Excuse

"What about your dad now that you are back?"

"He needs me to sign an undertaking."

"What for?"

"He's going to forget all of this and reinstate me as the Manager of —"

"Wow! That's good news!" said Jake with a happy grin on his face. "Then that means you are now on good terms?"

"Wrong Jake. It only means that there's something big at stake."

"And what's that?"

Kaiden hesitated for a moment, "You… "

Jake studied his hands for a minute, hearing what Kaiden had to say. It was a brutal statement to make. And the mayor was the architect of this? What did he hope to achieve by it?

He sighed, not believing. "I figured I may have interpreted wrong, what you said just now. How do I get to be the price at stake?"

"I think you already know it. But I'll tell you—"

"Hello." A girl walked over to their side of the deli. Her smile was just polite.