All Chapters of CEO of the Dead: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
10 chapters
Chapter 1: The Severance Package
"Congratulations, Cyprian. To the Beaumont Empire," Alaric said, raising his crystal glass toward the chandeliers."To the empire," I replied, though a sudden, sharp cramp twisted my gut."Don't look so stiff, darling. You built this for us," Isadora whispered, sliding her arm through mine. Her perfume was thick, almost cloying tonight.I tried to smile, but my vision blurred. The champagne glass slipped from my hand, shattering against the marble floor. "Are you alright, Cyprian? You look pale," Alaric asked, though he didn't move to help."Just dizzy. The heat in here is a bit much," I muttered, leaning against the balcony railing."Is it the heat? Or is it the arsenic?" Isadora asked. Her voice wasn't soft anymore. It was sharp as a razor.I felt something cold and hard press against my forehead. I blinked, trying to clear the fog.We were alone on the terrace now. Alaric was standing back, his hands in his pockets, wearing a bored expression. Isadora was holding a silenced pistol
Chapter 2: Liquid Assets
"Where am I?" I tried to shout into the dark water.Instead of a voice, a spike of blue static ripped from my chest. The sound was like grinding metal. It tore through the river in a violent circle. Three fish floating nearby suddenly stiffened. Their silver scales turned dull as they floated upward, dead."What did I just do?" I gasped, but only a crackling noise came out.I looked down at my hands. They were fading into a cloud of grey mist."No, I’m not disappearing," I growled, clenching my teeth.[Warning: Soul-Code Integrity dropping. 15%. Use Willpower to Re-Render.]"How do I do that?" I asked the blue screen in my mind.[Focus on your identity. Force the data to solidify.]"I am Cyprian Fenwick," I hissed. I forced every ounce of my rage into my limbs. "I am the man who built an empire! I am the man they murdered!"The blue mist snapped back into place. My tuxedo reappeared, sharper than before."Is that better?" I asked. My voice was a bit clear.[Willpower used. Integrity
Chapter 3: The First Hire
"Is he even a ghost?" I whispered. Thomas and I were standing in the back of a dingy apartment.In the middle of the room, a man sat at a desk covered in stacks of dusty ledgers. He wasn't glowing blue like me, or flickering like Thomas. He looked like he was made of old newspapers."That's Cedric," Thomas hissed. "Don't touch him yet.""Why not? He looks like he’s about to fade away," I said."He's a Glitch, Cyprian. He’s been hiding from the Soul-Eaters for years. If you startle him, he’ll vanish into the code and you’ll never find him again," Thomas warned.I stepped forward, my shoes making no sound on the floor. I needed an accountant. If I was going to take down the Beaumont Empire, I needed to know where the money was buried. "Cedric?" I called out softly. The man didn't look up. His fingers moved across a calculator that wasn't there, making clicking sounds in the air. "The numbers don't add up," Cedric muttered. "Alaric took three percent from the offshore account. Isadora
Chapter 4: The Mirror’s Debt
"They really went all out for my funeral," I said, looking at the black roses. "The Beaumonts love a good show," Thomas muttered from the corner. "And they love your money even more.""They aren't getting another cent," I promised. The funeral was a joke. Every wealthy shark in the city was here. They were all pretending to care while they checked their stock apps. I walked through the crowd, my boots making no sound. I stopped in front of the massive gold-leaf mirror."You look like a man out for blood," Thomas noted. "I’m a man out for everything," I corrected.I saw a familiar face in the reflection. It wasn't mine. It was Alaric. He was slipping into the back room with a tall man in a grey suit. The man had a silver coin emblem on his lapel."The Silver Circle," I hissed. "Stay back, Cyprian," Thomas warned. "That guy isn't normal.""I don't care," I said, gliding through the heavy oak door.Alaric wasn't crying. He was laughing. He held a glass of scotch and leaned back in a le
Chapter 5: The Shadow Guard
"He’s going to kill us both, Cyprian! We shouldn't be here!" Thomas shouted, his ghostly voice cracking with fear."I need answers, Thomas. And Cedric says this guy has them," I replied, moving through the thick fog of the docks."Oswin Vesper isn't just a ghost! He's a Frenzied Wraith! He’ll tear your soul into digital scraps!" Thomas warned, hovering behind a rusted shipping container."Then I’ll just have to make sure he doesn't," I said. I stopped in front of an old, abandoned warehouse near the water's edge. The air here was heavy, vibrating with a low, aggressive hum. A figure stood in the center of the pier, surrounded by a swirling cloud of red static. It was Oswin. He was massive, his spectral form distorted by edges of pure rage."Oswin Vesper?" I called out.The figure spun around. His face was a mask of agony, his eyes glowing like dying embers. "More debt! More lies! I’ll crush you all!" Oswin roared. He lunged at me, his fist turning into a heavy slab of dark energy.
