Chapter 243 - Lunch with Julian Anastasia (1)

The girls left for the Bahamas after Edward stated his internship while the boys were preparing to reel in the big shark called Julian. For the first time in years, Wilmer returned home for a quick reunion with his wife and daughters before they had to part again. Jasper readied what Wilmer required and told the CEO the plan that he created with the boys. Wilmer memorised it and went through the final round of preparations for the meeting with Carol and Claire.

On the other hand, Elfie and Edward managed to infiltrate deeply into EZ Express' inner networks and found all sorts of condemning evidence that they passed to the Interpol for further investigations. Mr Bayon was very pleased with his son's success and told Edward to lie low now that his main objective has been achieved. If he could end his internship without a hitch, it would be their success. Julian's bugged office was one of the biggest accomplishments and Edward was glad he didn't bug the table or the flower pot like what other spies would have done. According to Mr Bayon, Julian swept through his office for bugs weekly but the one Edward planted remained well hidden. It was a race against time but Edward remained confident that he would be the most successful spy that ever infiltrated EZ Express.

The day to meet Julian Anastasia finally arrived and Jasper was nervous. Beside him sat Wilmer who looked cool and calm. They decided to travel in fashion and called for the hotel limousine to pick them up. The room they booked was a private one that had been pre-tapped with security devices, cameras and listening bugs by Claire before she left. Danny will be monitoring their discussion closely to alarm the security if something should happen. Negotiations were going to break down but Wilmer's job was to stall Julian for as long as possible so that Edward and Elfie could do one final sweep of EZ Express in Julian's absence and sniff out those involved directly in Anastasia's illegal business. The boys needed a little more time and Jasper was told to keep the man occupied for a good four hours.

As hosts, they arrived fifteen minutes earlier and were ushered to their reserved room. The menu was chosen by Wilmer and Jasper prepared the presentation that he and his team put together to explain the VR games and technology Kiwi Cat Studio was working on. His job was to act as a neutral party who was trying to sell to the best customer. Wilmer was representing Wilde Inc.'s interest as a major investor in Kiwi Cat Studio.

Jasper rubbed his hands on his pants while they sat, waiting. Wilmer noticed this and gave the teen a light slap on the back.

"Straighten up and look confident even if that's not how you feel on the inside. You're a young wolf who will eventually surpass us. Once everything is over, you and I will be having a long talk, Mr Hopper. I heard from Orita that you're finally dating my daughter."

Jasper's nervousness came back at full force when he heard that Wilmer knew about his relationship with Alex. They continued to chat about many things, mostly Wilmer asking about what he missed for the years he hadn't been home. Jasper answered him and told the man things that he regretted missing like the days where both his daughters were part of the band Britannia that had disbanded. He also lamented how he wasn't able to congratulate his daughters on turning sixteen on their Sweet Sixteen Gala that his wife planned.

While they were chatting, Julian Anastasia finally made his appearance. Jasper and Wilmer stood u-up and exchanged pleasantries before sitting down again. From behind his long bangs, Jasper studied the son of Lucian Anastasia. He kept his rage down when he thought about how this man was partially responsible for keeping Wilmer away from his family for so many years.

Julian Anastasia was a dashing man in his thirties that many women would swoon over. He had a high nose bridge, hooded eyes, hair swept back and held by gel with a clean shave that showed off his well-defined jawline. The suit he was wearing wasn't less expensive than the one Wilmer wore and Jasper felt oddly out of place with his Golden Frost blazer being the only expensive thing that wasn't even bought by him. Those converse sneakers, Levi jeans and printed graphic round-neck tee from somewhere were a very glaring contrast to the formal setting of the restaurant Wilmer helped to book. Back at Kiwi Cat Studio, this would have been considered formal wear but after looking at these two men, Jasper finally understood where he was lacking. Not to mention, his current hairstyle was highly unsuitable for work. Just the thought about having to cut it in the future made Jasper panic. He couldn't cope with the social anxieties without hiding behind something even after so many years and he doubted that would change anytime soon.

"Please to finally meet you," Julian smiled. "You're an unexpectedly difficult man to see."

Smiling at the sarcasm laced with a honeyed smile, Jasper laughed it off and took his hand back. Julian was shaking it for a little too long that was starting to make his skin crawl. Meeting the same level of hostility, Jasper smiled.

"Sorry about that. You're also a rather pleasantly persistent person when it comes to catching my attention. As the owner of a young start-up company, we are still lacking in many areas so I have to personally oversee most things which explain my lack of hospitality previously. Please forgive me for not entertaining you earlier."

Wilmer was proud of how confidently and smoothly Jasper handled the first hurdle with ease and stood his ground. Indeed, he was a young wolf. Even if he disliked the idea of seeing his daughter getting married to anyone, Wilmer thought that it would be fine if Jasper was the one to join the Wilde family. The boy had guts, brains and loyalty.

They exchanged small talk for a while and Jasper called the waiter to bring in the drinks and light appetisers while Julian took a look at the menu. 

"Are both of you not going to order?" Julian asked after seeing that he was the only one looking.

Jasper laughed it off and shook his head. "No need, please take your time. Wilmer and I often come out for lunch here to talk about business. We know the menu at the back of our hands so we'll just get the usual."

While it sounded casual enough, Julian picked up on the hint that these two people had a close relationship. His expression clouded over for a moment but it quickly disappeared as the CEO of EZ Express replaced his mask flawlessly.

"Is that so?" he grinned. "I guess it is important to maintain a good relationship with your future in-laws."

That subtle hinting that Julian knew about Jasper's relationship with the Wildes made the boy freeze for a moment. Thankfully, he had bangs covering his eyes and Julian didn't have the chance to see his eyes widening in shock behind them. Wilmer quickly covered for Jasper and diverted Julian's attention away from Jasper. This man wasn't fooling around and if they made one mistake, he would swallow them whole.

"I'm afraid we've gone slightly off-topic," Wilmer stated coldly. "Have you decided what you'd like for the main course?"

Picking on the cue, Julian smirked and threw the menu down. "Give me a seasonal chef recommendation," he told the waiter without even checking with Wilmer or Jasper who was the host of the lunch meeting.

Jasper swallowed when he heard that and became rigid. Thankfully, he wasn't paying for this meal. It would have done him in with Julian literally eating him out of house and home. Seasonal menu items were expensive and the prices could fluctuate drastically. A meal here would easily cost Jasper one month's worth of his office rent with Kiwi Cat Studio but the CEO of EZ Express didn't seem to care that Jasper was only a boss of a small start-up company.

Wilmer glared at Julian who smirked. The man even placed an order for a glass of 30-year-old Martell VSOP. Instead of telling the guest off, Wilmer called the waiter and ordered for an entire bottle.

"As a gift from me to you, Mr Anastasia," Wilmer said and Jasper felt his heart almost bursting from his chest from all the money that they were burning just to spend four hours with their enemy. Scarlet wasn't joking when she said Jasper needed to become rich and powerful enough to entice Anastasia for her plan to nab them. As the decoy, Jasper didn't know if he was doing good enough. Thankfully, Wilmer was here to back him up and he wasn't alone.

Finding it a killjoy that Wilmer offered to pay for his expensive demands, Julian was no longer interested in trying to bankrupt the young boy. Instead, he decided to enjoy his time trying to ruffle the feathers of his father's most hated person in the world - Wilmer Wilde.