Ch-1 short novel
The stale air of the tiny apartment always clung to my clothes, a constant reminder of the life I'd chosen.
My fingers, calloused from years of wielding power, now fumbled with the knot of a cheap tie.
"You're up early," Jane's voice, thick with sleep, drifted from the bedroom. I heard the rustle of sheets, the soft creak of the bed.
"Work calls," I replied, my voice a low rumble. I straightened the tie, the mirror reflecting a man I barely recognized – a man in a worn suit, a man playing a part.
"Don't forget your lunch. I packed it," she said, emerging, her eyes still heavy. She ran a hand through her disheveled hair, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Chicken salad. Your favorite."
"Thanks," I mumbled, turning from the mirror. I grabbed the brown paper bag from the small counter, the scent of mayonnaise and celery already escaping.
My gaze swept over the cramped living space, the chipped paint, the secondhand furniture. This was my stage.
"Lawrence called," she announced, her smile widening. "He wants to know if I'm free for dinner. Said he has something important to discuss."
My jaw tightened imperceptibly. "He calls often, doesn't he?" I watched her, a flicker of something I couldn't quite name crossing her face.
"He's my best friend, Kuzen," she answered, her tone defensive, a little too quick. "You know that. We grew up together."
She moved closer, her hand brushing my arm. "Are you jealous?"
A playful glint entered her eyes.
I forced a laugh, a dry, hollow sound. "Of Lawrence? Don't be ridiculous.
He's a good guy." The words tasted like ash. "Just… busy, I suppose. CEO of a major company. What could he possibly want to discuss with you?"
She shrugged, pulling away. "Girl talk, probably. You know how he is. Always asking for my opinion."
She walked to the window, peering out at the narrow street. "I should probably get ready. He hates waiting."
"Right," I said, my hand already on the doorknob. "See you tonight."
I stepped out, the chill of the morning air a welcome slap. The door clicked shut behind me, sealing me in my chosen prison.
_______________________________________
Ch- 2- short novel
The bus ride was an exercise in patience. The reek of diesel and unwashed bodies filled the cabin.
I stared out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks. My phone buzzed. It was Aunt Liz.
"Kuzen, darling! Are you on your way to work?" Her voice, bright and melodic, cut through the bus's drone.
"Just left, Aunt Liz," I replied, keeping my voice low. "Everything alright?"
"Oh, everything's just fine, dear. I was just wondering… are you and Jane still planning that dinner this weekend?"
A hopeful note tinged her words.
"I haven't heard anything about it," I said, a slight frown creasing my brow. Jane had mentioned nothing.
"Oh," she paused, a beat of
disappointment. "Well, I was just thinking… I could whip up your favorite lasagna. You always loved my lasagna, didn't you?"
"I always do, Aunt Liz," I assured her, a genuine smile finally touching my lips. "It sounds wonderful. Let me talk to Jane."
"You do that, dear," she chirped. "And tell her I said hello. You two are always so busy. It's a shame.
I miss seeing your handsome face." A warmth, unbidden, spread through me.
She always had a way of cutting through the pretense.
"I'll tell her," I promised. "Thanks, Aunt Liz." I hung up, the bus pulling to a stop. My stop.
The office building loomed, a glass and steel behemoth.
Inside, the air conditioning hummed, a sterile contrast to the world outside. I punched my time card, the mundane act a subtle torture.
"Morning, Kuzen," a voice greeted me. It was Mark, another cubicle drone. "Rough commute?"
"The usual," I replied, forcing a smile. I walked to my desk, a small, unremarkable space in a sea of identical cubicles. The computer screen flickered to life, displaying spreadsheets and reports. This was my daily penance.
Hours later, the monotony was broken by a sharp voice. "Kuzen, my office. Now." It was Mr. Henderson, Lawrence's right-hand man,
his face a mask of condescension.
I rose, my movements slow and deliberate. The other employees cast furtive glances, then quickly averted their eyes. I followed Henderson down the plush carpeted hallway, the air growing colder with each step.
Lawrence's office was a panoramic vista of the city, sunlight glinting off skyscrapers. He sat behind a massive mahogany desk, a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Jane was there, too, perched on the edge of a leather chair, a nervous tremor in her posture. Her eyes met mine briefly, then darted away.
"Kuzen," Lawrence began, his voice smooth as polished stone. "Have a seat." He gestured to a chair opposite his desk.
I remained standing. "What's this about, Lawrence?"
He chuckled, a low, guttural sound. "Straight to the point. I like that. Always have, Kuzen. That's why I hired you.
Your… efficiency." He leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "However, efficiency isn't everything, is it? Loyalty, for instance. Or perhaps… discretion."
Jane shifted uncomfortably, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt.
