The rising sun tinted the dark sky with hues of red and orange over the City Capital of Oriens.
A midnight blue Porshe sped through it's empty morning streets only to stop before the commercial lifeline of the country ' The Deven Corporation'.
Known to be the world's only multi -trillioniarie empire and one of the three major commercial lifelines of the global economy lead by the young entrepreneur Zhuang Gohan.
Zhuang Gohan is a multi-disciplinary genius. His mother's death in the early years of his childhood left him with no choice but, to run a multi billionaire empire in order to protect himself. He vowed to himself that he would avenge his mother's death and those who mistreated her. The business world bestowed upon him the title ' The Tyrant Prince ' because of his cruel, sly, unpredictable and out of the box style when it came to dealing with his opponents. It came from various experience and mistreatment that he had to endure after the death of his mother until he found his way out.
When the car engine came to a stop, it's door was pushed open for a pair of expensive leather boots to touch the ground. A man in his mid-thrities, clad in an equally expensive suit elegantly stepped down from the vehicle. The security greeted him with a crisp salute as he entered the lobby. His elegant disposition, graceful movements and handsome feature exuded a vibe of nobility.
" Welcome back Mr. Owen. I hope your flight was pleasant." The head receptionist smiled politely and greeted him while signalling her subordinate to inform the man's arrival to the superiors.
The man simply ignored the receptionist as he fiddled with his car key.
" Here is your pass for the executive elevator. Our chairman will meet you in his office. Please, allow me to escort you sir. " The receptionist continued respectfully.
" That won't be necessary. I do know my way around the place. " With that he took the pass and strode off without so much of glance at the receptionist.
Behind him, the poor receptionist was floored at the man's curt reply and desperately prayed that he was not in a bad mood or else she was done for. She didn't dare to make even a peep after hearing the man's icy annoyed tone.
He swiftly swiped his pass and waited patiently for the elevator, all the while never for a second did he stop fiddling with the car key.
Only after he was behind the closed doors of the elevator did he breathed a huge sign and stopped fiddling the keys.
His beautiful eyebrows knitted to form a deep frown. His indifferent gaze turned into mirror playing an array of mixed emotions. A layer of grim settled over his expressionless face. A sense of desperation and helplessness wash over him as he pondered over the various possibilities. His fingers subconsciously clenched the car key, as if they were trying crush it into dust. Colour drained from his face as he remembered why he was there in the first place.
Meanwhile, on the sixty second floor of the building a young chap jumped out of his office and rushed towards the executive elevator just in time to greet Mr. Owen.
Unexpectedly though, instead of him greeting Mr. Owen , it was Mr.Owen's pale and ghastly look that greeted him.
" Mr. Owen !! Sir, what happened you? You don't look very well ..." The young chap asked in shock. It was unusual to see the man so off.
" Not right now Liang Jie !! First I need to speak with Zhuang Gohan, where the hell is he?? "
The young chap didn't inquire any further. Mr. Owen's tensed attitude and urgency said everything between the lines.
"The CEO is in his office. Please follow me. " He replied leading the way.
The young chap was Zhuang Gohan's personal assistant Liang Jie. He was one of the top student of Z Academy's Department of Economics. But, coming from a lower middle-class family and his father's excessive habit of gambling forced him to clip his own wings in order to support his family.
Sadly, reality was far worst then what his sacrifice was worth. That is until fate brought him at Zhuang Gohan's feet.
Knock!! Knock!!
"Sir, Mr. Richard Owen is here. " Liang Jie announced and entered the office follow by Richard himself.
Upon entering they were greeted by the office itself instead of the man they were looking for.
The large, half a floor office which usually remain in tip top order, today was in complete disarray. The crumbled papers, thrown away work files and scattered books all over the office room showed signs of someone searching for something. A half closed laptop, broken pens and a pile of cds laid on the desk created an unpleasant site. The floor filled with empty whisky bottles, broken glasses and torn off sofa cushions. On the coffee table near the balcony sat an overflowing ashtray and a broken gold chain.
The curtains fluttered, dancing with the rhythm of the cool morning breeze still it wasn't enough to remove the pungent smell of the alcohol and cigarettes.
