7 The 5 Year Plan

That night, Carl didn't go to bed until 3 AM. He was thinking about his situation and what he could do to turn it around. He had five years to build himself, he wasn't sure if five years was enough time to build his empire but he had to start from some where.

Since he had gotten his necessities, he knew he no longer had to work at the car wash. He would start job-hunting on Monday, sending his resumé to different companies. He would work for the company for a while, save enough money to invest in the stock market and then acquire some businesses.

If there was something he was sure of, it was that he needed power to go against his parents. Not that he really cared, but he felt responsible to get back his mother's assets from them. He owed that much to her, it was his fault to begin with, if only he had told her. As for his father's company, he wasn't really interested in having it. Somehow, he was glad he was kicked out, good riddance to bad rubbish. Apart from that, he needed to make connections with the underworld. It would come in handy in the future. Even though he didn't want to mix both sides, he has come to realize you can't really depend on the law to protect you.

And just in case his father had people watching him, he would continue living with Kim and working in the company and even if he acquires a lot of businesses, he would only work behind the scenes.

He spent the bulk of the night expanding his plan and reminiscing. His revenge starts now, slowly, but surely, he'll reclaim his mother's properties and make his father and stepmother regret their actions.

Morning came, Carl was exhausted but he agreed the previous day was well spent. He was about entering the room but realized Kim was still asleep and it would be inappropriate, so he laid down on the couch, a few seconds later, he dosed off. Almost an hour later, Kim came out in her PJs. She went to the kitchen area to prepare breakfast, Carl was still sleeping. She sat on the center table admiring him, he was handsome, he had full brows his lashes were sparse and long like some factory doll. His lips were chapped, 'he must be thirsty', she got a glass of water and woke him up.

"Here." She handed him the cup.

Carl who was sleepy became alert once he touched the cold glass.

"Thank you." He gulped down the water.

"Breakfast is ready, come eat."

"I need to use the bathroom first, I'll be out soon."

He brushed, took a shower and got dressed. He remembered he was yet to unpack all the things his brother got him. He decided to do that before breakfast. He smiled when he opened the bags, 'my little brother sure is thoughtful.'

He found five sets of dark coloured suits, five pairs of shoes for formal and casual occasions. He also got him a backpack, an office bag, a phone and a laptop. He began setting up his gadgets. Yesterday when his brother handed the bags to him, he wasn't really paying attention. When he got home, he only opened some bags, he saw some pjs, toiletries and casual wears. He quickly placed everything in the closet. He was really grateful he got all he needed.

He picked up the gadgets and chargers and went to the sitting room. He saw Kim in the kitchen area scrolling through her phone, her food untouched.

"Why didn't you start without me?" He asked. If he had known she was waiting, he would not have delayed.

"Not a problem, I got lost on social media I forgot about food, let's eat." she said.

When she saw the way he ate, she knew he wasn't from an ordinary family. He sat with the correct posture, unlike her, immediately, she straightened up. From the way he held the cutleries, to the way he quietly chewed without spilling anything, she knew someone from the red district couldn't possibly eat that way. They chewed noisily, spilling food here and there, as for posture, it was really bad. They down anywhere, anyhow.

"We should hurry up so we can go to your former place of work." He spoke up only after he was done eating. As she was caught up observing him, she didn't eat much.

"Oh! Right, I totally forgot about that and I'm supposed to start working today." She said, as she hurriedly finished her food and went to take a shower while he cleaned up.

...

With the plan they made earlier, they were able to collect her salary without a hitch. He was too scared about his wife finding out that he quickly asked the accountants to pay her cash. Kim went back home and paid the rent whereas Carl went to the carwash, he worked for a few hours then he went touring the area to get used to it. He walked from the lower province to the middle province. When he toured the red district, he saw how poorly people lived, he was more thankful that he met Kim. What would have happened to him otherwise? Would he have slept outside? He stared at the people lining up to collect free food, he probably would have been amongst them if not for Kim and Ryan.

Remembering the reason he was here, he pushed aside his thoughts. He saw a few people, they looked like locals, so he questioned them about the red district and the different gangs. They knew he wasn't from around, so they warned him about moving around the red district after giving him the needed information.

It was late when he returned home, he cleaned up the place like the previous day.