THE ALGORITHM

16.

Bilal followed his direction and noticed the cherry-red Alfa Romeo Montreal, a classic 1974 model. Theo was right. He'd been trying to find something similar to the ride. Collecting antique cars was a relaxing hobby for him. Bilal had a garage attached to his penthouse where he kept all of his vehicles.

"Let's start the bid at twenty thousand..." The greying auctioneer began, standing on the platform with eyes peering everywhere. He spoke swiftly yet smoothly enough for everyone to understand him.

The bid he mentioned reflected on the screen. Bilal glanced at it before focusing on the tablet in his lap. After reviewing the antique car and noticing its specs, Bilal wanted the vehicle. He tapped on the screen of the tablet and placed his bid.

As expected, the auctioneer announced Bilal's bidding number and then proceeded to announce the updated bid, as someone else in the room had decided to raise the amount. Bilal didn't bother looking around; instead, he proceeded to bid higher.

The bidding war went on for a few minutes. Twenty thousand turned into sixty thousand, and sixty thousand turned into one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Bilal increased the price, causing his secret rival bidder to wave the white flag.

"Sold to bid 37!" The auctioneer exclaimed.

The room broke into a loud cheer as everyone murmured and clapped for the anonymous winner. Bilal didn't react to the applause. He sat there with a subtle expression as he spoke to his friend. He brushed his thumb against his stubbled face. He went against Victoria's wishes and decided to shave his face earlier today. The stubble look did look good on him. His hair was trimmed and lined to perfection. Big curly ringlets were perfectly defined on his head. He was dressed in a white shirt with navy blue trousers and sneakers. An Audemars Piguet watch was nestled on his left wrist, and a gold ring on his right ring finger. He not only looked good, but he also smelled good. Bilal's cologne traveled with him as he and Theo departed from the spacious room. There were several rows filled with people. His scent would snatch them away from whatever task they were doing. He smelled just that good.

They traveled to the room where his new ride was located. Bilal and his friend viewed the vehicle, taking in the beauty of the 1974 model. He seemed content with the car and couldn't wait to have it delivered to his penthouse. In the midst of going over the paperwork, he received a phone call from Timothy, who decided not to mention Penny on the line. They wanted to keep Bilal and the organization as far away as possible. However, he did break the news to him discreetly.

"Please tell me you have good news." Bilal huffed, looking around the room. He knew Penny had court today and was hoping she would return to the mansion with Timothy.

"There's nothing good about this news, man," Timothy answered with disappointment dripping in his tone. He didn't like losing in court, and he felt a little guilty for telling Penny to surrender. "Look. Where are you now?"

"I'm out," Bilal answered, not telling him his exact location.

"Can we meet at the mansion?"

"Yeah..." Bilal trailed off with curiosity. "Are you bringing anyone with you?"

Timothy didn't answer immediately. He dropped his head before sighing and saying, "No."

Bilal was utterly flabbergasted. He could feel his mood souring in the midst of processing what Timothy had said. Penny was not with him because her bond had likely been denied. His nose flared as he looked off, trying to understand what went wrong.

"I'll meet you there soon."

Theo looked at him with confusion. He didn't know much about the situation since he'd been gone. Theo didn't come around because he moved to California and had been on the West Coast for about two years. He recently married and had a one-year-old daughter, but decided to return to New York after separating from his wife.