Chapter 3

Anna pleaded with David to spare her life. "Please don't kill me, for the sake of God, please let me go. I want to live. Have mercy on me. I know inside you are a good human. Please have mercy on me."

"This bullshit will not work on me," David shouted, raising his gun.

"I beg you," Anna implored.

"You have to die," David repeated, his finger on the trigger. Suddenly, Anna went limp and collapsed to the ground. David caught her before she could hit the pavement. He inhaled her sweet scent of wildflowers and took in her delicate features - her eyes, her nose, her pink, soft lips. She was like a living fairy in his arms.

David never killed children or women, but Anna was a special case. He was caught in a moral dilemma. Just then, two police officers appeared in the alley. David quickly concealed his weapon and picked Anna up in his arms.

"Who's there?" the officers called out, approaching the pair.

"It's me, David Carson," he replied.

"Oh, Mr. Carson, what are you doing here?" one of the officers asked, eyeing David suspiciously.

David flashed a charming smile at the police officer. "Oh, actually, I was on a date with my girlfriend. She had too much to drink, so I'm taking her home," he explained.

The officer looked at him skeptically. "This place isn't safe, Mr. Carson. We found a dead body nearby. You should be careful," he warned.

David's smile faltered slightly. "Thank you for letting me know, officer. We'll leave right away," he said, quickly turning to leave with Anna on his arm. He pulled out his phone and dialed Smith's number as he walked, hoping to get out of the area as quickly as possible.

"Smith, bring the car to our location. We need to leave immediately," he said urgently into the phone.

"Got it, boss. Did you find the pen drive?" Smith asked.

"Yes, I did. But this girl saw me kill the man. I was going to kill her too, but two police officers showed up just in time. I'll have to think of something else to do with her," David replied, his voice tense.

Smith sounded concerned. "What are you going to do with her, boss?" he asked.

"I'll figure it out. For now, I have to keep her locked up so she can't reveal anything," David said, a hint of darkness creeping into his voice.

He had a special cell in his house where he kept people he wanted to dispose of or lock away. David had no qualms about using it to keep Anna under control until he could come up with a plan.

The next morning, Smith arrived in David's office and handed him a newspaper. "Boss, you need to read this," he said.

David reluctantly took the newspaper and began to read. The headline read: "Compassionate Businessman David Carson's Assistant Murdered; Rumors Suggest Carson as Killer." According to the article, David's assistant had stolen confidential information from David's laptop, and David had allegedly killed him as a result. The police were investigating the case and searching for the stolen information.

David's face turned red with anger as he tossed the newspaper aside. "Who is this Andrew bastard?" he fumed. "How dare he write a report against me!"

Smith tried to reason with him. "Boss, this isn't the first time Andrew has reported on our company. He's a respected journalist, and we need to be careful how we respond."

David was seething with rage. "What are you guys doing to protect me? Sometimes I feel like I should kill you, Smith!"

Smith looked uneasy. "I'm sorry, Boss, but killing Andrew is not an option. It would only make things worse. We need to find another way to deal with this situation."

David's anger had reached its peak. "Smith, I have men in the police department," he said through clenched teeth. "We could make him disappear."

Smith looked apprehensive. "Sir, that would only make things worse. It could turn into a political scandal."

David slammed his fist on the glass table, shattering it into pieces. The noise woke Anna from her unconscious state. She lay on the ground, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Am I dead already?" she wondered. She noticed the room was dark and saw a locked door. Panic set in as she began pounding on the door, demanding to be released.

"Let me go, you bastard!" she screamed. "Why did you lock me up? I need to go to the hospital!"

David heard some noise was coming from the cell, he angrily went near it and heard Anna’s screaming. He opened the door and entered inside.

"Shut the f*ck up! No one will listen to you," he shouted at Anna.

Trembling with fear, Anna begged him to release her. "Please, I don't want to die. Let me go. I need to go to the hospital," she pleaded.

David just laughed, a cruel smile on his face. "Hahaha...you will die soon, and you're worried about the hospital," he taunted her.

Trying to reason with him, Anna warned David that her family would start searching for her with the police. But David mocked her attempts at blackmail.

He grabbed Anna's jaw tightly and pushed her against the wall. "Listen carefully, no matter what you do, you can't escape from here. And no one can find you. So don't get your hopes up," he warned her.

Anna's eyes filled with tears, and she bit David's hand before spitting on his face. "You're a devil, a heartless demon. You scam people and have no compassion. What people think of you and what you truly are, are two different things," she cried out.

 David wiped the spit off his face with a handkerchief and glared at Anna. "You crossed your limit, little girl," he said, his voice laced with anger. He stormed out of the cell and locked the door behind him, leaving Anna to scream and cry in despair.

"Smith, fix a meeting with reporter Andrew," David said, his jaw clenched.

"Okay, boss," Smith replied.

"What a time came. Now I have to do a meeting with people like Andrew!" David mocked himself, shaking his head.

"Boss, we are good to go now. You can meet him at lunchtime," Smith informed David as he entered the room.

"Let's go, and watch over that girl. I am sure she will try to run," David ordered, determined to keep Anna under his control.

Smith stationed two men outside the cell room and left for the meeting with David. They met Andrew at a café a few minutes later

David extended his hand to shake, saying "Hello, Mr. Andrew Clarke."

Andrew sat down without taking David's hand and asked, "So, why would a famous billionaire need a mere reporter like me?"

David withdrew his hand, taken aback. "Mere? Are you joking with me?"

"In front of you, I am just a mere reporter whom you can kill anytime," Andrew explained.

David was shocked. "Kill? Oh no, no, Mr. Andrew. What are you saying? I am just a businessman who does some charity. That's it. Why would I kill people? I think you misunderstood me."

"I hope it's just a misunderstanding. I will always keep an eye on you," Andrew warned.

David replied, "You are most welcome. I am sure you will clear up your misunderstanding soon."

"I hope so too, but if I find something against you, trust me I will reveal it to the world. I have to leave now. Bye, Mr. Carson," Andrew said as he left the café.

David replied, "Oh, bye, Mr. Andrew Clarke."