~Midland Circle Financial, Top-floor Conference Room~
"Does your boss not intend to meet me in person?" A middle-aged woman draped in a white shawl spoke, her brows slightly furrowed.
Her face, lined with fine wrinkles, carried the imposing aura of someone long accustomed to power.
"This isn't the proper attitude for conducting business. How can the Hand cooperate with someone who refuses to even show their face?"
Wesley who was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit sat calmly in the conference room, "I have full authority to represent my employer's interests. And I assure you, our sincerity is beyond question. Please believe this, Madame Alexandra." his expression was composed and his tone measured.
The woman seated across from Wesley was none other than the head of Midland Circle Financial, a figure shrouded in legend.
Alexandra was a prominent name in New York's elite circles... a self-made magnate who had built a vast real estate empire spanning multiple industries. Yet, despite her immense wealth, she maintained an unusually low profile, rarely appearing in public or attending social gatherings.
Of course, Wesley knew far more than the surface-level details...
This woman who had amassed her fortune in mere decades was in truth one of the five leaders of the Hand... an exile from the mystical Eastern order of K'un-Lun, who had spent her immortal lifespan chasing the illusory dream of eternal life.
"Your employer has quite the arrogance. Even Wilson Fisk didn't dare to hide in the shadows when he worked with us." Alexandra's voice was icy.
She had little interest in this so-called partnership.
At present, the Hand's full focus was on Danny Rand. If they could capture the last defender of K'un-Lun and harness the power of the Iron Fist, the door beneath the city would open and immortality would finally be within reach.
Compared to extending her own life, no business deal, no matter how lucrative, held any meaning...
After all, what could possibly be more precious than life itself? Hadn't their exile from K'un-Lun been born from that very hunger?
"Business isn't the priority," Wesley continued, sitting rigidly upright, "The Hand has countless business partners. What my employer seeks is a deeper alliance... access to your resources, even your intelligence network."
Frankly, making such a brazen demand before establishing trust was risky. Wesley half-expected Alexandra to have him killed on the spot.
But orders were orders. And if there was one reason he had risen as Kingpin's right hand, it was his ability to execute even the most unreasonable commands without hesitation.
"Your employer is an amusing man." Alexandra let out a hollow laugh and made to stand.
She had no time to waste on trivialities. She had assumed the one who toppled Kingpin would be a valuable ally... but now, it seemed he was just another fool with delusions of grandeur.
"What if we offered Danny Rand as a gesture of goodwill?"
Wesley's words froze Alexandra mid-step. When she turned, her gaze was razor-sharp.
'Bingo...' Wesley's employer's intel had been correct. The Iron Fist was indeed the Hand's top priority.
"How much do you know?" Alexandra's voice was deceptively soft, but the threat beneath was unmistakable.
Wesley met her cold stare unflinchingly, "The Five Fingers of the Hand... you, Madame Alexandra, are the leader... Gao, Sowande, Murakami, and Baku to... all are converging on New York. And as for the Hand's ties to K'un-Lun… I know a little."
Knowing these secrets left only two outcomes: either he walked out as the Hand's newest ally, or he vanished without a trace.
'Working for powerful men is a high-risk profession,' he mused wryly.
"Who is your employer?" For the first time, Alexandra regarded the shadowy figure behind Wesley with genuine interest.
Those who knew the Hand's history could be counted on one hand, and those aware of K'un-Lun and Danny Rand's identity were even fewer.
"You may call him King. Or 'Mr. K'..." Wesley suppressed a sigh.
His employer's eccentricities were nothing new.
"And what does he want? Everyone has their price. What does he seek from the Hand?"
"The Black Sky."
Alexandra's eyebrows rose, "That is not some mass-produced trinket."
"My employer values personal power above all else. The Black Sky intrigues him." Wesley smiled faintly, "In return, he will deliver Danny Rand and remove certain… obstacles for you."
Alexandra fell silent.
Time was running out. Her latest medical report had been dire, her organs were failing. Death (long held at bay) now loomed over her like a specter.
The last remnants of the stolen "Dragon's Bone" had been used to resurrect Elektra, forging her into the Black Sky.
The terror of mortality which was long forgotten had returned with a vengeance. Desperation had eroded her caution, she would raze all of New York to unearth more of the substance.
"If your employer delivers Danny Rand, I will allow him to become the Sixth Finger of the Hand."
The concession was significant, but Danny was the key to unlocking the door beneath the city. Some prices were worth paying.
Wesley stood, extending his hand, "Then… to a fruitful partnership."
"I look forward to meeting this 'King' of yours." Alexandra's grip was firm, her eyes calculating.
From this moment, the Hand would investigate Wesley's employer with all its resources.
A man who knew the Hand's origins and secrets was a threat. Were time not so critical, she would have sent Elektra to eliminate him outright.
As Wesley departed, Alexandra's expression darkened. This alliance was temporary.
Once Danny Rand was in her grasp, the door would open, and the city's foundations would crumble. Thousands would perish... and this "Mr. K" would make the perfect scapegoat.
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, Alexandra studied her own reflection... the once-youthful face now weathered, the vibrant body now frail.
But soon, the Dragon's Bone would reverse it all.
Her lips curled into a fervent smile.
New York's skyline glittered obliviously before her.
Soon, it would burn...