1 The Call
Florence, Italy.
In a luxurious countryside villa, there was a party going on. This villa belonged to Marco Vinciguerra, a prominent businessman and philanthropist. He was a well-known man in Florence and had a wide circle of friends. He had many connections and was associated with many elites, including politicians, high-ranking police officers and other prominent businessmen.
Common people knew him as a wealthy and powerful man. But, what many people did not know was that Marco Vinciguerra was also one of the most powerful men in the Italian Underworld. Aside from his legitimate business, he was also involved with a number of illegitimate businesses. He was a ruthless man who had caused the deaths of many innocent people.
He had eliminated many rival businessmen and innocent civilians, all to serve his own interests. But, he was a meticulous and careful man and had never been caught for any of his crimes. This was a somewhat impressive accomplishment considering his prolific involvement in illegal activities. Interpol had caught wind of his illegal acts but there had never been any solid evidence linking him to his crimes. He did not even have to hide himself. He walked proudly in the sun and mingled with the elites of high society like a perfect gentleman, very unlike the ruthless crime lord that he really was.
This villa was one of the many owned by Marco Vinciguerra. It was his summer retreat. His ruthlessness aside, Marco Vinciguerra was certainly a very wealthy man. His dirty clutches extended throughout Europe and the amount of wealth he had accumulated over the years was prolific. If his true assets were to be revealed to society, there was no doubt that Marco Vinciguerra's wealth would put Bill Gates to shame. Every year, he made billions from his legitimate business and several more billions from his shady dealings. As he did not have to pay any tax on his dirty money, his yearly revenue surpassed most of the wealthy men in the world. Thus, his fortune grew and grew and grew.
He also paid great attention to his security and spent a large part of his fortune making sure that his security was top-notch. He hired the best bodyguards and armed them with the best weapons. He had a personal security force, armed to the teeth and employing high-tech, state-of-the-art technology, all to ensure his safety. Everywhere he went he travelled in armored vehicles and was accompanied by an army of bodyguards. He even had several helicopters in his service, which would fly overhead guarding him, like flying watchdogs, whenever he went out. As he was an extremely well-connected man, he never had any problems regarding the authorization of flight paths for his helicopters.
This villa was also tightly guarded. State-of-the-art monitoring and surveillance systems were installed all around the villa and its surroundings. Ferocious dogs guarded the doors. Security personnel were patrolling around the clock. He had a whole army of bodyguards stationed there, many of whom were actually retired veteran soldiers who had served in the special forces of whatever country or the other. The man even installed machine guns and rocket launchers in the guardhouses. Anyone else would have gotten into trouble simply for that. But, Marco Vinciguerra had reliable connections and the authorities would simply turn a blind eye to many of his questionable acts.
The guardhouses were positioned at strategic locations, forming a protective perimeter, up to three miles around the villa. Marco Vinciguerra felt very safe there. He was very confident with his security arrangements. In fact, he would often brag that his security was more perfect than that of the President of the United States.
Tonight, he was hosting a party for some of his friends, after recently closing a business deal which was worth several billion dollars. Several high ranked officials were also in attendance. People always loved Marco Vinciguerra's parties. The food and wine were excellent and beautiful women were plentiful. Married or not, many of his guests would enjoy themselves by indulging in not only the fine food and wine, but also the seductive bodies of the young, gorgeous women. In fact, this was precisely the reason why some of these men would come; to lose themselves in drink and women. To the women, it was a chance to find themselves some rich and powerful backers and many would jump at the chance to attend one of these parties. Of course, sometime, not all the girls came willingly.
Five miles away from the villa, at the edge of the tree line, a man was lying motionless facing towards the villa. He had on dark apparel that blended perfectly with the night. He was holding what appeared to be a greatly modified form of the Barrett M82 Sniper Rifle. The rifle was also pitch black, with no markings. The body was big and the barrel was long, especially with the built-in silencer. It appeared to be made for precision and power. With an eye glued to the scope, the man lay there, completely motionless. Lying there, he was perfectly camouflaged in the shadow of a big tree. He seemed to be part of the night itself. Five miles away, Marco Vinciguerra was holding his wine glass, still laughing happily, unaware that a fearsome hunter who prowls the darkness had him in his sights.
The villa had bulletproof windows and the walls were made of reinforced concrete. Marco Vinciguerra felt perfectly safe there. Even if he were standing out in the open, his security team was actively patrolling and monitoring the area up to three miles around the villa. Not even the best sniper in the world would be able to hit him from over three miles away. What kind of freak would be able to shoot that well and what kind of Sniper Rifle could he use? He was also an arms dealer and he knew that such a powerful Sniper Rifle had not been invented yet. From that distance, it would be an impossible shot. It had never been done. No one could do it. At least, that was what Marco Vinciguerra believed.
