001: Overshadowed

"Sir, the editors told me you ordered them to stop the publication of JK's news? Why is that sir?"

An upset Levi Lloyd is in front of his immediate superior, Mr Billy, trying to keep his anger in check.

"That is an order from above not mine," Mr Billy, a stout and bald man who is wearing a wig to cover up his embarrassing secret, strokes his hair while giving Levi a condescending look.

Levi is confused and quickly reminds him, "Sir, JK has secretly been releasing toxic oils into the neighborhood river for a long time which has caused health problems for the residents."

"I finally found evidence to prove they have been bribing officials to suppress the news. Why would the higher authorities stop the public from learning the truth they deserve?"

"Who are you to question the higher authorities?" Billy slapped his fat palm on the desk.

"Levi, you are just a junior reporter who would have been cast out long ago if it weren't for me keeping you by my side. Why do you insist on meddling with your superiors' affairs?"

Levi lowered his head. His fingers clenched by his side. Now he understands what was going on.

In the past when he would uncover wrongdoings of popular figures and companies, most of the news would be buried and not even allowed to see the light of the day.

He strongly suspects his superiors are in cahoots with those people but have no evidence to show for it.

"If you were half as obedient as I was when I was in your position, you wouldn't have remained a junior reporter even after joining us for so many years," Billy snorted.

"Look around you, even juniors that joined after you have already gone up the ranks and attained a higher position yet you are still stuck at the bottom," Billy rubbed his round belly which was protruding through the t-shirt he was wearing.

"Despite your low status, you counter the higher authorities' decisions every now and then. How do you want to succeed?"

Levi grits his teeth feeling thoroughly humiliated but he doesn't talk back. He had a difficult childhood while growing up. His poor father was left to raise him singlehandedly after his mother ran off with another wealthy man.

He always wanted to study criminal justice but his father barely earned enough to take care of him, not to mention afford to send him to a police academy.

So he gave up on his dream job and opted for a local college where he studied communications instead.

Due to his good grades and credits, he soon joined a fairly popular print media company called The Chronicle as an investigative reporter.

He thought his life would finally change and he would start earning enough to take care of his responsibilities but those were only wishful thinking.

Once he started working, his thoughts of success were overshadowed by his cunning superior who only takes credit for all his hard work and hinders his career growth.

Levi does the dirty jobs, suffers and scouts for evidence while Billy would claim them as his and has caused him to remain stagnant in the company for years.

His only repayments were meager pay checks and little bonuses that couldn't even take care of his feeding expenses but he can't fight back because Billy is influential in the company.

"I'm sorry sir."

"You should be," Billy's expression eased a bit but he still looked at Levi disdainfully.

"I'll take my leave —" Levi was saying when an object suddenly hit him.

"There," Billy points at the ring on the floor. "You have worked hard this time to prove JK is indeed guilty as charged and it would be unfair not to reward you."

As Levi bends to pick up the ring, Billy continues, "I picked up that worthless object at a crime scene we recently investigated for evidence and was planning to sell it off but you can have it since you clearly need it more than me."

"Whatever you get from pawning it is your reward."

Levi cleans the antique ring with the sleeve of his washed out shirt and examines it curiously. Its design was really one of a kind.

'Why is this fool hesitating to leave here?' Billy thought with a frown.

'Does he think the reward is too little? I got $100,000 from JK for my silence. There is no way I will share any of it with this lowlife! He doesn't deserve it.'

"What else do you want? Leave my office "

Levi apologized again and left the office. Once he got out, he brought out the ring and looked at it with mixed feelings.

Billy was once again trying to buy his silence with these cheap settlements. He sighed and tried the ring on absentmindedly.

"How much will I get from selling this ring? It looks old fashioned and probably won't fetch me— tch."

His words were cut off with a wince. He looked down at his finger and saw that somehow, the sharp edges of the ring had pricked his finger while trying it on.

What Levi didn't notice was the ring absorbing the blood that escaped from his finger.

He only saw an odd glint of light from the ring before feeling a strange rush of current flow through his veins.

His eyes widened in fear and he immediately tried to pull out the ring but all to no avail.

Ring*

Ring*

His phone suddenly rings and he is momentarily distracted. He forgets all about the ring and fishes out an old mobile from his pocket.

The word Mother-in-law flashed boldly on his phone screen and his expression turned heavy.

"Hello mother—" Levi greeted as soon as he answered the call but he was interrupted.

"Don't call me mother! I have warned you severally," Grace Walker retorted in a sharp tone.

"Have you checked the time? It's already so late yet you aren't home yet. Are you fooling around and cheating on my daughter?"

"No m—," Levi tries to explain and stops himself just in time from repeating mother.

"You know what, I won't care even if you don't return.”