5. Cooperation Offer

Smoke billowed from the cigar in Javer's mouth into the room with its Turkish interior.

For fifteen minutes, Vica had been watching Javer who didn't stop smoking his cigar. His mind wondered what was inside the cigar until Javer couldn't let go.

From the opposite couch, across from Vica, Javer finally placed the cigar on the table and looked at Vica with a serious look in his eyes.

"I have an invitation tomorrow," Javer said as a conversation starter, causing Vica to frown. "From the Bronsquake Gang, my rivals."

"So what do you want?" asked Vica.

Javer's facial expression looked uncomfortable underneath his calmness. "Seeing how you played earlier, I'm offering you a partnership."

Vica chuckled. "What kind of cooperation? Cooperation to bring down your pride again?"

"Ssshh..." Javer hissed in exasperation at Vica's teasing. "If you're so fond of bringing down other people's self-esteem, you can consider this offer of mine as cooperation in bringing down other people's self-esteem."

"Cooperation in bringing down the esteem of others than you," Vica repeated the sentence that caught his attention while nodding her head. "That's fine. It seems like it would be fun. What do you want?"

"Do you like playing cards?"

Vica thought for a moment. "I'd rather watch my opponent lose."

Javer laughed sarcastically. What an unexpected answer. "Then play the cards for me."

"What?"

"Play the card for me," Javer repeated, emphasizing every word of his sentence. His back straightened to rest two elbows on his knees, supporting his chin. "You can watch my opponent lose all you want if you win."

For a few moments Vica stood still, digesting. Javer watched with an expectant gaze, then Vica sighed.

"So, you're asking me to be your pawn?" asked Vica in confirmation.

Javer's finger snapped. "Not a pawn. After all, we're win-win. I'll do a fifty-fifty profit split."

Vica hissed with a look of horror on her face. "What a loss. Seventy-thirty," she stated without thinking.

Javer's brow furrowed. "What?"

"You get thirty percent, I get seventy percent."

Vica's words made Javer scowl with an exasperated snort. "You've only won a game with me once, and you're asking for that much?"

"Four rounds, five hours," Vica corrected Javer once more. "I beat you in four rounds, Mr. Javer."

"But you may not be able to beat the others."

"You don't believe me."

Javer raised both eyebrows, smirking. "I'm just offering you, but not trusting you."

"If you don't trust, why are you offering? Offers happen on trust."

Javer's sardonic laughter rang out. "Offers happen because of situations, compulsion, and unexpected things. Trust is a bonus if there's no bad luck trailing the deal from the offer. Trusting someone is suicide anyway."

Javer's words really caught Vica's attention. The corners of the woman's lips were immediately drawn wider with a twinkle of admiration in her eyes. Not made up. Somehow a feeling of satisfaction flowed into the crack of her chest, especially at the thought that Javer would actually believe her later.

Vica felt that Javer's words were ambiguous and unconvincing.

There was a sense of challenge that bubbled up between the satisfaction in Vica's chest, making Vica unable to hold back her laughter as she clapped her hands with a slow clapping beat. It echoed in the room, making Javer look at Vica in surprise.

"Is something funny?"

Instead of answering Javer's question, when his laughter had subsided slowly, Vica asked, "So... what's your situation?"

Javer watched Vica for a moment, not understanding. Meanwhile, Vica seemed so curious and interested. I don't know how many times Javer had been made to wonder about Vica's behavior now, and why Vica always had that interested look on her face.

No matter how many times he looked at her, Javer couldn't figure out what she really meant.

"You don't need to know that," Javer replied after a few seconds of silence. "What you need to know is how you're going to deal with them."

Vica sighed and played with her nails. "Yeah, but you yourself wouldn't agree to my profit-sharing offer. Even though you know-"

"Willing," Javer cut in without waiting for Vica to finish.

Vica's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Seventy percent and thirty percent profit sharing. I'm willing."

Hearing that, Vica's amused smile grew. "Hey, you're so resigned? I thought you'd still refuse and look for someone with a smaller profit share instead."

"Even the income from that is not worth my business."

The smile on Vica's face gradually faded at that. Javrr had already gotten up from his seat and was walking towards the corner of the room. While Vica's gaze did not leave Javer's back, but her mind drifted around the interesting word from Javer's sentence earlier.

Business.

My business.

The corners of Vica's lips formed a curious grin. But it faded as soon as Javer turned around.

"I've arranged-"

Before Javer could explain, a man in an all-black suit ran hurriedly into the room. Vica and Javer immediately looked away. The newly arrived subordinate man radiated worry from the look in his eyes.

The corner of his eyes and the corners of his lips were bruised, and thick blood was visible on the corners of his lips. Javer gave a look of astonishment.

"Sir... sir... upstairs, there was an attack!"

***

Javer's breath came out as his head bowed and his waist ruffled.

A few meters ahead, Fed-his loyal right-hand man, was kneeling with both hands held behind his back by a man wearing a beige suit. His face looked battered. Some of the male bodyguards who had been accompanying him at the poker table had been taken down by some men in black coveralls with goggles on.

"I'm on business, can't you guys just come over later?" asked Javer throwing a thoughtless look.

The man holding Fed's wrist laughed. "I was really holding back the desire to meet you. Finally, huh?"

Javer stared at several men in suits just like them already lying with his bodyguards who were also lying helpless. He didn't even realize how long the fight had been going on? This quickly everyone had been taken down.

"You chose the wrong time. I'm not in a good mood right now."

One second later, bodyguard men in black suits with much more muscular bodies came out from the doors of the room. Their arrival made the man behind Fed smile wryly, feeling challenged.

The man kicked Fed in the face until he stumbled to the side and couldn't get back up because his hands were tied tightly together. Javer's teeth chattered angrily at the sight.

When Javer's bodyguard men had already swarmed the remaining black-clad men, the Beige Suit Man ran straight into the few bodyguard men who were holding him back. Javer was the target. The man's gaze did not leave Javer who had now paralyzed three men in a matter of seconds.

Kicking, punching, playing with his feet to knock him down and stomping, shaking his hands and then elbowing the face of the opponent who attacked from the side and then breaking the neck of the one in the grip.

The man in the beige suit, after being beaten by one of the bodyguard men, staggered with a grin towards Javer who was still alert. Only a bruise on the lip, but no effect. A fight between the Suit Man and Javer ensued.

Suit Man elbowed Javer in the face. Javer twisted an arm. Suit Man twists the body and delivers a leg attack.

Javer straightens back up and delivers a flurry of punches to the stomach, stretches out Pria Jas Krem's arm to punch him in the jaw from underneath, and pulls on Pria Jas Krem's collar to deliver a punch to the corner of the lip that is already covered in fresh blood.

Unfortunately, Javer's hand movements were halted when someone shot him in the leg.

Javer fell over with a groan, while the Suit Man grinned.

"You'd better not get cocky, Javer," the man said, forcing Javer to his feet. "You're... nothing more than a parasite. You-ARRGHH!"

The man in the beige suit fell to the ground as a single shot rang out. A bullet pierced one of his legs.

A woman with sturdy steps stepped up to Javer. She moved one of Javer's arms to wrap around his neck. While helping Javer to his feet, the gun was pointed at the Suit Man with a look that confirmed his opponent's movements.

The Suit Man threw an unbelieving look of surprise, while the woman held Javer's body up.

With the sharp gaze not moving from the Suit Man, a sardonic smile formed on his face.

"You have to trust me, Javer. You need me in this situation."

Javer watched the woman beside him in disbelief, then laughed with a grin. The woman, Vica Almira, shot the Suit Man in the leg once again.