"Ehh? Sir, you know our leader?" The man said as he raised his head to look at Gustav.
"Hmmp! Not only do I know him. I am very familiar with him!" Gustav stated.
He smacked the man's head and added, "Call him and tell him to come here immediately!" as he handed him his own phone.
The man was flustered but immediately took the phone from Gustav.
He dialed a number and told him what Gustav had said.
"Hmm? Who is that prick? Alright, I'll go over and teach 'em a lesson!"
A few moments later, two men knelt in front of Roland.
"So, he's your subordinate from before?" Roland asked amusedly after seeing the man willingly kneel in front of him the moment he saw Gustav.
Gustav nodded his head and explained everything to Roland.
As it turns out, Gustav was actually one of the original underground bosses here in Fore City. He only retired after he met his wife years ago. This man in front of him on the other hand was the successor of his gang.
Ever since he retired, Gustav also decided to cut off his connection from his previous line of work. He no longer knew what was happening deep inside and only knew some surface information that he would hear from time to time.
Respecting his choices, the members of his gang also did not bother contacting him either as they each went their separate ways.
However, no one would have thought that their paths would cross once again.
The successor had his head drop down, not daring to look at Gustav.
Even though Gustav was no longer in 'service', the respect and fear that he brought back then was not something that could be forgotten easily.
"Alright, deal with this as soon as possible. Just call me over once you start," Roland said as he stood up from his seat. He still has a meeting to attend later but he was also curious at what kind of method Gustav would use for the 'revenge'.
Gustav nodded his head. His face went into serious mode as he looked at the successor, "So, here's what's gonna happen…"
…
The minor episode did not affect the Sparkling Buds hustle and bustle. People continue to dine in and enjoy their meals.
Time slowly passed by and Sparkling Buds was finally nearing its closing time for the day.
The customers started to thin as the crew slowly began their final cleaning for the day.
Meanwhile, at one corner of the Sparkling Buds, Roland sat and waited for the arrival of Dean Castro and his friend.
The agreed time was only a few minutes away, but Dean Castro's shadow was still nowhere to be seen. Just as Roland was about to contact the latter, a sedan suddenly entered his vision.
The car went into the parking area with great familiarity before two men disembarked out of it.
The two of them looked around in scrutiny. Perhaps after confirming that there was no danger around, the two of them finally went to the back and opened the door in the back seat at the same time.
Two men in formal suits also emerged from within a moment later. Upon a closer look, Roland realized that one of them was the Dean. The other one should be the friend that he was talking about.
Roland nodded his head to Two and told him to lead them to where he was seated.
Dean Castro's eyes beamed once he saw Roland.
He gestured to the man beside him to follow him as they approached the table where Roland was sitting.
He nodded at Roland before sitting in front of him. The bodyguards they brought along maintained a few meter distance away from them.
Roland observed Dean Castro's friend closely. He was not as old as Dean Castro but one could still see white hairs growing around his head. Like Dean Castro, he also has some air of dignity and experience surrounding him.
"Roland, where's your boss?" Dean Castro said the moment he sat down.
He did not bother introducing his friend to Roland as he did not think that it mattered. In his eyes, Roland was just an ordinary student after all. Their real purpose of being here was the owner of the restaurant so he went straight to the point and asked Roland where the owner was.
Roland smiled and did not answer immediately. They would not believe him if he said directly that he was the owner anyways.
Instead, Roland's gaze moved from Dean Castro's and then to the person walking towards them.
Wearing a different set of Sparkling Buds uniform, a nameplate determining her position in Sparkling Buds was pinned on her chest. She walked with elegant steps towards Roland and the others.
Noticing his gaze, Dean Castro and his friend also looked over. When they saw Stacey walking over, they thought that she was the owner of the restaurant. However, when she arrived near them, they saw the tag on her chest, debunking their guess towards her identity.
bender
Stacey arrived right beside Roland and looked at the two old men in front of him.
"Hello. I'm Stacey, the manager of this place," her smile was vibrant as she introduced herself.
Dean Castro and his old friend also stood up, introducing themselves in the process.
Although they could ignore Roland as he was just a student, they know that they must introduce themselves properly to the manager of this place to provide a good impression.
Of course, they only briefly introduced themselves and did not recite their full biography in front of her as there was no need to.
The name of Dean Castro's friend was Fernan. He was calm as he introduced himself to Stacey. It was clear that he was also a man of status due to how he introduced himself. Others might not notice but something like this was very easy for Roland to spot.
After their introduction, Stacey finally sat down right beside Roland.
"Let's wait for a few minutes for our dinner, alright?" Stacey said with a smile.
Dean Castro and Fernan nodded their heads, not minding it a bit. Though, one could see the excitement in Dean Castro's face the moment he heard that they will be eating the famous Fried Chicken of Heaven tonight.
While waiting for the serving and the 'owner', Stacey, Dean Castro and Fernan talked amongst themselves. Roland stayed silent at the side and did not join their conversation.
After a while, a waiter finally arrived along with their food. After the food was placed down, Fernan, and Dean Castro who still did not see the 'owner' appear seemed to have grown impatient as Dean Castro asked.
"I apologize for asking this, but… when will the owner arrive?"
Hearing that, a smile beamed on Roland's face.
'It's finally here,' he thought.
Stacey also smiled at the same time.
She took a glance at Roland's smiling face before she turned to look at the two old men in front of her.
"Regarding that, isn't he already here?" She said with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Hearing that, a confused expression appeared on Dean Castro and Fernan's face.
"What do you mean?" Fernan finally asked.
Stacey smiled and said with a chuckle, "Let me properly introduce him to you then."
Her hand moved elegantly in the air before stopping in front of Roland, "Meet Roland, the owner of Sparkling Buds."
Hearing that, Dean Castro and Fernan looked at each other with blank faces. At this moment, none of her actions registered in their brain yet.
_____
Vote for Roland as your favorite character. Thank you! Will do some mass release if he stayed in top 16 after Sept 13.
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