The red light district didn't look much different from any other street in the city.

Upon closer inspection, Lucian noticed some signs that were not seen elsewhere.

A few women were leaning against the walls, smoking and talking to each other. Some noticed his carriage and waved to it. Some of them were already on the job, leading men by their hands and disappearing into the buildings.

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The Red String brothel was a four storey building, with a thick red rope tied to its entrance.

With a cane in one hand and a briefcase in another, Lucian stood in front of the brothel's gates. It had a sign above it that said:

The Red String will lead you to your destined lover. Come, find the one whose heart matches yours, and make a memory that will last a lifetime.

The guard at the entrance was not used to early visitors, and was surprised to see a man at this time. He let Lucian pass, though, without asking any questions.

A receptionist greeted Lucian as he walked past the entrance.

"I'm looking for Jax. Can you please inform him that Lucian Arclight has arrived to visit him?" he asked politely.

She seemed to recognize him and immediately invited Lucian inside the lobby, offering to serve him tea.

On the way, Lucian took in the sight of the interior, which had been renovated just recently.

The furniture was made of fine, dark wood, and the curtains were crimson red, made of velvet. There were white statues and vases with green plants. The air smelled like incense, which was used to mask the smell of alcohol.

"...He is here! He is finally here!"

Whispers came from all around Lucian, and it didn't take long before he was surrounded by thirteen young women, wearing their best smiles and their finest clothes.

They were wondering if he would take them to bed, and were trying their hardest to impress him.

Some were giggling, and asking him to play with them.

Some were more reserved and were content with only watching him like he was a piece of fine art.

Some acted disinterested and cold, trying to pique his curiosity.

Some were curious, but too shy to approach him themselves.

Some of the courtesans even tried to touch his hand and arm.

Lucian quickly raised his hand up in a polite refusal.

"My dear brother, what a surprise to see you here!" Jax ran down the stairs, still putting on his robe.

'Brother?' Lucian raised a brow in question, but didn't correct him.

Jax pushed the courtesans aside, acting like the most important man in the brothel. He was the owner after all, so it was not far from the truth.

"Come, come," Jax said, leading Lucian towards the stairs and to the fourth floor where his private room was, "Sorry about the commotion, the ladies can get a little wild when they see something shiny. Don't take it the wrong way, brother."

"I understand, it's perfectly fine," Lucian nodded, following after him.

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Once inside the room, Jax closed the door behind them and quickly tidied the room, throwing clothes, books, and other items that were laying around into a corner of the room.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, Boss," Jax said, pulling out his office chair and placing a napkin on top of it. "A clean spot just for you."

"Brother, was it?" Lucian asked as he sat down, making Jax laugh nervously.

"I'm sorry, it's just an act I had to put up," Jax apologized, "I'm not trying to be arrogant or anything, it's just that if I were to call you Boss in front of the girls, my authority would plummet."

"No, I like the title. Call me brother in public more often," Lucian said, liking the sound of it.

He thought about how he became a center of attention lately and decided to adapt as well, "The more people realize that Glory's success is not a result of a single man, the better. In private though, I would prefer if you still called me Boss. You can relay this order to the rest of the Vices as well."

Jax nodded slowly, contacting the rest of the Vices through the link tattoo, "Yes, boss wants to change the hierarchy of the organization on the outside, again, and make the Vices look more equal in power to the Boss. Why?" He looked at Lucian in question.

"It's safer to hide behind the Vices and let them take the blows," Lucian said, humored by Jax's face.

"..." Jax's eyes went blank as if he was a puppet without strings, "Yep, that's the kind of man boss is. I don't know what I expected."

"You get to enjoy the prestige of being one of the Vices, and you get to share the risk with the other Vices. I think it's fair," Lucian explained the bright side of the matter.

Jax knew that he didn't have much choice in the matter, so he didn't complain and just went with it, "Boss is catching too much attention to himself, and wants to hide behind our asses. Why do you sound so happy?" he asked Goblin, "This isn't a joke. We might end up getting assassinated in his place!"

Lucian chuckled, flicking the dust off Jax's armrest, "All the more reason for you to work harder on your self-defense. Motivation is key."

Jax's lips twitched upwards, showing his teeth. He was forcing himself to smile, but his face looked rather constipated as he took the order more seriously, his tone changing to a more formal one, "Yes, we will put our life on the line to protect the organization. Glory till the end."

Jax waited until Fishbone passed the message to his wife, who passed it to Mumbai and Cansan, making sure everyone understood the assignment.

They continued to discuss work for another hour and a half before ending the meeting.

"How are the students doing? Any good candidates for future recruits?" Lucian asked, setting his cane aside.

"Average at best, no one that can be entrusted with a big project," Jax shook his head, "The moment they come into contact with money, you can bet they'll start stealing."

"Send me one with the best hand writing to be my personal scribe," Lucian said, "I'm in need of someone to help me write letters."

"Sure thing, boss," Jax didn't protest, used to Lucian's hiring process.

People thought taking a few coins here and there wouldn't be noticeable, not realizing that Lucian had eyes everywhere.

Bookkeeping fraud was a common way people tried to steal money. Some would overcharge the client and pocket the extra cash. Others would fabricate expenses that didn't exist. Some would claim they were robbed, and that the money got stolen.

There were always at least one accountant and one counter accountant to prevent money from going missing. To stop them from colluding together, they were switched around every so often.

Lucian tried to save money by cutting on the number of employees, and used to think he could run his business on honesty.

He changed his opinion fast. If he didn't, it would only be a matter of time before he was robbed blind.

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