Obscuratus Anima

The Scheme Unfolds

"What'd you find?" Leah held on the call, "Although there isn't any transaction record between the principal, an external transaction entered the vice principal's account. And money is too large to be a salary. You can guess the story that follows. But the surprising fact is that he resigned two months later. He then left the country. Leah, I'm worried. There are four large families involved in this. I know you belong to the Serpico family, but three of the four families brutally murdered people. They never bother to look into the backgrounds of their victims." Jean was concerned about what Leah was planning to do. "I know my limits. Besides, Dad is helping from the background, and they can't refute the fact that they had a hand in a heinous crime. Please send me the footage of their murders. I told Dad that the evidence would be found in his hands by tomorrow, but it should be tonight." Leah said. "I want them gone within two days, not from the face of the earth, but rather from the lives of innocents."

"Understood. I've sent you an email. It contains everything you need about the transaction history between the vice principal and the four families. It also holds an encrypted file that stores the video. I've enclosed the password for the encryption at the end of the file." Jean informed. Leah thanked Jean and then cut the phone. She hastily decrypted the file and took a printout of the transaction history of the school. She transferred the video to a flash drive and headed to her Dad's office in the mansion. She noticed her father was arranging some ledgers on the shelves. "What are those ledgers about?" Leah asked as she placed her 'evidence' on the desk. Leah's father's eyes travelled to the paper and flash drive on his desk. "Those ledgers are related to the finance department of the Serpentines. It contains all the transaction history of the goods bought and sold by the Seprntines in the past five years. Is that the evidence you came to give me?" He asked. 

"Yes. That is the evidence regarding the murder. I need your help with something else, Dad." Leah looked at him as he walked over to her front. "Go on." "Okay. So, after asking Jean to go through some things, a conclusion was drawn that the ex-vice principal had received an enormous transaction that did not match his salary. After two months, he resigned and flew out of the country. This was the first strange thing. The next thing that did not fit was that the CCTV footage had been erased and had to be retrieved by Jean. Take a guess?" Leah looked at her father. "Understood. You've given me evidence of everything. Now, I'll get justice for everyone." Leah's father connected the drive to his laptop and played the video. After the video had ended, there was a pause of silence before Leah's father blew his top. "Preposterous. Those girls were their age, and they kicked them to death, then they made it look like suicide. People with such sinister minds even exist. This is madness." Leah's father's blood pressure seemed to have skyrocketed.

"Don't worry. Those kids, along with their supporters, I'll make them wish for death. After all, the hidden motto of the Serpico family for those with evil minds is 'Mortem Volent, Mors Ianuam Eorum Pulsat, Sed Vivunt.'. I could learn a thing or two from your acting. If you think you have the power to do something, then Leah, you're qualified to be the heiress." His eyes showed undeterrable faith in her. "I'm going to take this to court within two days. Is it possible to gather support from the public and a lawyer who will neither be influenced by power nor his morals shaken by greed? They will try to "buy" their way out. So, before their flowers bloom, we ought to nip them by the bud." Leah said. "Of course. Now, stop talking like a middle-aged woman and take a seat there. We need to have a chit-chat with the Serpentine group's shareholders. They've prepared a task for you to accomplish within two months and a day. By the 15th of next month, they want you to increase the profit of the new branch of the Serpentine to twenty-five per cent." Leah's father announced.  

"Okay. Which branch? And what is the net profit this month?" Leah's mind changed from thinking about justice and revenge to thinking about different tactics to speed up profits. "Calm down. Stop asking so many questions at once. I'll become dizzy. My second assistant shall become your PA. That will be temporary. If in two months the criteria are not met, that would mean that you need more preparation. There is a book in the office that has everything you need to know about the branch. Good luck, princess." Leah's father said and then went back to his ledgers. Leah left the office and headed to her room to enjoy a moment of tranquillity on her balcony. She felt the moonlight kiss her forehead and headed back inside with a calm and collected mind. She took a look at the whiteboard in front of her. She then rummaged through her stationery and found a marker. "Let's begin the plan for increasing profits."

Leah drew a mind map on the ideas that popped into her mind. Each idea was unique and different in its own way. She then created a plan for the application of those ideas. If her hunch was accurate, five ideas could be merged to form an innovative strategy. She spent the next few hours designing her plan and unknowingly skipped dinner. At around 22:00 hrs, she put out the lights in her chamber. She slept peacefully until midnight and was awoken by the rumbling noises from her stomach. "From now onwards, I shan't skip dinner. My stomach feels so empty. It makes me feel uneasy." Leah headed towards the direction of the kitchen. She saw a jar of cookies placed on the kitchen counter and couldn't help extending her hand to grab a couple of the cookies. "Chocolate cookies with milk, the best combination in the world," Leah said, "Lucky people are those who get to relish this kind of taste."