A week later and I was confident in my ability to feign knowledge in other dimensions, and, according to Lilith, I made for the perfect asshole. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to interpret that. Aside from drowning myself in books and internet articles the past week, I was also having lunches and other equally boring meetings with the important folks of the city. Alexei insisted that I at least acquaint myself with their society before I went to the little social gathering, and as much as I tried to explain to him how much of a horrible experience that would be for me, he forced me to go anyway.

There was still a few hours before the party started, but I was already dressed in the finely tailored tuxedo that was prepared for me earlier. I had a few things to take care of before getting to the party, and I given the fact that it had taken a good half hour to get dressed, I was just going to live with doing the last few chores in the horribly uncomfortable formal clothing. With the gorgeous Lilith at my side, we left Alexei's mansion, and drove off – in my new customized Bentley – to the bank. I needed to have some cash on hand to show off to my new friends.

I went to the teller and withdrew the maximum amount that I could, and stuffed the wads of bills into my jacket pocket. Afterwards, I went to pick up the old bottle of wine that I auctioned for earlier. The bottle of French wine costs more than my old car did, and when it was safely in my hands, I did one final check of everything that I needed, and drove off to the party local.

Half an hour later, Lilith and I arrived at presumably the correct Hilton Hotel. According to Alexei, the big shots like to rent out about half the building for their little buildings, and if I showed my invitation to any of the workers there, I'd be treated like a VIP. And he was absolutely correct.

The second I flashed the velvet invitation to guy working the parking lot, a nice handsome young lad came from inside the hotel and offered to park my new car. I've never had that kind of service before, but played it cool and allowed the guy to do his job. He assured me that no damage would be done to the vehicle. I nodded, and slipped the boy a wad of cash; he took it professionally, and gave a very deep bow before taking my car away. I doubt that he would actually keep the cash for himself, and by his reaction, I guess it wasn't the first big tip that he got that evening either.

When I got out of my car, a couple more uniformed workers, all pretty little things in their early twenties, politely guided my date and I towards the front of the hotel. The workers pushed through the regular civilians, and took us to a private elevator. They punched the button for the pent houses, and once we arrived on the upper floor, the two workers excused themselves.

Outside the elevator was an ornate door blocked off by a couple of fully armed security guards, as well as a few more security roaming around as well. These two burly men at the door looked ex-military, and they were glaring at Lilith and I, sizing us up. Around them, I could see that there were no small amount of magical wards and enchantments surrounding the area as well. This place was clearly heavily protected.

Lilith smiled and linked arms with me. I smiled at the two men as well, and slowly made my way towards them. I flashed them the invitations, and after they scanned it, they politely greeted us, and opened the big wooden door. Before I took the first step in, I took one final big breath of air, and immersed myself fulling into my role as Fredrick Bishop. I had a job to do now, and I couldn't screw this one up.

* * *

Fredrick Bishop entered the room with an uncanny air of authority that immediately made the man the centre of everyone's attention. Of course the various Oil Barons, politicians, and crime lords in the room had already heard of the new up and coming billionaire, but few had met the man in person. They had heard of his exploits and more than a few had done a bit of probing on the man's background, and what they did find was impressive, even for their standards. Naturally, the expectations for the new figure were quite high. Each man and woman in the room were looking for a flaw in Mr. Bishop's character to pick at, to exploit, for when you are at the top of the food chain, it is only natural to use your fellow peers to your advantage.

Yet the man seemed just like the reports had said he would be like. He had exuded a mature charm that made even the battle hardened security guards ease up, and the bombshell at his side only added to his overall appeal. Normally when a man shows up with a girl as stunning as the one beside Bishop around these parts, the pair would look out of place. Everyone would think that the man was simply compensating for what he lacked by buying the more beautiful woman he could find to impress the people around him. Normally it would work as well, but when everyone's net worth was in the billions, it just made the man look desperate.

But Bishop was different. The raven haired babe by his side seemed at ease, and even the most discerning eye could tell that the girl might even fancy the much older man by her side. They seem to be made for each other in a way that few could describe, like a fine painting that resonates with the soul.

At a glance the people around Bishop could also tell that he was arrogant towards the people beneath him. He scoffed at the servers and the attendants, and ignoring the intimidating security entirely. If one looked deep enough, it was apparent that Fredrick Bishop did not even view the servants and working class as people at all. It was the look of a child gazing upon an ant hill, as he burned them all with the might of the sun. But that was also to be expected from the figures at the top of the world.

The easy way the couple sauntered through the hall was just as natural. The man moved like no forty-something year old should. It was an agile glide of sorts, that was completely out of place in an older gentleman like him. But in this crowd, that unmistakable vigour in Bishop was not seen as something unnatural or jarring, but a sign of power. After all, if you had the money and the power, and you knew where to look, you could buy anything in the world. Including immortality. And the woman at his side complimented his movements perfectly.

The first place he made his way to was the bar. He guided his date to a seat, and sat down beside her after he had made sure that the girl was comfortable. He handed the bartender a bottle of wine, and told him to pour him a glass.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The first person to approach the Bishop was a man named Jason So, the CEO of a massive construction company that had branches all over the developing world. Jason was an opportunity seeker, and had relied on his quick wits and senses to develop his vast fortunes during the industrial boon in China. He knew when to seek friends, and when to made enemies, and today, he knew that he had to make friends with Bishop.

