Unedited~
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Night time blanketed the sky. It was a velvety dark blue that went as far as the eyes could see. Stars littered the sky and not too far was the half full moon that gave off a dull white light. A man made his way forward under the haze of this dim darkness. He couldn't help releasing a small sigh as he walked however he still walked along. He was dressed in a black leather overcoat, fitting as hardly anyone could spot anything but his shadow as he walked down the very dreary, and oddly smelly, path between two tall buildings. Those buildings looked like it had seen better days but still stood strong and in some windows, dim lights could be seen.
There were streetlights however they seemed as if they'd been in their position for decades without maintenance. Their dull yellow flickered only for a few seconds then completely went dead as he walked up the dirty alley and under it.
In the dim darkness, there was a rustle followed by more movement a little further down however the man held not even a pinch of fear as he trodded down the wet, smelly path.
Why would he be afraid even? He was a man on a mission.
On his head was a simple cap, resembling something from an army general and the small brim of that cap casted an even darker shadow over his already dark and calculating eyes. His hands with visible bones because he lost so much more weight in the past few weeks or so was buried in the deep pockets of his trench coat and even as he breathed, the cold night made his every breath visible.
Issac, in all his glory, made his way down a path he made sure to memorise and although he walked with very spirited and lively steps. It really seemed like he had seen better days.
Gone was the mature and wise gaze of a very upright and uptight individual. Gone was the sturdiness and pride of having success and gone was the man who held his head up and his shoulders square. What remained in its place was a strange eerie yet determined glint in his irises, that glint was emphasized by the dark sizable bags under his eyes.
Isaac no longer carried the air of a wealthy businessman standing ontop of the very few on his level. He no longer had the air of a man at the very peak of his career, riding out the waves. He was now one who had seen the world and a man who had nothing left to lose. He was also...so tired. Both physically and mentally.
But did he let that stop him? Absolutely not!
It was no lie that he had nothing left to lose.
These past few weeks put him through some stages that would've sent any other man his age into the dirt. Each 'stage' was more devastating than the last. It was as if he was a fawn sprinting through the woods with his heart beating in his ears and chasing him was a beast of a bear. He experienced...emotions that made him a wreck and was nearly driven mad as his life crumbled before his very eyes. That was enough stress to loose what few stands of hair remained on his head over that course of time. The stress had even left him bedridden for two whole days.
Now that it was all over -maybe it was over, he wasn't very sure. Now that all that happened, it wasnt a stretch to say he had nothing.
That company -No, that man- Osoro. Even the thought of his name sparked a deep hatred and rage deep within his heart, mind and soul. His hands in his pockets were immediately clenched into a tight fist.
Elijah Osoro picked him dry like a fucking vulture and practically left his bones to the earthworms and to rot in harsh weather. Osoro left him to ruins as that man had done many before him. Isaac had seen it all and never in his life back then did he think he'd eventually fall victim to that same fate.
Still, he took the risk and it was only right to accept the outcome of such a risk. What kind of business man would he be if he didn't take risks? Before now Isacc almost fully registered to this fate, accepting the loss and all that came with it. He still had some savings in some offshore accounts and was really prepared to go into hiding if necessary.
He almost did and made the preparations too...however, after a specific news reached his ears he no longer wanted to resign to that sad and depressing fate.
Sienna, his short lasting partner and very trusty aid couldn't bare the weight of the massive loss and that loss caused some other interested parties to poke their nose in. It was only then that the news came alight from a very anonymous tip. A tip that caused many deep investigations and audits. After that, her very rampant tax fraud and evasion that went under the wraps for years, enough for her to owe the country billions, was exposed to the world. Seinna nearly ended her own life and was now under suicide watch while she awaited her scheduled date to appear in court.
Isaac was in disbelief and denial however that evaporated into thin air when he read that news and realized something. Either he did something about it now or he would soon end up in her shoes and the clock was ticking.
Isaac wouldn't lie that his hands were clean but it would be a huge problem if this facts were made known to the world. Sienna hid her misgiving well...even from him and that...Osoro was able to pick it out. Isaac had his own connections hidden as well and he wasn't going to sit around and wait for it to end up on some official's desk.
His hate for that one man and his cooperation lit a fire inside him and that burning hate turned into vengeance. Elijah Osoro had simply went too far and would his name be Isaac if he simply took it while lying down?
And what's the harm anyway? Isaac ended up chuckling to himself. It wasn't as if he had anything else to lose right. It didn't take more than a few days for the unrest to build and miraculously his company collapsed from the inside, everything and everyone suddenly turned against him and in that battle he lost the support of the board and without that support, he was simply voted out of his own seat of his own organization he built from the ground up.
