Caesar carefully looked around the entrance of the mansion. His behavior was leisurely as if he was walking through a park even though there were guards ready to kill him walking beside him.
The first thing he saw was an illustrious painting of Boban right in the middle of two spiraling staircases that led to the second floor. His expression was happy with his teeth showing, but Caesar could see a tinge of pride.
The maids wore skirts that were very short, where a slight gust of wind could make any viewer see a paradise of colors. This was to make his enemies lose focus on the business and indulge in their lust. Everything here was a trap.
Caesar was like a kid who was walking through a museum. He would touch every piece of vase or chest that he could see. The guards only saw him as a naive kid.
The guards showed Caesar towards the second floor where there were only two very large rooms—his master bedroom and his office.
The guards knocked on the wooden door and waited for Boban's affirmation.
"Come in," Boban said from the other side. The guards followed suit and opened the door. They led Caesar inside and stationed themselves near the door.
Caesar looked around the room and saw that Boban's office was full of paperwork and office supplies. It was untidy, with lots of crumpled paper thrown all over the floor.
Boban was sitting in the farthest part of the room, directly opposite the door. He seemed to have been busy with paperwork, but he still wore a calm expression.
Caesar noticed that there was only one exit in the room, and that was the door where Caesar entered. There were not even any windows nor ventilators to let out air. The room was tight shut.
Any guest that was invited to this room would feel suffocated and caged inside, feeling as if they could not escape. This was especially apparent with the guards stationed around the room.
"Who are you?" Boban asked straight, gesturing at Caesar. "You can fool my guards, but I would know any major player in the Joy business. I have never heard of this Julius."
Once the guards found out they had judged wrong, their bodies froze and their legs almost turned to jelly. They have made a major mistake letting Caesar inside.
"Don't worry, you'll be taught properly later. You won't make this mistake again," Boban said with certainty. Even though his tone had no sense of threat, the guards knew the horrors they would face in the future.
The only reason they haven't left this job nor did they rebel against Boban was because of the good pay they were getting. If the pay wasn't good, they wouldn't let this fatso treat them like this.
"What's your name, kid?" Boban asked.
"Caesar."
Boban looked at Caesar up and down. He didn't care about the tattered clothes he was wearing nor was he concerned about his appearance looking like a street kid. No, he was looking at the sharp look in Caesar's eyes.
"You look smart, unlike my guards. Work for me. I'm in need of a secretary," Boban said with a smile on his face.
He thought of himself as generous as a god with this kind of proposition. This was a huge opportunity for some poor kid like Caesar, especially working for him.
He would be working with one of the most successful businessmen in this town, which would not only bring experience but treasures.
"If you work hard, someday in the future, this would be yours," Boban said as he gestured to the room. He was implying that as long as Caesar works hard in this job, then he can inherit everything that Boban owned.
Of course, these were merely sweet words to bait Caesar in. Once Caesar worked for him, then he would be worked tirelessly to the bone and if he made even one mistake, then he would be met with lashes on the back.
The worst part was that there was absolutely no future where Caesar could inherit Boban's treasure while working for him. He would be stuck in this job for the rest of his life.
"Maybe someday," Caesar responded with a smile on his face. Boban's smile widened even further, thinking as if another one of the peasants would join the lashing sessions every night.
"But I'm not here for that. I'm here to acquire some materials," Caesar said.
"Materials?" Boban raised his eyebrow. "Kid, do you know what kind of business I am in?"
"All too well. I see you walking in and out of the Joy factory every month. You deliver ingredients to most of the Joy factories in this town," Caesar said with certainty.
Boban was surprised. He didn't think that this scrawny-looking kid would be this eloquent and perceptive. It was as if he was almost talking to an equal business associate. Of course, that was impossible since there was no way this kid was his equal.
"Very smart," Boban said, biting his lower lip. "Makes me want to acquire you even more. Last chance, do you want to work for me or not?"
Caesar smiled and ignored Boban's question. He reached for his pants to take something out. As soon as the guards saw this suspicious movement, they immediately reacted and pointed a sword at Caesar's neck.
Caesar didn't react and stopped moving. He looked Boban dead in the eyes with no regard to the blade in his neck.
Boban smiled seeing his bravery. "What are you doing? This kid here is a very important customer."
Once they heard that, the guards went back to their positions and stared at the air. They did not dare move a single thing towards Caesar now that Boban declared him as a customer.
Caesar took out a small bag which contained a few grams of Joy. Boban recognized it to be Joy, but this was much more beautiful than anything he had ever seen.
"This is Joy, but as you can see, it's different from the garbage that my competitors produce," Caesar said as he walked towards Boban's desk and laid out the powder on it.
Boban took out a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the sample. As soon as he moved near it, he smelled its pleasant scent that almost made his head muddled with desire to consume Joy.
With his magnifying glass, he could see the fine grains of the red powder. It was amazing. It was smoother than the famous white sands of the South, which he vacationed to once a year.
With the sense of taste and sight done, the only thing next to do was to taste it. But he made it his principle that he would never consume anything while he had business. This principle is the reason why he was so successful and still alive today.
"Hey, you. Come taste this," Boban said to the guard next to him.
The guard was hesitant at first, thinking that this was a trap, but he still went over and took a small sample in his finger. Then, he rubbed it on the underside of his tongue.
"Wha?! This is—oh my god!" he exclaimed. He didn't think that the effects would be this fast and this strong. It was as if a wave of pleasure hit his whole body.
The guard stood there, looking at the ceiling, and digesting the sense of pleasure he had just experienced. "Boss! Can I take another try?" he asked.
Seeing this reaction, Boban was curious about the seemingly miraculous Joy powder. He had seen addicts consuming Joy before, but they had never exhibited this kind of ecstasy before.
The other guards saw the reaction, and also wanted a taste of the Joy. They were usually bored during their shifts, so they would sometimes indulge in Joy.
Boban leaned towards his desk and put his hand over his mouth. His expression was serious, thinking deeply about this new Joy that could shake up the whole industry.
While the guards saw this Joy as something that would bring them pleasure, Boban saw this red powder as something that was as precious as gold.
That pleasant scent that he smelled from the Joy powder was the scent of money. This new and more addicting Joy could bring him profits of unprecedented levels. This would trump any other business he currently had combined.
"What do you think? Ready to do business?" Caesar asked with a smile.