The Eyes of a God
1202 Words
A steady machine beeped. Julian opened his left eye. The right side of his face was wrapped in thick gauze. The pain was a dull throb.
"The stray dog is finally awake."
Julian turned his head. Chloe stood by the window. She wore a white designer coat. She held a silk tissue over her nose. Arthur Sterling and Marcus Dane stood at the foot of the bed. They wore custom suits.
"Where am I?" Julian asked. His voice cracked.
"A public charity ward," Arthur stated. He leaned on his gold cane. "You cleared our debt. We are not paying for a luxury clinic."
Julian touched his bandages. The memory of the scalpel flashed in his mind. The betrayal settled deep in his chest.
"We need your signature," Chloe said. She threw a stack of papers onto the bed. "Divorce papers. And a strict non disclosure agreement. You will state you lost your eye in a random street mugging. My family is officially severing all financial and legal ties with you today."
"You sold my body to the black market," Julian said. He stared at her.
"So what?," Marcus laughed. He tapped the screen of his silver tablet. "Now sign the papers. Chloe and I are attending the Mayor’s Charity Gala tonight to announce our engagement. We cannot have the press asking questions about her mutilated ex husband."
Julian looked at the cheap plastic pen resting on the blanket. He did not move to pick it up yet.
"I just executed the final transfer, Arthur," Marcus announced. He showed the tablet to the old man, completely ignoring Julian. "Fifty million dollars. The entire liquid reserve of the Sterling group and my own personal trust fund. All leveraged into Zenith Pharmaceuticals short term call options."
"A brilliant move," Arthur praised him. "The margin on those options will be massive."
"The federal medical board approves their new heart medication at noon today," Marcus bragged. He looked directly at Julian to make sure he was listening. "By tomorrow morning, we will triple our net worth. The Dane and Sterling merger will dominate the Crestwood City financial district. Take notes, Julian. This is how a real man provides for his family."
Julian felt a sharp itch deep in his empty right socket. The itch bloomed into a burning pulse. It felt electric. It felt powerful.
He looked at Marcus’s tablet. The air shimmered. A stream of glowing golden text erupted from the screen. The letters floated freely in the air.
[Asset Target: Zenith Pharmaceuticals Corporate Stock]
[Current Market Value: Forty Two Dollars Per Share]
[Estimated Return in Four Hours: Negative One Hundred Percent]
[Catalyst Event: Federal board permanently rejects medication due to fatal side effects. Chief Executive Officer arrested for massive corporate fraud at eleven this morning]
Julian stopped breathing. He closed his left eye. The text vanished instantly. He opened it. The text returned. The glowing letters burned perfectly into his vision. He looked at Chloe’s hand. He focused on her massive diamond engagement ring.
New text materialized over her fingers.
[Asset Target: Engagement Ring]
[Material Composition: Polished Cubic Zirconia and Brass]
[Current Market Value: Thirty Five Dollars]
[Background Note: Purchased at a downtown pawn shop.]
Julian let out a low chuckle. The chuckle turned into a genuine laugh. It echoed loudly in the small hospital room.
"Have you lost your mind?" Chloe asked. She took a step back in disgust. "Stop laughing."
"I am laughing at you, Chloe," Julian said. He picked up the pen. "You destroyed my life to marry a complete fraud."
Marcus stepped forward. His face flushed red with sudden anger. "What did you say to me?"
"That ring," Julian pointed the pen directly at Chloe’s hand. "The one you plan to show off at the Gala tonight. It is entirely fake. It is a thirty five dollar piece of cubic zirconia glued to cheap brass. He bought it at a pawn shop."
Chloe gasped. She looked at her hand. She glared at Marcus. "Marcus? You told me this was a flawless three carat diamond from Belgium."
"He is lying," Marcus stammered. Sweat formed quickly on his forehead. "The beggar is just jealous."
Julian ignored Marcus completely. He looked at Arthur. "And your brilliant new son in law just bankrupted your family. The federal board will reject the Zenith d**g today. The Chief Executive Officer will be arrested for fraud in exactly..."
Julian checked the plastic wall clock.
"Two hours and forty minutes," Julian smiled coldly. "Your fifty million dollars will evaporate. You leveraged everything into a dead company. You are finished."
Arthur turned purple. The veins in his neck bulged against his silk tie. "You know nothing about the market. Zenith is a guaranteed sure thing. The corporate insiders gave us their personal word."
"Insiders lie," Julian said softly.
He brought the pen down to the divorce documents. He signed his name with a swift stroke. He signed the non disclosure agreement. He did not care about the legal threats anymore. They thought they were discarding a piece of trash. They did not realize they had just given him a weapon. They had legally severed their claim to his future wealth.
He threw the signed papers onto the dirty linoleum floor.
"Pick them up," Julian commanded.
His voice held a heavy, terrifying authority. The tone was completely different from the subservient husband they knew. Arthur actually flinched.
"Pick up your garbage and get out of my room," Julian stated flatly.
"You dare speak to me that way?" Arthur yelled. He lifted his cane as if to strike.
Julian did not blink. His left eye gleamed with a faint golden light. "Strike me, Arthur. But know this fact. By noon today, you will be ruined. The Sterling family name will be erased from Crestwood City. And when the creditors come for you, I will not be there to absorb the damage."
Chloe scoffed loudly. She hid her ring hand behind her back. "You are completely pathetic. Let us go, Daddy. The smell of poverty is ruining my clothes."
Marcus glared at Julian. He clenched his fists. "When I see you sleeping on the streets begging for change, I will step on your remaining eye."
"Tick tock," Julian replied.
Arthur snatched the papers off the floor. He stormed out. Chloe and Marcus followed quickly. The heavy door slammed shut.
Julian was finally alone. The hospital room was quiet. He looked at the plastic water cup resting on his bedside table.
[Asset Target: Hospital Grade Plastic Cup]
[Current Value: Two Cents]
Julian smiled. The pain was profound, but his despair was gone. High finance, untouchable billionaires, and complex markets were open books to him now.
He needed capital. He needed a few hundred dollars to make his first move before the Zenith news broke. He threw his legs over the side of the hospital bed. The cold floor hit his bare feet. He stood up. His revenge started today.
- Writer
