"Eight o'clock tonight. Book a hotel and tell him to come over," Morin said, waving his hand. "You guys handle the setup."
"Yes!"
The subordinate nodded and quickly left to make arrangements.
Gisele asked curiously, "Why not have him come now?"
"When doing business-even fake business-you can't rush it," Morin said calmly. He wasn't impatient at all. He had nothing else to do anyway, so he explained it slowly. "Even if I have no intention of actually cooperating with a drug lord, since we're using this as a pretext, it has to look real."
"So we need a proper venue. A formal setting. An official-looking meeting."
Morin paused, then smiled. "Of course, the ending won't be a friendly collaboration."
"You only need Reyes's palm print," he continued. "Once you get that, you can move. And after the operation succeeds... whether Reyes even has the time to worry about me is another matter."
"If he's counting on me as a last resort, he'll be disappointed," Morin said casually. "By then, I'll probably already be gone."
"...Did you plan all of this from the start," Gisele asked, "or did you just think of it now?"
"I just thought of it," Morin yawned.
"Yawn... If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have bothered dealing with a drug lord at all."
Morin wasn't lying.
Even though he'd gone from an ordinary person to wealthy in just a few years, his upbringing hadn't changed. His family background and education in his previous life meant he'd never seriously considered illegal paths.
Almost everything he did stayed within the rules.
The "almost" referred to rare exceptions-like helping Toretto's crew and getting them cleared. When he first arrived, Toretto had helped him get started and looked after him for a long time.
Turning his back on that?
Morin wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"So what do we do now?" Gisele asked.
This was completely outside her field. She had no idea what came next.
"Do whatever you want," Morin said with a perfectly serious expression.
"..."
Gisele rolled her eyes. "Can you not talk in riddles?"
"I call this a fabric replacement and conditioning coordination activity," Morin said earnestly. "Something everyone needs to do daily."
"...In words I can understand."
"Change clothes."
That evening.
"Honestly," Gisele said, twisting slightly, clearly uncomfortable, "don't you think I look weird in this suit?"
"It's fine," Morin laughed. "If you ask me, you should try wearing a full suit of armor."
"...Armor?"
Gisele stared at him like she'd just discovered a new fetish. "You mean that thick, fully enclosed kind?"
"No, no. Arms and legs still exposed."
"...Isn't that just a bikini?"
"Well... slightly more than a bikini."
"A swimsuit-type... armor?"
"With long boots and greaves."
"What kind of weird outfit is that?"
"You think it's weird too, right?"
"Of course. Who would wear something like-wait."
She froze. "Is that a camera? Why do you have a camera?"
"Nothing," Morin said, nodding in satisfaction as he put it away. "Just recording some fun short videos."
"...Something feels very wrong."
Gisele frowned. She didn't know what Morin was up to, but that didn't stop her curiosity from flaring up.
Before she could act on it, there was a knock at the door.
"Mr. Reyes has arrived."
Gisele's suit had been prepared specifically for this unconventional "banquet."
Morin was also wearing a suit-custom-made, perfectly fitted.
Gisele's was another story.
With her proportions, finding a ready-made suit was nearly impossible. There hadn't been time for tailoring, so they'd settled for something barely wearable.
The kind of figure where her legs practically started at her neck made standard sizing a nightmare.
When she sat down, part of her lower leg was exposed.
Only when she stood was it barely covered to the ankles.
Still, Reyes's arrival meant the plan could finally begin.
Reyes entered after being frisked.
His subordinates initially tried to object, but under the cold stares of Morin's security team, they froze and backed down at a single gesture from Reyes.
One side was a drug lord's security captain, promoted through petty crime.
The other was a retired soldier, hired at a high salary from a professional security firm.
Who was stronger wasn't even a question.
Reyes knew exactly what his men were capable of.
They bullied civilians well enough.
Against professionals?
They'd be dead on arrival.
More importantly, Reyes was here hoping for a massive deal.
He wasn't about to start a conflict.
After some routine commercial pleasantries-
(Not because I can't write them, but because I don't want you saying I'm padding word count. Believe me.)
Morin finally spoke.
"Mr. Reyes, I am interested in doing business with you," he said, gently swirling the wine in his glass. This time, it wasn't plain boiled water, but real red wine. "But the prerequisite is simple."
"You must be able to guarantee the security of our cooperation."
"I can guarantee that," Reyes laughed. "Maybe not everywhere, but in Rio? I can absolutely guarantee your safety."
"...."
Morin set down his wine glass and shook his head helplessly.
"Mr. Reyes, this may be my first time here," he said calmly, "but I'm not blind. Or deaf."
"I've heard about some... recent events."
"So until you completely resolve those matters-"
"I'm very sorry."
Morin stood up.
The message was clear.
The meeting was over.
It was time for Reyes to leave.
~~~~~
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