THE ULTIMATE REVENGE OF DON ROCH

SURPRISE VISITOR

NIKAELEON

***

We walked into his study and he went to sit behind the desk while I sat on one of the two seats opposite him. He reached for the decanter and two glasses on the small side table beside his desk. He poured two glasses of the vintage whisky he always keeps in his offices, and then leaned back in his chair. I held on to my glass and watched him drink his slowly, deliberately taking his time so he wouldn't say why he called me. It was an intimidation tactic he taught me when he was training me to take over from him. It was supposed to make me anxious, and if I was guilty of something, I would have the compulsion to fill up the silence and inadvertently expose myself. But he had also taught me how to beat the game with patience so I wouldn't be a victim so I wasn’t moved by the silence.

I drank from my glass and continued watching him like I had all the time in the world to waste. After several minutes of drinking in silence, he finally spoke.

"So you actually got her to agre