Vincent Kane's Rise From Ash

5: Sold To The Devil

Richard's phone calls had been left unanswered since the offer had been made to Nova Energy, and instead Brian had agreed to meet with the man they called mysterious.

In the glass and steel office room of Mr Eastwood, Gary Lynch sat across the greedy business tycoon. It was the order of his boss to represent him in whatever meeting Brian would call as he had other important duties as duke to attend to.

Brian looked at Gary's timid face with a desperate kind of hunger.

“I finally got the chance to meet you, Mr…?” Brian said, hoping for a confirmation from Gary.

“Mr Lynch,” Gary said as he extended his right hand for a shake. “I'm sorry to inform you that the boss couldn't make it today but I'll be here in his absence.”

Brian was a little disappointed. He wanted to see for himself the man who had the power to command his own attention. It wasn't something any other businessman could do considering he was above them all. 

“I've been sent to ask what your decision is, Mr Eastwood,” Gary finally said. 

There was a silence that followed as Brian leaned back into his chair. 

“And how do I know for certain that any of this is real? That this isn't some type of scam being pulled by one of the underdogs who call themselves businessmen?”

Brian studied Gary who looked very undisturbed by his accusations.

“That's for you to decide, Mr Eastwood. But I don't think your insults to the boss will be taken lightly considering the mercy he is willing to show you and your… people,” Gary stated calmly.

Too calmly in fact, it made Brian raise an eyebrow in question. Perhaps the man he was dealing with was some sort of crime boss. That could be the only explanation for such wealth.

Gary stood up to leave immediately and before Brian knew what he was doing, he was chasing after the man and tightly clutching his cuffs.

“N-no, I didn't mean to offend you Mr Lynch, or your boss for that matter,” he stuttered. “Was only testing the waters but I've done my own research to believe that Mr…..” He waited for Gary to give him a name but Gary simply glared at him in response. “The boss…. Is as legit as can be. Tell him I accept.”

Gary scoffed. “Pathetic,” he said quietly but still audible enough for Brian to hear it. Without wasting anymore of his own time, Gary handed more files to him to sign.

“Do you understand that you've just sold your family's entire company to Mr Roth?”

Brian subconsciously repeated the name in his head. “Of course. We have other businesses we own anyway.”

“But none like Nova,” Gary smirked. “A notice will be issued to you in three days.”

*

At the airport, Vincent hugged Tamar one last time before she left for her home city. He had offered to take her there on a private jet but she insisted on not being a burden. 

He replayed the conversation they had just before she left.

“Just let it go,” she'd said, almost begging him, and while he'd agreed to let them have the house temporarily, he couldn't for anything take her advice.

His phone rang.

“Hello sir,” Gary said on the other end of the call.

“Gary”

“Brian sold sir, the company's now yours. What next?”

The question lingered. 

He first needed to prove to Brian just what the Kanes were capable of when faced with a nobody like himself.

“Buy every single property and investment in the Eastwood name. They'll have no option but to sell since the smaller groups are buried in debts.”

“And what if they refuse, sir? We can't force them,” Gary inquired.

“Oh, sure we can,” a cold smile formed on Vincent's face. “They'll have no other choice once they know that we're ready to let the whole world see them for the monsters they truly are. If they so much as refuse Gary, threaten to expose their underground rings.”

“Yes boss.”

Vincent had long done his own investigation as the former commander of Division A. He found out every dirt attached to not just the Kanes but every one affiliated with them. He knew every weak spot that shook the foundations of their very core- and he would use it all to tear them apart.

“You just wait, Regina,” he chuckled to himself.

*

Regina stared out the window, watching nothing in particular as she held a glass of Bordeaux. Her head had been pulsing with a migraine ever since the arrival of her detested stepson. She couldn't get her mind off the thought of his domineering presence, especially after such a shameful previous exit.

Did he really think he was anything more that the boy who'd begged in tears when she kicked him out?

She looked at her husband drinking his usual morning coffee in disgust. How could he be so calm about losing a multimillion dollar deal with Brian? That was the only reason she'd given her blessing to the wretched fool when he asked for her daughter's hand in marriage.

“How can you act like we didn't just lose out big time?” She asked with spite.

Richard looked up at her through thin framed glasses. He knew his wife had always been so materialistic, and now she saw him as a loser with debts to his name.

“He hasn't said anything about it yet, so there's nothing we've lost.”

“Hmmph!” She responded disdainfully.

Doyle came in after, with a sealed envelope in his hand. “This came in the mail,” he said.

“Give me that,” Regina yanked it from him when he tried giving it to his father instead.

It was an invitation and she read through it carefully.

“His Grace, the royal Duke of Quincia, cordially invites you and yours to the masked ball ceremony in honour of the late Emilia Roth.”

“Richard, take a look at this,” she said, handing him the letter.

He shrugged when he read it. “Who knew there was a new Duke?”

“Who else is going?” Regina asked Doyle since her husband had nothing useful to say.

“Only everyone who's known as the city's most prestigious.”

There was a glimmer of greed that glinted in Regina's eyes. Of course she had to be t

here since she regarded herself as the most prestigious in this case. 

“Well in that case, we have to honour the Duke’s invite,” she smiled wickedly.