In the shade of the tree, the man-in-black slowly placed his finger on the trigger.
Pftt! Pfft! Pfft!
Three shots were fired. The bullets left the barrel and noiselessly travelled towards their target.
Inside the villa, Marco Vinciguerra was still talking with his friends. He held a voluptuous woman in one arm and a wine glass was in his other hand. He took a sip from his glass and fondled the woman's breasts with his free hand. He was feeling extremely good, enjoying the softness of the woman's breasts and the flattery of his friends.
Clink! Clink! Crack!
Three sounds followed, one after the other. But, they were drowned out by the talk and the laughter. In the next moment, Marco Vinciguerra's head exploded. If, at that moment, any one of the guests had been paying attention to the window, they would have noticed a small hole in the upper left corner of the window- pane.
Yes, it was a single hole. Three bullets fired with extreme, god-like precision had hit the exact same place on the window-pane, finally penetrating the thick bulletproof glass. Two shots at the same place weakened the glass and the final shot was able to pierce through it. Three shots exactly-the man had calculated perfectly. The shot was taken from five miles away. It was night and the wind was blowing strong. It was an impossible shot. But, the man-in-black had pulled it off and he did it flawlessly. For all his vaunted security, Marco Vinciguerra couldn't be more dead.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!"
It was unknown who screamed first. But soon, all the guests were screaming and running around like headless chicken. Everyone was panicking and trying to find a safe place. Hearing the commotion, the bodyguards stationed outside rushed into the villa with their weapons drawn and ready for combat. They were shocked to find the headless Vinciguerra. The alarm was raised and the bodyguards began to spread out in search of the attacker.
Meanwhile, the man-in-black had already left his position. As soon as he fired those shots, he silently got up and stealthily melted into the forest. He left like a phantom, quietly disappearing into the night. There was no trace to indicate that he had ever been there in the first place.
---
Later that night, a car could be seen moving speedily through the streets of the nearby city. After passing through several intersections and alleyways, it abruptly stopped outside a large building. A robust man hurriedly exited the car and ran towards the door. The two guards standing there tried to stop him, but the man shouted in a panicky voice, "MOVE IT," and shoved them aside. Then, he ran inside the building before they could stop him.
After passing through several more guards, the man finally stopped outside a big door. Seeing him, the four tough-looking men standing guard outside the door questioned him, "Rocky, what are you doing here at this time and why do you look like you've seen a ghost? Weren't you supposed to be at Mr. Vinciguerra's party?" The robust man, Rocky, said with an air of impatience and in the same panicky tone, "Quickly, open the door and let me through. I have important news for the boss." The four men did not seem very happy with Rocky's answer.
"Mr. Scaletta's currently enjoying himself with his women. You know how the boss gets when he's enjoying women. And tonight, he finally got his hands on that hot little chick he's been eyeing. He'll kill us if we disturb him now. Whatever kind of news it is, it will have to wait until he's done."
"This can't wait, you fools!" Rocky tried to force his way through but he was stopped by the four men.
"Just what happened that got you so worked up?"
Struggling in their hold, Rocky shouted at them with his reddened face. "Mr. Vinciguerra is dead! DEAD! Somebody shot him at the party. I tried to call the boss, but he wouldn't answer his phone. So, I had to rush here with the news. Do you understand how serious this is now? Quickly open the door, you fools!"
After hearing what Rocky said, the four men finally realized the severity of the situation. They could not believe that Marco Vinciguerra was dead. As the weight of the news sunk it, they began to look as flustered as Rocky. They knew that their boss had to be told about the news as quickly as possible. Even so, they were still quite afraid to disturb their boss' pleasure. They knew just how much their lustful boss hated to be disturbed while he was enjoying women. He would not hesitate to kill them for the transgression. In fact, he had killed several of his men for that very reason. Normally, Scarletta was a very rational man. But, when it came to women, he was like a crazy person.
Steeling himself, one of the men gently knocked on the door. "Boss, sorry to disturb you. But, Rocky's here and he's brought important news. You have to hear this. It's extremely important."
Not long after, the door abruptly opened and Scarletta came out, buck naked and sporting a majestic boner. He was a well-built man who appeared to be in his forties. The scars that riddled his body were a testament to the fact that he was a veteran of many harsh fights. The scowl on his face showed that he was not happy at all. "Damn you, worthless fools. I had to stop mid-way. I told you not to disturb me under any circumstances. This news had better be as important as you claim, or I will feed all of you to the fish."
