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Chapter XXI
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Syndicate Chapter I
It was then that she realized the world was never the same to everyone. The World was many different things to many different people. There was no clear definition of what constituted it. Its parameters were too complicated to be idealized. Many scholars attempted but could not even come close. The social-economical interactive forces were beyond anyone’s understanding. Some people turned to God for an explanation until faith became the only reasonable excuse. Her grandmother tried in her native and traditional way to make the young girl understand the world in which she lived by using songs and proverbs prevalent in the village in her quest to explain the complications of life and living. Even her education didn’t do much, the more she got educated the more she felt illiterate, the void was too deep and broad. The urge to fill it grew stronger each day; but with what? She didn’t know. She stood by the bank of river, Kafue with her hands akimbo, when suddenly, like a lighte
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter II
Kelly needed a new extensively educated accomplice to fulfill his task assigned by the Syndicate. She looked like the one; he knew it the moment the two chatted at the wedding reception at the Air Force Officer’s mess in Lusaka. She looked lonely but intelligent. She sat alone on a table for three making her his easy target. Maybe she placed herself in his line of fire on purpose. Whatever the case, she looked like what he craved for. She looked beautiful in the tight sleeveless red dress; any warm bloodied man would want her. For a second, it appeared that her loneliness was inviting him. Maybe he just imagined a lot. Kelly made Tamara believe he was from Ghana but shifted to Zambia for greener pastures. He had all planned it and it was his duty never to make the young woman doubt any of his tactics. He never owed her any apology because she would never confront him for an explanation.Each second mattered from then onward; he needed to rekindle the affection he once alight
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter III
Tamara was the Senior Manager in charge of the Vault room on the fourth floor of the Bank of Zambia Building along Cairo Road. The building’s entrances featured allegorical sculptures by Mpundu Chisanga, a famous sculptor in Zambia, representing security and integrity flanking the Cairo road while the chained hand faced the adjacent close. She reported to the Director of Corporate Affairs and National Debt Management on all matters related to the strong room. Her boss was the one directly responsible for the macroeconomic policies and indicators of the domestic economy. Of late, the director had pressure since the Kwacha had depreciated markedly amid increasing concerns over the state of Zambia’s public finances, which, coupled with rising inflation and deteriorating sentiments, likely bruised private consumption and investment activities. The economic growth outlook remained bleak amid concerns over macroeconomic stability due to soaring public debt, an increasing fiscal defic
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter IV
He crossed Katondo Street and walked towards the Kulima Tower bus station. It was getting late and he needed to get home before nineteen hours. The day was busier than usual and he did more transactions than ever before. The streets were becoming friendly and lucrative. For the past five years, he made Katondo street his office, though at first he was required to prove himself to those he found. It didn’t take him long, he settled down and made some friends in the streets. Crimes were committed on a daily basis and with time he learnt the technique of eluding the police. His friends called him Justin Rastaman Bwalya which he eventually accepted as a new middle name though not because he had dreadlocks or smoked weed. Though after a year in the streets, weed was inevitable. He joined the cartel and traded in everything including fake dollars. He had no specific merchandise to trade but considered himself a general dealer since business was dependent on what his hands found. He
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter V
General Zulu sat outside his Ngwerere farm house smoking. In spite of the 1997 coup attempt, he considered himself a successful man. He was trained to control the minds of the young soldiers and officers. To date he could not remember how many trainees passed through his hands in both combat and regimentation. His specialty in infiltration and espionage gave him an incomparable advantage in coming out clean even when it was inconceivable to do so. The court martial proceedings were fierce and expeditiously conducted. Soldiers were condemned even before trial. President Chiluba was afraid and wished every soldier enlisted seven years before the coup to be executed without the due process.He sat facing the western side watching the setting sun. Even though he was over seventy-five years old, he was as powerful as a recruit straight from MILTEZ. The young civilian recruit was impressive, he was more intelligent than he imagined. Kelly knew what he was talking about concerning th
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter VI
The kwacha notes were in excess of Seven Trillion making it more in circulation against the limited supply of the dollar. The economists and financial gurus were in limbo. Nothing seemed to be working out, inflation was escalating every day, and the kwacha was continuously losing value as well. The many textbooks on finance never seemed to offer solutions until the government resorted to the unconventional ways. The Syndicate was to induce an artificial shortfall of the local currency rendering the Kwacha powerful and gain its strength. The goal was to improve the perception of the government. It could not stand the condemnation coming from every sphere of the country. Instead of rebasing the currency as done by the previous government, the current one resorted to do it the smarter way. It was time to knock off from her busy schedule, and every bank employee was rushing outside the bank walls. Very few people outside the walls of the most powerful bank in the country knew how
