Chapter 6

A black limo came to an halt at a beautiful looking bungalow. The doors sprang open, revealing Liam and Rex as they alighted.

 "The old master wants you to be at his residence at exactly 5:30pm" Butler Jeff said and drove off.

 Rex sighed as he stared at the familiar building. Whenever they visited D.C, this was their temporal lodge.

 "You go in first" Liam nudged at his son as he fetched out his phone.

 Groaning with dissatisfaction, Rex took large strides in. The interior of the bungalow boasted of an expensive decor.

 Italian tiles. Glittering chanderliners. Comfy couches and sofas. Everything looked normal just as he remembered.

 "Good afternoon young master" a butler walked out of the kitchen.

 Ignoring the butler, Rex walked towards his room, closing the door behind him.

 He sat comfortable behind the study desk and switched on the laptop. Inputing an URL link, a page appeared on the screen.

 It was the homepage of a database.

"LEX ALBERT" he typed a name.

 After a few minutes of loading, the results began to show. He browsed through the endless list of bios but in the end couldn't find what he was looking for. He banged his fist on the desk with fraustration.

 "Damn!"

* * *

 It was quite difficult to offset the rising dispute in the Albert family, but atleast Mr. Albert was a capable man.

 Using his influence as the head of the home, he was able to offset the conflict, at least temporarily.

 "Damn! why is daddy always picking sides with that bitch huh?" Anni gnashed her teeth, ripping off the pilow as she threw it on the ground.

 "Hmph. Favouring an outsider. What man does that?" Mrs. Albert who sat at the edge of the bed seethed.

 "I believe that Rose is a witch" Annie suddenly mused.

 "Huh?"

 "I said Rose is a witch!" Annie repeated her words.

 "Ann, you can't just.."

 "Mum listen to me okay. I have evidence!" Annie whined.

 Mrs. Albert shut her mouth, eager to hear what her daughter had to say.

"Mum, just think about it. Right from childhood, Rose always comes top in class without even trying. You know me, i read every night but i always have low grades"

 "You mean by reading with an headset?" Mrs. Albert rolled her eyes, but she didn't voice out her thought.

 If anything, Annie was a daughter. She would naturally be on her side.

 "Also, all the elderly in our neighbourhood treat her quite well but call me a spoilt rotten brat instead. Plus, dad always favours her over me. Tell me, isn't this witchcraft?"

 Mrs. Albert sighed. Although all her daughter's claims were baseless and idiotic, they still had an iota of truth in them.

 Rose charisma was just too unnatural.

 "So, what are you planning?" she couldn't help but ask.

 "Hehe. Come let me tell you" Annie leaned closer to her mother's ear, whispering some inaudible words.

 Mrs. Albert's eyes widened in shock. The gaze she looked at Annie with was one of surprise.

 "What? Is my plan feasible?" Annie chuckled.

But contrary to her expectations, Mrs. Albert shook her head vehemently.

 "No. No. Not happening! how could you even think of such a plan? isn't that disrespectful to the pastor?"

 "Disrespectful?"

 "He.. he's a servant of God afterall. What if.." Mrs. Albert stuttered, her palms already beginning to sweat like crazy.

 Shit! What has gotten into this girl's head huh? to even think of such a scary plan.

 "Servant of God? bah! don't give me that. He's just an hypocrite" Annie hissed.

 "What if he dosen't agrees?"

 "I'd bribe in with money. If it's not enough, i will top it up with my body" Annie shrugged.

 "You!" Mrs. Albert suddenly lost her voice.

 Was this the Annie she gave birth to? or an imposter. Such a scary desiciveness.

 "Do you really hate Rose that much?" Mrs. Albert's mood dropped a bit.

 In truth, why she wanted to drive Rose out was due to two things.

 She kept blaming her for the loss of her husband's job and..

She was ashamed to look her in the face, after how she had ruthlessly disowned her years ago.

 But the way Annie behaved hinted at something else.

 "Hate her? that can't even describe how i feel about her. She stole my shine! She stole everything from me mother, everything!"

 "Right from childhood, my very existence was always overshadowed by her. It is either she's more prettier than me or more brilliant. She was just so good at everything and always received compliments from all angles. Why couldn't i? she's JUST A FUCKIN' RAT PICKED UP FROM THE GUTTERS!!"