The five men visibly paled under the threat. Then, Rocky said timidly, "So sorry to disturb you, boss. But, Mr. Vinciguerra is dead. He was killed earlier tonight at his party."
Scarletta's eyes opened wide at the news. "Vinciguerra is dead?!" That was extremely serious indeed. Even his boner had gone down now. Scarletta was the local crime lord. He controlled the entire region and Vinciguerra was his biggest partner. Together, they had done many terrible things and had killed many people.
They had made a lot of money together at the cost of many innocent lives. He performed the dirty jobs in the region for Vinciguerra while Vinciguerra helped to keep him out of jail with his many connections. His death was terrible news for Scarletta. However, as a cold and ruthless man himself, the news merely shocked him but he did not panic. Instead, he began to plan how he could take over all of Vinciguerra's operations now that the man dead.
But, after calming down a bit Scarletta suddenly had a horrifying thought. He swiftly turned to Rocky, "Wait, tell me, how exactly did he die?"
"He was shot, boss. Sniper shot him through the window. Shot him right in the head and his head exploded."
Hearing what Rocky said, the tough gang lord finally showed signs of panic in his eyes. His body shivered a little and he gave Rocky a deathly stare. This utterly frightened Rocky. "Boss, what's wrong? I just wanted to tell you the news as soon as possible."
"Fool, you've led him right to me. WORTHLESS FOOL!"
"Boss, I don't know what you're talking about. I came alone and I drove very fast. No one knows this place except for us. No one followed me."
Bang!!!
Scarletta suddenly took a gun from one of the four men and shot Rocky. The four men panicked.
"Boss?"
"This idiot led him right to us. I wish I could kill him again"
"Boss, who are you talking about?"
"Think about it, you fools! Vinciguerra had one of the best security teams in the world. No one spent more money on personal safety than he did. His security was actually perfect. Even the US President isn't as well protected as that paranoid Vinciguerra was. But, even with that perfect security, someone was able to kill him in that well fortified villa of his. Bulletproof windows, reinforced concrete walls and enough bodyguards to build a small army. Even these were not enough to keep him safe. The sniper still killed him. There's only one man in the world capable of a feat like that!"
The bodyguards finally seemed to have caught on to what their boss Scarletta was implying. They turned pale as cold sweat flowed down their backs. One of them whispered, "The Phantom Reaper!"
"Exactly. Only that God-of-Death could have done this. And that fool Rocky led him straight to this safe-house. We have to move quickly now. I don't' know how long…." Scarletta did not have a chance to finish his sentence.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Rapid and chaotic gunshots resounded throughout the big building. Scarletta knew that it was too late. The dreaded god-of-death of the underworld had arrived. As a veteran of the Underworld, he was fully aware of the unfavorable situation he was in. Although he had never seen the man known as The Phantom Reaper in person, he had heard many stories about this legendary God-of-Death. He was a man dreaded by all who knew of his existence-the most dangerous man in the world. No matter how powerful or well protected, none of his targets ever escaped. He was the ultimate assassin.
"What do we do, boss?" Scarletta's men looked at him nervously. But, the man did not reply. He knew that their situation was hopeless.
One of the braver men suggested, "Boss, we'll delay him. You can use the fire escape and…"
"You can't delay him. No one can delay The Phantom Reaper. He comes and goes like a spirit and always kills whoever he wants to kill. No one can run from him. If he wants your life, then you're already a dead man."
"Then, what do we do, boss?"
Scarletta looked at his flustered men and was finally able to calm himself down, if only a little. "We can die like men. You guys go and meet him at the stairs while I get my shotgun." Then, he turned and entered his bedroom.
These men were ruthless, but they were loyal. Having gotten the orders from their boss, they drew their guns and headed towards the stairs. Their bodies were drenched in sweat as they prepared for the encounter. They did not expect to see the sunrise but as their boss had said, they hoped to at least die like men. They hoped that they could at least fire off a few shots at their fearsome opponent before their demise. Unfortunately, their hope was never realized. As the four men reached the end of the corridor that led to the stairs, four bullets accurately and swiftly penetrated their foreheads. They immediately dropped dead without even getting a chance to see their attacker.
Inside the bedroom, Scarletta was still buck naked but he was now holding a big shotgun in his arms. He stood facing the door of the bedroom with multiple beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. As a man who lived dangerously, Scarletta always knew that his death would not be a peaceful one. But, he never thought that his death would come so soon.
