Everyone was stunned. Even though they had just apologized for their poor behavior toward him, Alex had advised the sultan to invest his money in New York.
The important guests stood there, their smiles frozen and their hearts pounding. A few people collapsed into their chairs, their mouths hanging open.
Colin's mind was spinning. If the investment had gone to Washington, D.C., then his family would probably have received part of the money, and they would have been able to expand their business. But now they would get nothing!
Darryl gaped in shock, trying to understand what had happened.
"Are you okay?" Myriam asked, noticing how pale he looked.
Darryl barely heard her. He was too busy glaring at Alex, wishing he could incinerate him on the spot.
Nelly gave Alex a thumbs up. "Well done," she murmured.
When the city leaders recovered from the shock, they pleaded with Alex and the sultan.
"Alex, please reconsider."
"You accepted our apology, so can't you let it go?"
"Your Majesty, this is your investment. You should be the one to decide."
Alex tried to explain his decision to the sultan. "Your Majesty, New York has a much larger population than—"
The sultan raised his hand, signaling Alex to stop. "It doesn't matter," he said through Nelly. "You said New York, so I will invest in New York."
Alex smiled. "Thank you for your trust," he said. "I'm certain your investment in New York will double in value within ten years."
The matter was settled, and the important families and city officials stopped arguing. They were furious, but nobody dared to complain in front of the sultan.
The sultan knew his guests were upset, so he decided to finish the meal as soon as possible. He stood on the stage and made a short speech, and then the governor announced the end of the banquet.
As the sultan prepared to leave, he asked Alex to walk outside with him.
Once the sultan had left, everyone began to speak at once, insulting both the sultan and Alex. Everyone threatened to get revenge on Alex at the first opportunity.
Outside, the sultan said goodbye to Alex and got into a limousine.
Alex asked Nelly, "Are you going back home with the sultan?"
Nelly shook her head. "I ran away from the queen and came to the United States to find someone," she said. "And now that the queen is gone, there's nothing for me in Brunei. I'm going to stay here and look for that person. They're very special to me. Besides, even if I don't find him, I prefer being here with you, even if you are kind of a loser."
Alex smiled at her.
Nelly blushed. "Are you laughing at me?" she asked, stretching out her hand to smack the back of his head. "Don't make fun of me!"
She stuck her tongue out at him and got into the limousine, and then she left with the sultan.
**
A few days later, David and Leona's families were busy preparing for the wedding.
David wanted to recruit some extra security for the wedding ceremony. After all, the Drake family was important, so they required more than simple bodyguards. They needed skilled people who could provide protection and carry out a few discreet tasks.
Most of the powerful families had such security experts. It was expensive, but it was well worth it. Strong security as a deterrent to anyone plotting against them, and it allowed the families to feel confident.
According to David's research, ten martial artists might be suitable. All ten were currently staying in hotels within Washington, D.C.
David wanted to test their skills before he made any decisions, so he invited them all to the family house. It was a luxurious villa with extensive grounds, which included a garden, an open-air swimming pool, and a large garage. They employed many servants to keep the villa in good condition.
At ten o'clock in the morning, all ten martial artists arrived.
David looked them over. There were both men and women, and they all looked quite different from each other. Some were taller than others, and some were more heavily built. Some of them looked extremely unfit, and David wasn't sure what to think.
He was surprised by their looks, but he still needed to test them to see how good they were.
"Please come with me to the garden," he said. "And let's see what you can do."
The ten martial artists followed David to the garden and found twenty people waiting for them
All twenty were well-built and impressive looking.
One of the martial artists, a middle-aged man with a thin face, sneered. "See how much effort David has put into testing us?" he asked. "He's gathered all these strong young men to fight us!"
Several of the others laughed.
David frowned. I may be your employer soon, he thought. You should show me some respect. Then again, martial arts people are normally quite arrogant, even with their employers.
"Please don't take offense," he said to the ten martial arts experts. "These men are all members of an elite combat team, but I assume you'll be able to deal with them. One of you against five of them?"
A few of the martial arts experts laughed.
"Is that the best he could find?"
"Only five at a time? Hah, you underestimate us."
"I won't even work up a sweat."
The members of the elite combat team were furious at the lack of respect. Some of them clenched their fists, ready to beat the strange-looking people who were insulting them.
David was pleased to see how spirited they were. "I like the confidence!" he said. "Which of you wants to be the first to compete?"
The elite combat team members held their heads high, looking forward to getting started. They couldn't wait to teach these upstarts a lesson.
"I'll go first," said one man, stepping forward. It was the middle-aged man who had sneered at the elite team. "I'm Ryder Dixon. I'll take on ten of your little team!"
David clapped his hands. "Okay," he said. "If Ryder wants to fight ten men at once, then I won't stop him. I can't wait to see what he'll do."
The leader of the elite team selected ten of his men, who walked up to Ryder. The others stepped back to make more room.
"We won't be going easy on you," the leader warned Ryder. He turned to his men and said, "Attack as a group!"
The ten men rushed right at Ryder, who merely smiled. As they got close, he jumped out of the way, hitting one of the men with one hand. The man grunted as he hit the ground. Ryder continued to make circular motions with his hands, waiting for a chance to hit another of his opponents. The ten members of the elite team appeared slow and clumsy compared to Ryder. No matter what they did, they never came close to touching him.
Ryder moved among the elite team members, knocking each of them down, one by one.
In less than three minutes, all ten men had been sent sprawling. They held their hands over their injuries, staring at Ryder with fear.
The other martial artists watched Ryder with respect.
"Good!" David said, walking over to Ryder. "You're certainly very skilled. The Drake family could use a man like you."
Ryder snorted. "We'll see," he said, nodding at David and going back to stand with the others.
The next fighter was called Marco Moreno. Like Ryder, he defeated ten of the elite team, but it took him a little longer, and his skills were not quite as good as Ryder's.
David was happy with how well they were performing, but now that his twenty men had been beaten by Ryder and Marco, there was no one left to test the rest of the fighters.
He considered it for a moment and then came up with an idea. "The rest of you will fight against Ryder and Marco," he said. "After that, Ryder and Marco will rest, and another two of you will take their place. Let me see how skilled you are!"