Between the Lines

Chapter 1

The conference hall was bustling with murmurs, clicks, and flashes from the cameras as all eyes were fixed on the people seated on the dais. The press bombarded them with questions, but the main focus was on one individual standing out as the star of the show—a young business tycoon who had quickly risen from rags to riches with no apparent background to speak of. His financial company was revolutionizing money transaction services, making them quicker and more user-friendly than ever before. The Silverstone Group was attracting a growing list of high-profile clients, from celebrities to wealthy heirs and influential politicians of the Bellmont city.

Among the crowd, Marti Kupper was fiddling with his recorder, more focused on it than the ongoing event. He wasn't there to write a flattering report about this rising star of the business world; rather, the themes that interested him were significantly darker.

A little lull in the fast-paced question-and-answer session that had been going on for a while allowed Marty to raise an arm and ask his own question at last:

"All of us are here today to learn more about the merger between the Silverstone Group and Paylee Inc. So I want to ask the executives about market manipulation and antitrust law violations that led to this merger. What can you say about inflating stock prices and misleading shareholders about the true nature of the deal? Marty Kupper, from the TruthSeekers, thank you for the answer in advance."

The cameras clicked even more furiously to capture the unexpected turn of events, and before Marty could finish his question, the hall erupted in a flurry of discussion and shouted questions.

The dark eyes of Crispin Hunkler, the CEO of the Silverstone Group, which were wandering above the crowd of reporters, focused on Marty. This unnerving gaze finally sparked with some interest, like a boy who found a particularly shiny rock amidst the thousands of gray ones. The businessman replied to him with a slight smile on his lips: "That's quite the observation, young man. I haven't heard of this esteemed outlet before, but I'm sure you, as a professional journalist, will be able to find all the answers to your questions in a certain article in the newest issue of Bellmont Times done by your colleagues. Our dear shareholders can feel at ease knowing that the merger procedure is outlined in detail, step by step, in that article. Is that all you wanted to ask, Mr... Copper?"

"My name is Kupper; thank you, Mister Hunkler; no more questions. I just wanted to see how you would answer. In gratitude for that exchange, I want to inform Mister Hunkler and everyone else about the expose published on our website by me and my team about the unfair business practices that the Silverstone Group employed in this particular case, complete with the full process of our investigation and evidence, which is also sent to the police. Coincidentally, some of the information we used was graciously provided by my sources in the Bellmont Times, which Mister Hunkler pointed out so kindly."

Hunkler's eyes narrowed, and he was ready to retort, but his head of PR quickly cleared his throat into the mic, and responded in his stead:

"We are not sure to which so-called "unfair practices" Mister Kupper is referring to, but Silverstone's PR team will issue a statement shortly to assure our shareholders and the rest of the public of our commitment to transparency and accountability in everything we do. Thank you for your continued support and interest in Silverstone Group. The press conference has come to an end, and we will be happy to see everyone next time around!"

Hunkler shot a glance at Marty, his gaze probing. Despite the tension in the room that buzzed around him with disapproval, Marty held his eyes, until Hunkler's henchmen invited him to leave.

After the hasty retreat of the board members, the astonished press quickly switched to Marty for some answers.

***

Not accustomed to being the subject of the interview, he managed to get out of the situation after sharing the information where citizens could find the exposé. Marty encouraged them to forward the story to the appropriate authorities and ask them questions as concerned citizens about what will happen in the event of such fraudulent behavior.

It was already dark when Marty drove to his house. He stepped into the back alley that held their street's only trash container to have a smoke.

This was the part of town where the rent was cheaper, and the doors were thicker with more locks latched on them. The old lady he rented from since high school was two heads shorter than him but had the ability to give an earful to the brat twice his size. The old lady threw out his cigarettes whenever she caught him smoking at home. And lectured his well-smoked and odorous self, when he returned from pulling all-nighters in their mist-filled office.

The area wasn't ideal, nor was his rented room spacious enough for a grown man, even though he never thought about moving out, only smiling in anticipation of a new telling off.

The phone in his trousers vibrated just as he was lighting up his cigarette. He held the pack and lighter with one hand, pulling out his phone with the other.

Without checking the caller ID, he answered with the cigarette butt between his lips, "Hi, Reto, what's the news?"

"Hey, boss, in the first few hours following the conference, our site could hardly handle the amount of traffic! Heidy was worried it would go down, but we were able to get it running! That, I believe, is the most number of views our articles have ever received!" Marty smirked at the rarely-seen enthusiasm in Reto's voice.

In their team of five, Reto oversaw all aspects outside of the technical and investigative side of things, serving as the director of marketing, public relations, and office management. Reto was studying public relations at the university when Marty met him, and after they graduated, Marty asked him to join TruthSeekers. Reto was disabled as a young man and has needed to use a wheelchair ever since; as a result, he has been experiencing difficulties finding work.

"Has the police already taken action?"

Reto's silence after this question was telling enough, and Marty raised his gaze to look at the small expanse of the violet-black sky, that he was able to glimpse through the roofs, pipes, messy coils of cable wires and knocked-out tops of dim lampposts.

"Aye, just as we expected." He took out the cigarette to puff out the cloud of smoke.

"Our insider claims that they have already received the signal from higher up to put the case on hold and defuse public concern by making evasive statements."

"Well, they might play for time, but it wouldn't necessarily stop the people from wanting the answers; let's wait first before pushing them harder. Tell everyone to rest well; we have all been working hard the last few days."

"Yes, boss!"

"Good night, Reto."

"Night!"

Marty was attempting to put the phone back in the pocket of his pants when he noticed that his other hand was becoming hotter. The cigarette butt that he took out earlier somehow managed to light up the whole pack he was holding in the same hand. He dropped the burning pack to the ground, prepared to stomp it out. Just as the small fire was falling down, its flame lit up something strange poking out from the back of the container.

Marty crouched down and put on his glasses. He nearly fell onto his backside as the view in front of him came into focus. That thing was a human hand with a golden band on it's ring finger.

It was the ring that reflected the fire early, drawing his attention.

The ring was fashioned to resemble a rose. With a ruby blossom in the center, the stalk wrapped around the finger. Marty's heart raced as he realized that this ring looked familiar to him.