Behind him, on the big bed, there were three naked women with voluptuous bodies. They were beautiful and enticing, but they all had scared expressions on their beautiful faces. They had heard the gunshots and knew that there was a terrible fight going on. These women were not part of the gang and were not used to violence. So, they were very frightened right now. Two of the women had been servicing Scarletta in bed for some time now. But, the youngest and most delicate of the three women had only recently caught Scarletta's eyes and tonight was the first time that she was servicing him. What they all had in common was that they were beautiful and they were all forced to submit and obey the crime lord due to fear.
The bedroom door opened slowly and a man fully dressed in black walked in. In both his hands, he was holding custom-made handguns with built-in silencers. Like his clothes, they were black and had no markings. These handguns were famous in the Underworld. They were known as the 'Twin Heralds of Death' or simply the 'Twin Heralds'.
They were named as such because they were wielded by the God-of-Death, The Phantom Reaper. Their appearance meant that death was coming for whoever was unfortunate enough to be the Reaper's target. The Phantom Reaper was famous in the Underworld not only as a Master Sniper, but also a master of close-range and medium-range combat. He was the ultimate assassin. He could kill like a silent phantom but he could also come at you face-to-face. If he wanted to be silent, then you would die before you knew it. But, if he wanted to be loud then you would die a more spectacular death, usually with bullets from the Twin Heralds. Tonight, the Reaper obviously wanted to be loud when killing Scarletta.
These handguns were custom-made to be wielded by The Phantom Reaper. If you look closely at the grip of the handguns, you could see a hideous, grey laughing skull emblem on either side, considered to be the mark of the Reaper. These handguns had an effective range of 300 meters and a maximum range close to 1000 meters. The magazine could hold 30 rounds of 9mm armor-piercing bullets. The intricate trigger mechanism ensured precision and accuracy, maintaining the power even with the built-in silencer. They were bulky, silent and powerful-utterly deadly. They were the chosen weapons of the ultimate assassin. They were not really made for stealth, but customized to be wielded by the god-of-death, The Phantom Reaper. It is highly unlikely that any other assassin would take the trouble of arming himself with such bulky handguns.
The man was about six feet tall and wearing a plain grey mask. The mask covered his entire face, except for his eyes. His eyes were deep purple in color and exuded incredible charm. The three women were captivated by the man's beautiful eyes and even forgot about their fear as they dazedly looked at him. The man's amethyst eyes that shone like bright jewels seemed to hypnotize and draw them in. They forgot about everything else at that moment-all they noticed was the man's charming deep purple eyes.
Even Scarletta seemed to be hypnotized by the man as he just stood there shaking in fear. He even forgot to fire his shotgun. Scarletta had never really known fear in his over-forty years of life. He had always been the one to instill fear in others. But, tonight, standing face-to-face with the god-of-death he finally understood the meaning of fear. Looking into the amethyst eyes of the man silently standing before him, Scarletta felt a powerful pressure overwhelming him. The man-in-black exuded a mysterious aura that oppressed everyone around him-it was chilling, it was haunting, it was absolute and it was indomitable. It could be understood as the aura of death.
Seeing Scarletta frozen with fear, the three beautiful women were utterly surprised. Previously, the man had seemed so dominant to them. He was ruthless and unyielding. When he had forced them to accompany him in bed they had no way to resist him. He was not even afraid of the local authorities and just did whatever he wanted. It seemed that nothing and no one could stand against him. But, now he was just like a weak and helpless child shaking in fear in front of a ferocious monster. The three women all had the same thought. 'Who is this mysterious man-in-black?' They were filled with infinite curiosity as to the identity of this man with the enchanting deep purple eyes who could instill such fear in the cold and ruthless Scarletta.
The man-in-black slowly walked up to Scarletta. He did not seem to be afraid of the shotgun in his hands at all. His strides were confident and his footsteps were silent. He walked like a phantom, making absolutely no sound at all. Stopping in front of Scarletta, he observed the naked man. After a brief moment of silence the man-in-black finally spoke. "Scarletta, the man popularly known as 'The Crazy Butcher'. It seems you are quite good at hiding like an annoying rodent." His voice was low and deep. It was confident and steady, commanding and magnetic. Turning his eyes to the shotgun in Scarletta's hands he continued, "I think we both know that that little toy will be of no use whatsoever."
Although the grey mask covered his face Scarletta could tell that the man was sneering at him beneath his mask. All his courage had left him the moment he came face-to-face with the man feared as the God-of-Death. There were no more thoughts of 'dying like a man' at all in his head now-only deep,despairing dread. Like so many before him, he had become completely overwhelmed by the piercing aura of the God-of-Death.
He immediately dropped his shotgun. Plucking up the courage to speak he stammered, "Mr..Mr. Reaper,sir. It..it is a great ho..honor..to..to finally meet you." He tried his best to squeeze out a servile smile.
