"So you see… we're here to end your lives," Hector muttered, his voice soaked in sadistic glee, a twisted smile curling on his lips like a serpent's grin.
And somehow, this wasn't being treated with the seriousness it demanded?
Was this not, by every definition, a catastrophic problem?
"Easy peasy, right? So tell me, gentlemen, who's going first?"
That expression, the wild glint in his eyes, and the ecstatic anticipation painted the perfect portrait of a man who thrived on suffering. Hector wasn't just dangerous; he was deranged. The kind of sadist who wouldn't simply strike to kill, but savour every ounce of agony he could draw from another.
"Can I ask… who sent you? And why are you doing this?" Ramprandt asked, rising to engage the lunatic with a calculated tone.
He had to understand. There had to be logic behind this madness, more than empty bloodlust.
"Who?" Hector echoed thoughtfully, tapping his chin as though recalling a name from a list of dinner guests. "Hmm… I suppose it's only fair you know who ordered your death. I mean, if I were about to be snuffed out, I'd want to know why, too."
He let the moment hang, dangling the answer like bait on a hook.
"Anyone here familiar with a certain… Sebas…"
He paused, uncertainty flashing across his face, as though the name teetered on the edge of his memory.
"You mean Mister Sebastian?" Rembrandt interjected, connecting the dots faster than Hector could.
"Yeah, that guy," Hector confirmed with a satisfied nod. "Apparently, someone disrespected him. Something about crossing a line or stepping where they weren't welcome. Long story short, he rang me up and asked for a little... cleanup. His exact words? Make sure they don't live to see the light of day. His words, not mine."
He shrugged with an air of false innocence.
"Now that we've cleared that up? Who, what, and why you'll understand why your deaths are… well, mandatory. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a busy schedule. So, can we get on with it?"
Ramprandt could scarcely believe it. Over a business misunderstanding?
He stared at Hector, then back at Eric, trying to make sense of it all. His mind, trained for negotiation and strategic dealings, could not grasp the absurdity of dying over a petty vendetta.
"He wants me dead because of a business dispute?" The disbelief in his voice couldn't have been more apparent. "That's utterly insane."
But what choice did he have?
He turned to Eric, his last hope in this twisted nightmare.
"Eric… what's your take on this?"
He trusted Eric's strength. Believed in him. That trust was the very reason he walked the world so freely, flanked by only one bodyguard. He knew that where Eric stood, danger recoiled.
So, when Eric finally spoke, Ramprandt braced for reassurance.
"Not good," Eric admitted bluntly.
That response, so simple, so jarring. It rattled him more than any of Hector's threats. If even Eric saw no favourable outcome, then what chance did they have?
Eric, the man who exuded confidence with every breath, now admitting the stakes were beyond his comfort?
That could only mean one thing.
They were in real trouble.
"Excuse me," Marvelous called out, stepping forward with measured poise.
"Yes, you, pretty lady," Hector purred, gesturing for her to speak.
"This Sebastian you mentioned," she began cautiously, choosing her words with surgical precision. "I've never met the man. I don't know him, and I have no connection to him in any form."
Hector raised a brow, intrigued. "What are you getting at, sweetheart?"
"I'm saying this situation doesn't involve me. I'm merely caught in the crossfire of a misunderstanding. I believe, for the sake of fairness, you should let me go."
Her voice held no tremor, only the smooth cadence of someone who'd navigated boardrooms and high-stakes negotiations. She was presenting her case like a seasoned tycoon arguing terms.
And she wasn't wrong.
Her presence here was pure coincidence. Eric and Ramprandt could've been attacked anywhere. Her penthouse just happened to be the unfortunate venue.
"Right, right. That you are," Hector replied, his grin sharpening. "Caught in the wrong place at the worst possible time."
"To prove my good faith, I'm even willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Something binding. I'll swear never to speak of this to anyone, ever."
Now that was a pitch only a business mogul could make. A calculated move to prove her value while protecting her own skin.
But then again, in the world they all swam in the corporate jungle, the rules were brutal. Tycoons devoured the weak and equal conspired against one another for dominance. If you had nothing to offer, you had no seat at the table.
Marvelous Kennedy understood that. She didn't just survive in that world, she thrived in it.
And now, she was doing what she did best: negotiating for her life.
Hector seemed genuinely impressed.
"Well now, that's a very clever proposition. I have to admit, I didn't expect such tactical finesse. Kudos to you, Miss Kennedy."
But then his expression shifted, and Ramprandt could see the storm rolling in behind those gleaming eyes.
"But you see…"
There it was.
"I wasn't just asked to take out these two," Hector continued, voice light as a breeze but deadly in its delivery. "You're on the list, too."
Marvelous froze, blindsided.
"What? But I told you, I have no affiliation with Sebastian—
"Oh, don't worry," Hector interrupted, waving her off. "This order didn't come from him. This one's from another client. According to them, you've been stirring the pot in the business world a bit too much. You're becoming a problem."
So that was it.
Not collateral damage. Not an innocent caught in the crossfire.
She was a target.
A threat to someone else's empire. And this was how they'd chosen to resolve it. Not with lawsuits or boardroom battles, but with cold-blooded assassination.
Apparently, her rising influence in the designer and hospitality industries had ruffled the wrong feathers.
Competition might be celebrated publicly but behind closed doors? The truth was far less honourable. When someone clawed their way too high, too fast, the vultures gathered. The narrative of fair rivalry was just a façade.
And now, Marvelous found herself cast out from her illusion of safety.
She had offered silence in exchange for survival. Had even been willing to witness Ramprandt and Eric's deaths, as long as hers could be avoided.
But now that she stood in their shoes, what would she do?
Could she really look to Eric for help, the same man she was ready to leave behind just moments ago?
The balance had shifted. The deal she'd thought she'd struck no longer existed. The rules had changed, and now she was playing catch-up.
Marvelous Kennedy the empire-builder, the titan of industry was reduced to just another name on a hit list.
So now what?
What was her next move?
Go on, Marvelous. Make your choice.