Monopoly

Chapter 2

Ava Jones, now 29, was born and brought up in Sydney. At the age of 18, she moved to the States to study law at Harvard. In her final year, she met Richard, who was studying at the Harvard Business School. The two met at a pub and things went on from there. They dated for a year or so, and on August 7th, 2061, the two got married. They lived together around 3 to 4 years, and things were lovely. Their honeymoon was in Paris, their first year anniversary in Switzerland, and she conceived three years after marriage. But it was then when things started to go downhill.
The World Parliament had just started taking steps to take down the black market. Their raids were efficient and effective. Richard found himself trying to secure his assets, but the results were yet to be seen. Ava was still unaware of his commanding position in the black market. She figured he might have a few ties here and there, as does every rich person, but didn't take them too seriously. But December 16th, 2064, Ava a month into pregnancy, was the day that changed everything.
  Richard had scheduled a meet with a certain drug lord by the name of Max. Max was a very respected figure in the black market. But a rival of Richard too. Richard reached out to Max, saying that he "wanted to sort out all differences and establish a joint supremacy over drug trade, especially with the World Parliament's recent actions threatening to expose the drug market." Max and Richard were to meet at that day at Richard's residence. Max arrived at 9:00 am that morning. He and Richard immediately went into a room and spoke for 3 long hours. Richard came out after that and requested Ava to get the groceries. Ava, sensing he wanted some more privacy, complied and left soon after. Richard then went to his drawer and took out his glock. He loaded it and tucked it into the back of his pant. He then went back into the room, this time not bothering to lock the the door. He was directly visible from the front door. Max had his head in his hands, and as soon as Richard entered, he grabbed him by the collar. The two struggled for a few minutes before Max, due to a old age, collapsed exhausted. Richard pulled out the glock and fired. At that moment, Ava came back. She had forgotten her wallet, and she saw Richard taking the shot. There was a loud noise and Ava screamed. Richard looked up, stunned to see Ava. Max's bodyguards ran in, guns raised. They were about to take a shot against Richard, when a sniper, placed at a convenient spot by Richard for such a scenario, took out one of them. Then Richard shot the second and third. The sniper then shot to take out the fourth and final guard. But he missed, and grazed Ava's arm. Ava, still in shock, collapsed due to the pain and screamed. Richard rushed to Ava, who was writhing in pain. He quickly got her to a hospital. The case was registered as a forced entry and attempted murder. The sniper, after being paid enough by Richard, was turned in. The whole thing took about a month to die down. During this month, Ava's conceived child died.
  The next month, Ava filed for a divorce. And soon after, she left a heart-broken Richard, with no remorse. She moved back to her parents' place in Sydney. Richard wasn't able to forgive himself for almost a year, but got over it. Now, he was a different person. He couldn't care less about the people around him. He was now a selfish man, a man who cared only for money. His justification - Money is power, and that's the sad truth... and so it was.
  Less than a year after the divorce, Richard received an email from Ava. It read -

Hello Richard,
Well, this may seem extremely selfish of me, but I really need your help. My father is in desperate need of a kidney, and the doctor says it will be difficult to find one soon enough. I considered giving up my own, but my father vehemently refused. I now have no other option but to ask you for help. Is there any way you could arrange for one? You do, after all, have some influence in the medical industry, so I felt that you might be able to help. I am willing to pay whatever amount required, just save my father.
Yours Truly,
Ava

  Richard, who at that time still harboured feelings for Ava, readily helped her out. He arranged for a kidney and the operation was successful. Later, she confronted him and asked how far reaching was the influence of his Heart of Gold Foundation. He hesitated for a moment, and then confessed that the kidney was illegal. It was harvested in Indonesia and shipped to Australia. Shocked, she turned away and walked, without even thanking him. She sent an email with a single word - 'Thanks' - later, but by then, Richard had forgotten about her.
All these thoughts flooded Richard's mind as he touched down in the Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport. He was to meet Ava tomorrow. He had helped her when she was in desperate need of it. Now, it remained to be seen if she would do the same.