Chapter 114: New Order

"Hmmmm" Xavier muttered loudly .

"The windowpane charcoal," Xavier said. "The midnight blue. The warm grey. And the black."

"My recommendation exactly," Mr. Hartley said. The particular satisfaction of someone whose professional judgment had been confirmed.

"When can you have measurements updated," Xavier said. "My build might have changed slightly since the first order."

"Come in Thursday morning," Mr. Hartley said. "Before 10AM."

"Thursday," Xavier confirmed. "I’ll be there."

"Deposit to confirm the order," Mr. Hartley said. "Forty percent. $192,000."

"Alright ending now," Xavier said.

He opened his banking app while Mr. Hartley was still on the line. Checked the daily cap. The Tier 3 cap meant $192,000 barely registered as a significant portion of what was available.

Different life, he thought. Different cap.

He transferred the deposit.

[ REBATE SYSTEM ]

Transaction Detected: $192,000 spent on suit deposit — Hartley & Sons

Base Multiplier (Tier 2): 2x

Total Return: $384,000

[ Net Balance: $12,405,994.00 → $12,597,994.00 ]

[ SIDE QUEST COMPLETE ]

Premium Wardrobe Investment

Reward: +300 EXP

[ EXP: 2,050/150,000 ]

"Confirmed," Mr. Hartley said on the other end. His firm would have received the notification immediately. "Thursday before 10AM Mr. Cole."

"Thursday," Xavier said. And hung up.

He set the phone down and looked at the fabric images still open on the screen.

$480,000 in suits, he thought. From a man who arrived at Riverside University four months ago with a worn bag and $520. He closed the images. The wardrobe situation being addressed permanently this time.

He leaned back in the chair.

$12,597,994, he noted. Deposit paid. Four suits incoming. Gym session done. Jade’s number saved.

He thought about the Millhaven tickets on the shelf.

Thursday measurements, he thought. Which means I’ll have at least one of the new suits before Friday.

Good, he thought. Millhaven deserves the right presentation.

His phone buzzed. Not a call this time. A message.

From Jade.

Jade: so how was the rest of your session 😊

Xavier looked at the message.

She texted, he thought. Same morning. Within an hour of leaving the gym. He looked at the message again. The emoji. The particular casual opening that wasn’t casual at all. She’s not waiting to seem unbothered. She’s just moving.

Direct, he thought. Consistent with everything she did at the gym.

He typed back.

Xavier: good session. You?

Jade: always 😊 you should come more often. I’m often there every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

Tuesday and Thursday, Xavier noted. She’s telling me her schedule. Selene told me she frequents at that restaurant. Different woman. Same instinct.

Xavier: I’ll keep that in mind

Jade: you should 😊 maybe we could train together sometime

Xavier looked at that message.

Train together, he thought. That’s not what she means and we both know it. He set the phone face down on the desk. Not today though.

One thing at a time, he thought.

He picked the phone back up.

Xavier: maybe

Jade: 😊

He put the phone down.

Maybe, he thought. Which in this context means probably. Which she knows. He looked at the ceiling. She’s going to text again tonight. More directly than this morning. He almost smiled. Consistent.

He opened his banking app and cycled the a donations properly. Tier 3 cap making the amounts significantly larger than anything Tier 2 had produced.

[ REBATE SYSTEM ]

Transaction Detected: $400,000 spent on donation — Global Education Trust

Base Multiplier (Tier 2): 2x

Total Return: $800,000

[ Net Balance: $12,205,994.00 → $12,597,994.00 ]

[ REBATE SYSTEM ]

Transaction Detected: $400,000 spent on donation — Rural Healthcare Initiative

Base Multiplier (Tier 2): 2x

Total Return: $800,000

[ Net Balance: $12,197,994.00 → $12,997,994.00 ]

$12,997,994, he noted. Nearly thirteen million.

He looked at that number for a moment.

Nearly thirteen million, he thought. On a Tuesday morning after a gym session and a phone call with a tailor.

Different life, he thought.

Different everything.

_ _

Xavier woke up the next day and drove to campus at 9AM on Wednesday.

He’d driven the Panamera. No particular reason, just that taking cabs now felt like a step backward on a morning that didn’t require one. He parked, locked it and walked through the gate with the particular energy of someone who had done two things before 10AM that he was proud off.

Registering for a Gym and getting new suits from Mr. Hartley’s the previous day.

Wednesday, he thought.’fuck it was yesterday she wanted to asked me questions’.

Xavier found her before she found him. Which was unusual. She was outside the Food and Nutrition block with her tablet and her glasses and the particular expression of someone who had been waiting and had opinions about having waited.

She looked at him when he approached.

"You didn’t come in yesterday," she said.

Not aggressively. Just directly. The Amira version of an accusation. Stating the fact and letting it sit without dressing it up.

"I know," he said. "I was busy."

"I said I’d test you on Tuesday," she said. "I told you Monday evening. I told you again before I went to sleep. You said you’d be there."

"I said I’d read section four," he said. "Which I did."

She looked at him. "Xavier."

"Amira."

"You said you’d be there," she said. "Those were the words."

He looked at her. The glasses. The tablet. The expression of someone who wasn’t going to let this slide and had decided the best approach was to be completely honest about that fact.

"You’re right," he said. "I should have come in. I’m sorry."

She held his gaze for a moment.

She’s deciding whether the apology is sufficient, he thought. With Amira an apology has to be genuine or she files it as noise and moves on without acknowledging it.

"Work," she said. "What kind of work."

"Business related," he said.

"Xavier..."

"Amira. I’m sorry I didn’t come in. It won’t happen again." He held her gaze. "Test me now if you want. Right here."

She looked at him for another moment.

Then "Fine." She opened her tablet. Pulled up a document he recognised as the module five practice questions she’d sent Monday evening. "Question one. Explain the primary factors affecting nutrient bioavailability in the human digestive system."

Right here, Xavier thought. Outside the building. At 9AM.

"Nutrient bioavailability is affected by the food matrix," he said. "The chemical form of the nutrient, interactions with other dietary components, and physiological factors including gut transit time, digestive enzyme activity and intestinal surface area." He paused. "Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption by reducing ferric iron to the more soluble ferrous form. Phytates in whole grains reduce zinc and iron bioavailability by forming insoluble complexes."