Joining back up with Victor and Haruko, Ed nodded slightly to Victor. This deal should be secured. I’ve done all that I can.

“What do you think? Is it to your satisfaction?” Victor asked Haruko.

Taking off the gloves, she didn’t give a firm answer either way. “It’s decent, but I’ve seen better. I have to discuss with my partner, but I believe that there are some changes to be made.”

Not too long later, Oliver had calmed down, and joined back up with the group. They drove back to the office in silence, with everyone focused on their own things. Victor and Haruko were thinking about the upcoming negotiations. Oliver was struggling, his eyes constantly darted between Haruko and Ed. Ed had trapped him, and he knew there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t just make things worse.

Ed, on the other hand, was the most relaxed of the group, as he had already done everything he could to ensure this deal would go through.

Arriving back at the company, Oliver stopped the group before they reached the elevator. “Haruko and I have some things to discuss in private. This might take a while, so it would be for the best if you wait down here.”

Ed and Oliver shared one more staredown as the doors to the elevator closed. Sitting down in the waiting area, Ed noticed that both men he saw earlier were gone. They’ve probably already gone up. The driving did take a while.

The minutes passed by in excruciating agony for Victor. With every tick of the clock, he felt more worried about what was happening above them.

“It’ll be fine. The contract will be signed, and there shouldn’t be any changes.” Ed said, easing Victor’s nerves.

“How do you know that? She wasn’t impressed. She’s definitely going to push for changes to the contract.” Victor sighed, feeling as if he had come all the way here for nothing. The contract wouldn’t be signed, and more rounds of negotiations will happen, probably extending on for months or even years.

“I can assure you that the contract will be signed as is. Let’s just say that I managed to convince Oliver to help us out, and he has decided that he wanted to help us out.” Ed said while checking flipping through a magazine he found.

Victor calmed down, and looked curiously at Ed. “How did you manage to do that?”

Ed gestured for Victor to lean in closer and whispered. “Well, it turns out that he may very well be the reason Haruko is in Hell in the first place. He killed her father, which pushed her into a life of crime in order to make ends meet. He didn’t want her to find out, and well. You can figure out the rest.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Victor thought for a moment before patting Ed on the shoulder. “If this works, then I would have to really thank you for making my job easier.”

Several minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and out walked Haruko and Oliver. Haruko maintained her cold and stoic facade, but Oliver appeared noticeably exhausted. He glared at Ed, but kept his mouth shut.

“We have decided that the terms in this contract are reasonable and fair. We are willing to sign it, so if you’ll just follow us, we will make this official.” Haruko said.

Hearing that, Victor finally felt completely relieved. “Of course. Lead the way.”

Back in the meeting room, they ran through the contract once more, before they both signed two separate copies.

Taking his copy of the signed contract, Victor said goodbye before walking back to the elevator. “Thank you, Ed. I’ll make sure to let Mr Milani know about the help you provided.”

“It’s no problem really, I was just doing my job.”

“Well thanks anyway. I’m gonna call for a car to come pick me up, are you heading back, or are you staying here?” Victor asked.

“I’ll be staying here for a while. I’ve got some stuff I want to do in the city.”

“Alright then.” Pulling out his phone, Victor spent the rest of the elevator ride on the phone.

A few minutes later, a car pulled up in front of Hellish Habits.

“This is my ride. Here is your payment for a job well done. It’s been a pleasure working with you.” Leafing through his suitcase, Victor pulled out several stacks of cash and handed them over to Ed.

Flicking through it, Ed noticed that it was a lot more than the agreed upon price. “What’s with the extra cash.”

“Consider it a bonus. You really made us a lot of money there, so this is the least I could do. I’ll explain it all to Mr Milani.” Victor placed his bags in the trunk, before opening the car door. “See you later Ed.”

“Goodbye, say hi to your parents for me.” Ed waved goodbye to Victor, and wondered about where he should go next. Well, if I’m gonna be staying here, I should probably find a place to stay at. He scratched his cheek while looking around the city, unsure of where to go. I should’ve asked Victor for some help, but oh well. It’s too late now. I’ll just have to find somebody else.

Heading back inside, Ed decided to ask the receptionists for help.

“Hello again Sir. Is there anything we can help you with?” The imp asked.

“Yeah. I’m new to the city, and I was just wondering if you knew of anywhere I could stay?” Ed asked.

“That depends. How long are you planning on staying here?” She asked.

“I’m not sure. But I’ll probably be here for a while.” Ed guessed, uncertain of exactly how long Buddie was going to keep him here for.

“Then you’re probably going to want to look for a place to rent. There are a few apartments a couple streets away that I think are still looking for new tenants. There’s also a realtor down that way that you might want to check out.” She said while pointing in different directions for each thing.

“Thanks. I’ll probably check out the realtor.” Ed said.

“Cool. Give me a moment to write down the directions for you.”

Not too long later, Ed had a piece of paper in his hand and was walking down the street. I wonder what I’ll find?