The person who took his seat? It was his profit hungry successor, one who Isaac would never in his right mind put in any executive position. That boy successfully and very surprisingly won the popular vote of both shareholders and the board then got promoted. His first action before the seat even got warm was to bring forward a change and Isaac sat back and watched as his entire organization was divided up by each sector and sold off to the highest bidder. It was chaotic and many lost their jobs over the course of a few days.
Isaac was then plunged into debt before he could blink from the many million dollar clauses he had to pay out. It was written in the contract of his executives that if they were to suddenly lose their job, their severance were to be paid so those people didn't find him and string him up from his intestines in court.
It was literal hell, however, compared to a few weeks ago, Isaac felt light.
Although his situation could make a poverty stricken soul pity him, his steps didnt falter, not one bit.
'Fine...' he sighed out loud. If that man was so deliberate and determined into making him the villain. Why not? He had no family, not now at least, and nothing to his name except his offshore savings at this point. He was putting it to very good use.
Elijah Osoro stepped on many heads to get to the top and it was almost painfully easy to find like minded people... a lot of underground men who were more... in tune with Isaac's way of thinking. By his efforts, isaac got the most influential of all as his little friend and current business partner.
The stage? They'd set it beautifully, however it wasn't sufficient enough and since they weren't liking the idea of using their own...Isaac had to take the reigns and go seek out a little extra help for himself. Now, seeing how close he was, isaac steeled himself and walked a little faster.
Isaac paused a few minutes later during his long walk. He then turned to his left, went down another long winding path. He walked past and ignored the gaze of both men and women alike. They were visibly dirty and had taken shelter from the elements in this small junction and although their weary gazes followed his every steps, neither of them moved.
This wasn't exactly the nicest part of town and one could see the depravity crawling in each and every crevice and corners.
It wasn't long before Isasc saw working streetlights again which let him know that he had reached his destination. A tall residential building that looked anything but. There seemed to be a party of some sorts because people lingered about at a specific block and loud roudy laughter that penetrated the night air at random intervals could be heard.
Isaac found his face twitching however he didn't let that deter him and stepped forward.
Here was where that...person had escaped to. Being out in the open must've been quite the experience for this man if he chose to hide himself in this dump. In fact, Isaac only found him after using his newfound underground connections he was forced to resort to.
Isaac found himself reading up on his affairs and that man seemed to suffer his own lines of misfortune. Still Isaac thought it wasn't as harsh as what he himself and Sienna had to face. If their experience was the explosion of a nuclear bomb, his experience from the fallout was maybe a little of the gusty radiation filled wind that came afterwards.
It was evident though. Elijah Osoro allowed none of them to walk off without a scratch. It really was quite ruthless and Isaac found himself steeped in internal distaste. Isaac was still very understanding even in his misfortune...A man like Osoro couldn't simply get to where he stood by being a forgiving and peace loving saint.
Isaac's gaze lingered for a while then he felt emboldened and continued his walk with renewed vigor. He ignored the chants and whistles from drunk women dressed like prostitutes and walked with heavy steps until he later got to his final stop.
It was the shoddy door of an apartment complex. The wall next to it even had peeling paint.
Isaac lifted his hands to knock but before doing so he thought better of it and went for the knob. It was locked, unsurprisingly. Isaac hardened his gaze and resorted to using other means. Less than two minutes later the door burst open. The flimsy wood was similar to paper under his force. It didn't take much energy to open it either, Isac was surprised it didn't collapse after swinging open.
On the inside, the complex was dark. As Isaac waited for his eyes to adjust he suddenly moved to his right after seeing a flurry of movement. The glass bottle that was aimed at his head, but was so far off he didn't even have to move, hit the wall behind him and smashed into a million pieces.
Immediately afterwards, the dim cheap lights came on and Isaac was greeted by the sight of depravity and depression all mixed into one.
The light wasn't very bright but it was enough to expose the dirty room littered with beer bottles and fast food boxes. Days of dust seemed to linger on the sparse furniture and all in all, it was a horrid sight. The dusty and unsightly smell alone could give even the most resilient person rhinitis.
And deep within this pig sty? Was his old acquaintance.
Ethan looked as if he'd seen many better and brighter days. His hair was overgrown by a few inches, his stumble looked days away from developing into a rugged tangled beard, his tired eyes were tinted red as if he took something and his face and body was littered with bruises. His left hand was wrapped and hung close to his body, looking as if it needed a cast.
Ethan didn't look much better than the vagrants outside on the street.
