NOVEL NEXT Chapter 936 Negotiation Sealed
Leo's eyebrow shot up the moment he heard it. That suggestion was more than bold; it was a blatant power grab. Sharing those routes would cripple his own operations. Smuggling paths couldn't be shared across factions without risking exposure, overlap, or betrayal. It would mean letting someone else peer into the core of his network, and if Luke ever decided to tip the authorities or leverage that information, the consequences would be disastrous for him.
A dull throb pulsed at Leo's temple. This wasn't just a negotiation anymore; it was a provocation. Luke was testing his patience... and patience was something Leo never had in abundance.
But no matter how long Leo stared at him, Luke didn't seem to be joking. So he was seriously planning to take a bite out of him, huh? Unfortunately for Luke, Leo wasn't some soft persimmon that could be bullied.
Leo's lips curled into a wicked smile, the kind that fit the villain he played in the novel. Hera's heart skipped a beat; she thought a fight might break out. But instead of throwing punches, Luke and Leo simply stared at each other, as if trading blows with the shadows of their minds. Sparks practically crackled between them in the tense silence.
In the end, Luke raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I won't push too far," he said. "But I hope I can at least get a few batches of those weapons for free. After all, we're gearing up for a turf war, and unlike your faction, we're short on decent firearms. If we get pushed back too hard, we'll just end up handing more kills and morale boosts to the other factions. That won't be good for any of us."
Calling it an alliance felt almost comical, really. The Northern and Eastern factions didn't dabble in illegal trades and were considered relatively clean compared to the others. But they were far from friendly. In fact, their forces had clashed more than once over the years due to minor disputes.
Similar as they were, their interests didn't always align, and in this world, interest was everything. As long as their interest weren't threatened, they kept their distance. But make no mistake, either side could easily put a gun to the other's head and seize their territory if the situation called for it.
At the end of the day, they were still players in the underground world. Territory meant influence. Influence meant expansion. And expansion meant more power—and more income.
Both Leo and Luke understood the rules of the game. Their earlier silent standoff wasn't just for show; it was a way to test the waters, to see who would flinch first. And although Leo was still working to reclaim his position within the Northern faction, he was far from an easy opponent.
Behind that sly smile, he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. If Luke pushed too hard, Leo might end up taking a few bites out of him instead.
So Luke wisely chose to take a step back now—in order to move forward later.
After a few moments of quiet consideration, Leo finally nodded. "Alright. Let's draw up a proper contract after this," he said. "That way, no one can back out or bite back."
Even though Leo was starting to trust Hera and the people around her, he was still a businessman first. He knew how to separate personal feelings from professional deals.
And with both Luke and Dave holding significant influence in their respective factions, Leo couldn't afford to rely on mere words. A verbal agreement wouldn't cut it; he needed something binding.
A written contract would serve as a safety net, locking all three of them into the deal and ensuring that no one could betray him when it mattered most.
Luke and Dave both nodded in agreement. Dave let out a helpless sigh. He wasn't quite sure how things had escalated to this point, and he didn't even know whether to feel relieved or frustrated.
It wasn't like this would be his first time working with a mafia syndicate, after all. He'd already been collaborating with Luke for a while now, trying to break into the war on drugs and disrupt the cartels operated by rival mafia factions. This new alliance was just another complication in the tangled web of underground politics.
Although Leo remained guarded around Luke and Dave, he didn't even realize that he wasn't treating Hera the same way. Despite being the one who proposed the idea of sharing resources and intel, and leading the overall planning, Hera wasn't included in the contract signing.
Logically, he should've made sure everyone involved was bound by the same terms to avoid being blindsided. But unconsciously, Leo excluded her, because deep down, he trusted her completely. On some instinctual level, he knew Hera would never act against his interests or betray him.
Hera, oblivious to the depth of Leo's trust, simply nodded in satisfaction once everything was settled. A weight had lifted off her chest; she was no longer hiding anything from them. Now, all of them were aligned and working together toward the same goal.
That shared direction brought them even closer. Not only were their emotions gradually syncing, but so were their interests, and nothing solidifies a bond better than aligned goals.
If feelings can change but interests are eternal, then this collaboration has tied them together for life.
Since Terry, Leo's assistant, was still bedridden, Luke sent his own assistant to handle the contract preparation. Meanwhile, Leo called his lawyer to review the document before signing. As they waited for both to arrive, the room remained quiet for nearly an hour, each person lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, a knock came at the door, and both Luke's assistant and Leo's lawyer entered together, apparently having met in the hallway. Everyone instinctively made space for them; even Xavier gently nudged Hera closer to Leo's bedside before stepping back to give the newcomers room.
Leo and Luke then sat down to go over the contract's contents, while Hera and the others stood by as witnesses. Their signatures would serve as added security, should any disputes arise. The official parties involved in the contract were Leo, Luke, and Dave, but everyone understood that the entire group had a stake in what came next.
Not long after, following a few rounds of negotiation between Leo, Luke, and then Dave, they finally reached an agreement after nearly two hours of discussion. Leo drafted two separate contracts—one for Dave and one for Luke—each outlining their respective terms.
For Luke, the contract stated that Leo would provide two batches of firearms free of charge. This included:
300 assault rifles, comprised of: one hundred HK417s, one hundred FN SCARs, one hundred M4A1 Carbines, one hundred next-generation landmines, one hundred units each of hand grenades, flashbangs, smoke grenades, and sticky bombs, and a full supply of compatible ammunition
As for Dave, Leo agreed to grant a 25% discount on all future military-grade weapon purchases. All requested items would be subject to review to ensure they met the agreed-upon standards, and only upon mutual approval would the transaction proceed.
That 25% discount wasn't a small concession—after all, they were talking about high-end weaponry worth hundreds of millions. A cut that size would take a significant chunk out of Leo's profits. Naturally, Dave was more than pleased with the deal and didn't hesitate to sign the contract the moment it was printed.
As for Luke, once he reviewed the list of what he was receiving, he was more than satisfied. In fact, Leo had been surprisingly generous—far more than Luke had expected. The list of weapons was impressive, offering both long-range and short-range options, and he wouldn't even have to worry about ammunition since Leo was throwing in several hundred crates as well.
Just like Dave, Luke happily signed the contract. Once everything was finalized, Leo's lawyer left with a copy to have it legally processed, and Luke's assistant also departed to begin the necessary preparations.
By the time they wrapped things up, it was nearly dinner. As luck would have it, Amy arrived just then with food for Hera, expecting she'd still be with her lovers while visiting Leo. Knowing this, Hannah had prepared enough for everyone. Amy, along with a few servants she had called over from the main mansion, helped bring and arrange the food.
Once the meal was served and Amy and the servants left the room, Zhane took it upon himself to help Leo, who was still weak, by scooping him some nutritious dishes. Xavier and Dave tended to Hera, each with their own silent, well-established roles.
The whole scene was harmonious—so much so that Amy, who was secretly peeking through the door, quickly snapped a photo and sent it to the old master before scurrying off to gossip with the other servants about which of Hera's lovers they liked most.
Dinner went by smoothly, and Leo didn't even realize how easily he had slipped into the harmonious atmosphere around him. He let Zhane feed him without so much as a protest—something he normally would've grumbled about.
His eyes, however, kept drifting toward Hera, who was being doted on by both Xavier and Dave. A flicker of annoyance passed through him as he watched her enjoy herself, being pampered by her lovers while he, her supposed fiancé, was being spoon-fed by another man. Somehow, it didn't feel quite fair.