"Now, I see that those articles were wrong." The employee's breathing sped up.

Darius put a hand on his hip and nodded. He smiled, but it was cold. "You could be on to something, but it doesn't matter. My point right now is that I want to know where the person in charge is. Why is he hiding in his corner? Doesn't he have the nerve to show his face?"

A trace of impatience flashed in his eyes as he turned to look at the table by the entrance. He said crisply, "Alright, I'm not interested in talking about these useless things with two women. Tell your employer or the person in charge that I'll give him five minutes. If he doesn't show up within that time frame, I can guarantee that this beautiful front desk will be turned to dust."

He smiled and continued, "That includes everything that's on and behind the counter, of course. I couldn't care less whether any of these things are important."

The employee gulped and looked at him tentatively. She was about to say something when an old man's