Chapter 41: Midland Circle

—

Due to the bloody fight that took place on the first floor of the Villa, the entire place wasn't suitable for spending the rest of the night thanks to the smell that spread to the entire area.

Enrique was fine with not sleeping a single night, but he knew the three girls weren't the same. The sight they had to witness shook them, so they needed a good night's sleep to calm down.

Enrique and Ava, when they landed outside the villa, found Greer and Ava waiting outside. 

After a quick chat with them and realizing they needed a night to spend until the villa was cleaned, Enrique sent a text to Emma Frost. Emma was his brand new 'partner' in words, but in truth she was but a glorified slave, so she could take care of these minor things.

[Emma: Alright. I will be booking a hotel for you four. Don't worry, it's one under Frost International so Greer Nelson can move around freely. As for cleaning your villa, I will send men, they will take care of it.]

[Enrique: Set up a new villa for me. I don't wish to spend nights in a place bathed by the blood of a hundred corpses.]

Enrique for sure didn't want to live here any longer after this night, and Emma guessed that was fair—more so since it was she who initiated the attack, to begin with.

[Emma: …Fine. I think that's better, too. I will set up a new villa for you, and Frost International will protect its location, so don't worry about just anybody with money finding your home.]

At the same time, Enrique knew Emma must be thinking how giving him a mansion from her side would make spying on him and stuff like that easier. Sadly for her, Enrique was looking out for her tricks and so she could only dream.

[Enrique: Thank you, please do so. Also, make sure I get my papers soon, the ones I petitioned for. I am sure you know what I am talking about.]

Emma read his message but didn't reply. But Enrique was sure she would do the things she was told.

Later, Enrique received details from her about the hotel chosen for him and the girls to spend the night in. They would stay there until Emma prepared a new villa for them.

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* * *

The next few days were uneventful for the most part.

Enrique met Peter coincidentally when he was under the mask, where the teenager once again thanked him for helping in the Homecoming incident. 

As warned by the Great Weaver a few days ago, Enrique had texted Peter that he didn't have to pray to Mut any longer. This time he reminded Peter again, but in person, so as not to get in any potential trouble.

Other than that, there was nothing unusual that happened in the next few days. No Black Cat, no SHIELD, no Mutant problems, no Hand, and no nothing.

At one point, Enrique's fake papers were done and at the same time, Emma finished a grand villa for him. Emma wanted to write it down to his name, but he didn't take it, because in the worst case she may have hidden something in that place and then will call the authorities to get him in trouble. This, as well, was a temporary stay for Enrique. He would make his own money and build his own useful villa.

It was also near Highland Park for the sake of convenience, and the four soon moved there. Their lifestyles weren't so much as affected as they hadn't even spent a week in the old villa.

Just like that, Saturday soon came, and Enrique prepared to meet with Lydia Hardy tomorrow. However, when he woke up in the morning, an unexpected occurrence finally happened.

— You can choose the meeting spot, you don't have to come to my office. Your place, a coffee shop, or perhaps dinner? Anywhere works.

Alexandra Reid of the Midland Circle, who had the secret identity as a Finger of The Hand, called Enrique and talked respectfully.

Her voice came out of the phone while Enrique had his eyes narrowed as he chewed on his lips.

["Accept it,"] Mut's voice said abruptly. ["It's alright, I talked with The Beast, they wouldn't try anything funny."]

"Alright," Enrique said after getting the word from Mut. "Come to my place. I am a bit busy, so it's inconvenient for me to go out right now."

It must have been infuriating for Reid to hear him give the busy excuse, as she was the CEO of an international group and not him. 

What must he be doing anyway, coding on his computer?

However, if she was displeased, she didn't show it in her voice.

— Thank you. I will be there in an hour.

The call ended and Enrique put the phone down, standing on his spot with a slight tilt of his head.

"What the fuck does she want?"

---

* * *

It turned out Alexandra Reid wanted nothing. In fact, she was here to return something. 

The Cat's Amulet.

It was an item Greer lost in the fight with Hand half a year ago, and the Hand had kept it to themselves since then. The leader of the hand seemingly wanted to apologize and forget about their past, so he sent Reid here to return this thing to where it belonged.

"Why was the Hand after these girls, anyway?" Enrique asked after pocketing the amulet. He planned to use it to tease Greer later on.

"...You didn't know?" Reid asked in shock. "I would think you'd know, given you were ready to fight the entire clan for these girls."

"I mean, I knew the bits that said the Hand was after the White-Tiger Amulet," Enrique replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "However, I don't know why they were after it. What's so special about it? It certainly doesn't make the wearer into the Hulk or whatnot."

"Ah, that." Reid smiled a little. "...I don't know if it's okay to tell you, but oh well, it's the chi that is stored within the amulet. Ava Ayala has no idea how to wield chi, such is why she is so weak. If she could use the fierce chi within this artifact, she would be a strong foe to face. Ah, there is also the fact that the amulet is just the 'head' of another entirely different artifact. The Jade Statue of the White-Tiger, that when fully formed with the 'head' becomes an artifact worthy of legends."

"Oh." Enrique picked up the cup of coffee from the table and took a sip. "Interesting. K'un-Lun, right? That should be where the other body part is located."

Reid's eyes widened in shock hearing him. She didn't expect him to know about the legendary city of K'un-Lun. It made her look at him far more cautiously than a moment ago.

"...Yes," Reid nodded. "However, I don't know of anything else on this matter, so sadly there's no point in asking."

Enrique shrugged with an eyebrow and put the cup down, saying, "In any case, if that's all, then you should leave. I have things I need to take care of."

"I see. But there indeed is something else that I must talk about." sitting across from him on the table, Reid sipped her coffee and then put the cup down. "The Midland Circle wishes to sponsor your company, Nova Games. It's not an order from the boss, but something I suggested to him myself and he swiftly agreed."

Enrique's left eyebrow squinched at her words as he thought for a moment. 

A second later, he said, "Can we have this conversation later? You see, tomorrow I have a meeting with the CEO of Hardy Corporation. It was decided a week ago, so we can't cancel it."

"Midland Circle is somewhat above Hardy's." Reid said. "Though I suppose you must already be aware of it. It's alright, we can have this talk afterward."

"Thank you for understanding." Enrique stood up from his seat and reached out a hand, but it wasn't for a handshake. Reid smiled a little and accepted his hand, standing up softly. "I do hope I can talk about this deal of yours later; not for the Hand, but just so I can spend some more time with a beautiful lady."

Reid smiled. This woman was a few centuries old, Enrique knew that, but that didn't stop the fact she was a hot Milf. He wouldn't mind hitting.

Some would say being in a sexual relationship with business partners wasn't a good idea, but those 'some' just didn't have a good bed game.

Enrique wasn't prone to ask for direct help for his company from Emma, because he didn't want his Nova Games to associate with Emma's Frost International. After all, nobody knew the future of his and her relationship. So it was better to deal with other companies by himself, and both the Hardy Corporation and Midland Circle were a good start.

Soon, Alexandra Reid left, and it left Enrique to look forward to the growth of his business. 

'Oh, and also this Cat's Amulet. Now, what can I scam out of Greer with this?'

Sometimes, life was bright and lovely. Enrique loved these moments.

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