 Venting out her pent up frustration, Annie threw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing.

* * *

6: 30 pm

SAMSARA VILLA

 Beside a huge pool, a table and seven chairs were erected, with six men occupying them.

 One of them had thick nerdy glasses, outdated sense of fashion and haircut. His name was Geo.

 The second had a suave air around him, with a fashion haircut, luxury clothing and cool expression that read 'yeah. I'm the best'. His name was Tony.

The third one was rather had a tanned skin, with an expressionless face and the body of a weightlifter. His name was Wayne.

 The fourth had a jovial expression, whilst wearing a simple set of clothing. He had that vibe of a 'boy next door'. His name was Tommy.

 The fifth had curly locks and an aloof expression, sipping from a glass of red wine. His name was Percy.

 As for the last, who else if not the cold looking Liam.

 "Hey, why does it feels like the mood' a lil tensed? C'mon lighten up a bit" Tommy laughed, his green eyes darting around.

 "What's there to lighten up for? we aren't here to listen to your crude jokes" Wayne snorted.

 "Crude jokes? no wonder you're all brawns but no brains. Tsk tsk"

 "What did you just call me?" Wayne's jaws clenched.

 Just as Tommy made to respond with a brutal roast line, he came to an halt.

 Tap. Tap. Tap. Plonk.

 An old man in blazers supporting himself with a cane walked over. This old man had a calm look and his eyes held a certain wisdom in them.

"Grandfather!" the six heirs stood on their feets, bowing their head with respect.

 This old man was the reverered grandpa Sam! the one who singlehandedly built Samsara INC. from scratch and made it what he was today.

 Globally, he was part of those ranked at the top of 'powerful existences'. Although he was getting on with age, none of the heirs dared to look down on him.

 "Sit down" Grandpa Sam took the seat at the head of the table.

 After the heirs took their seats, the air became tensed. Nobody dared to speak, not even Tommy!

 "Just now, i sensed the vibe of conflict brewing. Who was it?" Grandpa Sam picked a chicken nugget, munching on it.

 Wayne's face sank, as for Tommy he gulped nervously. Albeit none of them dared to voice out their wrongs.

 "I won't pursue that matter today. And stop mopping at me, start eating"

 The heirs began to quietly munch on their food.

 "Do you know why Samsara INC. is what it is today?" Grandpa Sam suddenly spoke.

"Uhm. Because you are a good master strategist, and you have a masters in business management?" Tommy sounded unsure.

 "No. Although that is a minor factor, it isn't the main one" Grandpa Sam rejected.

 "Actually, it is because we were united. Whenever there is unity, there is progression. Samsara Inc. was once a small time firm, but with the power of unity, it managed to expand and grow into what it is today"

 "I have been observing you younglings and it's a shame that you all lack the spirit of unity. Although i admire the competitive spirit you six portray, never over do it"

 Grandpa Sam stopped speaking, allowing his grandsons to digest his words.

 The surrounding became silent. Grandpa Sam's words constantly rang in their head.

 "Now, over to the main issue. You all must be aware of Spencer Bryan huh? he's your second cousin" Grandpa Sam began to speak.

 "He informed me about 'Finesse' a movie adapted from the chinese novel Empress of the Lotus"

"By observing the blueprints, i am certain it is going to be a smash hit box office blockbuster"

 The heirs interest became piqued. If Grandpa Sam was so certain, that means the movie is definitely going to be a blockbuster.

 Grandpa Sam grinned on seeing the eager expressions on his grandsons. At least they weren't brainless idiots.

 "This is a great opportunity, so grab a hold of it well"

 "Grandpa, how is the shooting progress?" Geo asked.

 "Under production. They aim to shoot at New York, Paris, Cuba and Seoul respectively"

 "Currently, they aim to scout their cast in New York before starting the shooting. These are all inside information Bryan told me" Grandpa Sam had a warning tone.

 The heirs read the meaning quite clearly. This information had to be tightly sealed in their lips.

 "Alright, enjoy yourselves. I won't bother you young men" Grandpa Sam stood up slowly, supporting his weight with the walking cane.