"Is it, now?"
"Yes, yes…I am indeed honored to be in your presence. Might I enquire why someone as prestigious as sir would be visiting my humble self tonight?" He still had on that servile smile and tried his best to stop himself from shaking. He was a brutish man but, after such a long time working with Vinciguerra, he had come far in terms of learning how to flatter those who needed to be flattered.
"I came to kill you."
The servile smile froze and the shaking intensified. "Please wait, sir. I have millions of Euros to my name. I am willing to give everything to you in order to purchase my life."
"How much do you have here?"
Scarletta saw a ray of hope. He answered enthusiastically, "The safe in this room contains 100 million Euros. Please, wait a moment. I'll open it for you now." He ran to a corner of the room and pressed a button on the wall. The wall slid open, revealing a big safe. Scarletta entered the combination and opened the safe. There were six bags inside-five small bags and one big bag, all filled with money. In addition, there were a number of documents detailing various illegal transactions and dirty jobs that Scarletta had done for Vinciguerra. In the corner, there was a red Raven SF100 laptop which was priced at 1 million dollars.
Scarletta took out the bags and the laptop and explained, "The smaller bags contain 10 million Euros each and the big bag contains 50 million Euros. I can use the laptop to transfer the rest of my assets to you, sir."
The man-in-black took out a small piece of paper and handed it to Scarletta. "You can transfer the rest of the money to that account." Scarletta accessed his account and immediately transferred the rest of his money into the anonymous Swiss Bank Account provided by the man-in-black. In a flash, several hundred million Euros disappeared from his account and was deposited into the anonymous account. Watching all his money disappear from his account, Scarletta was actually heartbroken inside, but he would rather lose all his fortune than lose his life.
"Is that alright, sir?"
"Yes, quite alright. Now, burn the paper." Scarletta did as he was told.
"And now, sir, will you.."
"Now, you die!"
"But..but..I gave you all my money. You said you would.."
"I never said I would spare your life."
"But, you took all my money. You can't kill me. You.."
Pfft!
The bullet penetrated Scarletta's forehead and he immediately dropped down in a pool of blood.
"Why would I refuse your money when you were offering it to me so willingly? I'm an assassin, not a saint!" The man-in-black smiled a devilish smile beneath his mask.
"Aaaaaahhhhh!"
Seeing Scarletta's bloody corpse the three women were horrified and screamed in unison.
"Quiet!" The voice was not loud, but it was magnetic and commanding. The three women immediately stopped screaming. The man-in-black turned to the three naked women and stared at them with his beautiful amethyst eyes. Looking into his beautiful eyes, the women were once again captivated by the mysterious man-in-black and momentarily forgot their fear.
The youngest woman stammered, "Please..please..don't..don't kill me. He..he..he..that monster threatened to kill my parents and forced me to come here tonight. I'm not part of his gang." The other two women also spoke out.
"He killed my husband and forced himself on me."
"He killed my boyfriend."
The man-in-black looked at them quietly for a moment. "You were never here tonight. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, yes! We were never here and neither were you." These women were traumatized but they were not stupid. In fact, they felt a certain sense of gratitude towards this mysterious man-in-black for getting rid of Scarletta and freeing them from his clutches.
The man-in-black opened up the big bag and put the laptop along with two of the smaller bags into it. Then, he threw the three smaller bags towards the three women, one for each of them. "The authorities will be here in 10 minutes. Get dressed and leave. Quickly! I suggest you use the money in the bag to start a new life somewhere else. If you have any family, you can take them with you."
The three beautiful women were stunned. They remembered Scarletta telling the man-in-black that these smaller bags contained 10 million Euros each. That was more money than they had ever seen in their lifetime. It would be of tremendous help to them and their families. They did not feel guilty taking this money from Scarletta. It could be considered compensation after being raped by Scarletta and forced to continue serving him in bed. Instead, they felt immense gratitude towards the mysterious man-in-black who had saved them from Scarletta and given them all that money on top of it.
They raised their heads, wanting to thank him. But, there was no one else left in the room. It was only an instant, but the man-in-black was already gone. Like a phantom, he had noiselessly left, as if he was never there in the first place. The only evidence of his presence was the bloody corpse of Scarletta and those of his men that littered the building. Such was the style of the ultimate assassin known as The Phantom Reaper. He came and went like a phantom, leaving only dead bodies in his wake.
The three women immediately got dressed and quickly left the place. They went their separate ways with an unspoken agreement that they would never in their lives speak about what happened that night. Women are strange creatures. Despite all the violence and killing that night, what left the most profound impression on them were not the dead bodies but the enchanting amethyst eyes of that mysterious man-in-black. They did not feel fear towards the man-in-black despite knowing that he was the one who killed all those people. Instead, when thinking about that man they only felt gratitude and an inexplicable sweetness in their hearts.
