Chapter 61: Mr Smith

The gavel’s crack still rang through the hall when the noise began.

It started as a murmur and spread across the rows like a wave. Four hundred million credits. People turned to each other with wide eyes, whispering, laughing in disbelief. Some shook their heads. Others kept staring at the empty stand where the projection had been, as if the core might still be hanging there.

Lady Ember let it run for a moment. Then she raised her hand, and the hall quieted.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," she said. "It has been an evening to remember. We hope you found something that pleased you, and we look forward to seeing you again."

Applause rolled through the room. The chandeliers brightened, and the crowd began to rise.

Up in the booth, Leon was still standing at the window with his arms folded. Behind him, Lily had stopped chewing, and Sophia had gone very quiet. Xander was staring at the glass with his mouth slightly open.

"Four hundred million," Xander said slowly. "For something you found lying around."

"I didn’t find it lying around."

"You know what I mean." Xander said with a laugh.

A knock came at the door. Leon walked over and opened it.

Lady Ember stood outside, with two women in uniform behind her. One of them carried the black dragon sword on a velvet cushion. The other held the glass bottle of red liquid in both hands, like it might break if she breathed on it.

Ember herself held a long white envelope.

"Mr. Leon," she said, with a polite smile. "Congratulations on a very successful night. May we come in?"

"Of course." Leon replied

The women set the sword and the potion down on the table, bowed, and stepped back. Ember handed him the envelope.

"This is your cheque for the sale of the golem core," she said. "Three hundred and sixty million credits. The auction house takes ten percent of the final sale, as agreed."

Leon took it.

"You also do not need to worry about the sword and the potion," she went on. "The auction house has covered both of them. Consider it a gift, on behalf of the hall."

"That’s very generous. Thank you." He said with a bright smile

She reached into her sleeve and took out a small card. It was gold, and it gleamed when the light touched it. A single line was engraved on the surface in elegant letters.

"This is a special VIP membership card," she said. "It gives you priority access to every auction we hold, and a private room, whenever you want it."

Leon took that as well. He turned the card over in his fingers.

Then he looked down at the cheque.

He opened the flap and slid it halfway out. The number was printed in bold black ink, and it looked even bigger on paper than it had sounded in the air. So much money. He had to read the zeroes twice.

A head appeared over his shoulder.

"Whoa," Xander said, peeking at the paper. "That is a lot of zeroes."

"Stop looking," Leon said, and pulled the cheque away.

Xander pouted and went to sit down

Lady Ember smiled again, bowed her head, and left the booth with her two assistants.

A few minutes later, the door opened again.

Kate walked in. She was wearing an elegant dark dress, and she looked as calm as ever, though her eyes were bright. She glanced over the room at the platters, the sword, and the cheque in Leon’s hand, and then she looked at Leon.

"Congratulations," she said. "You made quite a sale tonight."

"You made it possible," Leon replied. "I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near that without you."

"I know." She smiled slightly. "So if that is the case, you can thank me by meeting my father."

Leon paused.

"He’s waiting outside." She said.

Leon had a feeling that her father was the one who had bought the core. He was quite sure of it. It would be awkward to meet the man who had paid for something he had sold, but he could not refuse. He had a lot riding on Kate’s goodwill.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s go." Determined to get it over with fast.

He slid the cheque and the card into his jacket and followed her out. Sophia, Lily and Xander stayed behind, watching the door close.

The corridor outside was quiet. At the far end stood a man with his back to the wall, hands clasped in front of him.

He was a domineering figure in a black suit, tall and broad, with shoulders that filled out the jacket. His hair was grey at the temples, and his face carried the lines of age. Even so, he was good-looking, and he looked as strong as a man half his years. He had the kind of presence that made the air feel heavy.

Leon was stunned.

’That’s her father?’

Neither of them said anything. The hallway was silent for several seconds. The air felt tense, and Leon stood still, holding the man’s gaze.

Then the man smiled.

He stepped forward with his hand stretched out and clasped Leon’s, shaking it hard, and a deep laugh rolled out of his chest.

"So this is the young man who managed to get four hundred million out of me!" he said. "Ha ha ha! I have been looking forward to this."

He turned to his daughter.

"And my daughter seems very interested in him. She has not spoken about anyone this much in years."

Kate lowered her head. Her cheeks had turned slightly pink.

"Father," she said quietly. "Please."

"What? I am only saying."

He let go of Leon’s hand and straightened.

"I am Mr. Smith," he said. "Kate’s father. It is a pleasure to meet you, Leon."

"The pleasure is mine, sir."

"Good." His smile softened. "I would like to speak with you, one on one, if you have no objections."

Leon glanced at Kate. She gave a small nod.

"Not at all."

Mr. Smith led the way into a private room at the end of the corridor. It was a plain space with a table and two chairs, and a lamp on the wall. They sat down across from each other.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Mr. Smith studied him. His eyes were sharp, and they gave away nothing.

"I looked into your background," he said finally. "Before tonight. I had my people dig."

"And?"

"I could not find much."

Leon did not flinch.

"I do have a past," he said calmly. "But I worked long and hard to bury it."

Mr. Smith’s brow rose slightly.

"That makes me wonder even more about you," he said. "What are you, exactly? What do you have planned? You came out of nowhere, and you are growing very fast. Faster than anyone I have ever seen. A man like that, in the middle of my daughter’s business, makes me ask a question."

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table.

"Can you be trusted?"

The room was silent.

Leon looked back at him without blinking.

"I’m not a threat," he said. His voice was steady. "As long as nobody pushes me, I will not be a threat to anyone around me, and that includes Kate. I only want to grow, as time goes on. That’s all."

He kept his eyes on Mr. Smith, his expression calm and confident.

For a long moment, nothing moved.

Then Mr. Smith smiled.

It grew into a laugh, deep and full, and he leaned back in his chair with his hand on his chest.

"I like you, Leon," he said. "I really do."