As Tyrone become more conscious of his environment, it felt like a reluctant tide, with each wave bringing a new surge of fear and discomfort. The first he could notice as he was awake was the incessant pain in his jaw, but darkness was all he could see. Panic rose in his throat as he realized a thick cloth was tied tightly around his head, effectively blindfolding him.Tyrone’s beat grew shorter by the minute, he struggled for breaths as his wrists and ankles were restrained tightly. The chair he sat on made creaking sounds with every movement he made, the cold metal biting into his skin. The air around him felt thick and oppressive, heavy with the scent of musk and decay."H-hello?" he called out, his voice barely above a whisper. The word seemed to hang in the air, swallowed by the suffocating silence of wherever he was being held. Tyrone tried to listen to hear if there is any sign of life outside, or any clue of where he was. But all he heard was the heavy pound of his heart and

Tyrone experienced a whirlwind of both pain and confusion going on in his head. The incessant pain running through his body was so great it overshadowed his thirst for water. He could not remember how he got here or what made him feel this great agony. A shadowy figure emerged, towering above Tyrone's beaten body. The masked man, which was somehow scarier than any ever would have been. His voice seemed unclear and distorted making the atmosphere more unstable per second."How are you feeling now?" The question of the masked man was left hanging in the air, without a response. Tyrone tried understanding the question, but his mind was overworking itself. “Did you think you can play naive forever? For what reason? He wanted to reply but he could only manage a low groan. Already swollen, his tongue was unable to form words. A figure came from the darkness and a second masked man who joined the group. He was as well as strict and built like the others but smaller in size. He his still n

The world Tyrone knew and was familiar with all his life, had collapsed into a pile of shambles and suffocating nightmare. He was a prisoner in his own body, a puppet attached to several strings, continuously dancing to the brutal rhythm of the masked men command. The masked men had shown enough coldness that if given the authority could wipe out humanity without blinking. They had given him an ultimatum to give up the company or face the worst he could ever imagine. The choice was a cruel irony, an expensive joke played on a man’s intellectual who had just found his rightful place in the world, a man who just lost everything but saw a way out of all the disdain, a man who just got an inheritance that would last for generations to come.Tyrone’s mind wasn’t stable, the usual rush and traffic of thoughts and emotions filled his soul once again. The company was his inheritance, the only and tangible link to the family he never knew, neither grow up with. Yet, the suffering and pain of

Suddenly, the world went black. Tyrone, who was already getting better and doing good with physical therapy, aggravated his internal injuries. He suddenly went into a coma.The next time Tyrone opened his eyes, he found himself in a similar hospital room, the steady beep of monitors filling the air. His vision is still not fully clear, trying to clear the obstruction from his mind. A nurse who wasn’t far from him noticed his movement and quickly walked towards his bedside.“Mr. Tyrone, can you hear me? Are you alright?” she asked, her voice very simple but firm.Tyrone, in turn, tried to reply her, but his throat failed him as it was raw and unused. He resulted to giving a weak nod instead.“You’ve been in a coma for 6 days, and we’ve hoped it doesn’t go longer than that,” the nurse explained. “You aggravated your internal injuries from all way that happened with the masked men. But I’ve don enough talking, I’ll just go inform the doctor now that you’re awake, so he can continue from

Tyrone’s phone rang continuously by his bedside as the morning sun rose up. He groaned and reached for it with sleepy eyes, while Judy slept peacefully next to him. Reading the message urgently which was from his CFO made him wide awake instantly."What is that?" Judy muttered softly, shifting next to him. Tyrone's fists tightened as he responded, "Issues at work." Serious problem. In less than an hour, Tyrone was walking heads up through the lobby of the company he inherited. Staff members loitering around, and looking at him mysteriously. He walked into the boardroom to find his executive team already seated, their gloomy faces fixed on him."Tyrone took his place at the head of the table and insisted, "Speak to me." Maria, his CFO, coughed to break the silence. “Tyrone, it’s not looking good at all.” Our third quarter reports are terrible. In the past week, we lost three significant contracts, and reports also came in a few minutes that Apex Coro is trying to steal our clients.