บท 2: Bloodbath
Earlier that evening.
Xavier Kane stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his corner office, the city lights reflecting in his cold eyes. The office was silent, the rest of the staff long gone for the day.
Xavier's secretary, Fabio, knocked softly on the door before entering. He had a stack of papers for him to sign, as usual. "Mr. Kane, here are the documents you requested."
He turned, his face revealing his perfect mask. That was the life he had been living since he died 15 years ago. At first, he used the prosthesis Joker's mask, but as he got wealthier, his options got more tasteful, for example, the skin of handsome Hollywood actors that disappeared into thin air.
He didn't turn back to look at him, he didn't say a word either.
As he laid the papers on his desk, his hand trembled slightly. Xavier's presence always had that effect on people. His charm was intoxicating, but there was an underlying menace that kept everyone on edge.
"Is there anything else you need?" Fabio asked, even though his knee shook as he spoke.
"Ensure that the merger documents are delivered to the legal team first thing in the morning."
Fabio nodded, eager to leave. "Of course, Mr. Kane. I'll take care of it. Goodnight, sir."
Fabio held his chest as he walked out of the office, almost close to tears. This was the 15th merger he was experiencing in his 3 years of working with Mr. Xavier. Merger was just a sugar-coated word that the victim companies told the press.
The company was always handed over to Xavier just after the press, only a few companies tried to play stubborn and it was always a bloodbath.
The merger documents Xavier asked for were for the beauty care branch of the Montero Co. Being a big company themselves, they were determined to fight it out, even if it meant facing the devil himself.
Once he left, Xavier took a seat at his desk, his mind already dissecting his next target. The merger was the beginning of acquiring his next toy, but there were obstacles to remove—specifically, Eli, the company's CFO and Montero's only male child, who had always questioned Xavier's aggressive tactics.
Xavier picked up his phone and dialed a number. "It's me," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Handle Eli tonight. Make it look like an intentional accident."
Later that night, Xavier attended a high-profile event. The garden turned silent as Xavier walked in, everyone looking everywhere else except him. He walked straight towards Mr. Silas, their eyes locked in a deathly glare. Mr. Silas was a demon, Xavier was the devil himself.
He spotted Eli across the room, looking anxious and out of place. He smiled, knowing that things were going as planned.
Xavier approached him, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Eli, good to see you," he said, "I hope you're enjoying the evening."
Eli would have lashed out like a wounded dog but he couldn't even speak for a moment.
Eli forced a smile. "Yes... it's a wonderful event..."
Xavier had built a company overseas and made it penetrate the stock market as a promising company. It was like a dream come true to investors, including Eli.
Eli was wise enough to do his findings about the company; unfortunately, it was Xavier he was against. He was successfully fooled, and he took the bait. Over a year, he had gained 30 million dollars from it. Last month, the price of the shares skyrocketed by 10%. Seeing it as a great opportunity, he liquidated some of his assets and sold his shares in the beauty care company to "someone."
"Let's catch up later, shall we?" Xavier said, his voice smooth as silk. "We have some important matters to discuss."
Eli nodded, clearly uncomfortable. The shares were plummeting and he couldn't withdraw, he had lost 49 million dollars since the beginning of the party.
Xavier watched him leave the party before walking far away from the garden.
As Alessia and Marco walked into the party, he threw the burning cigarette on the ground and went back to the party.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message. It was a single line: "Eli is taken care of."
Xavier smiled; it wasn't his cold usual smile. His gaze was locked on Alessia, studying every movement she made. He never took his eye away for a split second.
Xavier's always lofty shoulders loosened as his gaze turned 3 degrees warmer. He watched her look at the stars in awe, and he looked up. For the first time in 15 years, he became aware of the existence of stars, and for the first time in 15 years, he looked at the flowers, following Alessia's gaze and thought that they were beautiful.
His gaze turned sharp when he watched the little woman pick on her.
He messaged the contact that sent a message earlier.
'Tell Flint to penetrate all of his family members' phones; you have just three minutes.'
The message ticked twice, and he looked away from his phone just at the moment Marco slapped Alessia's face.
Xavier's eyes narrowed. The fury inside him was like a coiled snake, waiting to strike, but on the outside, he was the picture of calm.
Just as Madame Montero tried to speak, her phone rang in a rather strange tone, it was like a weird DJ mix of rock and an ode tune.
Madame Montero saw the shock of her life, her only son was laid in a pool of blood beside his crumpled car on Shifa highway. It didn't make any sense that his dead body was intact but his car was crushed.
The lady who had come with her brother checked her mother's phone and shrieked out.
Mr. Conti's men came and carried the mother and daughter duo out of the party.
Alessia took the opportunity to leave the party too; Marco remained, he still had to network and get opportunities for his business.
"Why is there no damn taxi?" she yelled in frustration.
Just as she spoke, she heard the screeching sound of car tires on the tarmac. The car was racing straight in her direction.
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