Maybe Tina''s mother did not want Tina to follow Wilbur to Dasha out of safety concerns, but she had not found it appropriate to tell Wilbur herself and thus asked Kyra to get the message across.


    Tina''s mother could be overthinking, but she had a point. Wilbur did not know how to face Tina either and thus chose to part with her for the time being.


    He reached Greensource Corp soon enough and got a call from Barney not long after.


    Wilbur nced at his phone, picking it up and putting it to his ear. "Hello, Mister Barney."


    "I guess they want you to get rid of me, then?"


    "That does seem like the case, Mister Barney. Where should we meet, then?"


    "Come to the balcony."


    "Sure."


    Wilbur hung up the call, taking the elevator up to the balcony.


    He saw a dining table set up on the sprawling balcony, where several women were dancing by a boom box. There were two chefs flipping bs of meat over a grill, and Barney sat at the table feasting on a steak. He waved at the sight of Wilbur. "Have a seat. Get him a steak."


    The chef did as he was told. Wilbur sat down, ncing at the te but not digging in. He rubbed his ears, irritated by the booming music. "Mister Barney, have you forgotten why I''m here? They sent me to kill you."


    "Is that so? Are you implying that I''m taking this too lightly?"


    Wilbur nodded. Barney waved a hand, and all the women and chefs left the balcony at once. The space fell quiet in a matter of seconds, and Barney cut himself a piece of steak. "I''m sure you know, Mister Penn, that I still have Demetra. You two are pretty close, aren''t you? You almost killed me thest time in order to take them away. It''d be fair for me to use them as leverage against you in return for my safety, don''t you think?"


    "I''m pretty sure you won''t do anything to me before you find Demetra, so I still have the choice over the life I want."


    Wilbur found it quite amusing that Barney was still in the mood for steak at a time like this. On second thought, though, Barney''s words did make sense. Wilbur was not going to do anything to Barney before he found Demetra.


    "Fine, tell me what you want, and I''ll try my best to satisfy you. You''re going to let Demetra go after that, and we''ll have a fair duel against each other. How''s that?"


    "You''re still far too naive, Wilbur. Fairness doesn''t exist in the world. Do you know why they abandoned me? They need some kind of exnation for this, and I''m the most disposable one at the moment. That''s why they left me behind. I''ve ved away at Greensource for over a decade now, nearly dying quite a few times. I might hold a position of high power but look where my fate has led me in the end, abandoned just like the rest. Friendships won''tst forever, but there can be eternal profits."