Mr. Billing was referring to Bingo, Tobiat, and Bertrand. They were three of Mr. Billing’s former security detail who betrayed him by taking a bribe from a business rival who wanted to block a large-scale delivery of Mr. Billing’s products.
Mr. Billing saw the trio as nothing but traitors so he instructed that they should be beaten and locked up. They had been locked up for 3 years until today.
“Hahaha! It's good to see that the three of you still have a lot of muscles after all these years,” Mr. Billing’s mouth widened into a cruel laughter.
“We are going to play a game. Something like the semi-final of the World Cup you know?” he said, making funny gestures - he was clearly excited.
“But this time, it will be a wrestle. Mr. Greyson would fight Tobiat while Bingo would fight Bertrand in a no-one-comes-out-alive fight. The overall winner would then receive a sum of 50 million dollars. I am sure that is more than what you would ever make even if you could live a thousand years.”
Lesley’s eyes were bright and full of enthusiasm. “Yes, Dad…Your brain still works as sharp as a man in his prime. Let's see how Alan will come out alive,” he turned to Alan and gave him a look of disdain. He was still holding bitterness towards Alan because of his watch.
“I am loving this papa,” Margaret added.
Rose’s eyes were downcast. She blamed herself inwardly for what Alan was facing. Alan would definitely not survive a minute fighting Tobiat not to talk of Bingo who was the strongest of them all.
She narrowed her gaze toward Alan. He should feel more pity toward himself, she reasoned. He was about to die and not even a tear was coming out of his eyes.
***
The rich guests were convinced by Lesley Billing not to book hotel suites yet because there was still a fun show for them to watch.
The guests were sipping expensive wines and clinking cups in merriment as they watched the exhibition before them. Their eyes sparkled with interest as they reclined their seats repeatedly. Some of the drunken guests were even punching their fists into the air as they laughed in an uproar, making a mockery of the fighters.
The fighters - Tobiat, Bingo, Bertrand and Alan had shame written over their faces as they were made to fight each other in a fighting ring that was designed just on the stage. Alan especially bowed his face toward the ground, a burning sense of ridicule tingling his skin.
The stage was filled with sawdust, the bright light casting a shadow on their faces.
Alan and Tobiat had their faces painted with charcoal before entering the ring for the fight.
Poof! Alan felt his cheek connect with Tobiat’s fist, prompting blood to pool out of his mouth.
As expected by many of the guests, Tobiat didn't waste time to show Alan that he was no match compared to him.
His muscles were rippling under his skin and his arms were like the trunk of an elephant. How big he was compared to poor Alan.
Whoof! Another punch grazed Alan’s cheekbone, sending him to the ground.
“Woohoo!”
“Hooray!” The guests screamed in excitement - they were all quite drunk with their shirts untucked and buttons undone. The female CEOs and executives there also had their hair messy and their makeup smeared.
“Son, did you see that move? Hahaha…I can put all of my money on that huge guy to win the fight,” Mr. Lawrence - the chief executive of Doubas Corporation told his 10-year-old son.
“But, Dad, this makes no sense. Why are we doing this? Is it because they are not wealthy like us? My teacher in school teaches us not to disrespect anyone irrespective of…..”
“Shusssh!” Mr. Lawrence shushed his son. “One day when you are much older, you will learn that life is never fair to the poor - they are meant to lick the dust off the feet of people like us. But for now, just enjoy the fight okay?”
Brody - the little boy nodded his head, hiding his disappointment. He could not understand why adults would humiliate their fellow adults in that manner. What could they have done to warrant being forced into a fight just to make a show of mockery?
Alan’s wife, Rose, couldn't stand the sight of her husband being beaten to death so she waited outside the hall.
Her brain kept asking her questions that she couldn't answer. What if Alan had been beaten to death? Had he already been put in a casket? Was it the end? He didn't stand a chance against any of those huge-bodied thugs.
Rose met Alan 5 years ago while he was working as a part-time grocery store attendant. She admired his good looks and wit.
They went on dates subsequently and even though Alan didn't earn much from all of his part-time jobs combined, Rose respected him because he was resilient. He would never leave a job done halfway and he always paid attention to every work detail.
They got married after dating for 18 months but things went bad for Alan after their marriage because he wasn't on the level of his rich in-laws who always ill-treated him.
Rose had held enough in her heart. She would storm into the hall and confront her father - Mr. Billing. She wouldn't let Alan die if there was something she could do to help him.
She stormed into the event hall angrily, her heels clicking on the floor as she went straight to where Mr. Billing was seated - he seemed to be having fun.
Thank Goodness Alan was still alive, she thought - although she was too terrified to look long enough to know how exactly he was faring in the ring.
“Announce an end to this useless fight now or else I would create a scene,” Rose pressured. Her face was red and her entire body vibrated in anger.
