Exactly thirty-three minutes before the cops burst inside the soon-to-be-very-famous Leamington Hotel, ordering everyone to freeze at their spots and stop working at whatever they were doing, nothing felt out of the ordinary.

It was like any other day at the luxurious California hotel. Everything was running smoothly except, a few minor technical glitches but, that had been taken care of. The required company was informed and the guy was already working to fix the software.

The biggest meeting room on the ground floor was filled with men and women in professional suits, most of whom were listening to the presentation quite attentively. Others just wanted the guy to shut his mouth.

Dylan VanAssche (pronounced Van-Ash) looked at his wristwatch and gritted his teeth. Ten minutes. Ten minutes ago, he had already decided that he wasn't going to sign the deal with the hotel owner. The only reason why he was still sitting there and pretending to listen was that he wanted evidence.

Even before entering the perimeters of the Leamington Hotel, Dylan was a bit sceptical about the details his investigator found out during the regular background check. But, now that he had finally met and observed them, his doubts have solidified. All he was waiting for at the moment was an e-mail from his investigator containing every possible detail anyone could ever find out about this firm.

Patience, he told himself as he looked up the at the poorly made presentation. The guy was explaining how beneficial it was going to be for the security company if they sign the deal and all Dylan could think was how non-beneficial it was going to be for them if what he thought was actually true. He did not dare say that though. He still needed the email. So, he was going to sit there and just wish his ears don't bleed.

It wasn't that he couldn't just cancel the deal and walk out of this place, saving himself and his team this mental torture. But, if he was right about these guys being involved in illegal activities then rejecting the offer, which will consequently affect their stocks, would only be a quarter of what they deserved and he wasn't someone to leave a job unfinished.

Why break only one bone when you could crush every single one of them?

The screen of the iPad, placed on the conference table, lit up with the email notification. Dylan picked it up, opened the email and downloaded the attachments. His eyes flowed over the text solidifying his doubts not only about the hotel but also about things far beyond than that.

Once Dylan was done reading, he placed the iPad on the table and sat back in the chair, leisurely. The people at Leamington had underestimated him and they were about to deal with the consequences.

"What about the seventh floor?" Dylan's deep voice boomed around the room making everyone turn their heads to look at him.

His position at the head chair allowed him a clear view of every person sitting inside the room, including the hotel owner, Mason, to whom he had directed his question. For a brief moment, the room fell silent. Mason passed a look to his manager before turning towards Dylan, who was patiently waiting for an answer.

"The seventh floor, Mr VanAssche?"

Signing a deal with the best security company in the country was going to be a sticky wicket, Mason and his staff knew that. They had practised a lot of answers for a wide range of questions before this meeting but, none of them came remotely close to the one he was asked right now.

He gave a stern look to his manager whose face had gone pale. There was no need to be afraid. VanAssche may be the best in business but he'll never find out about them.

"Yes. What's going on there?" Dylan asked casually.

"N…nothing is… oh! The entire floor is under maintenance. Our guests were having trouble due to some technical error in the system. We checked it and the tech company worker is fixing it right…."

"A similar tech error happened in one of your restaurants last week, didn't it? Which lead to the previous security firm break their contract with you. I wonder what they found out."

The tension in the room rose with that statement. Mason no longer looked as confident as he was a few moments ago. The manager looked sick to his stomach whereas Dylan's amusement over their discomfort was effortlessly hidden behind a straight face.

Mason cleared his throat before speaking, "it wasn't them who cancelled the deal Mr VanAssche, it was me. They weren't doing the job as they were expected to and maintenance issues happen all the time. They are two different things. Moreover, I don't think that has to do anything with the deal right now."

"Except for the fact that the drugs and weapons were thereafter transferred to this hotel. The seventh floor of this hotel, to be more precise." Dylan said, confidently.

Mason tried to brainstorm several ways to deny the claims but he couldn't come up with anything. Not when the person sitting before him looked like he could literally name the drugs and weapons he was hiding.

So, he decided to play along. Mason had no clue about how Dylan even got to know about the stuff but, he wasn't going to go down yet. All he had to do was deny all the claims and act innocent. VanAssche may have a lot of influence on people but he would never be able to prove him guilty with just words.

"Weapons? Drugs? I don't know what you're saying, Mr VanAssche" he said, acting oblivious.

"Ah! That's a classic!" Dylan gave a sarcastic smile, revealing his emotions for the first time ever since the meeting began. "Have this. Maybe it'll help retrieve your memory."

The iPad was handed over to the hotel owner by Dylan's assistant. The shock on Mason and his manager's face increased with every swipe they made on the device. Not only the document had a complete history of his legal business but, it also included every single illegal act he had ever done. From getting a speeding ticket to signing a business deal with the Russian mafia. It had everything in there, not to mention the pictures added to support the text.

The investigator, as usual, had done a thorough research.

"What do we do now?" The manager whispered to Mason "that's a lot of stuff" he said pointing towards the iPad.

"Don't worry. I know how to handle guys like him" Mason assured his manager.

Dylan watched as the two men whispered back and forth to each other, trying to figure out a way to help the situation. What they didn't know was that there was no way.

The guard standing at the entrance door had come closer to the board, waiting for an order from Dylan. The hotel had a complete level filled with a huge amount of diverse weapons and things could get terribly messy if proper caution wasn't taken.

"Done?" Dylan's stern voice made both the men's head to snap towards him.

Mason took a deep breath before speaking, "so what if you found out about the arms? The last security firm we worked with got to know about it too. They even threatened me to take the issue to the cops but, they could do nothing. Neither can you. Not when you already know about the people I work for."

