Rising Against Fate

Despite what Alice or anyone else thought, their relationship was never father and son-like. All of their interactions up until now were short, straightforward and business-like, like their first one.

The look of pride that Alice mentioned earlier wasn't the look of pride. It was the look of greed. The way you look at an investment that is going to produce a hundred no— thousand-fold profit.

Though this was portrayed to be a family dinner, the atmosphere around was serious like a tough business meeting. And because of that, Alice, who was seated next to Razak, had a disappointed look in her face.

It was a long luxurious dining table at the end of which the four of them were seated. The dinner was yet to be served, but everything including knives, forks, spoons, glasses, and plates were already at their proper place.

After a brief moment of silence, Villous turned towards Vincent and spoke.

"Vincent, you probably already know what I want from you."

He went straight to the point. He knew that all the formalities and roundabout talks were meaningless. Vincent wasn't the type of guy who could be swayed by the words.

"The election for the People's Representative is in July next year. I have 6 months to lay the groundwork after which my campaign will start."

"You haven't changed much Villous. But I don't recommend doing it. In fact, it will be healthy if you just stay away from politics."

Villous raised his eyebrow when he heard those words. It sounded more like a warning than advice.

"I understand why you would think that. But there was no intervention from the clans in the past elections."

"Well, that was because the candidates were as they wanted. You know, you have been the dust in their eyes since the military."

"About that"—Villous paused and looked towards Razak—"I have something in mind."

Vincent's eyes widened. He probably didn't expect Villous to be able to cross that single big hurdle.

"Then I am at a loss. I have no idea what you want from me."

Villous smiled slightly after hearing those words. Now he was the one in control.

"This generation of magicians is believed to be the finest in history. But what if Razak here becomes one of the top magicians of this generation?"

Unlike last time, Vincent wasn't able to suppress his surprise. But before he could ask, "How is that possible?" Razak interrupted them.

"Villous will gain more influence. As such, most clans would want to stay on his positive side."

Vincent understood what he was trying to say. There was an internal power struggle among the clans, and because of that, they all wanted influential people at their side.

"Now what I want from you"—Villous looked straight at Vincent—"I am sure Avem clan will try to make a move. I want you to keep an eye on them."

Vincent looked more worried than surprised at this point.

"But they are the number one sponsors of my company."

'Right where I wanted,' Villous thought. Vincent didn't oppose the idea directly. That meant— he won.

"I will invest double of what they are investing."

"WHAT!" The calmness and etiquette that he was displaying until now were all gone. "B-but that's 2 billion."

Villous didn't stop there. He struck again when the iron was still hot.

"My company will also insure your losses. Don't you think it's a fair deal?"

"How can you call this fair? You are risking 2 billion on probabilities. How can you trust this boy that much?"

"HAHAHA!" Villous laughed out loud, but this laugh wasn't because he found something amusing. It was because he was trying to show his dominance and trust in Razak.

"Well, Razak. Can you show him a glimpse of your abilities?"

Razak brought his hand above the table and snapped his finger. And with that snap, a small black orb appeared in his hand.

"Wait! Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, that is what military regards as a Grandmaster class spell. True black hole."

Vincent had a shocked reaction on his face. It was an obvious reaction. Despite the look, that small black orb could wipe out anything in the 100-meter radius.

"So..." With that word from Villous, Razak made the black orb disappear. And Vincent, who was still lost in shock, came back to reality. "Are you up on the deal?"

"Y-yes."

Though Vincent was displaying hesitation, he could no longer deny the foolproofness of the plan. Villous was removing all the obstacles even before they could come in his way.

"Perfect."

That word from Villous meant the deal was done. He was satisfied, but someone else on the table wasn't. Alice, who was sitting on his left, was swollen like a balloon in anger.

There weren't many who could compete with Villous in negotiations. But he used to struggle as a father. He was always late at realizing what his daughter wanted. And even now, he was looking towards Razak, hoping he could help him escape this predicament.

"Alice, are you free next weekend?"

The look of anger on her face completely disappeared. Instead, she was curious as to why her brother was asking that.

"Yes brother. Why?"

"I am thinking of going to the aquarium then. You can come too if you want."

Alice's eyes widened and a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Of course."

"Wait—"

Villous was about to say something but a fierce gaze from Alice stopped him.

"Fine. I will book that aquarium for the day."

Villous was worried about her safety. But since Razak would be with her during the ride, he convinced himself.

At the end of their conversation, an old butler working in the villa brought the food inside. Per proper etiquette, the most important lady, who was Alice there, was served first. After that, it went clockwise to Razak than Vincent and Villous.

The dinner was quiet as it was inappropriate to talk while eating.

"Please excuse me."

After dinner, Vincent was the first one to stand up. He then turned towards Villous.

"I will let you know of any developments."

With those words, he was the first one to depart from the dining room. Following Vincent, Razak also stood up.

"I will be leaving too."

"But can't you stay tonight? It's the weekend."

"Sorry, I have some work tonight. See you next week."

Alice still looked a little unconvinced, but she unwillingly nodded. Razak then looked towards Villous who also nodded in affirmation. And with that, he excused himself from the dining hall.