The Art of Wealth: I Became a Billionaire-Chapter 41: Five Days Earlier: The Setup

Monday Morning – 5 Days Before the Escape

The sky was still a soft shade of grey when Raymond woke up. It was early, too early for anyone else in the compound to be up. But Raymond hadn’t slept much all weekend anyway. His mind had been racing. Every hour, every minute, filled with the same question:

How do I get Elliot out of George’s grip... without getting everyone else killed?

By dawn, he had made up his mind.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Zane and Alex:

"Meet me at the safe room in the Gatehouse. Urgent."

It wasn’t even 30 minutes later when the two men arrived. Raymond was already seated at the round table in the middle of the room. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, but his face was calm. Deadly calm.

Alex walked in first and Zane followed behind, stoic as always. They both sat down as Raymond gestured.

For a moment, no one said anything.

Then Raymond spoke. "It’s time. We’re getting Elliot out."

Alex’s head snapped up. His face, which had been tight with worry, suddenly lit up with surprise and hope.

"You have a plan already?" he asked quickly. "Please, share it. We can begin immediately."

Raymond gave a tired smile but shook his head slightly.

"The plan takes time to prepare. And that’s exactly what we don’t have."

Before Alex could protest, Zane leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.

"Let’s hear the plan first." His voice was cool and measured, like a blade.

Raymond nodded.

"Alright. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll set up a meeting with George. In person."

Both Alex and Zane reacted instantly.

Alex nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Wait, wait, what?! You want to meet George? In person?" His eyes widened. "That’s the man who’s been trying to destroy you for years. You think he’ll hesitate to kill you the moment he sees you?"

Raymond looked him in the eyes.

"That’s the man. And yes, I plan to meet him."

Alex shook his head, clearly panicking now.

"No. I don’t support this at all. It’s perilous. What if you don’t make it out? What if he traps you?"

Raymond raised his hand to stop him.

"Listen to me. I know George. I know how he thinks. He won’t touch me, not in his office, not in front of his men. He values his reputation too much. He won’t act immediately... especially if I come with legal threats."

Zane nodded slowly, thinking.

"On what grounds would you even ask for the meeting?"

Raymond leaned forward.

"Simple. I’ll tell him that we’re preparing to file a lawsuit against Philip, his little puppet. We’ll tell him that we plan to sue Philip for what he did with my company and that we have proof of Philip’s illegal dealings and will make it very clear that George is tied to him."

Alex frowned. "But will that really scare him? You said it yourself, he’s always covered."

Raymond smiled faintly, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"It won’t scare him. Not at all. That’s the point."

Zane raised an eyebrow.

"Then what is the point?"

Raymond’s voice turned darker and more quiet.

"Distraction."

He looked at both men, one after the other.

"I’m not trying to win George over. I’m not trying to pressure him into letting Elliot go. I know he won’t. But if I can distract him, even for a few hours, if I can get inside his office and tie up some of his top men in pointless conversations... then Zane, you’ll have your window."

He turned to Zane now.

"While I keep George and his people busy, you’ll lead a small team to wherever they’re holding Elliot. The less attention on you, the faster you move. Go in and go out with no noise."

Alex still looked nervous, but he was starting to see the plan now.

"So the meeting... it’s just bait."

Raymond nodded. "Exactly."

Zane finally spoke again.

"You know this is going to be dangerous. For all of us."

Raymond replied without hesitation.

"I know. But so is doing nothing. And if George senses that we’re making movements, he’ll move him, or worse."

Silence...

Alex then said quietly... "Sir... I think what you have is good. Honestly. But... what if it doesn’t work out?"

He leaned forward and folded his hands tightly together.

"Do you have a Plan B? In case something goes wrong?"

Raymond looked at him, calm and steady.

"There isn’t exactly a Plan B when it comes to meeting George," he said.

"But... I’m not going alone."

He glanced sideways at Alex.

"You’ll be coming with me."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

Raymond nodded.

"George won’t try anything while you’re with me. Not after what happened last time. You’ve crossed him once and survived. He won’t risk another mistake with you present.

Besides..."

Raymond’s voice lowered slightly.

"There’s something else. Zain just returned with some information from South L.A. Something... that might just be our actual Plan B."

Alex turned to Zane immediately.

"What information? What did you find?"

Zane folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

"The existence of someone called Dahlia Brown."

Alex blinked. "Who’s that?"

Raymond’s eyes narrowed.

"You’ll find out in due time."

He stood up from the table and paced slowly as he spoke.

"What matters now is that she’s important. And if things go sideways at that meeting, she might be the key to turning it all around."

Alex wasn’t entirely satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t press further.

Instead, Raymond turned to him directly.

"Now I need to ask you... Do you think you’ll be able to stand by me at this meeting with George?"

Alex hesitated.

He looked at Zane, then back at Raymond.

The weight of the mission pressed down on him. He wasn’t a soldier. He wasn’t fearless like Zane, or bold like Raymond. But this was Elliot’s life they were talking about.

He drew in a deep breath... and let it out slowly.

"If that’s what it takes to save Elliot," he said, "then yes. I’ll do it."

Raymond gave a short nod of approval.

"Good."

"When is the meeting?" Alex asked.

Raymond looked at the calendar on the screen behind them and replied,

"Five days from now. Saturday."

"Saturday?!" Alex almost shouted.

His face twisted in disbelief.

"That’s five more days of Elliot being held... probably tortured! Why wait that long? Why not move sooner?" freёwebnoѵel.com

Raymond turned back to face him, voice steady but firm.

"I’ve thought about every possible option, Alex. If we rush in midweek, security will be tight. George’s office will be filled with men. But on the weekend, especially on Saturday, it reduces. There’ll be less security, fewer eyes, more room to move, and more chances for success."

Alex didn’t like it. Not one bit.

He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated.

"So we just sit here and wait while Elliot suffers?"

"We prepare," Raymond corrected him.

"Every day counts. We spend this time wisely, gathering intel, prepping the team, and getting everything locked down. No mistakes."

Alex sighed again. But he knew he had no better option.

No smarter idea.

Nothing that could guarantee a safer or faster outcome.

"Alright then," he muttered. "We do it your way."

Raymond gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. Then turned to Zane, who was already pulling up blueprints and access routes on the screen.

"Zane..." Raymond said, his voice dropping to a leader’s tone.

"Get our best men. Strongest. Smartest. Most disciplined. You’re going in and out like a shadow. No one should see nor hear you."

Zane gave a sharp nod.

"Consider it done."