4 The CEO

The room was encased within a shipping dock. It was situated at the far end corner, away from the eyes of prying civilians. People who pass by it only see a dilapidated place where no one enters. Little do they know, beneath it lies a basement of horrors.

The screams of the prisoner could not escape the soundproof walls. The man was tied face down into an X position; his arms and legs tied to the four corners of a table. Another man stood above him, holding a red hot rod. The latter looked up towards a woman, who had her face covered with a mask and she wore a pair of dark sunglasses. She nodded at him.

"Tell us, Denzel," the second man commanded. "Who is the head of the Cartel?"

The man on the table lay there, whimpering in pain.

"Tell us!"

The second man inserted the hot rod underneath a fingernail of Denzel. The heat of the rod made him cry out in pain.

"Tell the name!"

But Denzel refused to speak. "He needs more persuasion, Riggs," the woman said in a low tone.

"As you command, CEO," Riggs obeyed. He used the rod to pry open the nail, a smell of burning flesh lingering in the air. Denzel let out another cry as his flesh burned in agony.

"I don't know!" he cried out. "The head never talked to us directly! He always sent messages through his men."

"Who sent you the messages?" Riggs demanded.

"He was always masked," Denzel cowered in fear. "I only know his code name. Ziko."

Riggs looked at the CEO. Her eyes betrayed no emotion.

"Madame," Riggs said. "It's that name again. Ziko. He seems to be one of the people from the Cartel's inner circle."

"So it seems," the CEO said, lost in deep thought.

"Please spare my life," Denzel pleaded. Half of his fingernails were gone and his skin was bleeding.

"What should we do with him, madam?" Riggs asked in disgust.

"Hand him over to the Interpol," she instructed. "He is of no use to us anyway."

Riggs bowed low. He was her most loyal follower. He was in his sixties and a respectable retired army personnel. Yet, he held a tremendous amount of respect for his CEO. She might only be in her late twenties, but she single handedly created Abyss to bring down the Santa Maria Cartel. The members of Abyss were those who were wronged by Cartel or lost loved ones to their misdeeds. Under madame's leadership, they had a purpose: capture the Cartel's head and bring him to justice.

"I will tell N2 to call the Interpol," Riggs said. The Abyss members never referred to each other by names. All of them used code names to keep their identities secret. Only the CEO herself knew everyone's names.

Riggs motioned for the guards, who were standing nearby to clean up the mess. He then followed the CEO out of the basement.

"Why do you think the Cartel is targeting Kwon Jiwon?" Riggs asked her. "He may be famous but he hardly seems to have any reason to be a threat to the Cartel."

The CEO sighed. "You really don't know much about him, do you?" she bemused.

Riggs was confused. "What do you mean, madam? Did he cross paths with them before?" he asked.

"Do you know anything about Kwon Jiwon's background?" the CEO snickered. "His grandfather, Kwon Jinhyung, not only owned the largest real estate business in Korea, but was also the kingpin of the underworld."

"They were criminals?" Riggs asked, astonished.

"Not exactly," the CEO replied. "He was a mercenary, just like Abyss. But a more dangerous one. Unlike us, he had no qualms in killing the gangs who were causing trouble. He ruled with an iron fist and was preparing his grandson, KJ, to be his heir. But it all went to waste when KJ decided to become an idol and leave his family legacy."

"The old man must have been furious," Riggs commented. To his surprise, the CEO shook her head.

"He died before KJ's debut as an idol," she explained. "The grandson did not even go to the funeral. KJ broke off completely from his family."

"But that still doesn't explain why the Cartel is after KJ," Riggs said, confused.

"When old man Kwon died, the Cartel began to gain momentum," CEO said, quietly. "The old man was one of their biggest hindrances. As long as he was alive, the Cartel could not fully gain control over the underworld. Once he was dead and there was no successor to the throne, they usurped the spot. Unfortunately, the existence of KJ was becoming a threat. People who are loyal to the Kwon family, are rallying against the Cartel. A fierce competition is going on to remove the power of the Cartel. As long as KJ is alive, people will be loyal to him."

"Moreover," the CEO added. "KJ's popularity also plays a huge role in this. His clean public image and charm does attract many followers. His influence stretches worldwide. Of course, the Cartel is threatened."

"But KJ left his family business behind," Riggs frowned.

The CEO laughed. It was a musical laugh with a hint of sarcasm. "He left his throne behind but not the people," she snickered. "He still commands a good amount of influence in the underworld. The building he lives in is full of people who are loyal to his family. He was impenetrable there until..."

"Until?" Riggs egged her.

"Until, someone broke into that place the other day," she said. "That was when we realized, there's a mole in KJ's camp. He never realized it."

"Is that why you chose to move there?" Riggs asked. "But what if someone sees your face? Surely, you cannot hide it forever."

"Relax," the CEO assured him. "Even if someone sees my face, they won't know I'm the founder of Abyss."

"What about KJ? What if he sees you?" Riggs insisted.

"KJ doesn't even know me," the CEO said lazily. "We've never met. Even if we run into each other, he'll think I'm a random stranger. Besides, I will have the mask on if I ever need to interact with him as the CEO of Abyss."

Her words did not reassure Riggs. But she did not think much into it. She highly doubted that a man like KJ, who has millions of fans, would even bother with her. All she wants to do is trail the guy so that he can lead her to the Cartel's head. He was simply a small step in her aim to take down the Cartel for once and for all.

After bidding Riggs farewell, the CEO headed towards her new apartment. The day's activities exhausted her. She took the elevator to the thirteenth floor.

As she made her way to her apartment, a mewing sound stopped her. In front of KJ's door, there was a fluffy ginger cat, staring at her. It was looking at her expectantly, with his head raised. She smiled underneath her mask.

"Hello there," she bent down to stroke it. The cat purred under her touch. Clearly, it enjoyed being pampered. She took out a packet of cookies from her pocket, which she always carried around.

She opened the packet and broke cookies into pieces for the cat to nibble on. "What's your name?" she cooed, as she stroked its thick fur.

"Jade," a voice came from behind.

Startled, she looked up. KJ was standing behind her, scrutinizing her.