CHAPTER 145: OLD SCHOOL BUSINESS

The jewelry business was picking up.

Orders came in. Mostly small pieces. Affordable designs that people could actually afford. Marcus Chen processed payments, coordinated with Mr. Hudson's workshop, handled shipping labels and tracking numbers. It felt like real business. Small scale but real.

Both Marcus were happy. The plan was working. They had fifty thousand dollars at the bank and they were working hard. Even at the impossible odds of creating a successful business and the slightly lower odds of traveling to another planet, Marcus's resilience was high. His morale was full.

Other than the constant worry about Valdris he was good.

The morning light streamed through the apartment windows. Marcus walked into the kitchen, picked up an apple from the counter, and took his jacket from the hook by the door. He accompanied Irene to her car and dropped her off at her therapy meeting. Then he drove to Mr. Hudson's office.

The workshop was busy when he arrived. The sound of grinding metal and polishing equipment filled the air. Workers bent over their stations with focused intensity.

Mr. Hudson looked up from his desk when Marcus entered. His eyebrows rose with genuine surprise.

"I didn't expect to see you Marcus. Come sit." He gestured for Marcus to take the chair across from him. Then he left his desk and sat in the other visitor chair, putting them on equal footing.

"Hello Mr. Hudson. I hope you are doing well?" Marcus asked with polite formality.

"Good good. Can't complain." The old craftsman pulled out two cigars from his desk drawer. He passed one to Marcus.

Marcus held up his hand. "Sorry I don't smoke."

"Suit yourself." Mr. Hudson lit his cigar and placed the other one near Marcus in case he changed his mind. The smoke curled upward in lazy spirals.

"I talked with my guys and they said your orders are coming through. As are your payments." He puffed his cigar and examined Marcus through the haze. "On time. Every time."

"Thanks. We started small but I have confidence."

"It is good to have confidence." Mr. Hudson leaned back in his chair. "But for me what matters more is your character."

Marcus tilted his head slightly.

"As you can guess we deal with lots of people for business. Most act entitled. Snobs thinking they know more about business than everybody else. But when it comes to manners and doing actual business they fail enormously."

"I can guess." Marcus said smiling. He remembered his own cockiness against Aldric when he thought he would make him a millionaire with his borrowed knowledge from Earth. But Aldric and the streets of Drakmoor had taught him the real ways to make business. Being respectful to your business partners. Making good services and goods. Then profiting.

"I don't know how it is possible but it is like you were raised in the 1950s."

"What do you mean sir?" Marcus asked.

"Do you know how many business partners visit regularly to check in person if everything is okay?"

Marcus understood his reasoning. He bowed his head slightly. "I am guessing zero."

"One. And he is older than me." Mr. Hudson pointed his cigar at Marcus. "This is an old school way of making business. And my respect for you is rising young man. Your orders might be small but I am betting my life one way or another you will make it."

Marcus felt warmth spread through his chest. Once again he thanked Aldric in his mind. And once again he felt upset about leaving him at Malachar's lair. The guilt never really went away.

After his visit ended with Mr. Hudson's office he went back to take Irene and head home.

She was waiting outside the therapy office. Her face was brighter than before. The sessions were helping.

Back at the apartment Marcus checked for any new orders. Then an email arrived from "Robert Callahan, Callahan Fine Jewelry, Boston."

"Dear Mr. Chen, I represent a boutique jewelry store interested in wholesale purchasing. Your modular designs are exactly what our clientele seeks. I'd like to place an initial order for $2,000 worth of inventory."

Marcus's heart raced. Two thousand dollars. This was it. The break they needed.

But there was a problem. "Unfortunately, my business card was recently compromised. Would you accept a certified check for this order?"

Marcus hesitated. His fingers hovered over the keyboard. Checks were old-fashioned. Risky in the modern age. But two thousand dollars was two thousand dollars. He consulted with Irene.

"Seems legitimate." She said, looking at the professional email signature. The listed business address. The formal language. "Certified checks are guaranteed by banks."

"I will call the number and check with him." Marcus said. He picked up his phone and dialed.

A professional voice answered. Marcus asked about the wholesale account. The purchase order. Everything checked out. It seemed legitimate.

He wrote a response approving the order once the check arrived.

When he sent the email he took a huge sigh. His shoulders dropped with relief.

He smiled at Irene. "Things are going good."

She got up from the couch and sat on Marcus's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Her perfume was subtle. Floral.

"Once we send other Marcus to his world we will turn this place into paradise."

Marcus pulled her closer. "I love the sound of that."

For a moment he let himself believe it was possible. That everything would work out. That the jewelry business would thrive and Marcus would return to Valdris and defeat Malachar and they would all live happily ever after.

For a moment he let himself hope.