Chapter 7

The morning sun cast a warm glow through the pent house window, shining on the leather couch where I sat. Johnny sat across from me, leaning back lazily in his chair, his long fingers tapping against the polished glass desk. His expression was unreadable and that made it difficult for me to tell whether he thought this was a joke or he was just basically observing. A contract was on the table in between us, freshly printed and waiting for signatures.

“Go ahead, read it” he said, his voice was smooth but there was a clear cut to it— like he enjoyed testing people, waiting to see if they’d flinch— such an arrogant young man.

I looked at him for a while, I hope he won’t be this stuck up forever. Even if he wants to, at least not to me.

I picked up the contract, reading the terms carefully:

A two-month business alliance. I would use my insider knowledge to dismantle Jamie’s empire piece by piece, and in return, Johnny would allow me to oversee his company’s finances. The contract marriage was set to last one year—on paper, a strategic partnership, but in reality, a power move that would force Jamie to take me seriously.

I dropped the paper, back on the desk and I looked at him “you added a clause”

He smirked, “of course I did”.

I used my fingers to move it closer to him and tapped the section that read:

In the event of betrayal or failure to uphold agreed-upon terms, the contract will be nullified, and financial reparations of five billion dollars must be made to Johnny Harrington.

I scoffed. “Five billion?, I offered two billion. You think highly of yourself”

“I think highly of my investments” he corrected. “You should too”

I studied him for a moment, taking in the sharp lines of his face. His eyes, those blue eyes held no trace of doubt. Maybe this was a way for him to successfully belittle me like he does to everyone, but he had underestimated one thing—I was done being belittled.

Without another word, I took the pen. I leaned forward and signed my name in bold and confident strokes. “You’ve got yourself a deal Johnny”

He looked at me with wide eyes but he immediately masked it. It was so quick that I almost thought I imagined it but it was there. He took the pen and signed his name smoothly. His blue eyes were unsettled, “then let’s see what you can do.”

By noon, I had settled into the city’s general library. A grand old building with high ceilings, towering bookshelves and the light comforting scent of old paper. not many people came here which made it just the perfect place to concentrate.

I settled down at a corner of the room, a cup of hot coffee was beside me as I spread out the documents I had collected for my new job at the Harringtons company. The thick stack of financial statements, tax reports, and balance sheets might have intimidated someone else, but I have seen worse. Much worse.

I flipped through the income statement first, my eyes scanning through the numbers. The revenue looked stable, expenses were under control—nothing I couldn’t fix. There were a few flaws in cash flow, but it was nothing compared to the chaos I had dealt with at Jamie’s company. It was a nightmare. Bunch of missing invoices, unexplained withdrawals—or maybe I could explain it now. His accounts were so messed up that I had spent weeks just to arrange just a fraction of the mess. But with this company, things seemed organized—manageable.

I exhaled slowly as I leaned back in my chair. There was a lot for me to do but I wouldn’t stop here. I set the documents aside and brought out my journal. My fingers tracing over the names that I had written down, deciding who my next target will be and my hand stopped— Richard Smith.

One of Jamie’s major investors, who plays a very crucial role in his business. A business man who valued stability, he doesn’t play about his business. If there was even a whisper of financial trouble, he would pull out immediately.

But I knew one thing, with the kind of man that he is, he wouldn’t just hand his business to a stranger, I knew that I couldn’t get him just yet but I could cause some damage. I dialed a number in my phone, slightly changing my voice.

“Hello?” He said sharply.

“Mr Smith, I thought you should know— Jamie’s company might not be as stable as you think.”

There was silence on the other end, he was probably trying to wrap his head around what I had just said to him.

“Who is this?” His voice cold and demanding.

“That’s not important…yet. But if I were you, I’d keep a close eye on where my money was going.

He paused. “And why would you say that”.

“There’s a talk of missing funds.” I said smoothly, leaning back in my chair. “A very risky merger that could put your investment at risk”.

There was silence on the other end again. I imagined him in his office. I was sure he had stiffened in his office, his mind already calculating his numbers.

“And now, you expect me to believe an anonymous caller?”.

“You don’t have to believe me. I just expect you to verify for yourself” I simply replied.”Trust is a dangerous thing and it could destroy us all.”

And then I hung up. The damage was done and all I had to do now was wait, wait for the right moment to strike.

I picked up my coffee, a smile of satisfaction played on my lips as I took a slow sip. I turned back to the files on my desk. There was still work to do. I reached for my pen, ready to continue mapping out my next move, when my phone buzzed.

Johnny: Harrington Tower. Now.

I sighed, closing my journal and gathering my things. Whatever this was, it had to be important.