Quota 0/270 - Last Day
They had survived the three days. The last day had been tense, but they had managed to gather more loot. Victor wasn’t sure if it had been worth it, but he was certainly glad it was over.
Shirley must have felt the same way because she stopped in the middle of the road. It wasn’t very late, but there wasn’t a car in sight. She got out of the vehicle, picked up Olivia, and lifted her into the air. The young woman had been taking off her night-vision goggles and didn’t expect the sudden assault. She had a blank stare as she was tossed into the air. Shirley only stopped after several seconds. She placed Olivia back on the ground and gave her a light flick on the forehead.
“You scared us! Why did it take you so long to come back?”
Olivia was still in shock from what had just happened. The man climbed down from the windshield to answer in her place. He had also removed his goggles, and a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction could be seen in his eyes.
“The giant creature didn’t want to leave us alone. It stayed near the trapdoor without ever really leaving. We tried several times to use the trees to slip out of its sight, but it spotted us every time. Once we realized we couldn’t escape without being seen, we ran as fast as we could, hoping to be quick enough.”
He tapped the painting he was holding in one of his hands.
“It wasn’t easy with that pesky brat and the bags, but I must admit the trees helped us a lot.”
The man went to put them in the trunk while Victor got out of the car.
‘All’s well that ends well,’ he thought with a smile on his lips as he watched the interaction between Shirley and Olivia.
“Now all we have left to do is sell.”
It was only when Victor spoke that Olivia came back to her senses. The day wasn’t over until they had sold their quota. They had one more day to sell, but the sooner they got it done, the sooner they could relax.
Victor didn’t know if there had been any cases of theft before. All he knew was that he’d sleep better tonight if they sold everything immediately.
“That’s a good idea, Victor. Let’s sell now, and then we can grab something to eat to celebrate,” Olivia announced, stepping a meter away from Shirley.
“Everyone, back in the car!” Shirley replied, taking the wheel again.
Victor and Olivia slipped into the back while the mysterious man took the passenger seat. There were so many paintings, lamps, and bags in the back that they were still cramped despite the size of the vehicle.
After about ten minutes of driving, they arrived. Shirley hadn’t felt the urge to exceed the speed limit for even a second. Her vehicle already stood out enough in the urban landscape of New York; it would be a shame if they got pulled over so close to their goal.
The front of the company hadn’t changed. Victor thought they might have trouble seeing Dine at this hour, but his fears were unfounded. She was waiting for them firmly behind her desk. Either she had been informed of their arrival in advance, or she lived behind her desk.
‘At least she doesn’t have to go down into the galleries,’ Victor thought, imagining working in her place. Then he remembered he would have to live behind a desk forever.
‘Oh well. Let’s sell everything we’ve recovered and go eat.’
The mysterious man had tried to chat with their host, but she quickly cut him off.
“You’re here to sell, and I must admit I’d like to finish this day too.”
Dine had in the corner of the room the same machine that Experimentation had in Lille. They had brought with them all the items they could carry to start selling.
Painting: x1 - value 82
Hairbrush: x1 - value 14
Screw: x1 - value 23
.
.
.
Painting: x1 - value 69
They had sold their first batch of about twenty items. Dine returned to her desk and pulled a calculator from one of her drawers. She typed at lightning speed on the keys to get the total.
“You’ve sold 20 items for a total value of 900. It’ll take me a few more seconds to calculate your pay,” she announced before continuing her calculations.
“Excuse me, Ms. Dine, but we still have more items to sell,” Shirley said, trying not to offend the secretary. In fact, they had only sold the loot from the last day.
Dine raised her head from her calculator.
“Why are you standing there doing nothing if you still have items left? Go get them.”
They returned to the vehicle to bring the rest. In fact, they had to make two more trips to sell everything. The main culprits were the two cash registers and the various two-handed items they had recovered during the first two days.
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Dine continued her additions on the calculator until all the items were sold. They had found 613 the first day and only 451 the second, thanks to the Jester.
In total, they had sold for 1,964.
After spending several minutes doing calculations, Dine announced their final payment.
“**All in all, you’ve sold for a total value of 8,189,290 dollars, which is a little over 2 million per person. For Olivia, the money will be transferred to the orphanage’s account as agreed, and for the rest, the money will be in your accounts in three days.**”
Olivia translated the amount to Victor.
“Do we have to pay taxes?” he finally asked Dine, already imagining himself a millionaire.
Surprisingly, she replied in perfect French. She didn’t have the slightest American accent, as if she had lived in France for several years.
“You don’t have to worry about that, Mr. de La Fontaine. In your case, everything you’ve just earned will go to your father’s creditors.”
“How much is my current debt?”
“A little over 98 million euros. But look on the bright side, Mr. de La Fontaine, 50 quotas like this, and you’ll be free. At least you’re lucky there are no interest rates or time limits to pay off the debt.”
Victor had never known that his father’s debt was that high.
