James couldn't help but smile as he walked through the doors of the DV8 Cafe. It was his first time entering the place as a C-Classer, and despite it only being a change of title, he felt like he finally belonged in the place. Milly had been instrumental in his survival over the years by giving him gaming jobs here and there, but he never once felt like he deserved to be there. Now, he was walking in with money on his account, no crippling debt to society and at the same social class as Milly herself. He didn't know what he expected from her, but she was one of the first people that he wanted to see when he got his class reinstated. James really wanted to thank her for everything she had done for him and hoped that she could share in his success. It was probably for all of those reasons that James was surprised when Milly gave him a withering look as soon as he walked through the door.

There was no warm embrace to welcome him or any hint of compassion on her face. Rather, she looked like she was ready to kick him out of the cafe. James opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Milly looked as though she was about to give him a piece of her mind, regardless. The newly appointed C-Classer stopped walking towards the counter and stood still while Milly circled around the reception desk, her eyes looking somewhat conflicted as she stared at him. When she finally spoke, her voice was laden with emotion and it practically broke James' heart to hear it. "Did it come up in an interview? Was that it? I know you must have been annoyed with me, but I thought we were cool? Are you here to gloat?"

Whatever conversation he had expected when he walked in, this wasn't it. She was blaming him for something, but he didn't know what it was. Before he could utter a single word, she raised her hands and shook her head. "Not today, James. You've ignored my messages. There was a huge queue at the Neo when I tried to speak with you... when I needed to understand why you'd do this to me, but now? I just can't care anymore. Whatever game it is you've been playing with me, stop it now and just leave me alone." Her tone was icy and laced with pain. James couldn't understand what was happening, but refused to turn around and leave. He clearly had wronged her, but he had no idea why. Taking a step back himself, he opened his arms wide with his palms upturned. "Milly, I've no idea what you're talking about right now. I came here to thank you for everything you've done for me, but I don't understand why you're so upset."

Her eyes studied his face as he spoke, and when she saw how confused he was, her own expression softened. Taking a steadying breath, Milly gestured towards the back of the cafe, where they used to conduct the side-jobs for clients. "We suddenly got audited by a bunch of suits. They've been back there, combing through literally everything we've ever done here. All the records, ledgers, transactions... they have all of it. Do you understand, James? My business is ruined and I've no idea what's going to happen to me!"

Her voice had become frantic as all of her fears finally tumbled out. The stony expression that had made him feel so unwelcome in her presence finally softened to reveal her innermost fears. Her hands wrangled as she looked back at the area where the suits apparently went. James wanted to ask for more information, but Milly was practically tumbling over her own words in a mixture of anger and confusion. "They weren't the normal types coming in and looking to be paid off... they said they were here because of a partnership with the Dread Pirate. What did they offer you to rat me out? Was it worth it?" Milly felt used and betrayed, but deep down, there was another emotion. She had used James for his capabilities over the years... was this justice for not helping him out of the hole he was in? She told herself that he was too proud to take her help most times, and she bumped him to the top of her client list regularly, but apparently that wasn't enough to bridge the gap between them. Had he truly resented her so much that he needed to destroy her livelihood and get her locked up?

James' expression suddenly brightened. "Oh! They're from Nox Holdings?" He needed to be sure of it, so rather than continue the pained back and forth with Milly, he made his way towards the back. A group of men and women in black suits were running diagnostics on all the rigs in the cafe while others held tablets or engaged with their interfaces. They spoke to each other in a curt and formal manner, listing off the values of each piece of hardware as though they were hoping to make something out of salvaging it. When James came into view, many of them gave him a look of momentary indifference that quickly evaporated upon seeing the pin attached to his chest. The VIP status he had gotten from Nox was apparently very familiar to all of them, so much so that they stopped what they were doing and stood at the ready as if waiting for his instruction. James wondered if he would ever get used to the sensation of authority, but pushed through the discomfort and asked them his question. "What are you doing here?"

Behind him, Milly stood in the doorway with her hands still shaking. The thought of her family business being dismantled was terrifying. Her eyes snapped back to James as he finally spoke to the suits. Why had they assembled like that in front of him? They had practically ignored her when she asked for clarity or context, but they were almost falling over themselves now to appease James. Sure, Abidden was a pretty big deal, and him becoming a player was an incredible feat... but how could he demand such respect from them? James didn't sound angry at all, which struck at one of Milly's fears. She had hoped that he wasn't aware of this, or that it had been some huge mistake or misunderstanding... but she could see it now. He knew these people, and they either worked for him or were there doing his bidding. If this truly was her friend, he would be just as outraged as her at this whole situation.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With a quick tap of the interface, the leader of the group suddenly understood who had arrived. "Good afternoon, Mr. Sylvester." He then acknowledged the question that had just been asked by giving a brief report of their findings. "We've been assigned by the Head Office to conduct an appraisal of the DV8 Cafe's assets." When the answer failed to satisfy the Wildcard, the suited agent continued to speak in further explanation. "DV8 is now associated with Travesty Holdings, but its business practices fall outside the realm of... legality. We're here to assess how much investment it would require to bring DV8 up to the minimum threshold. The operating costs, revenues, taxes... all of those need to match up against the publicly listed records."

