"Yes, I'll be there in a minute. Wait for me."
After finishing his phone call, the Chairman furiously shut off the phone and placed it inside his pocket.
Along with him was his assistant. The two of them stood up in the middle of the auditorium, right beside the auditorium seats as they were totally debating whether they should head back or not. After the Chairman finished the phone call, he already gave up on looking for Mr. Travis since he's nowhere to be found inside in this gigantic school, and also, the number one priority right now is the person who called him.
Both didn't waste any time and went back to their ways afterward.
"Who was that, boss?" asked his assistant, striving to keep up with his pace.
The chairman. Despite his purely attractive look, he's recognized for his perpetually frowning expression, which doesn't hide the fact that he's always on edge about something. Nobody knew, but when he discovered anything interesting, he'd act like a jerk who craves more knowledge until he thoroughly crushed the subject.
"The CEO, of course," he exasperatedly answered, "Now. Where's the librarian?"
The librarian he was talking about was that man in his thirties who once accused class 11-5 of something using his failed tactic. It was a great fail but the chairman gave him another opportunity that could change his whole life.
"S-Sir, he's now the new president," nervously answered his assistant. Soon, they took a right turn to reach the entrance gate of the school. The parking lot was located right beside the entrance gate so they took another turn to the right since that's where the chairman's car was parked.
"Ah damn, I know that. Where is he?" the chairman asked, opening remotely the swan door of his car.
Yesterday, the chairman appointed the librarian as the school's new president, a position that the librarian had long desired. It was all part of their strategy since it had the potential to destabilize class 11-5, which the librarian loathed the most. To make their plan work, they required someone who held a grudge against the class, and the chairman thought the librarian is the suited person for this.
"Due to the circumstance recently, he's still in shock with what happened, boss. So he's now in the office inside his home," answered the assistant.
"Ahh, that damn useless. What's the use of being a president when he's not here?"
They were about to enter the car when a honk of another passing car was heard. Both the chairman and his assistant stopped when they recognized whose car it was.
"Woohyun," coldly called the black-haired guy which the blackness of his hair resonates with the color of the car he's riding. He also had a thin beard that appeared to be freshly grown hair. He's in his twenties yet his jawline seemed like some of the actors in an action movie depicting the sharpness of his personality, which any adolescent may have.
He was seated in the back seat. The three other seats were seated by his bodyguards. After the window shield has opened, he gazed upon the chairman. It seemed he was referring to the chairman even when he started calling his name.
The man then removed his shades, and there... his crimson flush eyes appeared as if the school's light shone upon his brilliant iris.
When the chairman's assistant got a better look at the person inside the car, he seemed to freeze in place and tense up. He had no idea it was the CEO.
"Be sure to win later at the casino. Are you ready?" he asked, referring to the chairman whose name is known to be Woohyun.
"No need to tell me. Where are you headed to?" asked the chairman, Woohyun, to the CEO.
Both seemed to be not in a tight mood but both were really good mates. The chairman and the CEO. Both positions were the highest ranking in a certain company like others, but they had to pretend they're not close to each other once they're at work. This was done to avoid biased behavior within the firm.
"I'll be one of the watchers, of course. I had to see him in the act," the CEO answered.
The chairman then clicked his tongue and glared at the CEO, putting his hand inside his pocket. Clenching jaw, the chairman went inside his car and sat in the passenger seat furiously.
The assistant didn't hesitate either, but he walked into the car and sat in the driver's seat to follow Woohyun. From the assistant's point of view, it looked impolite to leave the CEO hanging. But because he's working on Woohyun's side, he had to be as impolite as he could since it is his duty to obey the chairman.
"Either way, don't despise me too much, Woohyunie," the CEO smirked.
Right after they finished their conversation, both parted ways. The CEO went ahead of him while the chairman, Woohyun, was left in his car, lost in thought. The assistant then waited for Woohyun's order.
"Take another route. Make sure not to bump into him or else I'll kill you," he said coldly as he gazed outside the school.
The assistant then nervously answered, "Y-Yes, boss!"
Without a second, he started the engine and drifted off towards their destination, the Backfire Hotel & Casino.
They didn't converse a single word inside the car. Both the chairman and the assistant were utterly silent as they went on their way towards their destined location. If they had to talk to one other, it would be about work.
• • • • • •
"Here's the student I told you about. Nabito Victor Villegas," Mr. Travis sighed, introducing Victor to Lachlan.
When Mr. Travis saw Lachlan in his new white tuxedo, he wondered why he had to look so presentable when it was simply a simple performance they had to do. Maybe he had his own motives, so Mr. Travis simply let him be.
The three of them were behind at the casino, where no one was there around and no one guard remained. This zone was completely out of place, like an abandoned area, so they decided to meet up in this deserted site so they could discuss a little about the matter. Because they needed to be cautious, they selected to meet just here, where no one could see them, even the cameras.
"So, you're the guy who's willing to sacrifice his money just for his friends, huh," Lachlan smiled, shaking hands with Victor, "Well, love that attitude of yours, kid."
The only thing that remained was the serene, dull, and immaculate space. The moon was the only light they could rely on, even the fountain in the center of the area has malfunctioned that it didn't produce any light.
"Nice to meet you. You're really my savior," Victor gently clasped Victor's hand as he thanked him genuinely.
"Nah, don't mention it. It was your teacher's idea in the first place."
Victor looked at his teacher, and they both grinned as they caught one other's gaze. It was a real smile with many messages hidden behind it. Between their expressions, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears were shed. It would be a wonderful honor for both of them to have made it this far.
Travis appeared to be in a hurry, so when he looked at his wristwatch, he waved farewell to both of them. He had committed Victor to his buddy, Lachlan, so he didn't have to worry about them.
"Don't forget to wear your mask. This looked like a masquerade party after all," Lachlan told Victor. Lachlan then didn't hesitate to wear his French masquerade mask.
After a while, the huge bell above the town's tower has started to ring, it signifies it's already 8 in the evening. This means, all workers in such places should wrap up everything in their work and all students should head back to their homes and take a rest. It was like a curfew from the town. It was an alarm to remind all of the townspeople to never forget about the time.
The only persons who should not be moving at this hour were those who worked in small businesses, such as this hotel and casino. This location was known to be one of the town's medium-sized businesses, but it was also the location of such events. No government should interfere with their firms since they all thought that medium and small businesses were taking their time to enhance their operations. So they had to let the workers stay on their knees and let them take their time operating in their company.
"Now that my dear students are inside the casino, I had to keep an eye on him as long as it takes. As his teacher... as his second parent... and as a friend, I should guide him no matter what," Mr. Travis thought as he hastily went inside his car.
"Where should we be going, Sir?" asked his major-domo, preparing to start the engine.
"Kindly follow my student, Zeus. He was one of my students whom we dropped off earlier. Beside the bakery... between the pawnshop and the music shop, that's where we dropped him. He said he had to take care of things but I feel like I should tail on him," Mr. Travis wore his seatbelt.
The teacher's smile was completely gone after those worries he had for Zeus. Even if his student might be safe or not, he still wanted to keep an eye on him in case anything happens.
"All right, son. Let's rock 'n roll."
