Mr Cyrus was sitting in his living room and staring at the phone in front of him. He had just received the ransom from the kidnappers who had taken his dear son and heir, Ellis, hostage. The kidnappers demanded ten billion dollars in cash before three days, or they would kill Ellis."Ten billion dollars only. Nothing more and nothing less. You have just three days to get it done or your heir would be dead meat."When Mr Cyrus got their call, he knew they were calling for their ransom, but he had not expected them to call out such an outrageous amount to him. How would he get ten billion dollars in cash in just three days? If he went to the bank, they would suspect something fishy and even though they did not, formality would not let them release such a huge amount to him in that short period of time. He needed more time to process everything. If it was an online transfer, it would not require so much processing. But the kidnappers obviously didn't want that so they wouldn't be traced.
Ellis blinked his eyes open slowly, his head throbbing. For a moment, he forgot he had been kidnapped. As his vision came into focus, he realized he was in an unfamiliar room. It was dark and dreary with cracks running along the concrete walls. He was lying on the bare floor, a thin blanket providing little comfort or warmth. Ellis slowly sat up, panic rising in his chest as the reality of his situation set in. He was locked in a small, windowless room with a solid metal door. He stumbled over to the door and pounded his fists against it. He wondered why the men had changed his location to this inaccessible place. "Hey!" he shouted. "Is anyone there? Let me out!" There was no response. Ellis continued shouting and slamming his hands against the unforgiving door until they ached. Defeated, he slid down against the wall to the floor. He was trapped, and he had no idea why. Over the next few hours, Ellis searched every inch of the room looking for a means of escape or even just a c
In less than an hour, the mercenaries were in a meeting with Mr Cyrus at the Royale mansion. During their discussion, the map was spread out on the table, showing a tangled web of streets and sparse buildings surrounding the area where Mr Cyrus had detected Ellis's aura. Mr Cyrus leaned over it, brow furrowed as he studied the potential locations."Based on the information I got, he had to be somewhere in this radius," he said, drawing a circle on the map with his finger. "But there are still too many possibilities to check them all thoroughly."Obviously he couldn’t tell them that he had detected his son’s aura through meditation, so he just told them that an anonymous informant gave him the location with proof. The mercenaries gathered around, their expressions grim. They hoped that their master was sure of what he was saying — he sounded quite sure over the phone. This was a mission that required stealth and careful planning.Wolfe, the leader of the mercenary team, jabbed his fin
Ellis had been kidnapped over the weekend. And since his father hadn’t gone to the police or informed the media about it, no one else apart from the family members were aware of the incident. Ellis preferred it that way, and so did Mr Cyrus. They didn’t want another scandal revolving around their family name. Marcus had wanted it to become public knowledge so he would have more information to stain Ellis’ name with, but it was no longer possible. All the men he had hired for the kidnapping job were all dead, and he had to lie low for now in order not to be suspected as the mastermind of the whole operation. Ellis on the other hand was a bit surprised at how he was found. So after resting, he went to meet his father. Mr Cyrus had nearly insisted on Ellis being taken to the hospital, but Ellis managed to convince him to just bring in the family doctor. A few minutes of check up confirmed that Ellis was perfectly fine, just fatigued. The doctor was a bit surprised at that, but Ellis was
Mr Cyrus was an early riser, so he was already awake when Ellis came to meet him. "Father, I remember what happened during my trance." He said as he stepped into the room. "You look worried. It must be something serious." Mr Cyrus said with a frown as Ellis sat on the bed. "Yes it is. It was a warning. Remember you once told me of the only mage to ever get to level eight. Kai Khan. Who mysteriously disappeared years ago. He was the one who sent me the message." Ellis said and his father's eyes widened. "Kai Khan? Are you sure?" "Yes, Father. I wouldn't say it if I wasn't sure." "No wonder he was able to take you from that trance to some other place. I had felt that whatever force took you was much stronger, and I was right. So what did he say?" He asked with a curious expression. "He gave a message. More of a warning actually. He says something evil will awaken soon. He also said that he is no longer as strong as he used to be. All his power is being used to keep someone called
"But what if they start picking everything apart?" Ellis asked, voicing one of his biggest fears. "What if they think I'm not good enough?"He just wanted to get all of his apprehension out now so later, he would be more emotionally stable for the task ahead of him.Amira fixed him with a steely gaze. "Not good enough? What is that? If they say that you are not good enough, then you stand your ground as the heir of the Royale family. You don't back down or let them intimidate you. Don’t make my father regret choosing you, Ellis. I don’t like what he did by making a stranger a part of this family, but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Do not disappoint me."Ellis nodded, feeling a bit strengthened by her words. Amira was right — there was nothing like not being good enough. He was good enough. Mr Cyrus stood, smoothing out the creases in his suit. "Ellis, you're the future of this company. It is time for you to step up and take your rightful place at the helm. As you ca
"Esteemed members of the board," Mr Cyrus boomed, his voice carrying effortlessly through the hushed mini auditorium. "Thank you all for being here on this momentous occasion."He paused, sweeping his gaze over the assembled crowd, his eyes lingering momentarily on Ellis, who was still seated, watching with a mixture of pride and apprehension."For decades, I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building the Royale company from the ground up," Mr Cyrus continued. "I've weathered storms, seized opportunities, and forged ahead with an unwavering vision for success."A murmur of appreciation rippled through the crowd, as those who had been there from the beginning nodded in recognition of the sacrifices and triumphs that had shaped the company's history."But no empire can last forever without a succession plan," Mr. Cyrus declared, his voice taking on a solemn tone. "And today, I stand before you to introduce the person who will carry our family's legacy into the future — my son,
Ellis stood still, wondering what it was with the murmurs as he mentioned his age. He waited for the board members to finish their discussion. "Young man, you said you're in your early twenties?" Another board member asked."Yes, sir," Ellis answered. "Well, what help do you think you can give to the Royale company? At this age, I'm sure you can barely even make decisions for yourself as young as you are! You have no valid work experience to even speak of." A board member put in, looking around for support. "I believe that I have been able to gain Mr Cyrus's trust, and to be named his heir. He thinks that I am ready to take over from him despite my age. He has never led this company astray, so his judgement should be trusted." Ellis said calmly. "Young and bold, eh?" The chief board member asked, smiling derisively. Then he turned to Mr Cyrus. "This is exactly what I am talking about, Cyrus. This boy is too young to handle the matters of the company. Look at him trading words with