"They said you died of alcohol poisoning. But all of us knew that you don't touch alcohol."
Christopher Kingsley was a man who never touched alcohol, even during events, he'd either drink juice or sip a bit of wine.
Yet the cause of his death was alcohol poisoning, I couldn't help but laugh at its absurdity.
It was said that he became an alcoholic after our mother's death.
And according to Riven's information, there were even scandals surrounding him over the course of a few months.
Now as I looked at the recordings in his place, everything felt even more of a joke.
The first recording was of him being drugged by his manager before she dragged him into the room.
Checking the documents regarding everything that happened to him, this must be the beginning.
This woman must have threatened him with what happened to them, seeing as the next day, he was rushing out of the room while hastily putting on his clothes.
The woman followed afterwards with barely anything on.
"You did this to me and you expect me to keep quiet about it?" the woman, whom I don't even know what her name is, said to Christopher.
"You forced yourself on me last night!!!"
How pathetic.
That move wouldn't have caused problems for Christopher if the family hadn't already been crumbling.
But the Kingsley Conglomerate was in chaos.
Christopher knew that another scandal would cause more problems for Riven.
"What do you want? I take responsibility?" he exasperatedly asked.
"No. I don't want to be tied down in marriage. But things are difficult for me as well. I am your exclusive manager, and what's happening in your family is causing me problems."
I scoffed.
She had been his manager for almost ten years, and she turned her back on him so easily.
Money truly is amazing.
It can turn years of loyalty into nothing.
Christopher sighed heavily as he sat down.
"Then what is it that you want?"
"I just want you to accept those invitations. With how things are going, most of your projects are being cancelled, together with your endorsements."
Christopher looked at her in disbelief before sighing again.
I can clearly see the pain of betrayal in his eyes.
"I told you not to trust the people of that industry. The brightest world also has the darkest shadows," I reprimanded him.
He loved acting. Loved to sing.
But I never truly approved of him being in the entertainment industry.
I hated that place.
Because only a few are genuine in such a place.
Most use everything they can to rise to the top, no matter how dirty it may be.
But I could not stop him when I could see that he was genuinely in love with his career.
I wanted to become better at what I do to help him in my own way because I know that our family could not really protect him.
"Fine. You can... schedule things," he relented after a while.
Soon, that woman left with a triumphant smile.
"I guess I am close as well," he murmured.
I shook my head, "You all knew that death was knocking at your doors, yet still stubbornly stayed."
"They will surely wring me dry unless Riven can turn things around."
I listened to his monologue.
He does not know about the camera, and this must be his way of coping with the sudden changes that happened.
"I should have known. I should have been careful. But I thought she was among the few that Lily said were genuine in this industry."
I closed my eyes; I do not wish to see him this way.
But I have to watch.
I have to see everything.
I watched, laughing self-deprecatingly.
"Lily once said that our family is the tastiest prey because of how we work. And the whole family rejected her idea. She said that if that is what we think, then she will just be the different one. Then maybe we can still be saved."
Indeed, in one of the family events where every relative was present, I commented about the family being the juiciest meat a hungry lion would find.
They laughed at it, saying that with our standing, we are the lions.
I do not believe that.
So, I chose my profession to be the one to protect them.
I became the person I am today so that there would be someone who could go against that lion lurking in the shadows.
But before I could rise higher, the lion bared its fangs.
Now, all I can do is to find that lion and its pack and take them down to hell with me.
"But I really hoped that Lily was wrong. That everything was harmonious. That the family could truly protect one another without tainting their hands with blood."
I laughed at his words, mocking him.
"Protection entails blood spilling, brother. Not everything could be handled the way you wanted it to."
"I wouldn't wish to see her wash her hands with blood," he covered his face with his hands after saying this.
"This family is really living in a fantasy world."
The recordings showed how Christopher faced those dealings, drinking alcohol with people visiting his place.
Bottles, parties, strangers.
His penthouse had turned into a mess.
And he even stopped cleaning.
But there was something that changed after a few times.
Determination reappeared in his face.
There were even calculative discussions.
"It seems that you found something," I muttered as I continued watching.
Until the last recording.
Where he was pushed in, he was hit a few times before he was made to drink one bottle of alcohol after another.
"You could have lived a little longer if you just followed what we want you to do. Entertain those higher-ups and nothing more. Who would have thought that you actually brought someone else during those times? How cunning of you."
It was none other than his manager who brought two men to force him to drink while saying those words.
Christopher laughed, "I'm still a Kingsley. Do you think I'd seriously bow down to you?"
*Slap*
His head swung to the side after her slap.
"Deal with him."
After a few more bottles, he was left alone.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, Riven, Amelia... I'm sorry, Lilith, I won't be able to see you anymore."
"Don't be sorry for your decision. You made your choice, you own it."