‘What the hell did you buy for 98 million euros, Dad?!’ he grumbled, feeling dejected.
And then he remembered an important detail. He had sold 251 to Experimentation for 5,000 euros, and now they had just sold 1,964 for over 8 million.
"Why did we earn so much money anyway? Does it have something to do with the zone where we completed the quota?"
"No, the only thing that matters is the total number you sell and the amount of your quota. Now, if you wouldn't mind leaving, it might not look like it, but I had something planned for this evening."
With those words, the group was politely shown out. They found themselves on the sidewalk, with Dine shutting the door behind them.
Shirley and the mysterious man had just earned several million dollars each, but neither of them seemed concerned.
‘I guess both their families are rich given the resources they have at their disposal. Maybe I just underestimated their level of wealth,’ Victor thought while pondering his own financial troubles.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had already decided where they would go to eat. They opted for a high-end restaurant. They stopped by the hotel to change before heading out. After spending several hours crawling through a forest, Olivia and the mysterious man were more than happy to take a shower.
By the time everyone was ready, it was already 10 PM. Olivia's driver was waiting at the bottom of the hotel steps with a sedan to take them to the restaurant.
The restaurant's name was **Lumière on Central**, and it was located right across from the famous New York park.
For this kind of restaurant, it was normal to wait several months for a reservation. Someone in the group must have pulled some strings behind the scenes to get the spot. It wasn’t Shirley, the mysterious man, or obviously Victor, but Olivia who had secured their reservation.
Apparently, the restaurant owner was a regular client of **Promesse** and owed her a favor. What kind of favor? Victor didn’t know, and he wasn’t about to ask someone who constantly carried at least one firearm.
They settled at a table upstairs. When Victor saw the prices on the menu, he couldn’t help but ask aloud:
“You guys are going to pay for me, right?”
He threw a pleading look at Shirley, who was seated across from him.
“**What’s he saying, Olivia?**” Shirley asked the only person who could translate for her.
“**He’s for you to pay for him.**”
“**Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?**”
Shirley was confused. Olivia hadn’t translated the conversation between Victor and Dine, so Shirley had no idea he was broke.
“**That’s how it works in France**,” Olivia finally replied to save Victor's dignity.
“**Oh... okay. I’ll pay for him. But why did he ask me and not you?**”
“**I gave all my money to the orphanage, so technically you earned more than me today.**”
She then turned to Victor to share the good news.
Even though he knew Shirley would cover his meal, the prices still scared him. Every dish cost over $200, so Victor started eyeing the appetizers.
‘Why are the appetizers more expensive than the main courses at a regular restaurant?!’ he screamed internally as he saw the foie gras priced at an exorbitant $70.
The desserts weren’t any better. The cheapest one was a raspberry mousse for $20.
While Victor was scouring the drinks menu, a waiter arrived to take their orders for drinks.
Shirley and Olivia ordered cocktails, non-alcoholic for the young Olivia, while the man ordered a Pinot des Charentes. Only Victor was left to order.
“Tap water, please,” he requested, looking at the waiter. It was the only free item he had found on the entire menu.
The waiter looked back at him without writing anything down, still maintaining a polite smile, but not speaking a word of French.
Victor looked to Olivia with pleading eyes.
“**What appetizers do you have that might please a Frenchman visiting New York for the first time?**” she asked.
“**We have a Chardonnay from the region that Monsieur might enjoy if he’s a wine enthusiast.**”
She turned to Victor. With his pale complexion, he looked as though he was either going to faint or die on the spot.
“**I’m not sure something with alcohol would be good for him. He’ll have the same cocktail as me**,” Olivia decided.
“**Very well, Madame. I’ll be right back with your order.**”
The waiter disappeared. Judging by the smirk on Olivia's face, Victor knew he wasn’t going to get his tap water.
Indeed, the waiter returned moments later with a Pinot and three cocktails. He placed one in front of Victor, who had reopened the menu to check the price. He only stopped when Olivia took the menu from his hands. She even went so far as to ask the waiter for a menu without prices for Victor.
The meal went smoothly in a pleasant atmosphere. Victor had ordered from memory—the appetizer, then the main course, and finally the cheapest dessert on the menu.
He had to admit the meal was delicious, but he didn’t like the feeling of being indebted.
‘It’s strange for someone with tens of millions in debt to think like this,’ he thought as he finished the last bite of his dessert.
He had never known the full amount of his debt before today. One day, he had received a letter informing him that he was in debt, but it didn’t specify the creditors or the amount he had to repay in his father’s name.
The waiter returned to the table with the bill. They were the last customers in the entire restaurant. The restaurant should have closed about fifteen minutes ago, but the owner had insisted on not disturbing them.
He had promised good bonuses, so the waiter was more than happy to serve even after 11 PM.
‘I’ll treat Shirley to a meal one of these days, just maybe not in a place like this...’ Victor thought as he glanced at the total on the bill.