Isaac knew why he was like this and had to sigh to hide his chuckle of ridicule. Right...in contrast to many preconceived connotations, this in itself wasn't exactly caused by Elijah Osoro, their main foe, but was brought onto himself...by himself.
Isaac made sure to brief himself before coming here because after all, one couldn't go into any battle with only a stick and vibes. He needed to be well educated in order to drive the conversation only where it needed to be.
Elijah Osoro wasn't the kind to order a beating for anyone. Isaac knew that man's style was more of a passive agressive psychological warfare which he excelled at and which they all experienced it first hand. That man almost drove Sienna to suicide while barely lifting a finger so that much was clear.
Ethan didn't have a huge business to sabotage but he did lose everything along with him and Sienna, Issac had read.
After the infidelity his wife confronted him about, she later escaped to her family after he hit her. He later lost his family's trust, lost an inheritance that would've left him without worry for years to come and even the money he got from his deal with Issac and Sienna got exposed and harshly taxed. Although he had an arrest warrant out there for beating his wife in blind rage, his wife's family wasn't about to let it slide that easily and hired someone of their own to give him a taste of his own medicine.
One thing led to another, he ran with his tail tucked and was now hiding here.
Isaac thought his newfound connections were very dependable. He got the entire situation and even though it wasn't obvious, one could still see how Elijah's manipulation controlled the scene from beginning to end. Truly a very ruthless individual.
It didn't taking before another bottle was sent flying at his head. This one missed him only by a couple of inches.
"You! -What the fuck do you want!" Ethan spat at him, almost shaking in his grumbling rage. He stared at the man who appeared in his room, a man he thought he'd never have to see again in his entire life.
A few minutes ago when his doorknob started turning, Ethan felt something akin to fear and terror thinking those men who put him in such a state had found him again. Seeing Issac, Ethan was relived however that relief turned into irritation as he remembered how they parted last time.
It wasn't on good terms.
Ethan didn't know where everything went so horribly wrong. One moment he was wealthy with an added fortune that'd come in the very moment those dinosaurs in his family croaked then the next moment it all vanished before his eyes. His family, his status and wealth, everything.
Ethan was nearly driven mad from it all as he sat in the appartment eating pizza till it started becoming tasteless. Not only that...they had the audacity to put their hands on him too.
Diane sent them, or those old hags of her's did. He knew this as a fact and felt so wronged by everything. A normal man would go clinically insane if they were to get a taste of the emotions rushing through his system.
It really wasn't his fault. He stood strong by this statement.
He didn't mean to hit Diane back then but how dare she confront him, threaten with exposing her baseless accusations after living off him so long, like a fucking leech. He told her to stay put and she still disappeared the morning after, taking his fucking son. Even now he still felt angry just thinking about it.
Still, the pain in his head and the aches all over his body only reminded him of the hellscape that came afterwards. Isaac appearing like a fuckkng bad memory wasn't making his situation any better.
His gaze pierced into the man standing by his open door but Isaac was unmoved and openly unphased. He drew the door to a close and speared the man to one place with a single glance.
"Its been hard on you," He started speaking after closing the door gently.
Ethan who was filled to the brim with steam, opened his mouth to argue then closed it immediately after because the man's very concerned and sympathetic voice caught him off guard.
"Y...yeah?" Ethan was like a stream engine running out of water, trying his hardest to ignore the pain in his body, he agreed. After all, life really had been hard on him.
"I heard what happened and felt the need to stop by-" Isacc murmured in that same gentle voice, as if he was placating a tantrum throwing child.
Ethan was non the wiser and thought that was only right. Who else was checking up on him? Even the homeless on the street avoided him when he tried to find someone to moan about his shitty life to.
Over a month ago he was doing great, possibly reaching his peak and everything was going exactly how he wanted it to. Now it felt like he hit rock bottom. He felt like a drowned dog. At least someone, even if it was one he didn't expect, found his situation pitiful.
Ethan looked around, it was kind of strange seeing this man without his other half, then he laughed to himself. "-Heard that frigid bitch of your's nearly offed herself."
Turning away, he missed the sudden hard glint in Isaac's eyes and the eye twitch. Ethan found a bottle that wasn't quite out of beer yet and turned it to his head. Truthfully, he didn't pay attention to the news much but seeing a glimpse of that woman's misfortune after she mouthed off to him, filled him with more than an ounce of satisfaction.
"I knew she was fragile from the beginning," he sighed heavily, "Women are fragile at heart-"
"Exactly," Ethan agreed immediately. Siena's attempt on her own life didn't even phase him, he felt it was deserved.
"It's understandable," he heard Isaac's voice again, the man was slowly but surely drawing closer, "After all, all of us have suffered."
