The woman smiled with joy before her expression shifted to indifference. She looked intensely at Sam and said, "Look, I need people like you badly." Then she thought for a moment and continued, "Let's make a simple deal. I want you to do a simple task for me in exchange for some money." She paused for a moment before continuing, "What do you say about that?"
Sam stared at her with a serious and cautious expression. He felt a dizzying rush of thoughts colliding in his head. He focused on his situation and her proposition. He could raise his middle finger at her, curse her ancestors, and storm out of the room with all his might if he really needed to.
But that wouldn't solve anything. It was clear that this woman was capable and persistent as well. Making her an enemy would make his life hell if it didn't end it.
Add to that the possibility of her reporting him and revealing that there's something 'strange' about him. He believed that the probability of her being able to report his aberration was not low at all.
Sam didn't really want to be within 30 meters of this woman, but circumstances had a different opinion on the matter.
"And do I have the right to refuse?" Sam asked with a contemplative expression. The woman looked at him with interest. "Yes, you have the right to refuse the offer."
"And then you'll have the right to ruin my life?" Sam asked with a seemingly saddened expression. The woman smiled and said, "Of course not, but I believe when you hear the details of my offer, you'll find it difficult to refuse." She adopted a thoughtful and waiting expression, leaning forward slightly towards Sam.
"And what are these details exactly?" Sam asked with a patience-worn expression. The woman looked at him with sparkling eyes and said, "It will be a simple theft. There's a humble jewelry store three streets away. I want you to go there, then steal some stone in an easy and inconspicuous way."
"How did you know I'd be a good thief?" Sam asked, "maybe my ability reveals the number of times you've had s*x and the intensity of your masturbation in the darkness of the night."
The woman looked at him with a puzzled expression, then shocked, and then burst into laughter. "Oh my, what a foolish man you are," then she continued laughing hysterically before finally calming down and changing her laughing expression to a dangerous smile. She said, "I know, Sam, I know exactly what your ability is, and also... I can help you improve it."
Sam looked at her with narrowed and sharp eyes before she continued, "I also know that you obtained it just a few hours ago, and it seems to me that you're spending an awful time learning and understanding it."
Sam's expression intensified and he said, "And why do you want to teach me more about it? To benefit from me even more?"
The woman looked at him with interest before relaxing back into her simple wooden chair and leaned her hands behind her back, stretching with boredom. Regaining her sitting position, she said simply, "25,000 US dollars for you to do this job."
Sam almost choked on his breath upon hearing her offer. 25,000 dollars! For stealing a petty jewelry store! That's more expensive than the whole store, by God!
Sam composed himself and thought about the matter, growing more and more frowning. There was something illogical about the whole situation.
'Why is she paying this absurd amount of money for a stone or a jewel or whatever nonsense she wants? And where exactly did she get this money from? Despite her nice clothes, she still lives in this cheap and miserable building.'
'No, originally, if she's capable of affording expensive clothes and comfortable furniture as I've seen before, then why is she living here at all? Is she running away from something?' Sam thought harshly.
The woman noticed his complicated expression and put him at ease with a calm voice, saying, "You must have a lot of questions. Most importantly, where I got the money. Is my assumption correct?" She looked at him calmly.
Sam nodded affirmatively. Then the woman smiled lightly and said, "You can say I'm an information broker. Well, I used to work in that field." The woman paused for a moment and her gaze deepened. Then she continued, "But some events made me leave that work. And now? You can say I run a sort of organization."
Sam sarcastically scoffed at her mercilessly, with a cold smile and said, "The head of a secret organization and yet you're living in this apartment? In this building? In this neighborhood? Your organization must be thriving, indeed."
She looked at him with interest before giving a faint smile and saying, "I will be here for a short period of time. You can say I'm here on a business trip, and I needed a stable place that wouldn't raise suspicions." She paused for a moment and tried to look into Sam's eyes. "And it so happened that I saw an ad from a woman wanting to rent out this apartment, so I took it. It was a good deal."
Sam looked at her with boredom. But his mind didn't feel the same way. Sam had no way to confirm her words, but it was possible. He looked at her and asked, "Why are you willing to pay this much money for a jewel?"
The woman answered him indifferently, "If you join my organization, I'll tell you. Other than that, you have no right to know."
'Enlisting, huh? Having followers or members might explain why she's capable of dragging me off the street to here' Sam thought, then decided to ask her, "And what does your organization do and how does it work?"
She looked at him with interest this time. "Interested?" Sam exchanged glances with her and then quickly averted his eyes. "Yes." he answered simply.
"I can't tell you the details, but to put it extremely briefly, my organization includes..." She stopped at her words, then leaned towards Sam, holding his hands, and continued, "people like us."
Sam stared at her white hands intensely and noticed the beautiful red gem on a golden ring. Sam wanted to lift his gaze, but refrained in case her eyes had some kind of ability.
The woman continued, saying, "As for what we do, we elevate. We elevate in society." The woman stopped in the middle of her words and then raised her hands to her chin, lifting Sam's chin to meet her gaze directly and said, "Do you believe that shits and gods are equal?"
Sam looked into her captivating green eyes and tried to look away before answering in confusion, "No... I don't believe they're equal."
The woman smiled with a gentle tone and said, "I also believe that. I believe that the world that accommodates people like us is indeed a different world from shi—sorry, I mean humans."
Sam looked at her with confusion, but she continued her talk and asked, "And do you know what kind of shit I hate?"
Sam shook his head in refusal, then saw the woman saying with a serious tone, "The kind of shit that pretends to be a god."
Sam somewhat understood where she was going with her words. She was talking about the upper class in human societies. Those humans who rise above all with their power, wealth, and often, their tyranny.
As for the 'elevation' part in society, it was a vague and nebulous conversation. But Sam easily inferred that elevation would likely be through... unethical means.
Sam smiled. A chance, a wide-open chance, finally appeared before him after enduring his life's hardships and misery. He finally saw an opportunity. An opportunity to rise and surpass everyone. A chance for a life worth living, and he didn't intend to let it slip through his fingers like all the opportunities that had come his way. Even if it contained a great degree of danger, he would go willingly through hell for this opportunity.
"So, when will you give me the details of the operation?" Sam asked while staring intensely into the woman's green eyes.