“And why will I do that, uh? Can't you see the guests are having so much fun? Our family could secure a lot of positive partnerships when these wealthy families are comfortable with us,” Mr. Billing argued.
“We both know that this goes beyond partnerships and business deals,” Rose outraged. “You can’t humiliate my husband in public like this - I won’t accept it. Look at everyone and how they are taking videos. Are you not aware that you are making a mockery of me as well.”
“Oh! Of course, I am aware. I want you to understand that poverty doesn’t stand a chance in my lineage.”
“But, Papa…just tell me what to do to make this degrading show come to an end.” Rose bit her lips and wished that she could disappear. The embarrassment from the shit show was getting to her.
“You know what you have to do, Rose,” Mr. Billing responded. “You must divorce him or else he will die in this fight.”
“Divorce him?” Rose asked as if she didn't hear clearly what he said.“Yes, daughter. I want to make it as peaceful as it can be and I don't want him to cause any grudges between us. Although he is going to die in this ring any moment from now, we will need his signature for the divorce. I don't want to have his name associated with my family even if he is dead.”“So you are certain you want me to divorce him?” Rose asked again, this time pondering whether it was finally time to succumb to the pressure. She would be saving his life if she agreed just right there and then. Alan couldn't possibly blame her for saving his life, would he? Perhaps she would just prank her father so that he would call off the fight. Anything to save Alan’s life which could be no more any second - a hard punch could be all it took.Just then, Rose’s attention caught something. There was a loud uproar in the hall so she angled her gaze properly to get a good sight of how Alan was faring.With a few more shar
“I have to go now,” Alan responded and hung up the phone before Ms. Daniels could say anything further.Rose was still beside him and he didn’t want her to start getting any ideas. In any case, that was not the most important thing to him - the most important quest was how he would convince his wife not to divorce him.Ever since he got married to her, she was one of his major motivations in life. If she went through with the divorce, he would never get attached to another lady not to talk of marrying her.But why the weird accusation? He never stole a dime in his life before so why would Rose accuse him of stealing a pendant?At that moment, a memory flashed through his mind. “Wait a minute, darling. Are you talking about the golden pendant? The same one that your family accused me of stealing a few years ago?”“Oh! So you remember? You remember that you stole the pendant. Do you even know what that pendant means to this family? Apart from its financial value, It is basically our go
“Hey, look. I have somewhere I need to be urgently,” Alan Greyson told the nurse, writhing out of the bed and stretching his muscles. It was 5:30 am and he remembered that he had to visit Ms. Daniels at her law office. He was excited for what the day had in store for him - a chance for him to flip the pages in the story of his life. Maybe this life of poverty and humiliation wasn't something he could cope with after all, he thought.“Sir, but you still look badly injured. You received quite some dangerous punches in there and, surprisingly, you are still conscious. Not everyone would have survived that but you did. Why don't you stay and get yourself treated?” The nurse uttered, trying to persuade Alan who didn't look like someone in the state to do any active duty.Alan Greyson moved a few steps toward the nurse, his bruised face looking as persuasive as ever. “Listen, it is more important that I carry out the assignment I have at hand. These are just bruises that would disappear wi
Alan knew in his mind that there was no way he could accept such a hug. It was like a mockery to him.“Come on you both,” a voice uttered, breaking the awkward moment - it was Ms. Daniels, their lawyer. “Court is about to sit. You need to be in the courtroom now. There would be no delays.”Alan and Mr. Billing both walked into the courtroom in different directions.The courtroom was as hushed as the scratching of the Judge’s pen was gradually filling the air. Lawyers filled the courtroom, their faces stern and concentrated.Bank officials were also present in court. It was a big day for them because they wanted to know if they were allowed to unfreeze the voluminous amount of money that they had frozen many years ago as directed by the court.Alan had expertly answered all the questions he was asked by the opposing counsel during the deposition and the jury had given their stance.“Let's hope that the assets can be unfrozen now. The jury seems to be cooperative. The best years of my l
Alan craned his neck as he searched through the court premises, peering his head over the crowd and scanning the faces of every man who had the posture of his father.There was no progress. He was getting frustrated - was his father trying to pull a stunt? If he was truly happy about seeing him after a long time like his previous attempt to embrace him suggested, would it not make sense that he started building back the trust they once had? Alan wondered why he even cared in the first place - this was a man who wanted him as the fall guy for very serious offences. He started to doubt Ms. Daniels’ statement about his father's willingness to transfer ownership of all his assets to him. He would just check a few of the empty courtrooms and after that, he would go on his way. The amount he had just received was already more than enough to build a life of his own.At last, he found Mr. Greyson in one of the courtrooms on the utmost floor of the premises. He wasn't alone as another man we
