The tension in the room was palpable as the only sounds heard were the echoing footsteps of the individual pacing back and forth.
The luxurious meeting area on the top floor of the towering building felt eerily empty, with only a handful of people seated at the massive conference table.
All eyes were fixated on the screen of the television, displaying images of a dark-haired figure donning a cap.
"What the fuck is this?" the man shouted, causing the four individuals to flinch in their seats.
"Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Didn't you all say that you made sure he wouldn't be alive anymore?" he continued, his voice dripping with anger.
"S-sir, I'm sure his car was thrashed—" a bald, overweight man spoke up, but he was quickly interrupted by the man's furious retort.
"Then what is this? A ghost? Do you have the brain of a child? Can't you clearly see that he is alive, and he is already aware that someone is trying to kill him?" The man's tone grew increasingly menacing as he spoke.
"And who is this peepy nerd beside him?" he snarled, his gaze shifting to the woman with long black hair and brown eyes.
She stuttered as she replied, "S-sir, I-I asked him about that guy, He said he is his driver!"
"Driver? Are you kidding me?" The man barked a bitter laugh.
"Did you all lose your brains? Or did you put them in trash cans before stepping into this fucking room?"
His voice rose with each word, booming like thunder. "Who in their right mind would bring a fucking driver into their office?"
"I'm not feeding you all with this much money just to do a sloppy job. Either provide me with the specifics of that glass screen project or kill him to take over the company, if you cannot do this in the next month, consider your lives turning hell", he said in a low tone taking in deep breaths.
"Now what are you staring down for? Get the fuck out!", he shouted pointing at the door as all four people stood up and left.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen, his mind consumed by the image of the man with long black hair and a cap.
"Why now of all times?" he muttered, his voice thick with frustration.
He reached for his phone and quickly dialled a number, the tension in the air thickening with each passing moment. After a few rings, a woman answered, her voice laced with seduction.
"Hello sugar," she purred.
"Where are you?" the man demanded.
"Whoa, easy there tiger, why are you so angry?" she replied with a hint of amusement.
"It's all because of your ex," he spat.
"Didn't you kill him though?" she asked, her tone now more serious.
"He's alive somehow," he growled. "Did you ever tell him about us?"
"No, I thought keeping it a secret would be better for now," she responded.
"I need some important information from him," he said, his voice lowering.
"I knew the secret would come in handy, so don't worry. I'll get that. Send me the specifics," she assured him.
"I'll do that," he replied, his tone more relaxed now.
"Great, in return. Let's meet at a fancy bar tonight," she said, her voice dripping with seduction, as the phone call disconnected.
----[POV: River Hart]
"What are you looking at, sir?", Cedric asked as we drove back to our apartment.
"Previous River's chats", I replied.
"How did you know that his girlfriend was cheating on him?", I asked.
"Oh, that? Actually, we collected the deleted data from his phone and found those photos, apparently, he deleted those photos later on, I am assuming he must have thought of some sort of revenge, but by nature, he was a good guy and couldn't afford to hurt her", he replied.
"Then, was his girlfriend aware of the fact that River knew of her affair?", I asked.
"What do you mean?", he asked back.
"I mean, from the chats, he has had with everyone, no one knows what he knows, everyone thinks that he is being manipulated but in reality, he was formulating his own scheme", I said.
"Ok?"
"So that means, since I am now River, I have a girlfriend, who is cheating on me, a mother who has abandoned me, employees who are stealing from me, and friends that are trying to kill me", I said.
"…Precisely", Cedric said.
"A very peculiar situation", I remarked.
"Can we arrange a movie cast?", I asked.
"Uh, where did that come from sir?",
"Oh, c'mon, think of it like this, we've got a recipe for a blockbuster movie!", I said.
"I don't quite get it", Cedric said.
"Look… We've got cheating lovers, an abandoned child - our main character, thieving employees, and murderous friends. All we need is a catchy title and a star-studded cast!", I said.
"…"
"Sir, are you really thinking about making a movie right now?", Cedric asked.
"Well, why not? It's not like we have anything better to do," I replied.
"I don't think that's a good idea, sir," Cedric said.
"Oh, come on, don't be such a Debbie Downer. We've got a story that's begging to be told," I said.
"I think we should focus on more pressing matters, like, I don't know, staying alive," Cedric said.
"Pfft, details, details. We'll figure it out. But first, we need to come up with a title. How about 'Love, Betrayal, and a Murderous Plot'? It's got a nice ring to it," I suggested.
"Sir, I really don't think this is the time to be thinking about movie titles," Cedric said, exasperated.
"Fine, the movie will be made after these people's death then", I muttered.
"What?", Cedric exclaimed.
"I mean, I will do that once life is back on a peaceful track", I said.
"I thought I heard something else", Cedric muttered.
"Get your ears checked", I said.
"I think I need an appointment with a psychiatrist too, sir", he muttered.