Chapter 146 - Old and New

In a dank and dimly lit bar,three men were sitting in a corner.Each had a mug of beer in front of them.Two of the men were bulky with a perfect body shape while the third was lanky and thin.They were quietly discussing their business while ocassionally casting a wary glance around the empty place.The only thing incospicious about these people was that they were too handsome and all the waitresses kept glancing at them.From the looks of it,the skinnier man was younger than the other two as he was constantly questioning them."Are you sure he will take the bait?What if he chooses the other company?Their CEO's reputation is also good.Plus you have gambled the entire company's future on this!If you lose it will be the end of Lance Inc."

To this question,Drake answered,"If he chooses the other company even then we can initiate a forced takeover.We have the assets ready and that man will not invest very easily so I don't think we need to be worried.What I am worried about is the personal safety of my family.Either way he wins or loses,his next target is going to be personal attacks.I want to avoid that.So I am going to keep him busy as long as I can and get him to come out so that he can be captured.This time it is a do or die situation."

James,who had seen his friend fighting the same enemy for so long did not know what to say.They had caught up on the changes in their lives and he had seen Drake's eyes sparkle at the mention of his wife.James wanted to meet the woman who had brought his friend a new life.But they could not acknowledge each other until this time had passed.

He remembered that he had just been scouted by the national team when Ryu's parents had passed away.They had been in the middle of practice sessions and he had almost ditched that to be with his friend knowing that missing those would mean the end of his career even before it started.Drake had refused to let him come.Thinking that his friend was only being concerned,he had booked a flight but then had received an a message from a new no. The message said,"their death was not an accident.Nobody knows about our friendship.Please be a safe haven for us should we ever need it.Nobody knows about my visit to that country and our friendship.Your friend."

The cryptic message had shocked him and made him turn back.He just wanted to stand by his friend.If his absence was what he required then that is what he will get.So,after that the two friends had remained in contact only through messages or emails.Most of the time they caught news about each other from newspapers as Drake went on to become a powerful business magnet while James became a sperstar football player at the international stage.

Anyone who knew these two people separately would have diffiulty picturing the other person as their friend.

Sighing at his thoughts of the past James asked,"Have you made the security arrangements I told you about?"

A slight nod of the head was the answer.Ryu only ever had two confidants.Neil and james.He could not discuss the secrity issue this time with Neil because he was bound to do something rash so the only person he could confide in was this.

As the three drank beer,all they could think of was,"all the pieces had been laid now they only had to wait for the opposition to make their move."

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