“Mr. Bishop, I presume?” Jason said, with the slightest hint of an Asian accent leaking from his voice.

Fredrick Bishop turned his attention to the new figure, and said in a deep, charming tenor, “Ah yes. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I don't believe we've met.”

Jason, without skipping a beat, shook the man's hands, and replied, “It is the indeed the first time we've met. My name is Jason So.”

A hint of recognition sparked in Bishop's face, as he said, “Ah, I knew I recognized you somewhere. You're the CEO of So Inc, correct? Brilliant work you've done so far. I was hoping to snag the Chinese market ages ago, but I guess you've beaten me to it, eh?”

“Thank you, and I've heard quite a lot about you as well.”

Bishop chuckled a melodious chuckle, and said, “Ah, before I forget, let me introduce you to my date. This is Julia Hale.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. So.” The girl by his side said.

“Please, just call me Jason, everyone does! And the pleasure is all mine.” He replied, before turning his attention back onto Bishop, “Ah yes, so how are you liking the new city, Mr. Bishop?”

“Beautiful place thus far.”

“Of course, of course. It's my favourite spot to visit when I'm around these parts. You've picked a great location to set up business. May I ask what it is that you're planning now?”

Bishop looked a Jason for a brief moment, as if he was contemplating that question, “Hm? Well, I've always been interested in cutting edge science, mostly to do with practical applications of String Theory and the higher dimensions. I've heard that there is a fellow mind interested in that field residing in this city.”

“Then you must mean the good Dr. Andrew Stein.” Jason replied, “A brilliant man he is, but he is a little... hard to approach.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, he is generally a very quiet man who has few friends, and...” Jason answered, lowering his voice a bit, “They say that some of the experiments that he conducts are not quite up the the ethical standards that I'm sure you understand fully. And he has a lot of quirks that might put most people off.”

“Well, I'm sure that they are not as bad as you might believe it to be. Is this good doctor at the party today?”

“If he is here, he should be at the back.” Jason answered, “If you ask around, I'm sure that you'll find him.”

Upon hearing that, Bishop got off of his seat and took his drink along with him. Jason wanted to say a few more words to the man, or maybe even get him to take his business card, but Bishop simply ignored him and left without saying a word. Normally Jason So would voice his outrage, but he knew that his social standings around these people were low at best.

Bishop and his date made their way towards the back of the hall. Along the way, he passed through several people who were a little more than desperate to catch his attention, but he shrugged them all off. He saw, through several of the open doorways, people doing a myriad of things that would be absolutely illegal in any other place on earth.

In one room, several old men – politicians and political leaders – were snorting massive amounts of cocaine off the naked bodies of young women, while other, equally nude servers attended to their every need. Another room housed celebrities from around the world in a huge area that was the spitting image of a LA casino. There, enormous amounts of money was being tossed about as often as the drinks that the servers gave out. Half of the people there were plastered, but that didn't stop the fun.

Along the way, there were various private rooms closed off, and from the smell of sex, drugs and alcohol that were coming out of them, it wasn't very difficult to understand what was being done behind closed doors. And yet another door lead to a dark hall where various people could  be heard bidding on different objects. The sums of money being yelled out would make most people's heart drop, but the prices kept on going up, and up, and up. Fredrick Bishop did not stop by any of these places, nor was he tempted in the slightest by the offers of the expensive whores that called out his name.

He simply walked onwards, never faltering, or even changing the speed of his steady advance. Finally, at the very back of the hall was a very secluded, quiet lounge area. The man sitting at a corner was unmistakably the man that Bishop was looking for: Frankenstein. Or, as he is more commonly known as, Andrew Stein.

“Dr. Stein.” Bishop smiled as he approached the seated man, “I've been looking for you around here.”

The seated man looked up, and a sick smile creped up his face, “Mr. Fredrick Bishop. I've been meaning to have a chat with you as well; I wouldn't be here otherwise. And who is the lovely lady besides you?”

“This is Julia Hale,” The girl besides Bishop nodded politely when he introduced her, “And I can assume that you've heard of me?”

“Of course.” He answered, “Any man in my position would know of a fellow enthusiast of the fine arts. I'm amazed that you've hidden yourself so fully after all these years. Tell me, what made you decide to branch out so suddenly?”

“Well, my good doctor.” Bishop answered, still smiling, “I've gotten bored with the quiet life.”

“Is that all?”

“And I've made a breakthrough that I believe will interest a man like yourself.”

“Oh, and why have you decided to share such knowledge with me?”

“There's still some... issues that I need to sort out. I believe that a man like yourself will be just the person to help me out.”

That got Dr. Stein's attention, he got up from his seat and studied the new man in earnest for the first time. And for a very long time, the doctor just looked at Bishop, as if he was seeing something that no one else could. And during all of this time, Bishop did nothing but remain there, the smile never leaving his face.

Frankenstein finally relented, and said in a low voice, “Do explain.”

“My pleasure.”