Never Judge

It didn't take long for the guests to slowly leave. Something told Cedric that the mayor had in fact asked them to leave rather than letting the party die down on its own.

In the end the only people left were the mayor's family and Cedric and his people. 

When the last of the guests had left the mayor invited Cedric to have a private discussion with him in his office.

"Dave." Cedric called out, to which his assistant quickly appeared behind him. 

Dave already knew what Cedric needed and had placed one of his secret voice recorders in an unknown location on his person.

"Mr. Reyes, I hope you don't mind, but our conversation needs to be confidential. I will allow your assistant to join us, but both you and he must leave all electronic devices out here." The mayor said before they headed to his office.

"Ian will hold them for us." Cedric informed the mayor as he waved for Ian to come over.

Cedric handed his phone and watch to Ian. Dave did the same and was searched by one of the mayor's bodyguards for any hidden recording devices.

"Is he good to go?" Cedric asked as the bodyguards looked at each other in surprise. They probably thought they would find a recording device on Dave.

Cedric watched as Mayor Baron looked at his guards who simply nodded, giving their go signal for Cedric and his assistant to be let into the office. 

With the green light given by the bodyguards, the mayor led Cedric and Dave into his posh office.

It was clearly a room where the provincial power had been held for a long time. There were photos of generations of mayors, governors, and congressmen. The Baron family seemed to have been in control of this region for a long time.

"My father, grandfather, and great grandfather were also mayors of our province." The current mayor, Evan Baron, said as he offered Cedric and Dave a glass of whisky.

"No, thank you." Cedric said, politely. 

In recent years it had been Cedric's policy not to take drinks from strangers easily. Especially one that potentially had ulterior motives against him. 

"Aren't you afraid of offending me?" Evan Baron teased as he placed the glass back down on his table.

"Is that really something you are asking?" Cedric asked in his signature cold tone.

The mayor simply gave Cedric an awkward smile before finally offering Cedric and Dave a seat.

"What is this proposal you have for me, Mayor Evan Baron?" Cedric asked as he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back against the seat.

"I am sure you are no stranger to how these things work." Mayor Baron said as he observed Cedric's body language as he tried to gauge if the businessman was one that was willing to accept his illegal proposal. 

"I have friends in politics." Cedric said plainly, trying to avoid any statement that could be used against him in the future. He knew how cunning these politicians could get, and having someone as powerful as him in the palm of their hand was something they desired.

"Good, good." The politician said with a nod as he took a sip from his own glass. "Are you sure you don't want some?" Mayor Baron asked as he reached for the bottle and poured some more for himself.

"My wife wouldn't appreciate me drinking." Cedric said as he thought of a way to avoid being forced to drink.

"Ah, but your wife isn't here Mr. Reyes." Mayor Baron said with a grin. "Don't tell me that the rich and powerful CEO of the Reyes Group is afraid of a little lady?" He asked as he tried to attack Cedric's pride.

"Happy wife, happy life." Cedric said with a slight laugh. "Haven't you heard of that saying, mayor?" Cedric asked as he continued to refuse the drink.

"Yes, yes, you are right." The mayor said as he gave up his attempt to convince Cedric to drink with him.

After filling his glass and lifting it to his lips to drink, the mayor finally spoke to Cedric and Dave about his offer.

"My people tell me that you visited the property you wanted to purchase yesterday?" Evan Baron asked in a straightforward tone.

"I did." Cedric admitted with a nod. "I had seen the property when I flew over the province once. It's not a spot that you actually pass by." He told the mayor as he hoped the man would believe his explanation.

"And my people said that you met with some of the families that were displaced by the new owner and their plans." The mayor asked as he tried to get Cedric to say something that could be used against him.

Unfortunately for the mayor, Cedric already anticipated that he would do this. The Barons had a history of corruption, it wasn't too odd that they would try to trick someone either.

"Yes, when my people arrived there was one last family that was packing up, I asked them to stay so that I could ask them some questions." Cedric admitted.

"And what questions did you ask?" The mayor said as he raised an eyebrow at Cedric. "Don't be offended, but it's odd to hear that a man as rich and powerful as yourself would be interested in speaking with people like them."

"They were nice people." Cedric told the mayor. "I simply wanted to know the status of the property and who had purchased it. I also wanted to know what resources I could find in the area."

"And you moved them to your hotel?" The mayor asked. It was indeed suspicious that Cedric would pay for the lodging of strangers. But of course, Cedric came ready with an excuse.

"When my assistant, Dave, saw their situation, he felt bad and contacted me." Cedric said as he looked at Dave and nodded.

"The housing they had been given was subpar." Dave said in a casual tone.

"So I did what was right and took them in temporarily. We will offer the family suitable housing and a job under the Reyes Group." Cedric added.

"That is way too kind of you Mr. Reyes, that is the responsibility of the company that bought the property, not yours." The mayor told Cedric.

"I have a soft spot for the less fortunate." Cedric said quite frankly, not wanting to explain himself. "But what I really want is that property."

"I won't lie Mr. Reyes, that area is rich in gold and the soil is very fertile. A lot of companies have offered to purchase it." The mayor informed Cedric. "I can, however, convince them to sell it to you for a price."

"A price?" Cedric asked. He wasn't at all surprised that the mayor was asking for a bribe.

"Yes Mr. Reyes." The mayor said with a nod. "I am sure you are aware of this, even your good friends the Sebastians require a price for these favors."

When the mayor mentioned his friends Cedric saw red. He was furious at the accusation, but he had to remain calm on the outside.

He simply nodded and remained silent.

"I will sleep on it, thank you for the offer." Cedric said with a polite nod.

The mayor accepted his answer and escorted him and Dave out of the office. 

As Cedric stepped out the mayor placed a hand on his shoulder, irritating Cedric.

"Don't take too long, Mr. Reyes, my mind may change." Mayor Evan Baron said in a threatening tone.

"I won't." Cedric said as he walked out of the office and left.

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