"What are you implying?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
"I'm implying," Lawrence continued, a cruel smile spreading across his face, "that your… personal life… is beginning to interfere with your professional obligations."
He glanced at Jane, then back at me. "We value a certain… decorum here.
A certain separation of church and state, if you will."
Jane finally spoke, her voice a whisper. "Kuzen, he's just trying to… explain."
"Explain what, Jane?"
I turned to her, my eyes burning. "Explain why I'm suddenly being interrogated in my boss's office with my wife present?"
Lawrence clapped his hands together once, a sharp, decisive sound. "Enough of this charade. Kuzen, I'm afraid your services are no longer required."
A cold wave washed over me, then a searing heat. "You're firing me?" I asked, the words barely audible.
"Effective immediately," he confirmed, his smile widening. "Henderson will escort you out. Your final paycheck will be mailed." He picked up a pen, feigning disinterest. "I wish you all the best, Kuzen. Truly."
I looked at Jane, her face pale, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and something else… guilt? "Is this what you wanted, Jane?"
I asked, the question a raw wound.
She flinched, then looked away. "Kuzen, please…"
"Get out," Lawrence snapped, his voice losing its pleasant veneer. "Before I call security."
I held his gaze for a long moment, a silent promise passing between us. Then, I turned and walked out, Henderson trailing silently behind me. The office, once a place of mundane routine, now felt like a tomb.
______________________________________
Ch-3-short only!!????
The walk home felt endless. The small house, once a symbol of my disguise, now felt like a cage.
I pushed open the door, the familiar scent of Jane's perfume, now tainted, hitting me. She sat on the sofa, clutching a throw pillow, her eyes red.
"Kuzen, I'm so sorry," she choked out, her voice trembling.
I stood in the doorway, my hands clenched at my sides. "Sorry for what, Jane? For letting him fire me? Or for something else entirely?"
She looked up, her gaze pleading. "He… he told me he would promote me. He said he would take care of us."
"Us?" I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "There is no 'us,' Jane. Not anymore."
"Kuzen, don't say that!"
She rose, moving towards me, her hands outstretched. "He pressured me! He said if I didn't… he would make your life miserable."
"And you believed him?"
I asked, my voice rising. "You believed he would do that, but you didn't believe in me?"
I took a step back, avoiding her touch. "Did you enjoy it, Jane? His luxury hotel, his expensive dinners?
While I was working eight hours a day in a cubicle, pretending to be someone I'm not?"
Her face crumpled. "It wasn't like that, Kuzen. He's my best friend. He just… he was there for me. You were always so distant."
"Distant?" I roared, the carefully constructed facade crumbling. "I was playing a part, Jane! For you! For us! To see if you would love me for who I was, not what I had!"
A knock echoed through the small house. My mother-in-law, a formidable woman with a permanent scowl, stood on the porch, my father-in-law, a meek shadow, behind her.
"What is all this shouting?" My mother-in-law demanded, her eyes narrowing as she took in Jane's tear-streaked face. "What have you done to my daughter, Kuzen?"
"He got fired, Mother," Jane whimpered, burying her face in her hands.
My mother-in-law gasped, her hand flying to her chest. "Fired? From that wonderful company? Oh, Jane, my poor girl! What will you do now?"
She shot me a venomous look. "You worthless man! You can't even hold down a job!"
"It's not his fault," my father-in-law mumbled, then quickly recoiled under his wife's glare.
"Don't you dare defend him, Arthur!" she snapped. "This is exactly why Jane needed someone stable. Someone successful."
She turned back to me, her voice dripping with contempt. "Lawrence is a good man. He'll take care of Jane. You never could."
"You knew," I stated, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "You knew about them. All of you."
My mother-in-law scoffed. "And what if we did? He's offering Jane a future, Kuzen. Something you clearly can't provide. A small house, a dead-end job… it's not enough for my daughter."
"So, you condone this?" I asked, my gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Betrayal? Deceit?"
"We condone what's best for our daughter!" she declared, puffing out her chest. "And Lawrence is what's best for her.
He's rich, he's powerful. He'll give her everything she deserves."
"You're a disgrace," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "All of you." I turned, walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Jane cried, away
I said, not looking back. "From all of you." I stepped out, the door slamming shut behind me, the sound echoing the finality of my decision.
________________________________________
Ch-4-almost there!!! Only short
The city lights blurred as I sped down the highway, the roar of the engine a cleansing sound.
My phone rang again. Aunt Liz.
"Kuzen? Darling, are you alright? I heard… I heard you lost your job." Her voice was laced with concern.
"I'm fine, Aunt Liz," I said, my voice rough. "Better than fine."
"Are you… are you coming here?" she asked, a tentative hope in her tone.