To those three women, the mysterious man-in-black was like an angel of death sent by God to liberate them. They were charmed by the powerful man and his enchanting deep purple eyes. In fact if, at that time, he had asked them to climb into his bed they would have served him willingly and happily. Women are strange and emotional creatures. In later years, they would often recall that night and wish that they could meet the man with the dazzling amethyst eyes again. The memory of those enchanting, deep purple eyes and that charming man would stay with them for the rest of their lives. It was a memory that they would often recall fondly and with longing.
---
9 AM. The next morning.
In a luxurious five star hotel in Florence, a handsome young man of about twenty five years or so was in his room packing his luggage. He was about six feet tall and had short, glossy, black hair. He had a chiseled face and high nose bridge. His facial features seemed to be a perfect blend of the most excellent parts of both eastern and western features. His well-toned body was faintly discernible through his body-fitting, navy blue suit. He wore a royal blue shirt with a crimson necktie. The handsome young man certainly looked dashing in his custom-designed suit, but his attractive apparel could not overshadow his most striking feature which was actually his eyes. The young man had beautiful amethyst eyes. The deep purple eyes were bright, confident and calm. They seemed to shine like dazzling jewels. They were captivating and charming.
In the background, the television was on and the news was playing…
" ….shocking and sensational. At approximately 10 PM last night, noted billionaire and philanthropist Marco Vinciguerra was gunned down by an unknown sniper while at his countryside villa. The guests at the villa who witnessed this shocking event were greatly traumatized and remain unavailable for comment at this time. According to Police sources, the sniper fired three shots that penetrated the villa's bulletproof window, hitting Marco Vincigurra on the head and killing him instantly. Police experts commented that taking into account the late Vinciguerra's security arrangements the shot had to have been fired from over three miles away, which is an unbelievable and almost impossible feat. The sniper is highly skilled and very dangerous. The suspect has not been identified at this point and remains at large. Citizens are advised to remain careful and alert for any suspicious individuals, and to report sightings of such individuals to the authorities at once. In related news, infamous crime lord Scarletta was also gunned down in Florence by a mysterious person or persons last night. At the crime scene, the Police have uncovered documents linking Scarletta to the late billionaire Marco Vinciguerra. At this point, investigations are still ongoing as to the exact relationship between the famous billionaire and the ruthless crime lord. The authorities are currently trying to sort out the information found in the documents and the investigation is expected to continue for quite some time. It is believed that these killings could be the work of a previously unknown organization. The Commissioner….."
At this point, the man had finished packing. He turned off the television and left the room with his suitcase.
There was a beautiful receptionist stationed at the hotel's front desk. Looking at the handsome man in front of her, the beautiful woman blushed. She cast furtive glances at him from time to time while taking care of the procedure for checking out of the hotel. Many guests checked in or out of their hotel on a daily basis and it was impossible to remember everyone's faces. In fact, it was highly likely that the receptionists would forget about most of the guests' appearance the next day. But, the beautiful woman could still clearly remember the time when this handsome young man checked into their hotel last week. She was captivated by his enchanting amethyst eyes.
With her good looks and attractive body, many of the wealthy guests that came to their hotel would often hit on her and try to ask her out. But, the girl had always rejected such offers politely. She was always very professional in her work. She also had high self-esteem and was not frivolous. She was not foolish enough to be swayed by the honeyed words of these wealthy and powerful guests at their hotel. She had rejected all the explicit and implicit advances from wealthy middle-aged or older businessmen, smooth second-generation playboys and powerful politicians.
However, it was different for the handsome young man standing before her. She had been attracted to him from the moment she first saw him. He seemed to have a mysterious and attractive aura about him. His beautiful deep purple eyes just seemed to draw her in. Like many women before her, she was charmed by those enchanting eyes of his that seemed to give her an inexplicable sense of security.
She had chided herself secretly when she found out that she was actually expectant at the thought of being asked out by a guy she had just met. A part of her secretly wished that, like the others, the handsome young man would hit on her and ask her out. The gorgeous Italian receptionist, whose name was Sonia Valerio, had always found the advances of the wealthy guests annoying. But, this time she actually hoped that the young man would try to get close to her. Despite her slight expectations, the young man only talked to her very politely and never said any unnecessary things. Sonia was quite disappointed by the turn of events. She had never forgotten that encounter. Since that time, this handsome young man had been on her mind constantly.
As the procedure for checking out was completed, the beautiful receptionist smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you for staying with us at Raven Hotels, Mr. Boutroux. I hope you had a pleasant stay."
