Mending ✔︎ - BWWM ~ (By @RachJoyy7)

31 ~ Guilty

Alessio

Oakshire was a very successful lumber industry in the city. They had few reserved lands and I was more than shocked to find out from Carl himself that he now owned one of them. It came along with a warehouse that was abandoned by the CEO of Oakshire after he lost interest in dealing with shipping services. The land, abundant with teak trees, was only a few acres wide and in complete isolation.

Carl had his three hulking men, armed with rifles, tie Caleb and I tightly in kindergarten-sized chairs which were also fastened to a few rusted storage racks in the warehouse. They also seized our phones. Something sharp pierced my back but that wasn't an issue to care about.

My eyes held all the questions and Carl saw it. I was going to get my answers sooner like I expected.

"Remember when I used to talk about being the world's next top billionaire? That I'll one day run the biggest business magazine and overtake Forbes? So that I'm the only one on top of everything? Remember you laughed so hard, your food came right out your nose? Come on, don't pretend. It's only been ten? Twelve years? I don't know."

So that's what this is all about. "Oh come on, Carl. I never doubted you for a second! You're really smart and you know violence isn't always an option."

"You're right. Violence doesn't have to belong in a list of alternatives to be considered as an option. It should be the only way."

"Carl."

"I like that you realize I'm smart. Smart enough to find out you cleverly kept a whopping amount of the money we stole to yourself! Now tell me, who summoned violence first? You or me?!"

"Carl, I-" How was I going to explain myself? We'd agreed before on an amount that we thought was enough to help us start over. However, I had gone behind his back, in agreement with the hacker we had hired, to take much more money.

"I was planning on reviving the orphanage. I knew you wouldn't agree because you always hated that place, that's why I didn't tell you. What we went through over there should never continue with any other innocent kid. When this opportunity came, I had to grab it."

"And be the hero of the day. Load of crap is what you're telling me. A whole load of nonsense!" Carl applauded after his words. I examined him, clearly spotting the wordless signals he was giving about his true identity. And I could properly see through him now: He didn't want to be seen in the background. Upfront was more his style, and no friend or foe was going to come in his way. All he did and all he ever lived for was to achieve his dreams. He wasn't one to afford unprofitable distractions.

I could not believe I thought of making this kind of person my best man.

I was hurting.

"Did you fake it all from the beginning?"

He turned to me. "And what if I did? What are you going to do about it? Cry?"

"Can you just tell us why you have us tied up like this?! It's obvious it's money you want. All that's in that briefcase-"

"Shut up! I know the money in it is fake. Now, let us have our moment," Carl scolded Caleb, much to his irritation. That didn't shut up the young guy nevertheless. He was a lawyer after all, arguments were part of his life.

"I'm not gonna shut up after I'm done expressing myself. I. Don't..." He stopped to look steadily at my ex-favorite person for a while. "Don't shoot me, ok?" he continued. "Whatever issue you two pals have going, please don't involve me in any of it. You know what, I won't even work on this case anymore. I'll return all fees taken so far and stay away from you all."