"Yes," I confirmed. "I need to clear my head."
"The lasagna's in the oven," she said, a soft smile in her voice. "And I have a fresh pot of tea brewing."
I drove, the anger slowly giving way to a cold, calculating resolve.
The small house, the mundane job, the feigned poverty – it was all over. My old life, my true life, awaited.
Aunt Liz's apartment was a sanctuary of warmth and familiar scents. She met me at the door, her arms open.
I embraced her, drawing comfort from her soft, maternal scent.
"Oh, Kuzen," she murmured, stroking my hair. "You look so tired, dear."
"It's been a long day," I admitted, pulling back. "A very long day."
She led me to the small, cozy living room. A steaming mug of tea was waiting on the coffee table.
"Tell me everything," she urged, her eyes filled with unwavering support.
I recounted the day's events, the words flowing out, unburdened. The affair, the firing, the connivance of Jane's parents.
Aunt Liz listened, her expression shifting from shock to anger.
"That viper!" she hissed, her hands clenched. "And her parents! How could they?"
"They saw an opportunity," I said, bitterness lacing my words. "A chance for their daughter to marry into money, even if it meant sacrificing decency."
"You deserve so much more, Kuzen," she said, her gaze steady, intense. "You always have."
She reached out, her hand gently touching my cheek. "You're a good man. A kind man. Don't let them make you doubt that."
Her touch, her words, ignited a spark within me. The fire that had been smoldering beneath the surface, the fire of my true self, began to roar.
"They'll regret this, Aunt Liz," I vowed, my voice hard as steel. "Every single one of them."
She nodded, a fierce determination in her eyes. "I know you will, dear. And I'll be right here. Whatever you need."
A soft blush crept onto her cheeks, and her gaze held mine a moment longer than strictly necessary. A different kind of warmth bloomed in my chest.
_______________________________________
Ch-5-exited for revenge?
The next morning, the small apartment was empty. My clothes, my meager belongings, were gone.
I returned to my true home, a sprawling penthouse overlooking the city, a stark contrast to the life I had just left. The staff moved silently, efficiently, as if I had never left.
My first call was to my legal team. "I want everything. Every asset, every penny, every contract.
I want to know the full extent of Lawrence's holdings, his vulnerabilities, his dependencies."
My voice was cold, precise. "And I want to know everything about Jane's financial situation, her family's. Every debt, every secret."
The lawyer, a sharp-faced man named Richter, nodded, his pen already flying across a notepad. "Consider it done, sir. What's the timeline?"
"Yesterday," I replied, my eyes fixed on the city below. Move.!
Next, I contacted my network. The whispers began, subtle at first, then growing louder.
Information flowed, a torrent of data revealing the intricate web of Lawrence's corporate empire, its strengths, and more importantly, its weaknesses.
I discovered his reliance on a key supplier, a company I secretly owned. His recent acquisitions were leveraged heavily, his stock vulnerable to a sudden downturn.
A week later, the first domino fell. The news reports were discreet, at first. "Minor fluctuations in the market," "unexpected supply chain issues."
But I knew better. I pulled the strings, a puppet master orchestrating a symphony of financial chaos.
I sat in my office, the city lights twinkling below, a glass of aged whiskey in my hand. My phone rang. It was Lawrence.
"Kuzen!" His voice, usually so composed, was strained, a hint of desperation creeping in. "What… what is happening?"
"Happening, Lawrence?" I asked, my voice smooth, unhurried. "I'm not sure I follow."
"My stock! My suppliers! This is… this is impossible!" he stammered. "It's like someone is deliberately sabotaging me!"
I took a slow sip of my whiskey. "Is that so? Perhaps you've made some… enemies, Lawrence.
Or perhaps you've simply reaped what you've sown."
"You!" he shrieked, the veneer of civility shattering. "This is you, isn't it? You're behind this!"
"And what if I am?" I challenged, a chilling smile playing on my lips. "What are you going to do about it, Lawrence? Call security?"
A moment of stunned silence. Then, his voice, barely a whisper, filled with a primal fear. "You… you were the owner of Apex Logistics? That's impossible! Kuzen was just a cubicle worker!"
"The cubicle worker you so gleefully fired," I reminded him, my voice dripping with scorn.
"The cubicle worker whose wife you so eagerly defiled. Did you really think I would just disappear, Lawrence? Did you think I would simply accept my fate?"
"Please, Kuzen," he pleaded, his voice cracking. "We can talk about this. I can… I can give you anything you want."
"You have nothing I want, Lawrence," I stated, my voice cold as ice. "Except perhaps… your complete and utter ruin." I hung up, the silence that followed a sweet melody.
___________________________next????!!!!