With his gaze locked on the man, Anthony stated, “You're not merely acquainted with Magus, huh?”
At that, the man was momentarily taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Following a brief contemplation, Anthony looked at him. “Well, how about you give me your time for the next few days? I can pay you by the hour.”
Unexpectedly, the man was a touch ambivalent about accepting the offer. “What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing much, merely accompanying me around and answering my questions,” Anthony replied.
A flash of conflict and hesitance showed on the man's gaunt face.
Although Thalia had no idea what Anthony had in mind, she knew that he must have a reason for doing so.
She promptly whipped out a stack of bills from her bag and fanned it blatantly.
At the sight of the money, the man's hesitance instantly vanished into thin air. He smiled obsequiously as he looked at Anthony. “You're sure I only have to do as you said, merely walking around and answering some questions?”
“Of course.”
“All right, then. It's a deal!” As the man spoke, he hastened over to Thalia without a second's delay. Just when he was about to snatch the money away, Thalia took out half and gave it to him.
“Uh, what's the meaning of this?” the man questioned.
“Payment will be by the day. When you've held up the end of your bargain, I'll give you the remaining half.”
When the man heard that, he threw her a chagrined look. “You're not even as decisive as a kid. He's far more generous than you are!”
Despite his words, Thalia remained unfazed. “That's only natural. He's merely giving the orders, but I'm in charge of the finances. I definitely have to be more cautious.”
The man inhaled deeply. For all of his resentment, he still stuffed the money into his pocket. Then, he turned to look at Anthony. “So, where do you want me to accompany you?”
“The hospital.”
The man was not at all surprised. He merely swept a gaze over Anthony before giving a dip of his head. “Okay, sure!” While saying that, he eyed them. “Can your car fit so many people?”
Anthony shot him a sidelong look. “Take a taxi. We'll follow at the back.”
“A taxi?”
“You'll be reimbursed for it.” Right after Anthony had finished saying that, he stood up and climbed into the car.
Miguel and Thalia also cast the man a look before they followed suit.
Left with no other choice, the man could only hail a taxi in the end.
As Miguel drove, he kept his eyes peeled on the taxi in the front. He could not help wondering, “He wouldn't take off, would he?”
Right then, Anthony was scanning through the information with Benjamin and Denise. Without looking up, he answered, “He loves money, so he'd never take off when there's money to be made.”
“It's my first time seeing such a greedy person!” Miguel could not help commenting.
“He's only greedy because he has the capability to do so,” Anthony remarked lowly.
“What does that mean?” Upon hearing that, Miguel stole a peek at the back.
“It means that there are many more who seek him out besides us,” Thalia explained.
Still, a glimmer of puzzlement flashed across Miguel's handsome face. “Is he really that incredible that every person who seeks him out is willing to pay an exorbitant sum to buy his information?”
Before Anthony could respond to that, Thalia, who was sitting beside Miguel, boasted, “Everyone I recommend is formidable! Also, don't look down on Magus because he's now despondent and disheveled. He's a genius in the art of disguise. After all, there are many things one could do with such a skill. In fact, he can even disguise himself as you and do something or other. At that time, you wouldn't know what hit you!”
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