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter VII
She left her luxurious office on the fifth floor and stepped out for a cigarette. She made it a habit to smoke from the spare office she rarely used directly opposite hers for the sake of non-smoking visitors. Very few people knew that the boss at the most prestigious bank in the country was struggling with tobacco addiction. She smoked anything that contained nicotine especially when under stress. The addiction could be traced back to the military days when smoking was a luxury and a practice for the minority rich. Those who smoked assumed a different seat in society and were viewed with an eye of admiration. However, she tried many treatments available for the addiction including the patch as a nicotine replacement therapy. This was a small bandage-like sticker that could be applied to the arm or back. The patch delivered low levels of nicotine to the body thereby gradually weaning the body off it. Further, she tried the Nicotine gum and spray or inhaler until she gave up the
Last Updated : 2024-10-29The Syndicate Chapter VIII
Seventeen kilometers away east of Olympia a street boy sat in front of two supercomputers in an abandoned house in Avondale. The house was opposite the only old shopping complex in the area. Externally the house looked abandoned and unused meanwhile it housed two latest computers operating at supersonic speed whose hard drives were connected in series and measured up to five hundred zettabytes. The combined processing speed was faster than the speed of sound. No individual in the country could afford such expensive machines. They were procured on a government-to-government contract at an exorbitant cost. The purchase was one of the preconditions that the Syndicate had imposed on the government for the guaranteed success of the operation.Justin had all he required for the speedy execution of his tasks with high speed internet connecting him to every part of the world in a twinkling of an eye. The different printers he was supplied had the latest software enabling him to genera
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
The Syndicate Chapter XXI
In less than a month, the country would be having an Independence Day celebration. The old man was satisfied with his efforts thus far in spite of huge drawbacks. He knew that in every battle, casualties were inevitable. There would be no victory without sacrifice. The three heroes who lost their lives during the struggle would certainly be rewarded posthumously and the nation would forever honor them. The General would take it upon himself to ensure that their blood was not in vain, even in the realms of the dead they would see Zambia’s economic freedom as a result of their efforts. He prepared himself to meet the only surviving Syndicate member after he fought back his bad thoughts about her possible betrayal until he convinced himself that she had no nerve to kill the people she shared a bright vision for the country with. He was too critical to miss that possibility in her. He swore to himself to avenge their deaths immediately after the Independence Day. Though the count
The Syndicate Chapter XX
At the far left of the boardroom table was Wang and directly opposite was Hu followed by Xi. These Chinese nationals demanded for a caucus at National Roads Fund Agency and were seated in the boardroom on the first floor. They represented a conglomerate of Chinese Construction and Mining companies. Their written and spoken English was superb as opposed to most Chinese shipped into the country in containers who couldn’t even speak the local official language. The chairperson sat right at the back and introduced himself as Engineer Banda. He was the current Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Fund Agency. Banda was a very powerful man in the construction sector who reported directly to the Minister of Infrastructure.The meeting was not going to be an ordinary one as the Chinese had come to present before the board what they termed as a virus in their coffers. In attendance were other directors and two external members.‘Let’s understand each other before other terms ar
The Syndicate Chapter XIX
He sat in his house pondering about the boys who were put under his charge. He selected them himself because he had known them personally. Within four months of the noble assignment being handed to him, the Syndicate was formed. He decided the strength as five with only one woman. Gender inclusivity was never a selection criterion but rather abilities were top priority. He traversed the entire country looking for them because some were living under false names, had false families and false lives. It took the General to assemble the team that could deliver within a limited period given. Patriotism and activism were one of the cardinal pillars in the selection. It was a humbling honor to have been entrusted with such responsibilities to help rebuild the economy of the great nation Zambia.‘Was it because I was not a good parent to them?’ he asked himself. For days he lamented the loss of such good soldiers. The soldiers who had the best interest of the nation at their hearts. He
The Syndicate Chapter XVIII
