Chapter One

"This is enough to get you out of the running," the young man said as he held one hand with a manila folder up for him to see. Pushing his spectacles up with another hand, his eyes twinkled with greed.

"Is it enough, really?" Darrow asked as he shot glances to both sides of him. They were on a bridge that ran high up over a wide lake. The brick walls on either side stood moderately tall and their edges were rough from having seen much weather over the years.

"What were you thinking, Darrow?" the man mocked. He was dressed in a white shirt with a red tie and dark pants, and Darrow knew he was a notable writer for Brevity Press. "Sending those emails?"

Brevity Press. They were both the bane and boon of his career. Rainer Times used to be the primary news agency of Rainer but ever since Mason Brenner, their CEO, started Brevity Press, attention began to flock towards it, tipping the balance in their favour. While they prized sensationalism and many regarded them more as a tabloid, their quality of work still matched that of broadsheets. Their material was always well-researched and the residents of Rainer had complete faith in every word they printed. And with such scandalous articles, it seemed as if they ruled the world of journalism.

Darrow started a career in politics not too long ago, and the public caught wind of the fact that he was divorced through Brevity Press, giving him a difficult time. For some reason, the townspeople prized marriages that were whole and healthy, not ones which were normal with ups and downs, and especially not ones which failed. And his had failed. His daughter, Freya, decided to stick with him because he took better care of her than her mother ever did, but no matter how many times Freya communicated that to Brevity to let the public know, it only fell on deaf ears. Speculation soon took hold and everyone ascribed their own opinions to why his marriage fell apart.

"Give me the folder," Darrow said to him. "We can discuss this."

The man slapped the manila folder onto his other hand. "I've been wondering, what will you give me for this? This stuff is way too good for only a few million, right?"

Darrow pursed his lips. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry, with the way I'm talking, it's as if I only care about money," the man smiled. "I mean, I care a lot about the public too. After all, I'm a journalist. And what kind of person would I be if I let someone like you take office?"

Darrow took several steps forward, until he stood an arms' length away from him. "Samuel, don't do anything you'll regret."

"Listen, you fool," Samuel said. "Don't be silly. I want you up there, in office. But I want you to know that while you're up there, I have this dirt on you and I can take you down anytime."

"And?"

"I just want you to suck my dick," Samuel laughed. "Metaphorically speaking."

Darrow inched forward. "Let me see if what you have is legitimate, then."

Samuel flung the manila over to him. Darrow caught it and opened the folder to look at the various sheets of paper. It was legit. He did have damning dirt on him, enough to get him out of the running. Darrow gave a small grin.

"Good job getting this, it must've taken a lot of effort," Darrow said. "I would know."

"Tell me about it," Samuel rolled his eyes.

"Let me know what it feels like down there."

"What do you mean, down there?" Samuel asked. "You mean as a normal citizen?"

"You can say that," Darrow said with a thin smile as he stepped forward.

"Of course - " Samuel was in the middle of saying when Darrow lurched forward with a rough shove to his right shoulder. In a flash, Samuel lost his footing and stumbled on top of a brick wall, shock written all over his face. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Darrow closed his hand around his collar and with one hard yank, he hauled him over the side of the bridge, down into the lake.

Darrow stood at the edge of the bridge as he watched Samuel fall into the deep murky depths of the lake. It was a long, hard fall from where he stood and he knew nobody would survive such a fall. The water rippled outwards steadily and Darrow broke into another smile. He would have to alert his contacts in the underworld to rid any possible double copies of the documents Samuel might have made. Holding the manila folder in his hand, he turned on his heels and went home.

Ah, just another normal day at work.