The graveyard was quiet. Two young men, perhaps 25 or 26, stood before a tombstone bearing the name, "Elliot Owls." The date of death showed he had passed away only a few days prior.
The first man had sleek, curled black hair pulled back, with a few strands falling over his forehead. He wore an immaculate full white three-piece suit and a silver piercing glinted on his left ear. His companion had long hair, tied back with a simple thread, and was dressed completely in black. His black shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing a mysterious necklace.
They sat there for a long moment.
"Oh," the one in white finally said, frowning. "So he finally died, huh!"
The man in black replied, "I thought he would live a little longer."
"Don't mock him; he was already on his deathbed," the man in black countered. "Dying of old age is a rare fortune for families like theirs—one not many get to have." He paused, then added, "If you have to worry about something, worry about the heir to the Owls."
The white one's frown melted into a cunning smile. "Ahh, yes! I was so consumed by grief seeing the old man's grave that I forgot why we came here."
"You're still mocking him, you asshole."
"Mocking?! Oh, no, no, no!" The white one pressed a hand dramatically to his chest. "I am seriously in grief. He was such a good boss, giving us bonuses and gifts all the time. Now, do you know what the next heir will be like? How will he treat us?" He shivered exaggeratedly. "Ooooo, I am scaaaared."
"Stop messing around, dumbass. Let's get going now. What was the name of the place again? Gi... Gil... Gi... Fuck!"
***********************************************************
THE GILBER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, SOMEWHERE FAR EAST FROM THE GRAVEYARD
It was recess time. The campus buzzed with students—some played basketball, others shared their boring lunches. Yet, amidst the hubbub, one student was making his profit in the restrooms.
"Did you really complete it?!" a boy whispered.
"Yes, sir!!" A third person exclaimed, "33 pages completed in a single night. All handwritten."
"Damn, bro, thanks. I was so scared you wouldn't be able to finish the assignment in such a short time."
The third person chimed in, "Derrick, don't be a fool; this is our great Edward. He can do anything for the right price."
Edward felt a small swell of pride at the praise. As the two boys checked the paper, Edward discreetly cleared his throat—AHEM—to signal it was time for payment.
"Oh, yeah, the money. Sure, the money... Listen, bro, there's a small 'inconvenience.'"
"Hm?... What?" Edward asked, sounding unsurprised.
"See, I thought there was no way you could complete it in one night. So I agreed on $80. But this assignment isn't even worth $10. So I'll just give you ten. Honestly, that's generous, as I don't think anyone else would give you even $8."
The third guy, Andy, backed up Derrick and told Edward to take it and leave. "See, even Andy agrees with me. Now let's get going; I'm hungry, and recess is almost over."
Edward forced a smile and accepted the $10. Messing with the school's biggest bully wasn't worth the trouble.
Could.
Watching the two bullies leave, Edward's fake smile turned sharp. 'Oh, dear Derrick Ross, I've already got my profits.'
As they disappeared, a person with glasses entered the restroom, thanked Edward for the assignment, and handed him $100.
****************************************************************
A few days later, the last class before the winter holidays was about to begin. Everyone was seated—Derrick, Andy, and the glasses kid were all present—but Edward was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he had skipped the final class.
The bell rang, and the students waited for the professor. Finally, the door burst open. The professor, a man known for his strict, arrogant demeanor, looked absolutely enraged. His eyes scanned the room until they locked onto his target.
"DERRICK ROSS!!!" he shouted.
Derrick, startled, shot up from his chair.
"Derrick Ross, this is your assignment, right?"
"A... y... yes, sir?!"
"The assignment was supposed to be about entrepreneurship, right... right?!"
"A... a... yes, sir."
"Then why was there a need for you to curse my dead wife for two pages straight?"
The class fell into a gripping silence. Everyone knew how precious the professor's wife had been. The consensus was clear: Derrick was in for a massive shock this time.
The boy in glasses was having the best day of his life. His revenge for months of bullying from Derrick was finally unfolding; he secretly pulled out his phone and recorded the whole scene.
But Derrick had only one thought. "Wtf... Edward... Edward, that bastard is going to die by my hands the next time I see him... That prick."
The professor's shouts grew louder with every word until the noise could be heard outside the school gates.
Outside, on the steps, Edward was quietly leaving the scene.
'Ah, that was tiring, but to think my plan worked perfectly and went so smoothly without any problems... that seems odd for a guy like me, who possesses unbelievable amounts of bad luck,' he thought. 'Still, good for me. Now I have to figure out how to avoid Derrick's beating soon.'
As he pondered this, Edward overheard two men arguing near an expensive black sedan.
One was in white, the other in black.
"For an educational institution, this place is offensively ugly," the guy in white yelled.
"It's a temple to money, dumbass, not architecture," the other retorted.
Edward wondered who they could be here for, but it wasn't his business. As he walked past, he made eye contact with both men, but quickly looked away.
Just as he was continuing on his path, his phone rang.
"Hey, Mr. Edward Owls."
Owls. The word hit him with a shock. No one knew his actual last name. Who was this person?
Before he could answer, the guy in the white suit stepped directly in front of him.
With that cunning smile, he said, "Found you."
Edward didn't understand, but a sudden dizziness washed over him, and he soon fainted.
The one in black sighed. "Stop playing around, Dew; we've already wasted too much time."
They placed Edward in the sedan and drove away, transporting him to his new destination: the mansion of Owls.