Two days earlier.
Hell's Kitchen was still calm and peaceful.
Ramon sat in his private office. About three months ago, he had still been an ordinary senior executive at Rand Corporation, responsible for marketing and public relations. Yet in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into the man controlling the company—if only in name. The thrill of rising to such heights and enjoying the power and wealth it brought was truly intoxicating.
"Yes, Mr. Wesley. I'll ensure the goods are handed over smoothly... We're currently negotiating with Japan's Yashida Pharmaceuticals. They're also very interested in Umbrella's genetic drugs... Yes, in two months, Rand Corporation will be sending a research team to Africa..."
Ramon's tone was respectful. It was hard to imagine that the man at the helm of Rand Corporation could be so humble, as though he were facing some great figure and wished he could kneel at the other man's feet to show his reverence.
People at Rand Corporation often said that Mr. Ramon's meteoric rise had come entirely from his talent for flattery and groveling. That was why the newly risen elites of Hell's Kitchen had taken notice of him and propped him up as a puppet on strings.
Even though many envied him and spread sour gossip behind his back, Ramon remained thoroughly satisfied with his current life. He was no ambitious overlord, and his abilities were mediocre. To be chosen by Mr. Wesley and placed upon the throne at the top of Rand Corporation was, to him, an immense stroke of luck. Being a powerful man's puppet while enjoying the life of the rich suited Ramon perfectly; after all, he had once come from nothing more than a middle-class family.
Power struggles and corporate games were matters for important people. A nobody like him