Chapter 6: Hostile Environment
Behind us, the fog of the docks ripped apart. Three beasts made of black smoke and neon light leaped over the shipping containers.They didn't bark. They emitted a high-frequency screech that made my digital vision glitch."Move your spectral ass, Thomas! They’re gaining on us!" I yelled."Those aren't just hounds! Those are Auditor Seekers!" Thomas screamed, his form flickering wildly as he glided beside me."Oswin! Can you slow them down?" I barked.Oswin Vesper skidded to a halt. He let out a roar, his red static flaring back to life. He swung a massive, spectral fist at the lead hound, sending it tumbling into the grey mist."I can hold the line for a minute, CEO! But there are more coming!" Oswin shouted."Don't be a hero! We need to find cover!" I yelled."Where? We're in the Grey Layer! Everything here is just a shadow!" Thomas cried out.I looked up. Rising through the mist was a massive skyscraper that looked like it was made of broken glass and obsidian.It didn't exist in t
Chapter 7: Insider Trading
"How's the market looking, Cedric?" I asked, leaning over the obsidian table."It's a bloodbath, Boss," Cedric cackled. He was typing into a keyboard made of flickering blue light. "I just dumped forty million shares of Beaumont Tech. The algorithms think it's a massive sell-off from the inside.""Can they trace it back here?" I asked."They can't trace what doesn't exist," Cedric said. "In their world, these shares just vanished into a ghost account. Literally.""Thomas, are the server rooms ready?" I barked."Ready and waiting!" Thomas yelled from the hallway. "Oswin and I are standing right over the main data hub in the Grey Layer. One word from you and we pull the plug.""Do it," I commanded. "If the stock is falling, I want the website to crash at the same time. Make them panic.""On it!" Oswin’s deep voice boomed. I watched the digital monitors on the wall. The Beaumont Tech stock ticker was a serrated red line diving toward the floor. This wasn't just business. This was a hau
Chapter 8: The Memory Tax
"The cathedral is a death trap, Cyprian! You can't go alone!" Thomas shouted. We were standing in the middle of the boardroom, the air still smelling of that silver smoke. The blue flame bird had vanished, but Isadora’s voice was still ringing in my head."She has Cedric. I don't have a choice," I said."She wants the Relic," Oswin added, his red glow flickering with agitation. "If you give it to her, you're finished. You'll have no leverage left.""I'm not giving her anything," I replied. "But I need to get into that cathedral. And I need to get Cedric out of that silver cage before they delete him.""How are you going to do that?" Thomas asked. "You saw what that smoke did to you. You're too weak."I looked at my hands. They were translucent, almost grey. The Vanguard sweep had drained me. "I'm going to overclock the system," I said.Thomas gasped, his eyes widening. "You can't be serious! That's suicide for a ghost! You'll burn out your core!""What does that mean, exactly?" I as
Chapter 9: The Occult Vault
"We’re in the basement of the manor, Cyprian! If the Auditors catch us here, we’re done!" Thomas hissed."They won't catch us. Cedric has the security loop on a five-second delay," I said."Five seconds isn't a lot of time!" Thomas whispered back."It's enough for a ghost. Oswin, is the wall clear?" I asked.Oswin placed his large, red-tinted hand against the cold stone. "There’s a hidden mechanism behind the masonry. It’s not mechanical. It’s spectral.""Cedric, can you bypass the occult lock?" I asked into the air."Working on it, Boss! It’s a complex encryption. They’ve used old blood as a password," Cedric’s voice crackled in my ear."Blood?" I asked. "Specifically Beaumont blood. It’s a genetic lock," Cedric said."I’m a Beaumont. Or I was," I muttered. I stepped up to the wall and pressed my translucent palm against the stone. I felt a sharp, stinging sensation, like a needle prick. The wall groaned, the heavy stones shifting and sliding apart to reveal a dark, sloping passage.
Chapter 10: The god of Industry
I was pinned against the silver wall of the vault. The suction was relentless, pulling the blue light right out of my chest."Oswin, get to the core! The vacuum is ripping the code apart!" I yelled."I’m trying, Boss! But the frequency is shifting!" Oswin roared. He was standing in the center of the room, his massive red form buffeted by the invisible wind. He looked like a titan fighting a hurricane."Cedric, talk to me! What’s the override?" I screamed."You have to match the vibration of the vault! It’s an occult security loop!" Cedric’s voice was fading in and out. "If you don't sync up, the vacuum will pull you into the jars!""How do I sync with a goddamn vacuum?" I asked."Use your internal system! There’s a frequency modulator in your Level 9 settings!" Cedric yelled.I closed my hollow eyes. I didn't see darkness; I saw lines of scrolling blue text. [System Warning: Soul Integrity at 30%. Critical Depletion.]"Accessing Frequency Modulator," I whispered."Hurry, Cyprian! My