Impatiently, the Chairman waited for Rey to arrive. More than clarity, he needed to prove to his son-in-law—and himself—that he was mistaken. If they hadn't been from Rey, he would have paid the messages no heed. He found it rather confusing under the given circumstances. He waited in his topfloor office in the conglomerate that morning, when he should have been busy with other concerns. Reynolds needed to explain. It was not that the strings had no connection whatsoever. No, the Chairman wasn't imprudent. It was the way they connected. And the who they connected to. Those were the things he could not accept. At least, not without hard, infallible proof.His desk phone beeped and he picked it up. It was Rezei, asking if he wanted to see Reynolds."Yes, let him come," he said. Then he glanced sharply at the central air conditioner, feeling like the temperature in the room had fallen by a hinedered degrees Celsius in one second. The door opened almost immediately to reveal Reynolds
Doctor Benny liked the concept of a bright future. He had always liked it and other terms like it. Future. Success. Opportunity. Yes, that one. Opportunity. There wasn't very much of it for him in his profession. He wasn't poor or anything—of course he had stuff to be grateful for. But he sensed it could be more. So he tried to get more.Wen he had got the call from Hamish's aide to get a lethal solution ready, he, as any rational person, did not like it. But what choice did he have? His wife was a compulsive shopper and his children sometimes forgot he wasn't a billionaire. So he asked himself what he had to lose and the answer was not much. He didn't know if he had a strong or weak conscience. He only knew he could use the money they were offering. He took the offer. He had hoped it would be a one-off thing. Prepare the solution, have it delivered, get his money, forget any of it ever happened. Now it was staring him on the face. That was the problem with crime. It made for str
There was one more person to put away when the scheme was done with. That doctor.As much as Hamish hated to deal with it, another clumsy character on the scene meant another loose end. He was going to go all out till he got his package... and till it worked. They he'd pay the man in full before making him disappear.Of course basic logic would question his choice of paying first. He just thought it necessary to stick to one's part of a deal no matter what. So he'd pay the man's family for his service, then kill him. He knew he'd needed a new aide for that job, since Sparks would have to go, too. Either in the process or after the process.In fact, he had started to feel a sense of urgency to do away with Sparks before something spilled. The man was already becoming disgruntled. He was already becoming too important. Nobody became too important with Hamish.But first Sparks needed to get the dirty work done, before he eliminated and dissociated him.****When Benny launched himself
If there could be any reason to spare Sparks life and dispose of him, it was the fact that he had an instinct. He hadn't been a henchman these years for nothing. He knew a trap when he saw one. So, when he phoned the doctor requesting to have the package ready by noon, he became aware that he was not speaking to him.Well, technically, he was. But situationally, he wasn't. The doctor was damaged goods now. He sensed that the guy was bugged.How it happened, he had no idea. But it happened real fast.He phoned Hamish and told him. They'd have to take care of the guy, but not too soon, so they don't throw off a scent. It was a tricky situation for the tricky-minded. The better move now, Hamish told him, was to go directly for Reynolds.There were reasons for this. Beforehand, he had noticed that Kayla had vanished from the hospital ward where she was being treated. Of course, he didn't ask questions or raise suspicions (since the hospital staff couldn't link him to Kayla). But Hamish
Sparks was looking for that one lucky strike.He had tailed Hamish, parked far from sight, approached the building on foot, scaled the fence and come in unnoticed. All according to plan. He knew Hamish was with Reynolds already, and they had been speaking for a few minutes. Hopefully, the stage was well set for his arrival.He went round the building, loathing that he had to use the stairs instead of the elevator. His job always sucked and he hated it.The building was generally deserted as planned. Yes... perfect. At the bottom of the stairs he paused, said a lucky prayer, then set the timer on his watch. Ten minutes for everything... Godspeed.****Hamish and the Chairman stared at each other in bewilderment for seconds."I heard you son. Everything you said," his father told him. For a moment Hamish's mind was blank as he stood transfixed, still holding Reynolds at gun point. Slowly he collected himself, becoming even angrier."I'm not upset at you. Only disappointed. But I don't
One life ends. Another begins. Such was the world.That was what Rey was thinking as he fondled his ten-month-old baby girl distractedly. He still felt empathy toward Hamish, even though it irritated him. Hamish was his brother-in-law. He shouldn't try to kill him. Nobody's brother-in-law should try to kill him. But unfortunately, that was life. Things happened even when they were absurd, even when they where undesirable.They had charged Hamish and his aide, Sparks, with manslaughter, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder. Whenever Reynolds thought about it, he shook his head. It was bad. If either of the two men received a light sentence, it would be life. That was what Hamish got for throwing his life away. On the other hand, the world had not skipped a beat. The three of them had recovered fully (at least physically) himself, Kayla, and the Chairman. The Chairman was no longer a 'Chairman,' corporately, legally, and technically. To Reynolds he was now only a father in-
"What have you done to deserve a raise."In front of an oakwood table stood a slim-framed man, his overall visage suggested him to be a menacing handsome man. One that would steal a man's girl just with a wink. But his composure made nothing about him attractive.He shivered as the man opposite him, the complete opposite of what he is to be, robust—ugly in fact, lashed at him and demanded a response.After thinking about it all night Reynold had finally mustered up the courage to ask for a raise. It was unfair to think about— this company would spare no effort to work its employees to the bones while all the upper ranks enjoyed free time lunch and went to clubs at night—low-rank employees like Reynold were made to work overnight in fact.And truthfully, anyone can leave. But the little he receives from this company is what he uses to sustain his mother's medical bills. Why would he leave?Hence this was a do-or-die situation, this raise would be a lot of help for him. He would be able
It was a few minutes later.Reynold and the strange lady had retreated to a bench that sat along the road, her black umbrella was still raised above their heads to prevent the drizzling rain from falling on them. The lady most especially seemed concerned about her dress getting wet.But that was just one of the many things Reynold noticed about her that made him undoubtedly conclude that she was one hell of a sophisticated lady. Another thing was her fingers, long and slender, on her index finger sat a silver ring that glittered.The ring drew his mind back to the words she had said a few minutes ago before she suggested that they should leave the rain.Reynold still doubted what he heard and counted the possibility that he might have misheard her due to the situation he was in."So, are you calm now?"Her hoarse voice broke two different walls of silence: the one that hung between them and the one in his heart."Yes. Thank you."Unsure of what to do or say, his response was pretty muc