning indifference to the amount of money he would be gaining, and trying to extract even more from them.
“After we buy and merge the companies, we plan to upgrade them with the latest technologies. This will allow us to increase prices, resulting in a larger income for us and a larger tax revenue for you,” Felix explained, emphasizing the benefits for both parties.
Adolf still tried to appear unimpressed by their proposal. When Felix noticed this, he decided to give the dictator another reason to consider their offer.
“Consolidating the telecommunications companies under our ownership would result in all data coming in and out of the country passing through our network. This would give us the ability to monitor and analyze what your citizens are thinking, which would allow you to better manage and govern the country,” Felix explained.
When he heard the last point, he immediately opened his mouth to agree to their offer as it had everything he needed – money, control, and more – without having to spend any of the country’s money, which he considered his. They were even paying him. But just as he was about to express his agreement, he was interrupted by one of his aides.
“What is it?” he asked, seeming quite annoyed by the interruption.
The aid moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, reporting what he needed to say.
When Adolf heard what his aid was saying, his eyes lit up with excitement at the beauty of the idea.
“I agree to your proposal,” Adolf, the dictator, finally said, much to Felix’s relief. However, his relief was short-lived as the dictator continued with a condition, “But I have one condition. I will receive fifty percent of the profits from the merged company. Is that agreeable to you?”
Felix found himself at a loss for words and could only manage to utter, “Your Excellency.”
When Adolf saw the expression on Felix’s face, he decided to further elaborate, “I will be receiving half of your profits, and in return, I will be providing you with protection from any problems that may arise during your stay. Do you now see the need for me to receive half of my share?”
Felix quickly regained his composure after being taken aback by Adolf’s greed. He replied, “Before we can agree to that, we need to consult with our company’s leadership to see if they can agree to the last condition.” He was trying to stall for time so that he and his team could report the latest condition to Aron.
Adolf nodded and got up from his chair, speaking in a stern tone. “Very well,” he said. “Make sure you give me your decision by the end of the week or I will consider the deal to be canceled.”
Felix smiled in response and replied, “We will get back to you within the week with our decision, Your Excellency.”
Following that, they were escorted out of the presidential palace by the same security guards who had accompanied them upon their arrival.
After reaching the entrance gate, they were picked up by their car with the security member as the driver. They were then given back their electronic devices and other belongings that had been collected from them earlier.
After that, the security driver returned their car to their regular driver. They then left the palace vicinity and headed back to the hotel to rest and report back to Aron about the dictator’s last condition.
……
In the office of the dictator.
“Did my last condition seem excessive?” Adolf asked the aide who had given him the idea.
The aid responded without revealing that it was his idea, as Adolf liked to see himself as a wise man. “No, Your Excellency, your demand was quite reasonable given the protection you will provide them. It is their failure to realize your generosity for not asking for more of what you deserve. I hope they come to understand it soon,” he flattered him, knowing that he enjoyed being praised.
“Yeah, they are the ones who don’t know,” Adolf replied to his aid while stroking the dollars in the still open briefcase and salivating at them.