Alan allowed his father to complete the treatment without further questioning but the thought of Mr. Greyson’s cancer didn't leave his mind. He kept contemplating a lot of things - perhaps his father would die soon and that was why he was transferring his assets to him. What if he wasn't enthusiastic about the chemotherapy?He noticed that Mr. Greyson’s face was dampened and a sense of hope being lost could be seen on his face. Why would he be receiving such important treatment in court premises if it wasn't that he forgot or he was pressured to do so against his will? Was it his father’s will to surrender to the cancer and keep blind faith in him to take his legacy to the next level? That would be a very huge responsibility, he pondered.In any case, he felt relieved to be back in business and this time even more active than 10 years ago.***Lesley Billing was dressed in a well-tailored suit, its fabric having an impeccable outlook. He knew that the first impression mattered a lot
Lesley had urine escape from under his pants in the tension of the moment.His head was spinning destructively as he thrashed on the ground, his body writhing in a jolt of torment. He clutched his hand to his face as his mind calculated the impact of the punch he received.“Come on, get up you vile entity,” the voice from which the hard punch connected to Lesley’s face made its way into his ears.The deep voice sent a jolt of tension into Lesley’s body. He looked up slowly and saw the figure standing over him.‘That must be Tobiat,’ Lesley thought. ‘I have seen that face before. Was it not the same guy who fought Alan in the ring? Of course, it was him.’Lesley’s back arched in pain as he tried to get up, his breath coming in silent gasps. A little more push and he would be back up. Tobiat stood impatient as he darted dark glares toward Lesley and waited for him to get his two feet on the ground.But before Lesley could gather his feet together, he lashed out again with a deadly kick
“Y—-” Lesley muttered under his breath unable to complete the statement. He still felt like he wouldn't allow his ego to be bruised in such a manner. He was a Billing for f**k’s sake - the first son of the Billing family. He wouldn't possibly cower for a man like Alan.Alan with a burst of anger walked closer to Lesley who was writhing in pain on the ground. “Get your feet together and kneel to me.”Alan could sense that Lesley wasn't going to have his useless ego bruised so easily so he had to put himself up to the task. He wasn't going to let Lesley go without giving him the humiliation of his life. One good turn deserves another and in this case, one terrible humiliation deserves a worse disgrace.Lesley’s lips pressed into a line of uncertainty as he tried to apprehend what was happening to him. Instead of making it straightforward and serving his punishment, he tried to mock Alan, showing how strong his resolve was. “Are you doing this as revenge for how badly your face was disfi
He was in a hurry to get things done quickly because he knew that it was going to be only a matter of time before the guards would discover that the public service system had been hacked.“When you get on the other side of the purple fence, just hang in there until we come to get you okay?”Jackson’s hands were large and measured, his touch gentle as he took Brody’s hands into his own.“Come on, I will show you the way and then you will complete the move,” Jackson’s voice was soft, his voice sincere as he was careful not to scare the boy with too much haste even though he was in a hurry and rightfully so.They crept until they got to the entrance which was just a few meters away from where they were. Jackson’s eyes were alert as he watched to see that there was no guard close to them that would impede their move.They hid behind the cars, creeping through the shadows with their eyes narrowed with a tense intent to get as far away from view as possible.Jackson then reached a point whe
“Come on, let’s go. We can't just sit here and do nothing after all. We have to do something.”With a grim determination, the guards all filed out of the lobby one after the other, their footsteps resounding through the empty hallways.The tension was palpable in the air as their weapons glinted in the harsh fluorescent light.Their bodies were taut with adrenaline as they headed towards their destination.Alan’s face glimmered with a relieved twinkle of gratitude the moment he saw that the guards had all gone.He then whispered to Jackson. “Hey, Jackson. Call Fred now and tell him to his way to the purple fence area. That’s the easiest route out of here. Tell him to get there as quickly as possible. That’s where Brody would have to go meet him.”Brody was confused, his face darting left and right as he was trying to understand what Alan was saying.Where was he saying that he was going to go? Since when did the plan become that he was going to go somewhere?Alan crouched down, his fa
“No one, I believe. You see what I am saying. What if they already got past this place and they are already heading outside.”“Think about it, I don’t think they would want to escape through the outside. Look at the way that they came in. We didn’t even know. None of us knew until they got to the top floor and killed two guards.”“It’s obvious they are trained so we have to think along the line of the fact that they are more than prepared for this.”“They probably outlined every step of the way before they came.”“Not probably, man. They did, it’s quite obvious.”“I guess it’s a draw right now. Mr. Lawrence already has one of them while they have gotten Brody.”“We must get back Brody, man. That’s the instruction. Mr. Lawrence has ordered a closure of all entry points right now and it is already in process. Everything must be on lockdown until Brody is found.”“We can’t afford to fool around.”“What if they are holed up in one of the offices? We should search each room systematically.
