Chapter Text
Encounter I
Buying a plot of land isn’t as easy as it seems. So many, many steps and procedures, ugh, Laya didn’t want to go through them all. It’d taken more than a year to purchase just the small hundred acre plot of land in the country parts of eastern Germany, her temporary bank account was almost completely wiped, even after saving up to buy a lot for more than three years!
By all means, Laya Brown was far from wallowing in poverty, she’d much rather buy a hundred dollar salad at a high end restaurant than a Von’s store bought one, but easily delivering the money without so much background check and procedure was the only way she could understand business deals, this being the exact opposite, well...you could say she was unprepared. Completely unprepared.
“Mrs. Clarence?” The sound of her lot contractor’s voice jostled Laya back into reality. She’d been thinking of what she would actually built on the land after she acquired it, if she built anything at all. The small talk her and her husband had before she left the house wasn’t as helpful as she’d thought it’d be. They’d only skimmed the basics when it came to building or owning land. “I’m sure your train of thought as of now is important, Mrs. Clarence, but you have documents to sign. I’d recommend you save your inquiry of what you are going to do with the land for another time.”
Laya turned to study the estate agent, taking in the man’s attire and looks for the third time that morning. He was tall, at least 6’4”, a whopping eight inches taller than Laya’s 5’7” stature. His hair, a deep ebony, was accentuated by the black kite studs he wore in both ears. His Caesar buzz cut also complimented his diamond shaped face in amazing ways. His skin tone was a light caramel, a small refined nose suited in the direct middle of his face.
With the healthy hills and rivers of Germany behind him, the man’s pristine white suit made him look like an angel, even more so with the baby blue eyes that sat perched on high his face that sent shivers up Laya’s spine when she first made contact with them. The agent wasn’t thin, but he also wasn’t pumped full of adrenaline and hard worked muscles. More like a James Bond, take out the gun and replace in with a clipboard. She would have found him attractive if only his demeanor wasn’t that of a stuffed pig. The man acted like he was bulldog sitting in the rain, barking at everything just for the sake of it. Honestly, his personality ruined the entire look Laya was assuming he was going for.
Well, not everyone can be as they seem, she thought. Laya’s own husband surely didn’t act like he looked, but that’s a story for another time.
“I’ve signed all of the documents shown to me for the last three hours, Mr. ... Grame .” Laya quickly read off the name tag her agent had clipped to his right breast pocket, before continuing. “I doubt a break for my poor wrist will disassemble the business being put into play here. Besides, you look like hell after that trek up the hill to see the land being purchased. I can honestly say that you are the one that needs a break the most out of the two of us.”
Mr. Grame looked insulted for a moment, before nodding reluctantly. “I agree, but these need to be signed before full obtainment, Mrs. Clarence. Let me eagerly remind you of that factor.” He said as he snapped the metal clip closed over the documents resting on the silver trimmed clipboard.
“Well,” He started back up after a moment, “..if a break is what is in need here, I say we return to our vehicles to gather ourselves before your final signing. The view of the lot isn’t necessarily a must when it comes to these few documents, don’t you agree?”
Laya’s eyes narrowed, “Not that I know of,” She said slowly, fully pronouncing every syllable. “I don’t see why you’re questioning me on this, though? Am I missing some secret idea you’re company is trying to pull out on me?” After all, no matter how good looking the estate agent was, Laya was prepared for any type of backlash when it came to financials. She’d paid for this realtors service online, looking at the company's most valuable members and picked the first available for soon hire. Now though, thinking of how sketchy the company’s online site had been, Laya thought that wasn’t her wisest decision.
“My company is fully reliable, Mrs. Clarence, I assure you.” Mr. Grame took a step back, overlapping both hands and placing them in front of his lap, clipboard resting against his pelvis. “Now,--as I attempted to recommend before--how about we continue down to our vehicles and rest our bodies before you sign the rest of these legal documents?”
Laya thought about his suggestion for a moment. It didn’t seem too eager or suspicious an offer, more like one in which he was thinking about her well-being. Besides, if any crazy ideas popped into his head, Laya could easily dip it the heck out of here in her maroon 2015 Mustang Ford.
“Agreed.” Laya nodded her head sharply, starting down the dirt path which lead down the hillside towards their cars. “Although, I do hope this won’t be a problem, Mr. Grame. I’m choosing to trust your services and if I find it somehow problematic, I will immediately withdraw every penny placed into your company’s hands.” She quickly threw over her shoulder, making it to the bottom a good five minutes before her agent did. “Do I make myself clear?”
Mr. Grame stood on a dusty rock upon the hillside, wiping his bottom which had collected dirt on the way down. It was definitely going to ruin his angel look for Laya, but considering the ongoing conversation, his good looks were the last thing she needed to be thinking about.
“ Crystal , Ma’am.”
Encounter II
She knew the damned estate agent has something under his filthy sleeve.
After signing the last of the documents to obtain the hundred acres, Mr. Grame had punched her in the face,--successfully placing her into K.O land--and snatched her wallet, jewelry, and electronics. Thankfully, though, he’d had the decency to leave her the keys to her very own car. Without them she’d be left almost sixty miles from the nearest city. It might not seem like much, but she was in stilettos and honestly, if you’re not a girl you wouldn’t understand.
“I doubt he’ll sell my stuff..” Laya mumbled in the front seat of her car, aware that she was going well over the speed limit. “I have trackers on my belongings, idiot.”
The rest of the relatively short drive went smoothly, Laya sitting back and enjoying the adrenaline rush that came with speeding.
Encounter III
A week later, after agonizing hours of delving into background history and studying the agents seemingly “reliable” work profession, Laya and the STPD (Stuttgart Police Department), had captured Mr. Grame and the company head. Turns out the company had been developed under forged documents and contracts. Not every worker had known this, so only the head and the agents who were found guilty of theft and the knowledge of the company were convicted. Laya had her belongings returned to her, even the pay Mr. Grame was going to receive for the work he’d done for her. More like the degrading way he’d played her hiring him.
All in all, she’d been quite satisfied with the outcome. Of course, as said before, she was completely ready for any type of backlash. Laya also realized that maybe she should research a company before going to hire one of their agents. Eh, it ended as best as it could. Laya wasn’t worried about the rest of her encounters with estate agents in the future.
Now all she needed to worry about was what to built on her new land...