Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Corporate Ledger

Alexander stared at the glowing matrix on his screen with his jaw practically dropping onto his chest.

He rubbed his eyes blinking hard against the blinding morning light but the numbers didn’t change.

The initial notification had shown the base contract payout of $5,000 and the performance bonus of $5,000 along with the massive $50,000 hazard adjustment.

But as he swiped down the system refreshed displaying the final closed ledger for the blue-tier contract.

The base reward for surviving that psychotic high-speed pursuit was actually $15,000 and beneath it sat a secondary private transfer from the client—another clean $50,000 with a tiny elegant note attached.

I haven’t felt that alive in years. I hope to see you again very soon.

Alexander let out a sharp breathless laugh his hands shaking slightly as he did the quick math in his head "Good god... one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in a single night" muttered Alexander a wild disbelieving smile breaking across his face "That is an absolute slaughter."

But before he could even celebrate his newfound fortune another prominent TMC notification slid down from the top of the screen.

This one featured an official corporate header: Operational Incident & Asset Liquidation Report.

Alexander opened it and his heart instantly sank into his stomach as a highly detailed line-item breakdown materialized before his eyes.

Bodywork & Chassis Damage: $2,500.00 USD (Audi A4 restoration)

Engine & Transmission Overstress: $1,500.00 USD (Redline diagnostics)

Civil Infrastructure Repair: $4,500.00 USD (Public park and curb maintenance)

Local Government Bribes & Strategic Gifts: $15,000.00 USD (Police perimeter clearance)

The breakdown was terrifyingly crystal clear.

It was the exact financial cost required to completely vanish his midnight stunt from the city’s legal records.

Alexander’s throat went dry as he looked at the total debt his mind instantly racing thinking the agency was about to deduct the entire twenty-three-thousand-dollar cleanup fee straight from his freshly filled account.

He hurriedly scrolled down to the bottom of the page his eyes locking onto a final paragraph written in bold golden text.

TMC Management Note: All operational legal and mechanical expenses incurred during this assignment have been fully covered and settled by the TMC Corporate Liability Fund. Furthermore a $25,000.00 USD Retention Bonus has been credited to your account for executing your duties exactly as expected of a premium TMC Associate. You maintained character secured the Level 2 client and avoided lethal escalation under pressure. Well done 815.

Alexander let out a massive sigh of relief collapsing back onto his pillows with a stunned laugh "Unbelievable..." whispered Alexander looking at his final untouched balance "They don’t just cover your mess... they literally pay you an extra bonus for causing it."

Alexander walked over to the wooden nightstand and picked up the cold heavy tactical handgun.

Like almost every man alive he had always harbored a secret dormant fascination with firearms.

He flipped the safety on checking the weight and casually toyed with the weapon letting his mind wander back to the dark underground corridors.

What the hell would have happened if I actually drew this piece and started a shootout? thought Alexander staring down the sleek black barrel.

Would TMC have wired me even more cash for the extra body count or would they have just completely abandoned my ass to rot in a federal prison?

What kind of monster is this organization at the end of the day?

He shook his head clearing the dark thoughts and unclasped the heavy gleaming Rolex from his wrist.

He placed it gently inside its velvet-lined box right next to his other high-end watch staring at the sheer luxury accumulating on his desk.

Today he didn’t feel like a high-priced male escort selling his body.

He felt like an absolute superhero.

Alexander let out a happy triumphant laugh that echoed through the empty suite.

It was almost four in the morning and he hadn’t slept a single wink but staring at that astronomical balance in his bank account had completely vaporized every ounce of fatigue in his system.

He grabbed his personal smartphone scrolled through his contacts and aggressively dialed his friend’s number pacing across the hardwood floor as the line started ringing.

"Hey man! It is four o’clock in the fucking morning! You better be in a hospital bed a horrific car accident or completely dead you son of a bitch to be waking me up at this hour!" shouted Marcus over the receiver his voice thick with sleep and pure unfiltered rage.

"Where the hell are you right now?" asked Alexander ignoring the anger in his friend’s voice.

"In my room where the fuck else would I be?" groaned Marcus the sound of rustling sheets echoing over the line "Yesterday I had an assignment man. It was a completely wild party. Four girls—two Black one blonde and an Asian. I literally fucked them until they passed out but they left my balls completely dry. It was absolutely legendary."

"I’m coming over" stated Alexander flatly.

He didn’t wait for a reply before slamming the phone down.

He walked over to the desk grabbed the cold 9mm tactical handgun and tucked it securely into his waistband before heading out into the night. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

A short drive later Alexander arrived at Marcus’s place.

He walked right inside bypassing the living room entirely and marched straight to the private bar.

He grabbed a heavy bottle of premium whiskey poured himself a double shot with a steady hand and tossed it back in one clean swallow.

"Hey go ahead and enjoy the place like it’s your own apartment buddy! I love you you know that?" laughed Marcus sarcastically leaning against the doorframe in his boxers his voice dripping with frustration and exhaustion.

The air in the room was thick with tension sarcasm and the residual adrenaline of the night.

Without saying a single word Alexander slowly reached into his waistband pulled out the heavy black tactical pistol and placed it down onto the wooden counter with a solid metallic thud.

He leaned against the bar crossing his arms as he locked his eyes directly onto his friend’s face.

"Got something to say now?" asked Alexander staring at Marcus with an intense unblinking glare.