The man smiled back. "Yes, I had a very good time. Thank you, Miss Valerio."
The girl was both stunned and happy that he called her by name this time. Previously it had always been just 'miss'. She looked at his charming smile and was a little flustered.
"Please, call me Sonia. But, how did you know my name?" she asked him expectantly. She was excited and secretly thinking inside. 'Did he ask people about me? Maybe he's been thinking about me too'. But, the reply disappointed her.
"It's written on you name tag," the man smiled and said as he pointed at the golden name tag pinned to her chest.
Sonia's beautiful face flushed red. She scolded herself inwardly for being too nervous and acting like an idiot. Trying to hide her embarrassment Sonia smiled awkwardly and said, "Oh, right! Right! The name tag. Haha! So, did you finish your business, Mr. Boutroux? I hope everything went well." She was embarrassed but she was hoping that she could talk with him just a little longer.
The man was amused by the sudden change in the professional and ever-so-serious worker. Seeing her flushed face and her flustered appearance, he found her to be quite lovable. He smiled at her again. Unlike his previous smiles which were quite casual, this time his smile was very gentle. His tone also turned gentler.
"I would say it went quite well. Thank you, Sonia. And please, call me Lucien."
Seeing his gentle smile and hearing his warm tone, and especially being addressed by name, Sonia felt very happy. She did not know why, but she was getting a warm feeling in her heart. She suddenly felt that the day had gotten much brighter.
Sonia wished that she could keep the conversation going. But, she also knew that it was inappropriate because this was her workplace. So, she looked at the man's deep purple eyes one more time and finally said reluctantly, "I hope you have a safe flight back home, Lucien." She added quietly in Italian, "It's too bad you have to leave so soon."
She said the last part in such a small voice because she did not want others to hear it. It was more like she was saying it to herself. For added measure she had said it in Italian so that the man before her would not be able to understand what she had said. But, the young man in front of her had excellent hearing and he had heard every word clearly.
He looked straight at her with those deep purple eyes of his and answered in fluent Italian, "Thank you, Sonia. I had a good time here. Florence is beautiful and its women are even more beautiful. They are kind and passionate and I find them to be very attractive. Right now, I have to take care of business elsewhere. But, I'll definitely come back when I get the chance."
The gorgeous receptionist Sonia was both surprised and excited when she heard him reply in fluent Italian. She was very happy that this handsome young man who had left a favorable impression in her heart could speak her native language. She admired him even more now. His Italian was even more fluent and beautiful than some of the locals. It was a pleasant surprise for her and she found her infatuation growing.
She beamed at him and said in her sweet voice, "Your Italian is so beautiful, Lucien. Just how many talents are you hiding? You must definitely come back. And, at that time you have to stay here again."
The man smiled back at her. "Definitely. It's a promise. I must go now, Sonia. My flight is leaving soon. See you next time. Ciao!"
"Ciao!"
Watching the disappearing back of the young man as he left the hotel, Sonia felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart. Nothing had changed in her life except for the young man leaving, but she experienced an inexplicable sense of sadness and longing. She found herself already missing him and wanting to talk with him some more. She felt that a part of her was somehow missing. Perhaps this was what some people call 'love at first sight'. Every day, for the past week, she would see the man with the enchanting deep purple eyes come and go into the hotel. Although they rarely talked, she was happy to be able to see him every day. She had never felt that way about any man before in her twenty three years of life. But, he had promised to return some day. The beautiful woman cheered up slightly at that thought.
---
Paris, France. Three months later.
In a luxurious three-storey mansion, a young man was lying down lazily on a recliner in the mansion's third-storey terrace. He appeared to be about twenty five years of age. The man was extremely handsome and had enchanting deep purple eyes. Beside him, to his right, on a small stool, there was a bottle of wine, marked Chateau Margaux, 1776 and in his right hand he was holding a half empty cup, made of pure silver. To his left, there was a satellite phone. Taking a sip from his cup, the young man gazed up at the sky and gave a satisfied smile.
Tring! Tring! Tring!
Stretching out his left hand, the young man lazily picked up the phone and placed it near his ear.
"Speak."
He heard the pleasant voice of a woman on the other end, "Leader, there's someone calling you from China. He says his name is Zhu Guanyu."
The young man was a little surprised. He had not expected this call. This was the first time he was hearing from the man in over ten years. In fact, he had had very little contact with his home country or his family since he left China thirteen years ago.
He was not surprised that his estranged family could get his number. The Zhu family commanded a lot of resources. And, although he had changed his name it was merely because he did not like his Chinese name as it linked him to the family that he hated. It was not as if he was trying to hide or anything. If he really wanted to hide, then no one on this earth who could hope to find him.
