The young man set his empty glass onto the mahogany table with a soft deliberate click snapping Alexander out of his horrified thoughts.

"Don’t overthink it 815 because everyone’s path into TMC looks a little different but we all cross the same lines eventually" said the young man while leaning forward to pour himself another glass of champagne.

Alexander forced his hands to relax though the image of Marcus and his small apartment family kept flashing behind his eyes.

"So what happens now. I passed your twisted entrance exam so am I officially a part of this mess?" said Alexander while leaning back trying to match the other man’s detached casual tone.

"Exactly you are officially an active Associate which means the training wheels are off" said the young man with a slight nod.

"Starting tomorrow you will no longer receive random mandatory assignments to test your stomach since you will have access to the open contract board on your application so you pick the clients you review the parameters and you decide how much your time is worth."

Alexander picked up his phone again to turn the screen on to see if anything had changed and found a new icon that had appeared at the bottom of the dashboard shaped like a golden key.

He tapped it and a live feed of active requests began scrolling down the interface where each entry showed a brief tag like discreet companionship or private security escort alongside a numerical payout that made Alexander’s breath catch because the numbers were astronomical.

"The money is real 815, TMC handles all the wire transfers the offshore routing and the tax insulation so what you see on that screen is exactly what hits your account guaranteed" said the young man while watching Alexander’s eyes scan the figures.

"But remember Rule 1 from your file, the client is the absolute priority so if you accept a contract you fulfill it to the letter or the network takes the payout out of your skin."

Alexander locked the device and slid it into his denim pocket as the cold weight of reality sank in because he was trapped in a golden cage surrounded by luxury while carrying a lethal weapon.

"And who exactly are you in all of this?" said Alexander looking straight into the flawless delicate face of the idol across from him. "You know my name my file and my friend but I don’t even know what to call you."

The young man let out a melodious genuine laugh while his cherry-red lips curved into an expression that was entirely charming yet completely devoid of warmth as he stood up from the velvet sofa to smooth out the wrinkles of his silk shirt and extended a slender manicured hand toward Alexander.

"You can call me Julian" said the young man "I am the Senior Associate assigned to oversee the regional Level 1 assets so think of me as your director for the upcoming season 815, I make sure you know your lines I ensure you wear the right clothes and most importantly I make sure you don’t choke when the curtain finally goes up."

Julian dropped his hand back to his side and picked up his champagne glass while his eyes tracked Alexander’s movements with a cold professional curiosity "You can leave now so if I have anything else to report or inform you about I will contact you directly" said Julian while swirling the pale gold liquid.

Alexander stood up from the plush velvet sofa adjusting the heavy straps of the hidden 9mm holster against his ribs as he readied himself to step out of the strange lounge.

"By the way 815 feel free to do your own private business on your own time" said Julian stopping Alexander right at the threshold "We are not the jealous type here at the agency because with us you have everything fully legal and completely laundered you understand me so if you want to work with clients directly without any intermediaries we won’t stop you from making an extra buck to have some fun out there."

Alexander turned his head back with a brow furrowing as he processed the sheer flexibility of the organization because they monitored his entire family tree yet they didn’t care if he moonlit as a freelancer on the side.

Julian extended his champagne flute toward the center of the room while his beautiful delicate face framed a pristine chilling smile "Just remember that TMC is your big family from now on" said Julian as he raised the glass a fraction higher with eyes catching the dim lounge lights "Cheers."