My Diary

People keep asking me: What do you write about?

The room is thick with smoke sinister shadows across the faces of the men around me.

They're all here for one thing: power. 

I lean back, price you pay for taking what you want.  It's almost laughable, the way they think they can sit here, pretending to have control.

They think the rules are still the same, that they can follow the old codes, shake hands, settle scores with a smile. But things have changed. This is no longer a game of who's the strongest. It's about who's the most ruthless, who's willing to do what it takes, no matter the cost.

 They know what I'm capable of. They know how far I'm willing to go. 

"Do you know why I'm here?" I ask, my voice a low whisper, but it cuts through the air like a blade.

"Business, right?" The words stumble out of his mouth, but they're hollow. Empty. He knows better, but he's grasping at something to hold onto, to keep his dignity intact.

I chuckle darkly, "Business. That's what they call it when they don't want to admit it's all about survival."

I turn back to face them, my eyes locking onto each of theirs. No one speaks, no one moves. They know what happens when I get bored.

"I didn't come here for your petty deals. I didn't come here to play by your rules. You want something from me, but none of you have what it takes to pay the price. You see, I didn't build this empire on empty words. I built it with blood."

I take a step closer to the man who tried to speak first.

"You think you're safe because you're behind a desk, surrounded by your money and your power. But I can tear it all down in an instant. You think I don't notice the way your hand shakes when you reach for your drink? The way your eyes dart to the door? You've already lost. The second you walked into this room; you were already dead."

"I don't care about loyalty. I don't care about respect. I don't care about alliances or your false sense of safety. All I care about is what I can take from you. What you owe me. You think you can play in my world? You think you can make deals in the shadows and walk away clean?"

I stop directly in front of the man who thought he could challenge me.

"You owe me everything, and you will pay. You will all pay. You think I'm merciful? You think I'll let you walk away with your lives because you begged for it?"

I lean in close enough to smell the fear in his breath. "Mercy is for the weak. And I'm not weak."

 He knows. He knows I'll get what I want.

I'm the one who decides who lives and who dies. No one else.

"No one walks out of here unless I say so."

 The weight of the decision presses down on me. The power I hold in my hands is intoxicating, It's not enough to just take. To rule, you have to break. You have to destroy.

And that's what I'm going to do.

Let them think they can challenge me. Let them think they're safe.

It's only a matter of time before they realize: in this world, the ones who live are the ones who are willing to become monsters.

And me? I've already crossed that line.

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[Capturer's POV]

I can hear her breathing, It's strange, the way fear can strip away the edges of a person's identity, leave them raw and trembling, but still... they're there. They're still alive.