RISE OF EROS

In a dimly lit room, there were 5 individuals sitting around a somewhat old and battered wooden table. The only lighting in the room was a small gas lamp that was in the center of the table.

However, the table was quite large, enough so that the light from the small lamp in the center of it did not fully illuminate those sitting around it, to be more exact, their faces were hidden in the dark.

Although they couldn't see their faces, they knew each other, they only met like this as a kind of tradition. The 5 men of different builds who were present were in silent, waiting for something.

After 5 minutes, there was a small tapping outside the room, then, one of the men said hoarsely, "Come in". The door opened, and the outside light illuminated the room, though not completely. The layout of the room did not allow light from the open door to illuminate the 5 men sitting in it.

A young man with a serious expression approached the table and placed a letter on it, next to the lamp, and then left. He only took a few seconds, entered and left quickly without making a sound or speaking.

When the man who left the letter had left, and closed the door, one of the men took the letter, and removing the seal, began to read it in quietly. He used a monocle that somehow allowed him to see in the dark, and when this man finished reading, he left the letter on the table.

The man to his right, took the letter and began to read it, and when he was done, put it back on the table, and the pattern was repeated until everyone had read the letter. Silence reigned again, although not for long, "The new player has grown up fast," said one of them.

"Certainly, do you think we should interfere?" another of the men asked with a youthful voice. "It's not necessary yet, it just started, they are not a threat," commented the one with the hoarse voice. "Even so, keeping an eye on them is necessary," a thick voice added, and then the one who spoke earlier immediately replied, "I agree to that".

They were expressing their opinions, but only one of them had not participated in the discussion, and that surprised the others, so the first one to read the letter and open the conversation asked, "Don't you have anything to contribute?"

Silence invaded the room one more time, although it seemed like a simple question, it had several implications, it seemed more like a threat, the voice sounded displeased, this showed that, these 5 men were not necessarily friends for the fact of meeting here.

Indeed, they were business partners, and they did not get along, to be exact, several of them are on bad terms, but they put up with each other for the sake of profit, especially the man who spoke just now, and the one who remains silent are something like sworn enemies.

The first man to speak was getting more and more annoyed by the silence of the last one, since it seemed like he was being ignored, and when he was about to explode, the last man finally spoke.

"Mrs. Candice has us in her sights", his voice was soft, but you could hear his age, he was probably an old man. His comment once again plunged the room into silence.

They all seemed to be thinking about something, but they were actually holding back the trembling of their bodies. These 5 men are business owners in the red-light district, more specifically in the area where the Heavenly Palace is located, and although none of them run a brothel, they have a pact to control the area.

That way, they prevent a competitor from appearing to usurp their power. In this area, everyone is scare of them, as their strength is not surpassed by anyone nearby, however, their operations have caused certain problems for important people, and one of them was Mrs. Candice.

Lady Candice is a reputable grocery merchant in Catnar. Her main business revolves around buying and selling groceries, so she obviously has business in the red-light district.

Many, if, not all the establishments in the red-light district need food and drink, so many grocery merchants do business here, and she is no exception.

The problem is that several of the establishments with which she had business were harassed by these 5 lately, and some even went bankrupt, and consequently Mrs. Candice lost money.

Due to this, an enmity was created between her and this group. What these 5 never thought, was that, she would discover them, and now they were in a problem because of her. That woman, had more power and influence than the 5 combine.

They were all afraid of being in her sights, they knew, they would suffer if they continued to turn against her. Suddenly the old man spoke again, "The new player is affiliated with her".

No one in the Heavenly Palace knew, that the food supplier that sponsored them, was owned by Mrs. Candice, and they had no idea what was going on the underground in the shadows, but the 5 men knew, that if they put pressure on an establishment provided by the Mrs. Candice again, they will be looking for death, so for that reason, they unanimously decided to keep a low profile for the moment.

The meeting came to an end, each of the men left separately, still worried about the possible misfortune that would befall them if Mrs. Candice decided to attack, but what they did not know, was that not all of them returned to their businesses at the end of the meeting.

The old man, who spoke at the end of the meeting, left the red-light district and arrived at the commercial district. His carriage stopped in front of a 6-story building, and he unceremoniously entered.

Within a few minutes, he was on the top floor, sitting across from a beautiful woman in her 40s with a devilishly sexy figure drinking tea. The beautiful lady was the graphic definition of a succubus, big breasts, slim waist, sensual ass, and long legs, with a face comparable to Carolina's, but her eyes were deep, like nothing escaped her sight.

The old man is a man of experience, his gray hair is proof of that, and even so, in front of this woman, he just could feel helpless. "I assume you sent my warning", said the lady with a soft and melodious voice.

"You can be sure, Mrs. Candice, I have warned them", the old man replied, stuttering a little. "Very well, in any case I will warn you again, do not ruin my business or...", she finished her sentence with a slight smile, while she brought the cup of tea to her sensual lips.

Her movements were bewitching, but the old man could only feel fear. He knows the real power of this woman, the other 4 believe, that, she is a medium-sized grocery merchant, but he knows, that, this woman is much more powerful than she appeared, because she has hidden business with a marquis.

When the old man found out that, they had frustrated Candice's business, he investigated the lady because experience comes with age, and his many years of experiences taught him, that, in order to survive in this business, you have to know your enemy, and that's how he discovered the fact, that, Mrs. Candice and the Marquis Donald had hidden business.

Upon learning of this, he did not hesitate for a moment to sacrifice the other 4 and get on the good side of the beautiful lady, in the end, he only joined them for benefits, and it was clear who would bring better benefits, and fewer risks.