That made Dylan smile. Not with humour but with pity over the confidence. "Actually," he said, placing his hands on the desk, clasped together, "a copy of the document was already sent to the cops. They're most probably on their way."

For a moment, no one said anything. Then, all of a sudden, Mason grabbed his phone, his fingers moving like crazy over the screen of the device. But, before he could call or text, the phone was snatched out of his hands by one of the guards, on Dylan's order.

"Give it back to me!" Mason yelled at the guard. When the man just stood there, glaring at him, he turned towards Dylan.

"You're messing with the wrong people, Dylan VanAssche" he warned, his eyes red with fury.

"That's a hobby" came the instant reply.

Mason laughed, a laughter with no humour.

"You think you'll get away with this? If the mafia men got to know what's going in here, you'll be done. Your entire company will be off the charts."

"Sure" he said, not caring about the threat at all, "Make sure no one leaves the room till the cops arrive. Take away the cell phones if necessary and you may use force if they aren't on their best behaviour" Dylan instructed his guards before standing up from his chair.

"By the way, the deal is off gentlemen," he announced before buttoning his suit jacket and turning to leave.

"You ass!" The manager shook with anger. Dylan ignored the man, making a mental note to deal with him later.

Mason stood up to go after Dylan but, was pushed back on his chair by one of the guards standing behind him. "I'll give you 5 million dollars if you stop the police!" He screamed.

That made Dylan stop. He turned around to stare at Mason, "5 million?" He asked with a serious face.

Mason stood up. The guard didn't stop him this time. The trick had worked with the last security firm they worked with and it looked like it was going to work again. No one refuses that kind of money.

The guards moved out of the way as Dylan walked towards Mason. They had stepped back for now but their eyes moved around the room, looking out for threats.

"Yes. 5 million for holding the cops at bay" Mason said, straightening himself. The money didn't matter, his business was more important. He could even offer more dollars if needed.

Then he looked straight into Dylan's eye and he wasn't sure anymore. Mason had heard a lot of people say a lot of things about Dylan VanAssche. Some said he was a beast when it came to business. Others said he was someone you wouldn't want to get on the bad side of. He had heard how people were scared of him and now looking at the face with a dead look, lips tightly pressed together and eyes that looked like they could read your soul, he knew exactly why.

"You may spend every single minute of the rest of your life working your ass off and you still wouldn't be able to afford me" Dylan said in a voice that could easily terrify anyone.

Mason stepped back, having no courage left in him. His face had gone as pale as the hotel manager's who was sitting right beside him.

"Now be a good boy and stay where you are till the cops get here" Dylan ordered then turned to look at the manager who was already cowering in his chair. "And I'm going to ensure they add 2 extra years to your time in prison."

"What? No. Why?" He asked, his eyes wide with shock.

"Because I'm an ass" Dylan smirked before turning around and walking outside the conference room. His team followed.

The people at the Leamington hotel were busy with their works having no clue of what just happened behind the closed doors of their biggest meeting room. The staff was doing their work efficiently as the guests checked in/out. Everything felt normal.

Dylan snapped instructions to his team, as they followed him, striding towards the foyer. He had wasted enough of his time at this goddamn place and he wasn't going to waste any more. He told his managing director, Markus, to ensure the smooth working of everything till the arrival of the cops and then brief them about the situation.

His driver, standing by the hotel entrance, saw Dylan and quickly rushed to get the car ready for him. Dylan looked at the place for one last time before leaving, nothing could go wrong, his people would take care of everything. He could finally leave and focus on the thousands of other things waiting at his office.

"What about the guests and workers?" Markus asked Dylan, matching his long strides.

"What?" Dylan stopped walking and turned to look at his friend.

"The guests and workers. They'll be under investigation for no reason when the cops arrive. Shouldn't we just evacuate the place?" Markus asked, looking around the busy hotel lounge.

Dylan sighed, "I don't care about them. Our work here is done. Just do what you're told to. They can look after themselves."

"It wouldn't have hurt to be a tad bit nice" Markus rolled his eyes at him, one of the very few people who could do that and get away with it. "How about the staff working on the 7th floor? Not all of them will be guilty. They're going to have a terrible time explaining why they were there, and even if they do, you know how the cops are. They'll give them hell for no reason at all."

"Then let them experience hell for once. No need to show them the angel in you" Dylan said in a bored tone.

He knew Markus only wanted to help the people who had no clue about the crime taking place here. They'll be interrogated thoroughly once the police had ceased the weapons and drugs. It was part of the process and no one could escape it. These people were at the wrong place at the wrong time and there was nothing they could do now.

Tipping anyone about the situation would only create havoc and Dylan didn't want to be included in this thing than he already was. If it were a part of his security company, he would have stayed till the end but right now, he didn't see any reason for it. He had done what was needed and he could just let the authority take over from here.

"Helping them is not our job, Mark. Let the police do their work and investigate everyone. No one will be an exception" Dylan said with a finality in his voice.

Nothing could change Dylan's mind once he had decided what he wanted to do, not even his friend whom he regarded as a brother. "Alright" Markus said, defeated.

Dylan had almost walked out of the hotel when he heard a soft voice at the reception. He didn't have to turn around to look to know who the voice belonged to but, he still did. And he wasn't disappointed.

"I'm here to fix the tech issue" the woman, with honey blonde hair, informed at the reception.

"Please head to the seventh floor" came the reply.

He watched as she thanked the receptionist and started walking towards the elevator. She stopped for a few seconds to dig inside her handbag, pulled out her cell phone then, continued walking.

Dylan stood there for a while watching her, contemplating his options. As he saw her walk away, he realized he didn't really have an option. Taking a deep breath, he went after her.

"Hayden!" Dylan called.

Apparently, there was an exception.