The evening air was tense when Arnold entered through the gate of the opulent restaurant where Lucas, his former best friend turned rival, had requested to meet. He felt a little apprehensive, and his fingers twitched simultaneously.Arnold hadn't seen the motherfucker in months, and with no idea why he'd been invited tonight, he could only assume how things would pan out. He was still astonished to receive a call from Lucas and even more surprised to be invited to dinner. Arnold had tried to ask Nexus what this meant for him. Still, as usual, when he needed his system the most, the artificial individual was nowhere to be found, leaving him to confront the situation alone. He couldn't say he couldn't, but Arnold could, and he seemed excited to meet Lucas.Arnold had seen Vera in a miserable situation every time he'd seen her, and he wanted to see Lucas as well. He was curious to see if Vera's marital woes would also be projected onto Lucas. 'Marital problems or crises' Whatever th
'...You can have her back. Do with her what you will."Vera's heart fell as the words escaped her husband's lips, and his voice echoed in her brain repeatedly.She felt horrible as she stared at him from her seat, vomit rising in her throat and angry tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Vera couldn't force herself to talk or voice a word while he continued speaking to Arnold, who was eagerly listening. She couldn't even argue with him, and her throat felt like something was caught in it. To say she felt embarrassed would be an understatement. She was ashamed, and when she caught a glimpse of Arnold's leading lady for the night, a stout disagreeable-looking woman, Vera noticed the hint of a smile, and her rage grew.Anger flashed across her face, and it took everything she had not to reach out and wipe the woman's dumb expression away. How dare Lucas disrespect her like this? How dare he treat her as if she were a commodity to be traded at hi
Arnold got an adrenaline thrill from seeing blood ooze from Lucas's lips. He welcomed the opportunity, and the rush that coursed through him as he delivered punch after punch to his friend-turned-foe was terrific. This was nothing compared to the joy he felt after killing Kein. This one was truly unique. It wasn't only a sense of accomplishment or pride. Instead, it was an overpowering exhilaration that he couldn't get enough of. Damn! He'd been planning this for a long time, how he'd thrashed the man who'd made him a laughingstock months before. The same man he'd once called his best friend but now despised like a disease—the man who gave him more pain than any other human being, who made him feel so empty inside that he felt it would last forever. Like an empty cavity with no way to fill it with whatever filled the gap, but fortunately for Arnold, he'd gotten past what Lucas had done to him. But he was still enraged. Rage and anguish were coursing through him, but there was somet
Days later, Lucas lay in bed, his bruised and battered body a continuous reminder of his fight with Arnold at the restaurant. The bruises, on the other hand, were healing and not quite as awful as the broken fingers and bones he'd endured or the lacerations that covered him from his legs to his neck, but they were a stinging reminder of what he'd gone through. His face was also bruised, the skin breaking open on one cheek where a blow had struck in a fit of wrath. That punch was what knocked him out that fateful day. He'd also lost a tooth, and Lucas couldn't help but wonder how much more he'd lost if Arnold hadn't let go of him when he did. Damn! Every time he closed his eyes, he was reminded of what he'd been through, and the events of that fateful day played over and over in his mind. Whenever he thought about it, his heart pounded like a drum in his chest, and his jaw clenched. He attempted to convince himself that nothing of such had occurred and that Arnold Stone beating hi
"Over the last few weeks, Arnold Stone's name has spread like wildfire across the city." He is also known as "The Ghost Of Wall Street." "Did I just overhear you say, Ghost of Wall Street?" Sandy, Mr. Larry's secretary, was asked. Mr. Larry sat behind his desk, clutching a mound of cash. His right hand clutched an expensive VAUEN tobacco pipe, and he smoked it while looking out his office's enormous window as if deep in concentration. Mr. Larry was contemplating, though, and when Sandy began her ranting about this so-called Arnold Stone character, he merely nodded along, unbelievably. But it wasn't until she mentioned 'Ghost of Wall Street' that he paid real attention to the dialogue. “Yes. As I have stated, Arnold Stone is the "Ghost of Wall Street. He was in the headlines a few days ago. As I write this, he has become a legend, commanding respect from powerful financiers and attracting the interest of struggling companies worldwide. People from all around the world are now seek
"Do you have any information for me, Brass?" Mr. Black inquired, tapping his pen angrily across the surface of his desk.Sitting in his opulent office, his mind had been distracted with thoughts of Arnold, and now that one of his men had brought him news, he was overjoyed. The young man standing quickly replied, carrying a folder containing material concerning Arnold's background, the outcome of his thorough inquiry. He approached with caution, clearly mindful of Mr. Black's erratic personality, and spoke gently. "Boss, I've gathered some rather intriguing information about Arnold's past, just as you requested."“And.” Mr. Black inquired, patting his leg. The clicking sound resonated around the room, heightening the tension."Well, it turns out..." Brass's voice drifted off, and he paused before continuing. "He was a lowly grocery store owner, struggling to make ends meet.""Hm, is that all?" Mr. Black inquired once more, and his brow quirked as though he didn't believe the story ha
Lucas lay in his dimly lit bedroom, his body wrapped in bandages, staring at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes. His entire body throbbed, and he was in excruciating pain. He'd felt the same misery and pain every day since the fight.However, the anguish was sometimes temporary. Coming and departing, Lucas wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. He'd be well and strong in the mornings, even forcing Vera to take him outside to do some exercises, but he'd feel dead a few minutes or hours later. His muscles wouldn't operate properly, his joints would be stiff, and Lucas would revert to his old, frail self—something he didn’t like at all.Lucas desired to be powerful. He had a lot to do, and lying in bed all day wouldn't help. Not at all. He attempted to move for the umpteenth time, but it only made his entire chest hurt for a split second before he fell limp again. It took numerous attempts and a lot of suffering for him to be able to sit up on the edge of the bed. Just as he did so,
Mr. Black observed Lucas's eyes expand as he delivered those final words.Seconds, even minutes, passed, and the wounded and bruised man remained silent. Mr Black, on the other hand, was unconcerned. In reality, he applied a critical eye to the individual in front of him during the eerie silence. Was Lucas Smith up to the challenge? Will he be able to deliver as Mr Black had hoped? Still scrutinizing him, Mr. Black's mind soon wandered back to when he'd entered the bawdy house. He'd met Vera, his wife, and the lady who'd broken Arnold Stone's heart. The same woman whom he knew still had feelings for her ex-lover. Yes. It'd been evident since he'd spoken the name Arnold Stone and informed the woman of the reason for his visit. While talking, she'd given him this weird look, and he had caught on so fast.It wasn't unusual in and of itself, yet Mr Black had undoubtedly noticed it. It was an expression of regret, longing, and something resembling desire. Mr. Black understood at that