Through the impeccable streets, people marched with signs and loud shouts demanding the government to retract their decision.
"No to inflation!"
"Justice for us!"
"We are not your slaves!"
"Come out of hiding!"
On the tall skyscrapers, billboards and screens hung ranging from ads to the latest news.
City A didn't look any different than City M. The difference was that City A was older, so it had more roman buildings than the countless skyscrapers that filled City M.
City A was a place one would call 'the king's jewel' as, during the monarchy, the royal family resided here, leaving behind architectural pearls that no money or modernisation could rival.
But now these white buildings amidst the modern skyscrapers building a sharp contrast were subject to many protesters who relentlessly walked through the streets, as close as possible to the seat of the government.
While City M was a blooming nest for companies, City A held the country's pride. The government was located right in the centre of the city, reeling in countless tourists and visitors, but now only angry and tired citizens stood in the plaza before the building.
However, what they didn't know was that all the bigshots and hidden important people rested at home, watching the spectacle with either amused or indifferent faces.
Those who were in control of the government never made decisions in the congress personally, they all did it virtually before telling the government, the public knew of, about their decision.
The government with the president was only a figure for those pulling the strings in the shadows: The true government, yet the public didn't know. The sad thing was however that this wasn't only the case in this country but the same for most of the other countries.
All these 'true government people' were in contact with each other. Secretly. Separated into different factions amongst themselves, holding power over the world and the little people, giving them all the illusion of democracy and freedom, while none of it was true.
"It's getting worse," Nini muttered as Yana followed closely through the crowd to get to the tube station. The centre was divided into different areas. The flower shop was luckily located on the left while the government was on the right. However, on the right side of the city, in Zone 2 after the centre.
"Yana, go back, once out of the centre, I don't have to worry. Thanks!" Nini smiled as she waved Yana goodbye at the tube station.
"Ok, take care!" Yana waited for a bit before pushing herself through the masses of people.
Meanwhile, a car tried to make its way to the centre but couldn't break in further, "Boss, I think we need to stay in a hotel instead, you have to give up today."
"That's ok, find a suitable place," Luka looked out of the tinted car window. Masses of people brushed past the car wanting to assault it because it looked expensive but didn't dare to, precisely because of the fear of someone important sitting inside.
"It's not any different here than in City M," Luka commented absent-mindedly before his view fell on the large screens displaying news.
Another peace treaty fell through. The tensions between the countries were growing.
"Seriously, does Miss Yana actually have a lot of money? Moving here…" Bao started to ramble, "It took us a goddamn amount of time to find her again. Good thing I've foreseen it and-" but Luka paid no attention to Bao.
The recent situations around the world have unsettled many. It has always been there but people paid no heed, only when they were personally affected would they take actions and worry about it. These demonstrations here were the perfect example.
Luka knew that something was going on but didn't know what. Various companies have pulled back their business for some reason thus threatening the economy to collapse. Luka talked to some of the CEOs but never got a proper answer. The start and fear of inflation was high and negatively impacted people.
"Boss," suddenly Bao's complaining voice turned serious, "What's your opinion on it? Have you made a decision yet?"
Luka couldn't see but he knew Bao was uneasy and nervous. Bao's fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly and he more than often looked into the rearview mirror to gauge Luka's expression.
Bao was present when Paul approached Luka. Luka didn't know exactly what was going on but he definitely knew more than most. Luka stayed quiet and closed his eyes briefly. Although he couldn't idly waste his time and should brace himself, because what would soon happen would also affect him, Luka was powerless.
He couldn't do anything himself and couldn't rely on his parents since they were also affiliated with the government and right now the government was acting suspiciously.
Luka knew that the recent changes in the business world must have something to do with Paul, after all, Paul asked to hand M.M over to him while Luka would still remain the CEO. This greatly confused Luka but he also had the hunch that nothing would stay the same or could go back. The future was going to drastically change and Luka had to prepare for that but in the end, he was only a small wheel in the big mechanism.
The hunch that the world would go down a bad path was strong but instead of worrying about it and making countermeasures, Luka was here chasing after Yana. Luka rubbed his temples before he finally said, "I've no choice. I should prepare myself."
It was unclear what plans Paul had nor who stood behind him, because the movement to create new era was definitely not something Paul could do alone. The more head aching problem was Yolinda. His contract with Yolinda finally came to her advantage. Because of it, Luka was sure that he had no choice but to comply.
With inflation, it wouldn't benefit anyone. Money would lose its value and meaning, and only become worthless paper. If it wasn't soon dealt with then this inflation would result in a disaster. Money couldn't be used as a currency but then what could?
Luka's eyes widened. Gold and silver! Wasn't there a rise in gold purchases? At the banquet, Toln's chairman pulled Luka to a private talk. Back then, Luka didn't pay much attention to it because he was worried about Yana, but now he regretted it. What did the old man say? To prepare to invest in Gold and silver? That recently many close to the chairman purchased gold coins?
There was some sort of connection. The people in the high society… were not who they seemed to be. Luka shuddered involuntarily. He has been barely interacting with them for the 3 years when he became a CEO, so it was obvious he was new in that world.
There was more than it met the eye. These people weren't just rich and arrogant. Luka suddenly got a bad feeling. He didn't want to think about it anymore and just gave Bao the order to look into the gold and silver market. Luka would first worry about Yana, then this.