The dermatology lab was empty and the lights were off. There was no sign of anyone inside. However, the Ridgeway Medical School timetable indicated that the doctor was conducting an evening lecture in the laboratory. Tom stood outside the entrance door wondering what had happened when the office door from within the lab swung open. He sneaked to the behind walls and ensured no silhouette betrayed him. He stood firm and glanced at the opened door, he waited for the man to come out. Instead, he saw a woman in a lab coat step out to the main laboratory area and behind her the Albino became visible.It became evident that the lecturer was feasting on the student after the lab sessions. His plans had to change immediately because of the presence of the girl student. He couldn’t condone the thought of leaving the target but just had to conclude his mission. So much had been done in the process to get to this opportunity. The doctor had been elusive, making Tom think that he had know
The Syndicate Chapter XVII
His report was ready to be transmitted to his employers and he only wished Kelly was around to witness the results of his sweat. The young man’s death had not sunk well with the old soldier. It left wounds that he may never recover from. After compiling the reports, General Zulu packed his laptop and slept his last hours in Chimwemwe ready for departure the next day. The three stars General turned into a detective had unearthed things beyond his expectation. True Copperbelt controlled the economy of Zambia together with the new Copperbelt in the Northwestern Province. The old soldier discovered numerous mining and smelting plants owned by both the Chinese and other Asian people on the Copperbelt. Most of these if not all were operating illegally depleting the non-renewable resource at a very rapid rate. General Zulu unearthed a deadly scam involving, very rich Chinese conniving with a few enlightened Zambians to mine, smelt and externalize the earnings out of the country. Thr
The Syndicate Chapter XVI
She quickly picked up the towel and dashed inside the house and the woman walked right behind. She recognized her instantly and wondered if everything would be okay behind the closed doors. She was her former boss at the Bank of Zambia controlling the department of Corporate Affairs and Debt Control that made her to be directly in charge of the vault. Practically she was third in the hierarchy from the Bank of Zambia Governor. Her rich past experience in aviation and later in the Corporate world suited her for this luxurious position. She was known as a crankshaft within the corridors of the bank due to her toughness and rigidity. Her managerial skills were on top side of Max Weber’s ladder, signifying dictatorial tendencies were dominant. She walked in and served herself with the chair at the dining table. Jessie was confused at her auntie being at her residence. She wondered what she was going to do to her, remembering what Kelly told her. Her presence confirmed everything
The Syndicate Chapter XV
When her phone rung, she knew the caller. Only two people knew her line: - Kelly and the private investigator who had become her mercenary. The latter was only to communicate five times over the entire operation. This first call implied four more calls then she would be free. She paced back and forth in her newly acquired apartment. She wished she told him the order of execution, but she chose to leave it up to him. He was a professional. He knew how best to handle such matters. The young woman was slowly getting used to her new personality, though she still led a lonely life.It was Kelly. He was the first victim. The caller was direct and saved her the details. The act impressed Jessie because he was the closest to her. He knew her most. His death was as important as her need for oxygen. Kelly brought her into the mess she found herself in and she saw him gone. He probably thought she was a pawn in the world chessboard who could easily be got rid of. The Investigator was tho
The Syndicate Chapter XIV
It was a cool Wednesday morning exactly twenty-one days since Kelly murdered Justin in cold blood. She mourned for him and slowly she started healing. Since the heist, the young woman had not known peace and never enjoyed the money she had. She sat in her couch and wondered what she needed to do to get her peace and life back. True she had a lot of money to bring her the joy and happiness she desired, but other extenuating factors were at play. Jessie knew from Kelly that there were a few more people who knew her new identity and these were the enemies she needed to face. How? She wasn’t sure.Some things were at stake. As long as she wasn’t alone in the deal, she would never know peace. She would always have to look over her shoulder. After all, her former self was the most wanted person in the country not the newly created Jessie. She was as free to move like every other person in Zambia. Jessie vowed to know who was involved and who knew her identity. The knowledge would pr
The Syndicate Chapter XIII
It’d been ten days since he was fired from the service he held so dearly. Even though people say time is the best healer, he wasn’t sure whether he could ever heal from the excruciating wounds he was inflicted with. The service was inhuman and too large for him to wait for a compassionate call from the Inspector General. It had no eyes to see, no nerves to feel and of course, no ears to hear his agonizing cries. He cried in his lonely abode without his family knowing. The tears of the police officer demanded justice, for he had not committed any crime. Something somewhere was wrong and he felt invigorated to stand up and find out. Two days ago, he called the new Inspector of the anti-fraud inquiring about the progress of the investigation. To his amazement, he had been ordered to stand down and discontinue the case. Such a thing had never happened. A crime of such nature and magnitude deserved extra attention and resources attached to it. While scratching his bald-head, Mwend