Ethan couldn't help his frown, "Not as much as I did, I bet."
There was a moment of silence before, "You're...correct-"
Hearing the man's agreement, Ethan felt emboldened to continue and nodded with an almost crazed look in his eyes, "I'm no criminal...even back then I only did as you people asked...It was nothing! I shouldnt even be here-!" Slouched over muttering to himself, Isaac thought the man before him looked no better than the wastes he walked past on the streets before while on the way here.
Isaac's eye twitched again. Over the course of days of living like this, the man infront of him had gotten even more delusional and incoherent. It was one thing to read about, totally another thing to witness first hand in his opinion. Although annoyed, Isaac didn't let it bother him...much. This type of dangerously narcissistic and malleable character was exactly what he and his newfound friends needed.
"-And Sophia, that bitch-!" He went on another long tangent and just as Isaac expected, that woman's name popped up out of nowhere. It was an obsession at this point and he delved into drawn out rant about the woman he once chased. Isaac listened pensively, that was until he finally found a moment to fall in.
"Yes, yes, while I do agree with that sentiment," he clasped his hands magnanimously, "I believe more than half the blame for this lays on another shoulders."
Ethan rolled his eyes, noticing that isaac was plenty closer to where he sat than when the man first entered.
"The fuck you're going on about! And dont think I forgot the shit you did either-!" Ethan snapped at him.
"You know, as I think about it now ever since I met you my fucking life started falling apart-!"
Isaac's brows flew upwards but this didnt let him panic, not one bit. "Was it ever since you met me...or ever since she met him-?"
Ethan didnt know how to respond, in fact he stared at Isaac very dully for nearly a minute before cursing again. "You little-" he moved a bit too fast then winced immediately afterwards.
"It must've been hard," Isaac sighed deep within his chest, pitying the poor fellow infront of him even more. He continued in a very pitying voice afterwards, "You've noticeably hit rock bottom and you don't even know the reason."
Ethan frowned then his eyes were lit with an eerie flame. He thought back then frowned deeply. "-Oh I do, and if I could find that bitch who had the audacity to approach my wife I'd-"
"Isn't she your ex wife now?" Isaac raised a brow.
Ethan immediately flew up off his seat, "I didn't sign no fucking papers -And how the fuck do you know-!"
"Hm?" Isaac gazed at him disbelievingly. "Plus I have my ways-"
"I think you should fuck off before I smash your face open with one of these," Ethan grabbed a beer bottle.
"You lost your wife, money and position and never bought to question why...somehow, I find myself feeling sorry for you, Ethan."
Ethan didn't know how to respond and Isaac's alknowing gaze that seemed to look right through him only made him even more mad and flustered, "I didn't loose my fucking wife-! Its...its just one of her little phase-! When this blows over she'll need a fucking father for that brat. Dianne needs me-! And what, I can just get another fucking job too when this blows over, I've got over a decade of experience you fucking-"
Isaac, who smiled internally, gave Ethan a very solemn look and immediately fizzed out the debate with a shrug. "Well if that's what you believe then it must be correct, however...do you really think that man will allow you to simply reappear and integrate back into society?"
Hearing something new, Ethan paused then frowned, "I don't fucking care -which man!"
"But you should care," Isaac chuckled lightly. "If Elijah Osoro could draw up that elaborate scheme to get you in this state without you even being aware that he's somehow behind it, surely you're not of the view that it ends here?" he raised a brow?
Ethan lost his steam and appeared like a deflated balloon. His brows were knitted tightly as he slowly came up to terms with Isaac's explanation. Elijah Osoro...wouldn't that be the man who embarrassed him infront of Sophia back then? That man who was fucking Sophia? Sophia's man?
"That ..H-how is he involved in this?"
"Were you not listening to anything I said before?" Isaac frowned then shook his head, "You poor pitiful thing...you think those women just got up one day and decided to find and approach your wife?"
Ethan couldn't believe his ears. In fact he didn't want to. He already made himself believe that women were crazy and fucking idiotic. An old mistress approached his wife because she was jealous, that's all!
Of course he did think about it being with someone's else's push and was slightly wary but it simply never occurred to him... so far he was only slighted by his own family and his wife's family, he didn't have time to think if it was someone stroking the flames from deep behind the scenes. And even if he did he wouldn't have guessed that it was fucking Elijah Osoro, Sophia's very own man that looked down from his nose at him from day fucking one.
Ethan couldn't imagine but internally his cells were more than happy to find another scapegoat to blame his misfortune on...especially on a man he somehow hated by association. The man that fucked the woman he didn't even get to touch.