'What does that old man want with me?' His first impulse was to reject the call. But, the man was still his father. And he had never forgotten his mother's last words to him before she passed away, "Please, don't hate your father." After struggling with himself for some time he finally decided to hear what the man had to say.
"Put him through."
"Yes, leader."
Beep!
"Speak quickly. What do you want?"
Through the receiver he heard the gruff voice of a middle-aged man, "Xiwang, you don't seem very pleased to hear from your father. Very well. I will be brief. Your grandfather has passed away. You should come home and pay your respects. As I'm now the head of the family, your grandmother has been pleading me to ask you to come back. She misses you."
The young man, Xiwang, replied indifferently, "So, the old man is dead. It seems that only grandma wants to see me. No one else wants me to come back. Am I right? Not even you."
There was silence. Zhu Xiwang did not really find that surprising. As it was, there was no love lost between him and his father. He was also hated and looked down upon by the rest of his family. Xiwang remembered that only his aunt and his grandmother had ever been nice to him. His father had never openly abused him, but he was always indifferent and treated him as if he did not exist. He also did nothing as his other family members insulted and abused him. His father only ever seemed to care about his brothers, never about him. He had little love for his family in China and had no desire to return.
However, Xiwang remembered his grandmother's tears as he was exiled from the family by his grandfather all those years ago. He recalled how the old woman had wept and pleaded to his grandfather on his behalf. Of course, the end result did not change. He was chased out of the ancestral family home by his grandfather and exiled to France with minimal resources. His father did nothing to stop the event. Even the little amount of money that he received from the family stopped after three years. It was as if the family wanted to pretend that he did not exist. He would not be surprised to learn that some of his relatives were hoping that he would die overseas.
His experiences would have been very traumatic for others. Some might even have chosen to commit suicide long ago. But, Xiwang had always been strong-minded. He liked to believe that he inherited his strong will from his mother. He always moved forward bravely and through a series of fortunate coincidences, he was able to reach where he was today. As things stood now, he was strong, independent and living luxuriously. He feared absolutely nothing and no one in this world.
For a brief moment, Xiwang was lost in recollection. "Xiwang, are you still there?" His father's gruff voice brought him back to the present. Although his experiences had hardened him, he wanted to at least be nice to his grandmother whom he had not seen in thirteen years. He knew that without the old woman caring for him, he would not have been able to survive in that family for ten years following his mother's death. He wanted to at least say a few words to comfort her now that her husband had passed away.
He also wanted to visit his mother's grave. He had not seen her grave for a long time and he blamed himself for that. But, he was now a tainted man with too much blood on his hands. And, he would prefer not to taint his mother's resting place with his bloody hands because he did not want to disappoint her. He knew that his mother was a gentle and peace-loving woman and would not approve of his bloody profession. He was a killer. To be more precise, he was 'the' killer among killers. But, he was what he was and there was no way to go back. He only hoped that his loving mother would not be too disappointed in heaven.
"Alright. I'll book a flight for tomorrow." With that, he hung up without saying another word.
Taking the phone in his hand, he dialed a number.
Tring!
"Yes, leader." On the other end of the line, he heard a very soft and pleasant woman's voice. This voice was even more enchanting than the first woman's voice. Judging from the voice alone, its owner seemed to be a supreme beauty. The voice was filled with reverence. It also contained a hint of gentleness and expectation as if she were a wife talking with her beloved husband.
"Dalia, I'll be going back to China for a little while. I won't be taking the Jet. Tell Dove to book a flight for me for tomorrow. You take care of things while I'm gone. Call me if there's an emergency."
"Alright. But, can I only call you if there's an emergency?" The pleasant voice sounded a bit disappointed and unhappy.
Xiwang did not understand what the problem was. "What do you mean?"
"Are you saying that I'm not allowed to call if there is no emergency?" The pleasant voice still sounded somewhat unhappy.
Xiwang finally understood what Dalia was unhappy about. 'This little girl'. He felt a little helpless but also very happy inside. "Of course not. You can call me whenever you want. I only meant that if there is an emergency then you should contact me right away and not try to solve everything on your own. Don't overwork yourself, Dalia."
"Okay. I won't. And, have a pleasant trip, Lucien." The woman's voice now sounded very happy and satisfied.
"Okay. Bye, Dalia. I'll call you when I get there."
Zhu Xiwang put the phone down and stared up at the sky. He was lost in thought. *Sigh* 'Thirteen years! Has it really been that long? After thirteen long years, I'm finally going back. Watch out, China, here I come!'