Mr. Lawrence then moved his eyes closer to Della’s face to get a clearer view of what was going on.“Wait, what? You look familiar,” Mr. Lawrence’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing into Della with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey.His expression was hardened as a cruel smile spread across his face.“You look awfully and strangely familiar I must say,” Mr. Lawrence remarked again.He wasn’t sure of whether to keep up with his suspicion or to ignore it. He was sure that there was something about her that was too strange to ignore.It dawned on him that the person that she traced her face to was actually that of Rose Billing, the same woman that he murdered.He paused once more and spoke. “I know who you are, don’t I?”Della’s lips curled very slightly by the side as if she was trying to give Mr. Lawrence the clue that he needed.And Mr. Lawrence picked up the clue. He was shocked by the resemblance that Della had with Rose and even though he tried to ignore it as nothing b
“You are Brody, aren’t you?” Alan asked.The boy nodded in affirmation. Jackson’s grip on Brody’s hands loosened and Brody’s shoulders were relaxed gradually even though he knew subconsciously that there were most likely going to be some problems lying ahead.“I know you,” Brody spoke to Alan. “I saw you the other day when Mr. Lawrence killed Rose. You are Rose’s husband right?”Alan paused as if he was in a deep emotional thought before he then nodded.“Yes, I was.”It was a moment of reflection for both Alan and Brody as they both seemed to have missed Rose.Brody didn’t get to spend much time with Rose but it was obvious that the little time that he had spent with her was more than enough for him to miss her for a lifetime possibly.“And Della, the lady who texted on the phone. Are you her partner? Do you work with her? Where is she?” Brody asked.He was in a hurry to receive answers to his questions because he was still a little bit scared.“She is going to be with us soon, Brody
The air seemed to thicken with tension, the silence broken only by the faint click of gun safeties being engaged.Alan then whispered into his radio, hoping that he was going to connect with Della. “Della, are you there? We are about to open fire on the guards who want to lock Brody in the basement. We are going to need backup, over.”That was all Alan needed to say and he believed that he had said enough already.They moved a few more steps with deadly precision, their footsteps soft and stealthy as they crept closer to the guards. They saw as the guards were shoving and dragging Brody and this time, they were going to lock him into the basement.They were no longer interrogating him about the phone because there were bigger issues to deal with.But Alan and Jackson thought that it was time to raise a response.The guards burst the basement door open and were prepared to shove Brody into a dark room but there was a sudden startling noise of gunfire.Pow! Pow!Boom!The hail of bulle
Alan was just a few feet away hiding behind one of the pillars. The moment she saw the harsh slap that was performed against the boy, he gritted his teeth in frustration as he became provoked to cause a disruption.Why would they treat such a young boy like that? He had to hold and keep himself in check so that they would stay according to plan.But considering the way he was feeling, he wished that he could just start a gunfire right away. He began to rethink whether it was best to engage the guards with gunfire right away or if they should wait a while until Brody got locked in the basement and they would try to open it up.Just as he was still having a deliberation in his mind, the guards continued with their harsh treatment toward the boy.“Yeah, right, we are not stupid,” Guard two spoke. “Look at the faces of all of us standing here.”Brody’s face was still facing the ground as he was dealing with the harsh effect of the assault but he felt a hand shove his head back up so that
Alan and Jackson froze in place, his breath caught in his throat as he clung himself to the wall. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard the guards’ footsteps growing closer.Time seemed to be very slow as the guards drew nearer, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the hallway but Alan gripped his weapon tightly just in case the situation was going to demand it.But as they got closer, two other guards joined them. They now seemed to be five and they were discussing.Alan and Jackson were picking up on their conversations.“The boss said to keep him in the basement.”“There are many ways that the boss can get the boy on his side. After all, he is his son. I don’t see why there should be an issue between them.”“The boy is a cool guy to me.”“This isn’t about whether he is a cool guy or not. We should listen to what the boss says.”“Come on, this is not to say that I wouldn’t listen to what he says. I am only telling you as a colleague that there is no need for being so harsh
Fred was ready to go for it all. “If you need our main ID badge, my colleague can go them now. She will get mine too but I was hoping you would already know the company we are coming from. We already have a contract here.”The guard who was talking balderdash earlier scurried into the conversation. “But I haven’t seen you guys before. Especially the bright-skinned darling we have here. I would have known if I had seen her before.”Fred responded. “Well, we are not always the same and I am sure you already know that. Today, it is our shift to come to complete the repairs and as we said, we are actually running out of time.”“My colleague can quickly go and get the ID badges if that is what is delaying us from entry.”Fred was speaking with the hope that the guard was going to shrug off the situation and ask Della not to worry.But he needed to show that he wasn’t hiding something and the only way that he could do that effectively was to pretend as if everything was going fine and as ex