บท 2: Blazing Fire

I made my way towards the room where I knew they had gathered while being trapped inside. I removed the wood and objects blocking the door, though I was the one who put them there to begin with.

Throwing them towards the fire to avoid suspicion, I opened the door and acted as if I inhaled too much smoke, coughing violently.

I could feel their stares, even as I looked down, continuing my act as if I had a hard time coming to their rescue.

Their petrified expressions transformed into relief upon seeing me, as if I'm the savior they've been awaiting.

Though I relish seeing horror on the faces of those trapped inside, I must convey empathy.

Just as I pinpoint the exit, they run faster, as if they can't wait another second to escape this burning place.

As we gather outside, I pretend to care.

Soon, the rescue crew shows up, sirens wailing in the night. I slip back into the shadows, watching them hustle.

The detectives, clad in protective gear, began a meticulous investigation.

They examined the patterns of the fire, scrutinized the blocked exits, and combed through the debris.

I observed from a distance, blending into the crowd of survivors with a facade of concern.

The lead investigator, Detective Cruz, questioned witnesses, including me.

I recounted the story of my courageous entrance, emphasizing the struggle to reach the trapped victims amidst the intense heat and smoke.

Feigning exhaustion, I spoke of removing obstacles and guiding them to safety.

My knowledge of the mansion's layout and the strategic placement of obstacles allowed me to subtly guide the detectives away from any evidence that might lead back to me.

Detective Cruz, seemingly satisfied with my cooperation, praised my bravery and resourcefulness.

Thanks to my great acting!

The survivors, grateful for their rescue, began to see me as a hero.

The investigators concluded that the fire was accidental, caused by faulty wiring, and deemed it a tragic but unforeseeable event.

The media picked up the heroic narrative, portraying me as a courageous individual who emerged from the chaos to save lives.

The investigators, satisfied with their findings, closed the case, leaving me free to continue my grand deception.

The people's perception of me as a hero solidified, concealing the arsonist who had orchestrated the blaze in the first place.

Just like how I planned.

---

Even with my eyes still closed, I can already feel the scorching heat of the sun as if telling me to get up for a brand new day.

As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the sunlight streaming through my windows.

Damn, it's blinding my eyesight.

I reached behind my pillows to find my phone, and as I opened it, I checked what was trending.

Yes, I made it! I'm the one trending right now!

People calling me a hero from the recent mansion fire.

My excitement made me get up from my bed.

While humming a song, I walked out of my bedroom and entered another room where there was a hidden passage towards a secret room.

A room where I secretly tracked the 12 leaders of the country and most especially the Emperor.

Yes, the Emperor.

Right now I'm living in Veilhaven Country, a country with a monarchical system.

There are 12 cities in this country, each city has its leader. Besides the leaders, there is the Emperor which is the highest position.

But wait a minute, I haven't introduced myself yet.

I'm Blaze Castro the richest man in Sparks Country, it is a democratic country located far away from Veilhaven Country.

I own several companies and the most profitable one is my technology company which is globally known.

If you're wondering why I'm here in Veilhaven.

Well, I'm a native of Veilhaven but I was forced to leave the country and change my identity because of an incident.

That incident is what fueled the hatred I'm feeling right now towards the 12 leaders and the Emperor.

But that would be a long story to tell.

I will tell you about it at the right time.

For now, I need to enter this secret room in front of me first.

The door in this room requires a fingerprint and iris verification to enter.

While the scanner reads my fingerprint, the device for iris verification also scanned my right eye at the same time.

I find it a hassle doing this every single time I enter this room.

But I have to do it anyway.

For the safety of my secrets.

Just I entered the secret room.

I suddenly shuddered; an angry face with glaring eyes greeted me, causing me to almost shout in shock.

"Damn! Vince!

Do you want me to die of a heart attack?"

I told him in an angry tone while I was trying to compose myself.

But man, he still keeps on glaring at me and I can't blame him.

My phone rang and I answered it.

I heard Greg's voice telling me "Bro, what the heck! You said it would only be a slight damage but you ruined his mansion. Vince will surely be mad at you."

"Yeah, I know, and right now he's glaring at me as if he wants to skin me alive."

Greg heard me on the other side of the phone.

"Ow, okay, I'm out! Good luck Bro!"

I heard his chuckle as he hung up the phone.

Now, what am I gonna do?

To be mad?

Nope!

Of course, I have to please him.

Hehe, yeah I need to please Vince.

Without him, I wouldn't be able to monitor my enemies.

Yes, my enemies.

Well, I find it tiring and redundant to keep mentioning these words "12 leaders and the Emperor" so let's just call them my enemies.

Now that much better, It feels like my workload has been lessened.

'Cause I'm feeling lazy right now to the point that I just wanna ignore Vince.

But man! He keeps glaring at me without saying a single word and now I'm starting to feel irritated.

I take a few breaths before I manage to tell him.

"Will you stop glaring at me or do you want me to ban you from using all my technologies? Choose one!"

Without a word, he looked away from me and started sulking at the corner.

Hey... I don't know how to please someone. I sucked at that!

I only know how to threaten. I'm indeed a villain.

By the way in this room there are 15 monitors.

The 13 monitors are directly connected to the CCTV cameras and phones of my enemies. The remaining 2 are connected to the CCTV of my house in case someone broke in.

There are codes in the computer that will detect if there are some changes aside from the day-to-day living of my enemies.

I have Vince to report these changes to me every time I'm out.

I'm quite good at computers and technology.

Of course, I'm not as good as Vince when it comes to hacking because I'm much better than him.

But never mind I'm too lazy to do so. I will just let Vince do the job.

Anyway, I forgot to tell you that the people who were trapped in the fire incident were my enemies. But I think you already know.

Their gathering is to celebrate the 12th-year reign of the current Emperor.

They chose the mansion of Vince as the venue for that event because it was located on an isolated island where the beach sand is purely white and the natural landscape of the surroundings is truly breathtaking as if you were in paradise.

The mansion looks like a castle outside that surely complimented its surroundings.

It was a private island owned by Vince.

Greg and I used it as a venue when we publicly signed a partnership contract to build a Technological Park in this country.

By the way, Greg's company is the leading real estate company in this country.

As for me, you already know my technology company is globally known.

So the media featured our public signing and that's how they got to know about that place.

People know I'm a citizen of Sparks Country so of course I need a reason for my stay here in Veilhaven Country.

That public signing was the reason for my stay.

As I busied myself watching the monitors, I received a call from Detective Cruz. The one who led the investigation of the fire incident. Her full name is Ashley Cruz.

Yeah right, she's a woman. But she already managed to solve lots of cases. She's known for her meticulous skills and tenacious spirit when it comes to investigating.

How did I know that? Well, I investigated her background after that incident.

It's better to be prepared.

But wait, why is she calling me? The fire case has been closed; there's nothing to catch up.

I suddenly get an ominous feeling from this phone call.

Did she manage to find out that I'm the mastermind behind that fire incident?

Even with the air conditioning on, tiny beads of sweat dropped from my face before I answered her call.