"Mr. Leon, the matter has been dealt with." A slender, pale man with dark rimmed spectacles hanging from the bridge of his nose, hissed.
"Did she say anything?" Felix intertwined his fingers and pressed against them, rigidly.
"She wished not to reveal anything." Light reflected against the man's glasses and small sinister smile played upon his lips.
"I see. Get out...and Ishida," he scowled, "Next time, change before you enter my office. You're dripping blood all over the carpet."
"My apologies, my liege." Orochi Ishida humbly bowed, and ever so slightly, shook his blood soaked gloves, relieving a few more droplets. His aroma of copper and rust tainted the air. Felix narrowed his eyes at the "doctor" as he excused himself of his presence. The door shut behind him and Felix was left to his thoughts. A sharp pain shot through his skull and he seized the edge of his desk. He struggled against the seeping holler that originated at the pit of his stomach. Rather than voice it, he tore through the paperwork and futile objects of his desk till it laid bare.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Chirped John as he invited himself into Felix's office. Felix seethed as he glared into the careless eyes of his associate. "My, how troublesome this whole ploy has become." John traced his finger against the naked desktop and glanced at the clutter that puddled to the floor.
"What do you want?"
"I'm here to remind you of the board meeting. But silly me, thinking you'd forget something as important as that." John chimed, waving his finger in front of him. Felix stood straight and adjusted his suit, maintaining his heated breathes. He walked towards the door of the office and twisted his head to peer at John.
"You've become quite the snake, John." insinuated Felix, leaving the room.
"As have you, old friend." John grunted as he counted the red splatters on the carpet flooring.
"Pardon my tongue, but just what in the hell is going on here?" Cried a chubby man from the far end of the conference table. "We have millions of dollars worth in damages to La Puerta's facilities and clients are dropping like flies because of this little escapade!"
"This loop should've been closed to begin with." Divulged another. The other men seated around the table murmured in agreement.
"Our clients demand action- they want something done and something done publicly. This has tarnished the company's name and in order to reinstall that loyalty and reassurance, they want some flashy sort of display of retribution." Egged on a small man with round glasses. John looked to the grumbling men then back to Felix, who sat deathly still. Felix arose from his chair and closed his eyes. He imagined slitting their throats and letting them choke on their blood while he smiled manically and savored their blood on his blade. The committee fell silent. Feasting off their souls didn't sound like such a bad idea at a time like this. It had been awhile since he had gotten his own two hands dirty. And what use were these spineless, wealthy CEOs? John cleared his throat and Felix's lids shot open.
"Gentlemen, I take full responsibility of this burden and its repercussions. I can't express to you, enough, to put your faith in me as your leader and as such, this matter will be resolved. In a both timely and…" His eyes roved toward the small man in glasses, "flashy manner." The man swallowed hard at Felix's stern glare.
"May I remind you that your seats are expendable." The twelve men idled in silence. "You are relieved." Felix motioned toward the door and returned to his seat at the edge of the the table. The men filed out of room.
"Except you, John." His voice void of any emotion. John Tully stopped in his tracks and grinned, wickedly. He sat himself beside Felix and laced his fingers, resting them on the table. "John, was I wrong in giving her a choice? Should've I just killed her instead?"
John's wild grin dissolved and adjusted his posture, loosening his fingers. He watched as Felix spoke with his head held high yet avoided John's green eyes. "I don't think you were wrong."
Felix glanced to John. "Yet, I sense you find this situation amusing."
"I must admit I do," John's eyes returned their luster. "Truth is, this is the most life I've seen out of you in years...Maybe it was a good thing your little angel came back to you in the flesh." He picked at a hangnail and blood oozed from the minor wound.
"A good thing?" Felix huffed. "Yeah, if you call wrecking apart the foundation we all built together, a good thing."
John laughed hard and smacked Felix's shoulder. "See, when was the last time you joked like that? Felix, you died alongside Eddy. You've just been fooling yourself."
Felix gritted his teeth and slapped his palm against the table.
"You've dug yourself in a pretty deep hole now. There's no other option but to kill her." Answered John, assuming Felix's impending question. "And maybe you could've kept her had you reasoned with her rather than come off as a slab of stone."
"It was a professional matter."
"Really, was it?" John, skeptical, rolled his eyes at his ignorance. "Felix, it was just as much about you two than it was about La Puerta. You know that." Felix squeezed his fists and shook his head. "One day you'll learn there is more to life than this damn organization."
