The Hidden Knife

PROLOGUE

'Ah! Look at Vikram. Such a great fool' said one of my classmates and laughter followed up in the class. 'He doesn't even know what's the formula for (a+b) whole square'. Laughter followed. 'He will drive my father's car after his schooling'. All laughed. I just stared blank. That day the teacher called my parents and told them the whole scenario. Now here I am. I am alive. My parents are alive. No they are not. They are dead. 

'Sir, Edward Jones has been trying to reach you out for a significant long time' says Vivek standing behind my back. I'm gazing at the view. Deception. Every time I look back on my life, I understand that they were correct. I had been a great fool. I close my eyes for a moment. I can feel the air blowing into my face. My hands are laid upon the railing of my balcony. I turn around to face Vivek. He is just below my eyes. I cleared my voice. It's cold in here. But that's what I prefer. Cold.

'Tell him to contact me tomorrow morning' I say, my eyes gazing into his. Vivek gave a nod of his approval. A bow was made by him and he walked away. It's 6 o'clock in the evening. I'm feeling lazy today. I go into my room. Not a room. My office. I open the door without the slightest noise ever made. I can see my workplace as it is. On the opposite wall to my desk, written in big capital letters - THE ECOSPHERE OF INNOVATIONS. I removed my blazer and sat on the chair at my desk. Every time I look back, I realize the amount of work I have done to live in such a position. Both of my parents are dead. Indirectly, I killed them. Why? Because they deserve to be killed.

I opened my laptop. Checked the market today. Analyze the graphs and curves. Nothing special. I have made enough money to buy them. Enough money. Enough money to buy everything I want. The whole sphere revolves around money. Only the rich live now. The poor civilians had been kept as slaves. Being poor is not a problem. It is a mere disease. The classmates who had made fun of me had been killed by me. They deserve it. I take out my phone from my pocket and dial Ethan's number. After 5 seconds, he took the phone up. I said with a clear voice 'Buy all 100 shares from Neffex. Don't care about the money'. Ethan agreed and hung up the phone. I smiled and felt like I had accomplished something. I knew that I had the power to control people and the world. I would never let anyone or anything stand in my way.

I smiled and walked myself up to the mirror. I am dressed in a black suit. Black boots. Long hair and everything I ever wanted. I'm too ambitious. Suddenly someone knocked on the door. 'Come in'. The servant entered and bowed her head. I stared at her. 'Sir, Liam and the others are ready for dinner. If you ..'. I looked at her face. She stopped. She nodded and went away. This is what I wanted. All I ever wanted. I put on my blazer and left.

Liam is sitting on my right side and to my left is Ethan. Everyone is wearing a black suit. I'm sitting in the central chair which is the biggest chair. To my opposite is Mr. Bennett. Another powerful businessman. But not as powerful as me. Guards are at every corner of the banquet. A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The room is filled with well ventilated air and the odor of expensive perfumes. No one whispers. Everything here costs more than the funds generated by my school over the past 50 years. Now there is no school. The servants serve delicious food to everybody. Everybody eats with pleasure. Because that's our right. My phone rings suddenly. The guards became alert suddenly. I picked it up. 'Sir, that guy is trying to invade your territory'. I listened quietly. No answers.

A guy enters in a black suit with a pistol. He points it directly at my face. I look at the guards. How they could have allowed him to enter. Without saying any words, they took him down. He was unarmed. I went towards him. He was profusely sweating and had fear on his face. Fear of me. Killing him by a flick of my hand.

I just say.

'Kill him'.

He was shocked, his face pale from fear. The guards took him away. I did not feel sorry for him. I walked slowly to my seat in the huge table. Ethan apologized to the guests. The guards too later on came and apologized to everyone. Not everyone. But me. They know that if they were to repeat the same mistake again, they would not be alive.

The atmosphere in the room became tense and uneasy after the intruder was taken away. The guests exchanged nervous glances and whispered among themselves, their previously relaxed demeanor replaced by a sense of unease and vulnerability. The incident served as a stark reminder of the price that came with power and control.

It was in moments like these that I realized the true weight of my power and control. While I reveled in the luxuries and privileges that came with my position, I also understood the fear and uncertainty that it instilled in others. As I surveyed the room, I couldn't help but wonder if this display of dominance was truly worth the cost.

'Target down' I murmured under my cold breath.