Viktor's betrayal caused a lot of excitement among AJ's men. They couldn't believe that someone like him would hand them over to the police. They had always trusted AJ and were sure that he would protect them from prison. However, that trust was beginning to fade. For one thing, because AJ was almost arrested by the police himself. For another, because Viktor's betrayal was causing doubts about AJ's judgment. After all, he had been his right-hand man for several years and he should have realized that he was being betrayed.

AJ knew that his men were beginning to doubt him, so he decided to act quickly. To show what the consequences would be if he was betrayed, he arranged for Viktor to be murdered in prison. However, this would not be enough to regain the trust of his men.

He called a meeting the day after Viktor's death. He handed out a suitcase of money to each of his men and said, "I know the last few days have been hard. That's why I decided to give you this money. My decisions have put you in danger. Since you are still loyal to me, you should be rewarded for it. However, to ensure that you and I are never in danger again in the future, there will be some changes in our approach. These changes will ensure that we are safer than ever before. But that is not all. Mr. Wright will be elected mayor in the next few months. His main rival is currently embroiled in a number of scandals and his poll ratings are falling with each passing day. But that is not the only good news. Mr. Wright has managed to get the current police chief to resign due to allegations of corruption. He will be replaced by one of Wright's own men. This means that no one can stop us now."

The speech achieved exactly what AJ had intended. His men were no longer worried about being arrested. They only thought about their future success and how Aj would lead them there.

"You should have been there. His speech was incredible Blaze," Scott told me during our training. He seemed absolutely thrilled with his uncle. Ever since practice started, he's taken every opportunity to tell me more. I don't know if AJ would be happy about him discussing internal matters with an outsider like me, but Scott has been treating me like I'm a part of their gang ever since the incident.

"That sounds really intense. AJ seems to know exactly how to handle his men," I replied.

"That's right, he's a born leader," Scott enthused.

I just hope Scott doesn't take him too much as an example.

Viktor was undoubtedly a brutal killer, but I'm convinced that AJ not only knew about it, but had given him these orders specifically. Viktor's murder finally made me realize that the real monster was still on the loose.

One thing was clear to me: if AJ unhesitatingly eliminated a long-time friend, you should avoid making an enemy out of him.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Hey, do you have any plans? I'm going into town with some guys. If you feel like it, you can come with me," Scott offered me after training.

"Maybe another time. Today is my meeting with Mr. Wright. AJ said he'd take me to him as soon as he'd finished everything in the office," I said.

"Ah, that's right, the meeting is today. And are you excited?"

"A bit, to be honest. Do you know what kind of person Mr. Wright is?"

"I've never met him myself, but my uncle told me that he's an ambitious man who would do anything to achieve his goals. He also has a wife and daughter. My uncle said that he talks about them a lot and that they are the only people he truly cares about. But that's all I know about his personality. But you should try to make a good impression on him. He is a powerful and rich man. His influence in England is huge and if your goal is university, he can easily get you in."

"Did AJ tell you about my plan to go to university?"

"Yes, he said that if anyone from the club can get out of this shithole, it's you," he said with a grin.

It's strange how well we understood each other now. We got to know each other better with every training session. Scott became the next person I could call a friend, along with Brian and Ali.

I said goodbye to Scott after Training and waited until AJ had finished his work. After a few minutes he came out of the office and said, "All right Blaze, let's go."

The journey from Brixton to the meeting point took over an hour. When we finally arrived at our destination and I got out of the car, I was once again surprised at how crowded central London was in the evening. But that's no wonder with almost 8 million people living in the city. I followed AJ down Berkeley Street until he stopped in front of a restaurant.

"Mr. Wright is waiting for you in this restaurant. Give your name to the waiter at the entrance and he'll take you to him. I've got some business of my own here, so I'll pick you up from here in an hour," AJ said to me and set off.

The people who entered the restaurant were all dressed nicely. Most of the ladies were wearing dresses and I didn't see any of the men who wasn't wearing a suit.

I didn't know we were meeting in such a luxurious place, so I was only wearing blue jeans and a plain black T-shirt. At least I'd left my gym bag in AJ's car, I thought to myself.

It was only a few seconds after I entered the restaurant that one of the waiters approached me.

"I'm sorry sir, but we have a dress code for men here. You have to wear a suit and tie if you want to eat here," he said to me as he inspected my outfit. I had already expected such a reaction.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't told this beforehand, but I have an important appointment with Mr. Wright here. My name is Blaze Coleman," I explained. The waiter flinched briefly when I mentioned Mr. Wright, but he tried not to let the shock show.

He smiled wider than before and said, "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know you were Mr. Wright's guest. To be honest, I was expecting someone a bit older. I'm so sorry.

"No problem, it was my fault for not following the dress code," I replied.

"Thank you for your understanding. I will show you to Mr. Wright immediately. If you would follow me," he said with relief and led me to a table at the back of the restaurant.

When the waiter stopped, it finally happened. Me and Mr. Wright met for the first time. Now that I had seen him up close, he seemed even more intimidating than before.

When he noticed me, he smiled slightly and said, "Sit down my boy, we have a lot to talk about."