Chapter Three

Half Hour later…

Just outside of L.A.

Ron's residence…

Alan was impressed by his potential client's home, as it was one of those homes that someone like the Vanderbilt family would have owned during their prominence but with a slight modern touch and bigger than the Biltmore house.

'It's amazing how that much money will get a man like that.' Alan thought to himself

He had known that in addition to his businesses, Ron had come from old family money, as the Ericksons made their fortune in the oil industry and his father made some investments in different areas, namely real estate and the auto industry.

Still, it had to be seen to be believed, as while the rich and famous had big houses, none of them had looked like this, at least what Alan had seen up to this point. Alan made a mental note to tell Margaret about the house, though he knew she wouldn't be impressed but he figured he would tell her anyway.

The two men were led to a huge living room that looked like something out of an old movie that he and Magaret would watch, though not as good looking. He made a mental note to ask Ron about the design when things are underway.

The man in question was waiting on the sofa, with some papers on the coffee table, who turned to see his guests.

"Thanks, Samuel, you can leave us now." Ron said in a formal voice before turning to Alan and Stan

"Apologies for the short notice for our meeting but I have to travel tomorrow and I won't be back for several weeks and I want to ensure that I have people on hand to get the building ready soon." Ron said, getting right to the point

"We understand sir, as we are very aware how busy you can be." Alan said diplomatically, as he has mixed feelings about meeting this soon but he couldn't complain, as he's not sure if Ron was looking into other people before he made his choice.

He turned out to be right, as Ron told them upfront that he was seeing several other people that day, as he wanted to get things on schedule as soon as he possibly could. That and how quickly the meeting went as Ron spoke only a few minutes about some of his ideas about what he wanted.

Even though Stan agreed to take the papers so that he and Alan could review the suggestions, Alan was still feeling uneasy, as soon after, Ron would be meeting with other potential consultants and he wondered if the next week meeting would just be as close.

After exchanging their goodbyes with the businessman, the two men headed to the car when they spotted two familiar people and were not thrilled to see those two again.

It was Sarah Lane and John Mercer, making Alan wonder if they were using their connections to secure a meeting with Ron, which both him and his business partner found infuriating but they didn't want to deal with those two, so they quickly got to their car and left, hoping they won't see those for a while.

'Those two are nothing but spoiled brats.' Alan thought bitterly as he and Stan drove away, unsure what to do about those two and how much they would interfere in the future.

They would soon find out.

Albuquerque Office…

Same Time…

Don was doing paperwork when Agent Sanchez came into his office, telling him that he had an urgent phone call from the LA office.

That made Don both curious and nervous, as he wondered what would be so important and if it meant going back to a city he had not been to in years and if he would be able to avoid seeing his parents.

He thanked Sanchez and took the call, which turned out that a case in LA was related to one that his office was just handed. The FBI had been informed that there was possible fraud at a large company, name and details they can't say over the phone at this time but an Agent will be sent to read him in on what they had tomorrow.

After finishing the call, Don called Kim to let her know that he might be busy tomorrow and to see if she was doing any better. She reassured him she was doing fine and that she wished him luck with the case he was in.

After finishing his talk with Kim, Don checked for any other messages and went back to work, wth thoughts of his parents hanging over him, as he continued to ignore the guilt and anger in relation to them, as he still didn't feel ready to talk to them and hoped it would go away as he continued his paperwork, remaining unaware how he will affected by the case he will soon be caught up in.