The elevator unit that was in the process of carrying the impeccably dressed black man up to the top floor of the Ritz Carlton was eerily quiet, lacking the low hum that most elevators produced when in motion. In fact, except for the ascending numbers on the digital floor display in addition to the feeling one gets in their gut when going up or down it might have been thought to be broken. Manufactured by thyssenkrupp it was of the highest quality and installed in only the most luxurious buildings of which the Ritz Carlton most certainly was.<br/><br/>Designed and built in the 1930's by Emery Roth, a Hungarian born Architect it was originally named the Hotel St. Moritz and cost in estimated 6 million to construct in today's currency. It had multiple owners throughout the years before being purchased by a development group in 1999. That group then partnered with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to gut and remodel the structure as a hotel/condominium and was reopened in April 2002 under the name<i>The Ritz-Carlton, New York, Central Park.</i><br/><br/>Part of that remodeling was the conversion of the top floor into a casino that rivaled those of Los Vegas and only served the worlds rich and famous. One could not simply walk in from the streets, credentials had to be submitted and verified before access would be granted. On any given night thousands of dollars were won or lost and numerous business deals were made over dinners and drinks provided by the world class culinary establishment.<br/><br/>Logan Trask was part of that group<br/><br/>A self-made billionaire he had dragged himself from the claws of childhood poverty to become one of North American's most prominent businessmen. Buying companies at a discount that were near or had already filed for bankruptcy he possessed an almost unnatural ability to know what people to bring in that would turn the company into a profit making powerhouse. Then after a couple of years he would sale the company for a tidy sum and move onto the next sinking enterprise.<br/><br/>Running a critical eye over his muscular form in the gold framed mirror as the elevator slowed to a stop Logan grunted in satisfaction at what he saw and then stepped out directly onto the casino floor as it was built around the elevator shaft. The place was busy and loud despite the relative early evening hour but Logan had no trouble finding a free seat at a poker table on the east side of the building by the large glass windows. Pulling a large wad of cash from the inner pocket of his custom tailored suit he paid the buy in fee then sat down and was dealt in.