Sitting on the chair, the man stared at the red letter with a deep frown on his face. His heart started racing as a thousand thoughts flashed in his mind. This business he was conducting had been in secret for a very long time as he made sure to keep it a complete secret.
If that secret was to ever be revealed, the consequences were simply going to be disastrous for him.
But, before he could jump to such conclusions, the man decided to first read the letter, hoping deep in his mind that this was just a random liar who was trying to scare him.
‘It better be that or I will be in deep trouble!!’
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Pulling the envelope open, he found a singular piece of paper inside. So, he carefully opened it and read the content written inside.
“Dear Red Pearl CEO. I hope this letter finds you well. As you must’ve read on the envelope, I am aware of the business you’re conducting in your Red Pearl Branch. To be more precise: The drug-infused meat you’re selling to your customers to keep them attached to your product.”
Even before he could reach the middle of the letter, the man froze in his place as his hands started shaking. Beads of sweat fell on his forehead.
“No… Fuck…” He cursed as he slammed his fist on the table really hard. “Who are you?!”
The man had already received information that everyone escaped the building before it crumbled. All possible evidence was destroyed, so how could they know? Were they responsible for the gas leak?
The CEO was completely lost and he felt his mind burning with anxiety. But, he still continued reading the letter.
“You don’t need to know who I am nor why I’m doing this. What you should know is that I can destroy your empire any time I want and you won’t be able to do anything. That is why, you only have one option here to stop me from revealing the truth.” He said. “I have everything to prove that you indeed are doing such a huge crime so don’t try to test me. Now for my request: I want 50 thousand gold coins sent to the location I will add at the end of this letter tonight.”
“What?! Fifty thousand gold coins?! I will kill you!!!!” The man roared at the top of his lungs. “Who are you to try and blackmail me, bastard?! I’m not someone you can blackmail!!”
The rage filled the man’s heart as he stood up and crumbled the letter in his hand. Then, he sat down again as he held his head.
‘Damn it, he wants money from me? This is bad… Really bad.’
For him, fifty thousand gold coins was nothing at all and he could even consider it as pocket change. However, he knew that this wasn’t the only time this person would ever ask him for money. Knowing he has the proof that his business was illegal means he can keep asking for more money and perhaps do even worse things.
But, at the same time, he can’t just ignore these requests. The risk is too huge and he will pay for it if he fails.
“What should I do? Dammit! Dammit!!”
Cursing loudly, the man rested his back on the chair as he heaved up and down. “I will show you how badly mistaken you are for trying to mess with me, bastard! I didn’t thrive in this business out of nothing! Blackmailing me is the last thing you will ever want to do!”
***
“Psst, Arthur.”
“Hm?” Arthur slowly opened his eyes as he stared up. There, he saw a small girl standing in front of him.
“Sora? Is everything ok?” He asked. “Aren’t you with the others, planning the next step of the project?”
It had been exactly 15 hours since the events of the Red Pearl. Finlay, Serko, and Sora recovered their health and were back on their feet again. Isla tried to make them rest even more but they refused adamantly and wanted to resume the construction.
So, in less than a day, they returned to work but this time, there was a group of prisoners who were there to help so the pace was way faster than the previous day.
In a matter of hours, the main foundations were set and the group was starting to construct the building. Arthur decided to take a break after working for several hours and to also guard the building as they had to keep an eye on the outside.
“Mmm, I stopped for a minute to… Talk to you.” She said. “Can I sit down?”
“…” Arthur nodded his head. “Of course.”
So, the girl slowly sat down next to him as she rested her back against the wall. Then, she went completely silent for almost a minute.
‘She won’t say anything?’ Arthur thought to himself with a wry smile. Looking over his shoulder, he could see that the girl was struggling to speak but still wanted to say something to him. So, he decided to cut the awkward moment short.
“So, how are you feeling?”
“… I’m… doing better.” She said.
“That’s good to hear.” Arthur smiled as he looked ahead of him.
“… I wanted to thank you, Arthur.”
“Hm? Thank me?”
“Yes, if it wasn’t for you, I would’ve never been able to escape that place. If I didn’t meet you that day, I don’t know what could’ve happened to me.” Sora said. “Sometimes, I think about that meeting and I wonder if I would’ve lived to see today if I didn’t snatch your skewer.” She said as she grasped her hands together.
Just the mere thought of it made her shudder in fear. Destiny had truly brought her to safety on pure chance. Their meeting was a complete and utter coincidence and she thanked her luck it happened.
“… I don’t deserve your gratitude.” Arthur shook his head, making the girl look up in surprise. She saw a very serious look on the boy’s face.
“What?”
“I didn’t keep my promise to you. I don’t deserve it.” He said. “I wasn’t good enough.”
“No, it’s-“
“It’s fine. I know that you don’t blame me. But, I blame myself for failing. I should’ve been better and smarter. That is why, I’m never going to stop working hard. My goal is not to just keep you hidden here. Whatever it is that is causing your pain, I will end it. The same for Finlay and Serko, you all deserve a good, fulfilling life.” Arthur then turned his head and stared at Sora. “A world where you all are accepted as normal people and not something else.”
The girl could see a myriad of emotions passing through Arthur’s beautiful eyes.
“That is my goal. So, when I achieve it, you can thank me all you want. But, not now. Not yet.” He replied.
Arthur knew that he was being harsh on himself and that not everything was under his control. But, it didn’t sit right with him that some things weren’t under his control. He didn’t want to keep stuff to chance. Even if it was fate, he wanted to make it bend as he pleased and not as it pleased.
He didn’t know if becoming stronger and reaching the peak was going to do that, but he was ready to give it a try till the very end.
Till blood drips down to his very feet.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3