"Tout a fait le contraire, they are interested in more such work in the future."

Simon Aronson had successfully laundered close to five hundred million dollars for the Russian Mafia. He was able to process the funds in record time by purchasing the controlling interest in an established bank.

The Frenchman passed an envelope across the table. Aronson peered inside. A check made out to him for ten million dollars. "Il est suffisant, je font confiance?"

A wry smile crossed Aronson's mouth. "It will have to be, won't it?"

They sat quietly for a few minutes sipping their espresso, enjoying the cigars and discreetly observing the parade of Parisian women.

"Jean Pierre, I'm no longer interested in this line of work."

"Pourquoi non, mon vieil ami?"

"A couple of reasons. Elisabeth is pregnant. I'm not interested in jail time. For that matter, I don't wish to deal with these types of people. They're never happy for long and they think that they own you. Time to move on."

"Comme vous souhaitez.” As you wish. “Congratulations on the baby. Please let me know when he is born."

"He? What makes you think that?"

"Just a feeling. Good luck, Simon. Stay in touch."

The men parted ways. Simon strolled down the Boulevard St Germain. Crossed The Seine river, turned left toward the Allee de Castiglione.

Simon was considering his options. He walked past the Place du Carrousel, situated on the site that was formerly the Tuileries Palace.

The 'bank capture' method that he had used with the Russians was highly effective. It did, however, have serious limitations in terms of scaling.

Simon passed under the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. It was a sight to behold, especially when viewing it for the first time. It was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate the military victories of Napoleon Bonaparte.