James nodded as he looked back at the bewildered Milly. He turned to the agent and then asked directly. "So you can confirm that you're not here to shut down the DV8 Cafe, or to report on its business practices?" The agent looked at Milly and finally understood how the situation had been interpreted. He nodded his head meaningfully at James. "I can confirm that we are not here to report on their business practices, and that we have no intention of shutting down the DV8 Cafe. Rather, we're here to see how we can bring the company up to a healthy baseline, where we'd be happy to be associated with it. It may be as a business loan, or a place in the accelerator programme, but all the decisions made today are in the best interest of DV8 Cafe and its future partnership with Travesty Holdings."

Milly placed a hand on her chest to steady her breathing as she slumped back against the wall in relief. Her entire world had been coming apart and she couldn't for the life of her hold it together for much longer. She had pretended for years that her family were the ones running things, but it was a complete lie. There was no family business, it was hers. She paid the rent, the wages, the upkeep on rigs and repairs. The side income that she had from the illegal matches had bolstered up her revenues and allowed her to pay off the right people in the District. She had never made enough waves to upset the big fish, but she wasn't small enough to be swept away by the others. What she couldn't possibly fight was the sharks of Nox Holdings. Yet, now James was standing in front of her with a reassuring smile on his face as he gestured to the nervous group of suits. They weren't here to shut her down, but were there instead to help her? What did that have to do with Travesty Holdings?

James offered his hand to her, but Milly refused to get up from her slumped position. She stared up at him, and James finally relented. He sat down beside her and gestured for the suits to continue doing their job. They didn't need to be told twice and resumed their work as though nothing had happened. Taking a breath himself, James prepared himself for an onslaught of questions from Milly, but they didn't come. She was instead just staring numbly around the room, as though seeing it all in a new light for the first time. James started speaking slowly, not exactly sure how to begin. "I'm really sorry for the confusion, Milly. This was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, as a thank you for all the help that you've given me over the years. I didn't think they would come in here to do an audit, but I guess I haven't really been thinking of the real-world consequences of my decisions. They gave Billy a whole new raid set-up, and I guessed they'd probably give you a few cool rigs or something." His apology was earnest as he gestured around vaguely at the different rigs within view. Milly's frown slowly evolved into a perplexed expression. "Why would they be upgrading DV8 and the Neo? What is Travesty Holdings?"

Despite the circumstances, and Milly's very distressed state, James couldn't help but laugh at the question. "I started up a company, through my partnership with Nox. She called it Travesty Holdings, and I'm the proud owner of my old apartment building in the slums. There are a few other properties here and there that we're talking through, and I'm going to be getting a cut of sales from the Dread Tower. All of that is going to be run through Travesty Holdings... of which you're a shareholder. Without you and Billy, I'd likely be dead by now. So it was my way of saying thank you. I'm sorry that it's caused you this much anxiety and pain."

Milly got to her feet and turned to look down at James with an incredulous look on her face and a wide smile. "And to think that I proposed to you the last time you were here? Imagine how shit your life would have been if you accepted back then! You're a landlord and a business owner now? From just... playing Abidden?" James smiled as Milly attempted to make light of the whole situation. "So, I guess I'm going to be legit now? In a way it's a relief." Milly's smile was forced as she tried to look at the positives. Before she could lie through her teeth more, James interrupted her. "It's a shame you're so excited about going legit. I was actually here to ask for your help in setting up a side gig."

Whatever act Milly had been putting on, disappeared immediately as her genuine smile took over. "You appear on my doorstep, force my cafe into a corner... essentially turn me into a respectable business owner, and in the same breath, you're proposing we risk it all over again?" Throwing her hands up into the air with a fake exasperated sigh, Milly finally asked. "Okay then, so what is it? What could the man who has everything possibly want?"

James looked at Milly carefully, but she had become practically unreadable over the last few moments. There was no way that she had processed everything, and she couldn't have possibly been satisfied with such a weak explanation. Anyone else in her position would ask a million questions about the sponsorship, the game, the last few weeks... but Milly was sitting there with her trademark smile, waiting for him to tell her about his plan. He couldn't tell if he was unnerved by her lack of interest, or if he was relieved by it. He just knew that he could trust her.

Just as he was about to explain, Milly placed her hand up to silence him. Her expression was mischievous as she jutted her chin towards the room in the back. "I still don't trust your goons, so let's talk in there... but you have to start at the very beginning, from when you left here a few weeks ago." James smiled as he got to his feet, but was surprised to see her finger pressed against his chest. "But you're leaving nothing out! When I'm satisfied I know everything, then you can talk to me about your master plan."