He had expected many things when he went away on his business trip, but a crisis of this magnitude was not anywhere near the top of that list. Oh, he wasn't stupid, Jacob knew it was always a possibility, this was Gotham City after all. However, there were many other things he had calculated as being far more likely possibilities of happening.
Especially considering that the False Face Society had already proven itself under its new leadership. The moment Roman Sionis had been killed, a new Black Mask taking the proverbial throne, the sharks had circled and pressed just a little.
Enough to make Jacob feel the pressure and sweat under the collar a little bit. He knew it was going to happen, takeovers of this magnitude always invited challenge from outside parties and all the pieces had been in place. It still made him nervous, but Jacob managed to weather the storm and proved that even under new leadership, the False Face Society was not to be fucked with.
So, business should have returned to usual, the crime lords had tested the waters and found them beaten back effectively. It was a showcase that peace was still more profitable than war and so none should have had any desire to push any further than that.
It was why after a few months he had felt confident in departing on one of his more valued and important business trips, something that would have secured a great deal of money and influence on a wider scale. Except, in his time gone, things had gone from great to bad, luckily they had not gone to worst, but that was just around the corner unless he cleaned up the mess that had been caused.
"Y-you're back early." David stuttered out fearfully, finally cracking under the pressure of the silence of the car.
Jacob hummed. "I hear your son, Harry is doing well." As soon as the name of his son was uttered, David tensed up in fear. "Third in his class I hear, and filling out quite nicely as well, you must be feeding him well. I am glad to see that the money I am giving you is going to good use, you're a good father. It was even through your son that you met Daphne, she's his teacher. You're a very lucky man, she is beautiful. Did you know that she used to be a model when she was younger to pay for her school tuition, nothing risque, but still very beautiful?"
"I-I."
"I did not say you could speak, I only want you to listen. Listening does not require you to make noises with your mouth." Jacob warned quietly, David going silent instantly. "You see, I travelled around the world over the past few weeks to secure deals and partnerships with various enterprises that would have seen us bringing in billions. Money that you would have seen a share of, allowing you to continue to treat your son and perhaps in the future, get Daphne a nice big ring and have many more children."
Jacob then indicated towards the man to his right, David watching the man reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket. "But, just as I was finishing up my dealings with Bane, a deal that would have brought billions in of itself, all of a sudden I am blindsided by information that my own enterprise is being attacked."
David watched as the man pulled out a thin chord, he knowing exactly what that could and would do to him, but he remained rooted to his seat. "Do you what made it worse?" It was a rhetorical question, David sparing a glance to the driver, seeing him moving his jacket just enough to reveal the gun, a warning. "That I had no idea about all this. I was humiliated by Bane and nearly had my entire plans with him go up in flames all because you didn't tell me."
Jacob then pointed to the chord, David's eyes tracking the movement. "Do you know what that is?" David nodded his head, but Jacob narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
"Y-yes."
"Do you know what it could be used for?"
"Y-yes."
"Do you know what it's like to die like that?"
"N-no."
"Do you want to know what it's like to die like that?"
David shook his head venehmently. "N-no."
"Then sit down in your seat, look straight ahead and tell me everything about what happened in the time I was gone," Jacob murmured. "But know this, if you lie or omit the truth then I will know."
David had no intention of lying and the words flowed from his mouth easily, he spilling every little detail of what had happened in the time Jacob had been gone. It was all things he knew already, Jacob had not returned to Gotham uninformed and on the journey back from Santa Prisca had already gathered every little detail he could to discover the truth of what had been going on.
Things had started off small, just a few of his peddlers being attacked and killed.
That was pretty standard and Jacob could understand why it was brushed off as inconsequential. However, that all changed when one of his warehouses was raided, all the produce was stolen and that which clearly could not be carried away was burnt. Hundreds of millions of dollars were either stolen or burnt in a single night.
That caught the attention of the False Face Society.
So, they made some moves, the lieutenants Jacob had recruited doing good work at tracking down the culprits, a biker gang, the Street Demonz. They took out a few, but other than that, the Street Demonz had gotten away relatively unharmed. Their base of operations was unknown and people wondered if they even had one to begin with the biker gang always moved throughout the city, never staying in one place for too long.
However, by that point, the other crime lords began to smell blood in the water and like the sharks they were, began to circle once more. The lieutenants did a good job in holding them off, Jacob admiring the way David handled it, playing it off as a test for them to cover for his own inability to make calculated decisions.
But while they held off the other crime lords, the Street Demonz were able to run rampant with much more precision and decisiveness, hitting a number of high-value locations and either stealing or destroying what was there. Even now, as Jacob sat here, he knew that the other crime lords were looking to take a chunk of what was his, the Street Demonz out there, waiting for their next target.
All the while, the informant in his ranks was just biding his time.
Jacob knew there was one, it was the only thing that explained why the Street Demonz had become so much more effective and precise in their choice of targets. Someone was feeding them information and when Jacob found them, he would make them pay.
"You can rest, David," Jacob told the man, leaning back fully into his chair. "As I said, you're a good father and I like you for that. But do not think for a moment that you are anything more than an actor. You can play the role of a crime lord, but you do not think like one and therefore are not one. The next time I go away to do something important and if something like this happens, I expect to be informed straight away."
"Of course, absolutely." David agreed instantly, relief beginning to fill him.
"Take a look once more, at what he holds in his hand." Hesitantly, David did so, well aware of what that could do to him. "The next time you fail me like this, we will be in this very same position, the passenger seat empty and waiting for you. But as you walk towards my car I want you to know something. Daphne will have already been collected by men and will be taken around my garrisons, each man having their turn until she serves no further use to me."
His tone was relaxed and calm as he spoke, completely opposite to the words he spoke sending a chill down David's spine.
"As for your son," as horrifying as the thought of what happened to Daphne was, the mention of his son made his heart freeze. "He will have already been handed off to the rich 1% that have a particular liking to young boys like him. Either that or will have been fed to a pack of starving dogs, tearing him apart as he screams out for you to save him. Same as when he is used by fat men and decrepit women."
Pulling out a roll of cash, Jacob leaned forwards and handed it off to David who numbly grabbed it. "Know this, David. You fail me like this again and it won't just be you who suffers, but you're family also. Now, I suggest you go back inside and enjoy your time with them, by Harry some more ice cream, it's on me. Go home, tuck him into bed and make love to Daphne. Make sure she remembers what you're like inside of her because if you fail me, Harry will only know the type of love that a child like him should not know. And Daphne will soon forget what you feel like inside of her as hundreds take your place."
Mutely, David left, Jacob leaning back into his seat, the car driving out onto the streets. Though he had reminded David of his place, Jacob was still left with his mess to clean up. Fortunately, he still had stores of Venom stockpiled in his main base of operations, he didn't trust it being stored anywhere else just yet.
If things got really bad then he would have to tip his hand earlier than he would have liked. Nonetheless, it was a price Jacob was willing to pay to hold onto what is his. Nothing and no one would take what belonged to him because he was a greedy man, everything under the sun, the moon and the stars was his to take.