New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

The drive from the residential outskirts of downtown into the more commercial part was short. Soon enough, the limo stopped before a tall blackish tower with a conical shape.

Alex could barely distinguish the name on the building's highest levels from the ground. But vanity was a trait of the rich, and right before the building, a giant sculpture of its name was also present.

The name 'Levitus Group' screamed for attention, with its large cobalt blue lettering on a black stone backdrop.

'I wonder how he came up with this name…'

Mr. Gu saw his gaze go to the enormous sculpture and smiled.

"I wondered the same thing at first," he said, walking beside Alex.

"Huh?" Alex asked, confused.

"The name. You are wondering what meaning lies behind it, aren't you? Many do. I was the same in the beginning. It took me years to figure out why he named it this way. Mr. Boudreau never shares his vision on it. He prefers to let the people come up with their own conclusion."

Alex eyed the Chinese man curiously, waiting for him to tell him his thoughts. But Mr. Gu softly chuckled and walked away.

Next to Alexander, Kary was more absorbed in the building's architecture. The building may look like a plain conical shape to the masses, but she wasn't fooled.

She had seen this shape in a picture before, hanging behind Jack Boudreau's underground office—an image from Jack's earlier years in the military.

'Why emulate an old ruin's shape for something modern?' she wondered.

"Hurry up, young ones. Let us not keep Mr. Boudreau waiting," Mr. Gu called out.

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Alex followed behind him, glancing one last time at the sculpture, his mind already coming up with different reasons for the name. Kary followed suit.

Reaching the lobby inside the tower, Alex saw someone he recognized.

Standing at the reception counter, David Magnus had a furious face.

"What do you mean, Jack can't receive me because he has a meeting? I know that! I'm part of that meeting, for crying out loud!"

He was losing patience with the man behind the counter, who smiled in response.

"Sir. I understand your frustrations. But I don't see your name on the authorized guest list, and I can't let you walk into the building without authorization. I will also ask that you calm down, or I will be forced to call security."

David seethed angrily at the man, about to offer him a reason to call security, when a familiar voice echoed behind him.

"Cut the man some slack, you zombie. He's just doing his job. Besides, I wouldn't let your dead-looking ass in either, he he."

David spun around abruptly, his face red with anger, a vivid contrast to his deathly pale skin.

"About time you fuckwits got here," David cursed.

"Can't you tell this idiot I'm with you?" he asked Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu shook his head patronizingly.

"You need to learn patience, Mr. Magnus. This behaviour won't get you what you want from people. But the angry man is right, Leonard. He is with us," Mr. Gu replied, saying the last part while looking at the receptionist.

The man behind the counter smiled warmly at Mr. Gu before looking back at David, who was looking back at him.

"Why didn't you say so sooner, sir? Here is a guest pass. Have a nice day."

The stretched smile on his lips elicited a sharp response from David, who only wanted to jump over the counter and punch his face. But he contained his emotions.

He yanked the lanyard from the man's grasp, spitting out a forced "Thank you."

Stomping away from the counter, he followed Mr. Gu, Alex, and Kary, who were already walking toward the glass barriers that separated the lobby from the elevators.

Kary giggled at his temper tantrum, making him almost growl at her.

"You told me to be here fifteen minutes ago. Why are you guys late?" David spat as they stopped before the glass barriers, scanning their passes.

Mr. Gu let Alex and Kary in through his own pass while David had to take a checkpoint.

"We had an unexpected detour to make, Mr. Magnus. My apologies. But it would be best if you learned to contain your emotions better. This type of uncouth behaviour does not benefit a future saviour of humanity, does it?" the Chinese man mocked.

David grumbled to himself something along the lines of 'fuck humanity…' and entered the opening elevator, keeping quiet as he recentered himself.

Soon enough, his calm and cold demeanour returned, making Mr. Gu nod in satisfaction.

The elevator ride was long, given they went from the ground floor to the hundredth floor.

It slightly disappointed Alex that the elevator shaft was in the center of the building. He would have wished to see the city get smaller from inside the elevator.

But he would be served when he got to the top floor.

Reaching the hundredth floor, the elevator lurched to a stop, a *Ding* resounding inside as the doors opened. And the sight that greeted them floored them.

In a straight line with the elevator doors, there was nothing. But that nothingness led to a large windowed wall that overlooked Montreal's eastern side in its entirety.

Levitus Tower was the tallest building on Montreal Island, making it the most incredible vantage point to look at it. The unobstructed view went on for miles and miles, the St-Laurence River clear, all the way to the island's tip.

Alex and Kary walked over to the window, almost afraid of leaning on it, fearful they would taint the view with their handprints.

"Woah… Jack looks at this every day? What a lucky bastard…"

His penthouse may be at a considerable height, but it was far from the tallest building in his neighbourhood. Of course, this didn't mean he had peepers looking inside his penthouse, but the view wasn't as unobstructed as here.

Even Kary took a moment to look on in awe. This wasn't a sight anyone could see any day.

Well… Aside from Jack Boudreau.

"Come along now, young people. Mr. Boudreau is waiting," Mr. Gu called to them, walking toward the left of the elevator.

Alex and Kary were almost reluctant to pull away from this view. But they weren't here for sightseeing.

Jack had told them he had something important to discuss. And with all going on lately, it couldn't be a trivial matter.