*scribble* *scribble* *scribble* "Honestly, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon Mr.Pascianno... I figured you would need a couple of days to make a choice at minimum." Harold stated slightly nervously, as he currently signing some documents and staring back at Soren and Morgan in his personal office, on the fourth floor of Glaxion City's AionTech building.

"Honestly, I lose the shop either way, so might as well take contract that's going to benefit me more in the long run. Speaking of which Mr.Harold, how long will this contract last? As far as I know, you've never once spoken about the duration of the contract and I can't really sign anything, if I don't know that much." Soren stated calmly, as he was currently reading his new contract, while also keeping an eye on Harold.

"You'll find the durations on the contract somewhere near the middle,. Aside from that, the contract will also go into detail about the required work you'll need to do for the duration of the contract and other rules and regulations you'll need to keep in mind."

"I see... Four years. And here I was expecting to work for twenty years or something like that."

"Honestly, four years is the upper limit, considering the current circumstances. Besides, the point of this contract is to help us with the city, so the contract will end once a satisfactory result has been achieved, or until the end of the specified amount of time, whichever comes first anyways. Besides, we wouldn't have been able to force you to work with us for more than four years, even if we tried to do so through legal loopholes and whatnot."

"I did not need to know that last part." Soren stated expressionlessly, as he couldn't help but feel glad that the law was actually protecting him, instead of screwing him over.

"No harm's done. Anyways, aside from the duration of the contract, it is important to keep in mind that you're not allowed to talk about any of our private projects or any sensitive information about the company, such as the city project, BCO or anything else that hasn't been released into the public."

"That's a given at this point. Anything else I should know?"

"Hmm... Aside from the longer working hours and your required relocation from your apartment to the company's dormitory... I'd suggest to exercise a bit more and what else is there... Ah, right... I talked with one of my associates to see if we could open up your coffee house inside the company, but it's currently not possible."

"That's a way to dash my hopes... If it wasn't possible to open up my shop there in the first place, than why are you telling me about it?" Soren asked lividly, as he was barely holding himself back from shaking Harold violently with a chokehold.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"I figured you'd be curious about it." Halord stated obliviously, before signing another document, while Soren sighed and cursed inwardly, before reading the rest of the contract, but finding nothing suspicious about it. The terms of the contract were the more or less the same as the first option Harold gave him and although they weren't the most appealing for him, the safety it would provide him was more than enough for him to feel satisfied. Seeing as there was nothing wrong with it, even after triple-checking the contract, Soren proceeded to sign the contract and then giving Harold the signed contract.

Once Harold took the contract, he gave it a thorough check and upon seeing that there were no problems, he brought his right hand in front of Soren and although he was slightly confused from the sudden action, he quickly realized the meaning of the gesture and took out his own right hand and shook it with him.

"Welcome aboard and properly to AionTech Soren Pascianno. I wish for a fruitful cooperation with you." Harold stated joyfully, before speaking in a more serious manner. "Now, our company will send a couple of employees to escort you to the company dorms, while other employees will come to pick up any personal belongings from your apartment and shop you wish to keep. Do you mind giving us a list of items or do you not wish to have any personal belongings with you?"

"Hmm... I'd rather take care of my own luggage first. I'll also have to take care of my shop as well." Soren requested, as he didn't want strangers to go through his personal belongings and he'd rather take care of everything by himself.

"Fine, but you'll be escorted by a couple of our guards. I can't have you running around the city unsupervised." Harold accepted with a hint of reluctance in his voice, before turning his attention towards Morgan, who was about to leave with Soren. "Dr.Morgan, please stay for a moment. I have something important to discuss with you."

"Don't worry about me Soren. Go take care of your luggage and we'll speak later." Morgan stated reassuringly, before Soren nodded and left the office, leaving Harold and Morgan alone in the office. As the two of them stared at each other and the air inside the office turned cold, Harold was the one to break the silence. "What's the big idea with you Morgan? You're not one to care about people so much, especially for that kid."

"I don't know what you are insinuating there Harold. I'm just doing my best as the kid's care-"

"Cut the crap Morgan. You already have your own family, alive and well. You have no reason to look after him, especially since you're just a customer for him." Harold stated coldly, as he knew that Morgan wasn't one to do things without reason. He knew the man well, since he had worked with him on multiple occasions and aside from his own family, he truly had no care about anyone else, even his closest co-workers and associates.

*sigh* "Yes... I don't care for anyone except for my own family and my few remaining friends from the war. After all, everyone I'm currently associated with is from this company and everyone here wants more benefits for themselves. I haven't seen a single time when someone didn't get screwed over by a close friend or co-worker, for the sake of benefits." Morgan stated coldly, as he tilted his hat fedora downwards with a disgusted expression, before continuing. "Hell, the only reason this company hasn't turned into a murky cesspool, is because the few people with a proper head on their shoulder, are still alive and leading."

"Don't tell me that you have the moral high ground Morgan. We both know what you've done in the past and I'd be more likely to believe that a fourth World War is coming, than to believe that you are a good person."

"I know and I'll gladly go to hell about it. But... That doesn't mean I'm a heartless man like you Harold. After all, I wasn't the one to cause-"

*BAM* "DON'T YOU DARE TO UTTER ANOTHER WORD MORGAN!" Harold yelled out furiously, as he rose from his desk and slammed it, while Morgan stared back in an unflinching expression, before he was the one to break the silence. "Consider this a warning from me. Don't go digging into my affairs Harold and I won't go digging into yours."

After he uttered those last words, Morgan then rose from his own seat and left Harold's office, as Harold could only collapse on his chair with a frustrated expression, while he was staring at Morgan's disappearing figure.