The Mysterious Chairman Keith

The evening air was thick with humidity and exhaust when Manuel Reeves reached the narrow street leading to Lisa Stones’ apartment. His phone buzzed again—another message from her.

“Come over. I want to see you.”

Her words glowed faintly on the screen, but they carried none of the warmth they once did. Lisa hadn’t asked him to come in weeks. They’d grown distant since her recovery. Still, the simple line tugged at his chest. After everything he had done for her, he wanted to believe this meant something.

Manuel pocketed his phone and took a deep breath. He had nearly lost her once. Leukemia had devoured her strength, and only his bone marrow had matched. He had spent months in pain and weakness after the donation, but he never regretted it. Saving her had been worth it. Or so he’d thought.

The hallway outside her apartment smelled faintly of perfume and spilled wine. Manuel raised his hand to knock but then he froze.

From behind the door came a rhythm. Slow, unmistakable. Gasps. A man’s low grunt. A woman’s voice. Lisa’s voice.

Manuel’s fingers trembled as his heart pounded in disbelief. For a second, he thought it must be a mistake—maybe the TV. But the sounds grew louder, clearer, raw with intimacy that could not be mistaken.

“Ahn~"

His breath hitched. His chest felt hollow.

He tried to step back, to leave, to pretend he hadn’t heard—but something inside him broke. The door wasn’t locked properly; when he pushed, it creaked open.

Inside, the room was dimly lit. Scattered clothes trailed toward the bedroom. Every sound tore at his mind like glass against skin. Manuel clenched his fists until his nails drew blood.

“Lisa?” His voice cracked.

The noises stopped. Then came a man’s low chuckle.

The door to the bedroom swung open. Lisa Stones stood there, her hair messy, wrapped in a sheet. Behind her, a tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out. It was Jamie Darwin, someone Manuel recognized immediately. Son of a powerful family. Arrogant. Smiling.

“Manuel,” Lisa said coldly, as if the name disgusted her. “You shouldn’t have come.”

He stared at her, numb. “You asked me to.”

Jamie held up his phone, smirking. “That text? Yeah, I sent it. Thought it’d be funny if you came over and saw what you really are.”

“What I am?” Manuel whispered.

“A garbage man lucky enough to taste something that was never yours,” Jamie said, stepping closer. “Now that Lisa’s healthy, you’re useless.”

Manuel’s world tilted. “Lisa… tell me he’s lying.”

Lisa’s eyes hardened. “You think I loved you? You were just—convenient. Your bone marrow matched mine, that’s all. You were a donor, not a partner.”

The words hit harder than any punch. Manuel staggered back. “After everything I did for you? You called me your light, your miracle—”

“Don’t make this dramatic,” she interrupted, sneering. “You were kind. I was dying. You helped. That’s it. I was never going to parade you around. You don’t belong in my world.”

Jamie laughed, his tone dripping superiority. “She’s right. You’re pathetic. You actually believed she’d be with you? Look at yourself, Reeves—poor, orphaned, nothing. Even your parents didn’t want you.”

Manuel’s eyes widened. “You—how do you know—”

Jamie’s grin widened. “Lisa told me. Intimate pillow talk, you know?”

Something snapped. The humiliation burned away, replaced by rage.

Manuel lunged. His fist collided with Jamie’s jaw, the impact echoing through the room. Lisa screamed, but Manuel didn’t stop. Every punch carried years of loneliness, betrayal, and pain.

“You don’t get to talk about them!” he roared.

But Jamie recovered quickly. He was stronger, heavier—and Manuel was still frail from the surgery. Jamie’s knee slammed into Manuel’s gut. The air left his lungs. Another punch to his face sent him crashing into the wall.

Blood filled his mouth, metallic and warm.

Jamie’s voice was a cruel growl. “Still got fight in you? Pathetic.”

Lisa watched silently, arms crossed, eyes cold. The woman he’d nearly died for didn’t even flinch.

Manuel tried to stand, but his legs shook. He had nothing left. Jamie’s fist came down again, again, until darkness crept in at the edge of his vision.

Lisa’s voice floated through the haze. “Don’t kill him here. Just… get rid of him.”

He heard Jamie laugh. “Sure. Wouldn’t want to stain your sheets, babe.”

They dragged him—he barely felt the movement. Somewhere outside, the night air hit his skin, the faint barking of dogs reached his ears.

Then pain. Fire. He landed hard against cold metal bars. The smell of rot and fur hit him. A large cage. Snarling grew louder.

Jamie’s voice echoed one last time. “Enjoy becoming dog food, hero.”

The gate slammed.

The world spun. Manuel could barely move. Blood pooled beneath him. His chest burned where his ring pressed against his skin—a simple silver band Lisa had given him when she’d promised, “We’ll always share the same fate.”

Now it felt like a curse.

He laughed weakly, the sound breaking into a cough. “Guess this… is how fate repays fools.”

The dogs crept closer. Their eyes glowed in the dark, teeth bared. Manuel closed his eyes. He thought of his parents—faces he never knew. Of Lisa’s smile when she’d said she’d live because of him. Of the light he thought he’d saved.

Then—heat.

A sudden pulse surged from his hand, from the ring that he'd worn ever since he could remember. The metal glowed faint crimson, as if his blood had come alive. Energy coursed through his veins, electric and burning.

The pain vanished, replaced by something else—raw strength. The air trembled.

The first dog leapt. Manuel raised his arm without thinking. A wave of force erupted from his hand, blasting the beast midair. It hit the cage wall with a crunch and fell silent.

Manuel stared. The glow from the ring intensified, lines of ancient symbols flickering across its surface like veins of light.

“What… what is this?” he whispered.

His wounds sealed themselves slowly, the blood on his skin evaporating. The weakness that had haunted him for months disappeared as if it had never existed. His pulse steadied, calm, powerful.

He clenched his fist. The air shimmered faintly around him.

The world looked different. Sharper. Brighter. Alive.

He could hear everything — the rustle of wind through the trees, the heartbeat of the dogs, the faint hum of electricity from a distant streetlight. Power thrummed beneath his skin, a storm caged inside his veins.

His ring pulsed again, its crimson glow fading into a deep silver etched with glowing symbols. The pain and weakness that had crushed him minutes ago were gone — replaced by boundless energy.

Another snarl broke the silence.