Richard examined every inch of the messed up office with a sarcastic smirk and then looked at the young chap beside him who had a down cast eyes and was embarrassed for the mess.
" Looks like His Royal Highness couldn't handle a night's wait and here I thought waiting wasn't your strong point Liang Jie! " Richard said jokingly as he flopped himself on the chair that Liang Jie just cleaned up for him.
Liang Jie simply scratched his nose as he had nothing to say in his defence. The topic was his sore spot which both his boss and his boss's friends loved to rub whenever they pleased.
Richard's attitude took a three sixty degree turn after seeing the messed up office and the broken gold chain which to some extent confused the young assistant.
The sight of the unkept office proved that his worries were needless.
Sitting on the chair Richard looked out at the standing man in the balcony and was slightly taken back. The rays of the shining sun kissed his godly handsome face while the wind played with his soft silky bangs. His every move was the ultimate definition of elegance. His detached and aloof attitude only amplified his princely aura. It reminded Richard how much this man had grown over the past twenty seven years.
" Congratulations!!! Your Highness.. "
Zhuang Gohan was standing by the balcony, enjoying the scenic view of the sunrise and the not yet awaken city, hence didn't bother to respond to the commotion at first. But a pair of eyes on him along with Richard's sarcastic greeting annoyed him to the extreme.
Finally tearing his gaze away from the scenery he walked back into the room with a raised eyebrow. With each step his vibe of hatred got deeper and deeper.
" You know.." Richard started. " I never thought there would come a day when I'd get to see your heart conflicted. She made you fall for her hard didn't she? " It sounded more of a statement rather than a question. " And you hate yourself for that. Because neither can you love her nor can you live without her. "
Richard deduced, expressing his genuine concern for his friend.
It was ironic....
Painfully ironic....
" I need answers Richard, not philosophy lectures " Zhuang Gohan replied curtly, changing the topic as he sat behind his desk.
" You never change now, do you? " Richard said fondly and flipped open the case of his car keys. Removing a small pen drive, he tossed it to Zhuang Gohan which he then tossed it to Liang Jie. By this time Liang Jie had clean up the office considerably.
"Oh by the way! Before I forget, don't mind a crying uncle if you find one. I had to deal with him my way since I was in a bit of a hurry. " Richard added with a comical smile.
Swiftly catching the pen drive, Liang Jie was the first to react.
" Mr. Owen!! By crying uncle you surely don't mean anyone from the Ai family, do you Sir??? " Liang Jie was sincerly hoping for a negative answer, alas....
" I mean exactly them, Jie. "
" They don't know when to give up, do they? " Liang Jie barked, though that didn't exactly get much of an attention. "This is the fifth time they tried to butt into our business in three months. " He was getting extremely agitated just at the mention of the Ai family. They have been trying to squeeze their way to get in touch with the Deven Corporation for business. And every time that happens, it would be his job to do the pest controlling and he was seriously running out of ideas now. " Sir! Please " He said pleadingly to Zhuang Gohan. " Enlighten me as why we have to tolerate them in the first place? " However, Zhuang Gohan's reply only left him hanging in mid air crying for himself.
" All in good times Liang Jie.. All in good times. "
After that he opened the door to the attached lounge cum bedroom behind the office and began preparing the projector.
" Who was it this time Richard? " Zhuang Gohan asked after Liang Jie left.
" Your Second Uncle, buddy. " Richard replied with a toothy grin.
Zhuang Gohan became calm and collected now more than ever. In his eyes flashed a cold and murderous glint. And one should know that when it comes to revenge the more calmer Zhuang Gohan was, the deadlier things were bound to get.
For all these years, Zhuang Gohan has been the calmest of himself when it came to dealing with the Ai family.
About a minute later, Liang Jie called them in as the projector was ready.
The pen drive that Richard gave contained a medical report and two cctv footage. One of a hospital and the other of a private gathering.
When played one after another, they shook both Liang Jie and Zhuang Gohan from their core.
" Impossible!!! Sir does that mean... " Liang Jie swallowed his next words and dreadfully turned towards his boss just in time to see him turn ghastly pale.