As Isaac watched the cogs and wheels turning inside Ethan's head, he felt very satisfied with himself.
At first he and Sienna came to understand just how narcissistic and self serving the man before him now was and used that to their own advantage. Isaac had no qualms about doing it all over again. Ethan was a man that would blame the world instead of picking on his own flaws...in fact, Isaac wouldn't be surprised if the man thought he had any flaws at all.
Ethans situation and aches anly made him worse and more susceptible. Isaac didn't have to do much yet his sacrificial lamb had took his own leech and was leading himself into the den.
Seeing the very odd and accusing gaze on Ethan's face, Isaac was more than happy to continue in the most solemn voice he could muster. "Do you realise now...with that man around...you wont even get to have a glimpse of your own son, forget your wife...you won't even get a chance to breathe fresh air outside this dump. The Osoro's blacklist is a special kind of blacklist...you wouldn't even be hired to pick trash off the street so forget the thought of ever earning a dollar by your own hardworking in the coming years."
The more he spoke, the more Ethans eyes lost life. He was taking a look around at his shoddy apartment and himself. As if a brick had hit him in the head he came to the very startling revelation that he was doomed to this life, a wasteful he always joked about and pitied at the bar with some acquaintances to was happy to suck up to him because of his position.
Hell, he'd soon end up on the streets with the way his last bit off savings were disappearing in front of his eyes.
Ethan saw the homeless. In fact, he had to pass them a few times per week down the alley when he snuck out to the convenience store for another case of beer or food. If his situation was bad then their's were closer to hell.
Ethan was alarmed. He was only biding his time. He never intended to live like this forever!
"So you see," he heard Isaac's voice through the panicky haze. "It's simple, we can never walk free with a man like him still around-" Isaac muttered offhandedly, his voice trailing off in suspense.
Ethan thought the same. Would he have to jump the border to Mexico??
Isaac however continued his little speech on a very different wavelength from what he thought, "That's why he must go."
"Go?" Ethan asked with knitted brows. "Go where?"
Issac stared at him with a very dim gaze before rolling his eyes and sighing. Afterwards, he walked and stood up front, gazing at him deeply with very clear eyes. "Don't you see? Elijah Osoro is a pest, do you think we're the only ones he slighted?"
"I don't...know..."
"There's many out there with a bone to pick with that man. People who lost their living and had to turn to very unfavorable means to survive, people who's hardworking only served as a stepping stone to build that up man's wealth empire, some who knew him on a personal level and did not part on good terms, that and many more laying in waiting-"
"I don't understand how this is relevant."
"I've gotten in touch with some of those...friends off mine to put an end to this issue once and for all however, seeing as you suffered the most it's only right that you take part in this," Isaac smiled, as if he was doing Ethan a favor.
Ethan opened his mouth to respond only to pause as Isaac continued.
"Everything's already planned and when this is all over, there's no doubt that you'll go back to your life from before, your wife and family...they're only misguided I'm sure. Without his influence I'm a hundred percent sure they'll accept you again."
Ethan thought hard, pain blossomed on his face the more he used his facial muscles however be tried his best to ignore it.
In the end, he only thought Isaac was rational. After all, why wouldn't his family accept him, he was the only one eligible for the family's inheritance. -And Diane, as much as she didn't want to admit it, without him she'd be a whore on the street. She had no skills or certification from being a stay at home mom so who on earth would give her a job. Her family was never rich to begin with wither.
They needed him and Ethan angrily convinced himself of this fact. In his mind.. Ethan could never imagine himself being the wrong one in any situation. It was simply impossible.
"What...what do I do-" he later found himself agreeing to go along with whatever. While he did get slighted at first by Isaac and his counterparts, he was willing to look past that since they were all in the same boat now and Isaac was proposing something very favorable. If all Isaac said was correct, that also meant they were all fucked over by that same man. Who would sit and resign themselves to this?
As he watched Ethan, Isaac smiled internally, he knew coming here wouldn't be a waste. He understood Ethan's personality very well and this man was never too difficult to deal with. It was a cake walk and Isaac didn't even have to do much.
Isaac withheld his smile and latter disgust as he sat down in the filth of empty snack wrappers and bottles after clearing it to the side with one hand. Ethan was quick to join him.
"You see...Our plan is actually very simple...here's what you have to do."
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Hey everyone!!
We finally made it!! Hope y'all are okay and staying safe and I also hope y'all are enjoying the story. Thanks for being so patient between chapters ♡♡♡ really means a lot.
Hope y'all enjoyed reading this chapter and remember to vote comment and share ♡♡ (if and whenever you can)
I'll be seeing y'all next chapter
Nessa~