Mark took a seat beside his daughter, whose interest in the man across from them didn't go unnoticed. He cleared his throat and spoke with a shaky voice.
"G-Good evening, Mr. Gray. It's nice to see you again."
"I'm flattered, Judge. I figured I should drop by—wouldn't want you missing me too much." Alex replied, his usual smile playing at his lips, calm and disarming.
Ana, watching the exchange with an unreadable expression, studied the man in front of her.
Most men looked at her with desire in their eyes. She never cared. Their intentions bored her, their minds even more so. She didn't hate people—she simply found them dull. Nothing held her attention for long unless it piqued her curiosity... and this man, this Alex Gray, had done just that.
In ten minutes, she had learned nothing about him beyond his fondness for whisky. And yet… she was intrigued. The way he carried himself—the relaxed posture, the unshakable poise, the confidence that wasn't loud but simmered beneath the surface—it fascinated her.
He was a contradiction.
That smile on his face—easy-going, polite—didn't match the cold, calculating gleam in his eyes.
His voice was light-hearted, but laced with danger.
He was… fascinating.
Mark, unaware of his daughter's silent study, replied to Alex's quip with a chuckle.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gray. You're always welcome to visit."
"Well, that's good to hear, Judge."
Alex set his glass down, leaned forward, and pulled out his phone. His tone shifted slightly, though still polite.
"I have a task for you."
He handed the phone over.
"I need him released from holding. Offer him some deferred adjudication or whatever legal wizardry you can pull off. You're the expert—I don't need the details. I just need it done."
Mark glanced at the name and the charges listed on the screen.
Doug Colson. Possession with intent to distribute.
Before he could respond, Ana's voice cut through the room.
"What is it that you do?"
The sudden question made Mark nearly jump from his seat.
"Ana!" he scolded, voice sharp. "That's an inappropriate question. You've got no business—"
Alex raised a hand, waving the Judge off.
"I don't mind," he said casually, glancing at Ana. "I'm what you might call… a facilitator."
She tilted her head. "Facilitating what?"
Alex smirked, standing up.
"People… and their desires."
He turned back to Martin, his tone cool and firm.
"Get it done, Judge."
Then, without another word, he pocketed his phone, walked past Ana without a second glance, and left the room with a parting line:
"Until next time."
---
With things taken care of in terms of personnel, it was time to move on to finding a suitable location for manufacturing their drug.
All lot of things had to go into consideration while selecting the location. Firstly, it couldn't be too isolated or to crowded either because with the later, they run the risk of being detected more easily and with the former, they increase their production and operation cost. Which is something he would like to avoid.
Secondly, they must consider the supply to their operations. How are they going to deliver the suppliers needed to operate the business. Imagine a huge truck pulling up in quite little neighborhood filled with barrels or some other questionable equipment, that would be like placing a huge sign on your forehead saying 'Look at us we are making drugs'. So, your location must blend in so that it doesn't raise questions.
Ticking all these boxes would certainly take time, but for Alex,
[Ding!!!]
[Suitable Location identified]
Hearing this Alex, smiled to himself as he flagged a cab, 'I really should get a car for myself.'
Alighting from the cab, Alex looked at the location that the System recommended and couldn't help but admire the systems choice.
The place was a warehouse that seemed to have seen better day, its wasn't too big in size, but that was just perfect for Alex. But that wasn't the brilliant part, the place was at the Ashbridge Docks.
Walking inside, the building was going to need some touch-ups before I could even be considered for operations. Looking around the building, Alex noticed stairs leading down from the ground level, curious, he followed the stair until he found himself in the underground floor of the warehouse.
'This could be area where we manufacture our product and on the ground floor upstairs, set the place as just a normal warehouse.' Alex thought while still looking around the underground. Satisfied with everything, he took out his phone to send a message to Edger so acquire the building from whoever owned it.
{Receiver: Angry Gramps}
-Found the building, Here's the Address, *************. –
---
"All Rise, The Honorable Judge Mark Collins presiding." the bailiff announced in the populated courtroom.
Judge walked in from the back of the courtroom, wearing a standard judicial robe exuding authority that nobody should question, a complete contrast to what he is when faced with Alex.
Taking his seat and giving a nod, "You may be seated."
The Clerk immediately got up to wearing her reading glasses she spoke, "Case number 1999-1436. Ashbridge State versus Douglas Colson. Charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance."
Douglas Colson was a black African American wearing his grey shirt, dark blue jeans and black sneakers with dread lock and a tattoo running down the side of his neck. His defense attorney leaned in to whisper to him, "Look Doug, you looking at maximum 20 years, don't raise your hopes up but I'll try to bring it down to fifteen maybe ten years okay."
Doug nodded his head not saying much else to the lawyer.
Mark Looked at the documents in front of him for a second before looking up, "Counselors, Approach."
Looking puzzled, both the district attorney and the defense attorney approached the judge.
"I've reviewed the file, is this Mr Colson's first offense...?" Mark asked in a low whisper.
The defense attorney responded, "Yes, your Honor. No priors, gainfully employed before his arrest and he fully cooperated with the police officers during his detainment."
The district attorney no liking the way the conversation was going interjected, "True, your Honor, but the quantity found suggests intent, we believe- "
Mark raised his hand slightly to stop the attorney from continuing.
"I'm aware of the prosecution's stance. However… given the absence of prior offenses, his cooperation, and considering current court congestion…"
Letting his words sink in a bit he continued, "I'm offering deferred adjudication. Mr. Colson will enter a plea of no contest. If he successfully completes community supervision and any conditions set by this court, the charge will be dismissed. Understood?"
Hearing this, the defense Attorney was so excited that he nearly screamed "YES". The district attorney on the other hand wasn't pleased but still nodded in agreement with the Judge.
"No objection, your Honor."
"Thank you, your Honor."
Mark turned towards Doug as he spoke, "The court grants deferred adjudication under the following terms, 1. Two years of supervised probation. 2. Mandatory enrollment in a drug awareness program. 3. Bi-weekly Drug testing. 4. 200 hours of community service."
Looking deeply at Doug he asked, "Do you understand these terms?"
Doug timidly answered, "Yes, Your Honour."
"Deferred adjudication granted. Defendant Doug Colson is to be released into supervised probation effective immediately. Next case."
And the Gavel fell
*BANG*