A Tall Glass of Revenge

Chapter 2

Two weeks after the media scandal, Liam was found dead in his apartment.

Mathias stepped out into the open sun from Imperial Heights HQ building in dire haste, where he was bombarded by the flashes of light from the cameras and the journalists waiting outside. His bodyguards surrounded their huge-framed bodies around Mathias and his secretary, shielding them.

“Mr. Cooper!”

“Is Liam Cooper dead?!”

“Can you confirm if it was suicide or murder?”

“Do you think it is a prank?!”

“How do you feel as a father, going through this barely two weeks after the heir scandal?”

The questions were relentless, and Matthias made no effort to give answers. His expression was set in stone, his mouth in a hard, thin and straight line.

They made their way through the hyperactive crowd, finally approaching a sleek black limousine that glittered in the sunlight. Mathias and his secretary settled in, and they drove out of the premises, leaving behind an array of unsatisfied journalists.

As the limousine headed towards Liam's apartment, Mathias clasped his hands together and bent forwards with his head down, lost in deep thought.

Liam had phoned him two days ago, to lay a death threat. He had ordered for him to be named heir, otherwise he would do something drastic– taking his own life. Matthias had dismissed this threat, because Liam was a young man who had loved the life he lived, and would never think of taking his own life over a trivial issue.

He had completely forgotten about Liam till Anna had phoned him incessantly thirty minutes ago. A friend of Liam's had come to visit him, as he had isolated himself from his group of friends without any sole reason.

After pushing the doorbell button for a moment, and tried to contact him, but to no avail, he had approached the receptionist to confirm his whereabouts– as Liam's car was still parked in the apartment building.

The receptionist confirmed that Liam had signed in two days ago, but hadn't left. After confirming from Amber and Adrian that they hadn't spoken to him in two weeks, the receptionist panicked, and used the spare card to open Liam's apartment door.

What they had found made them retch. Liam's corpse was sprawled on the floor in his bedroom, and huge puddles of dried blood were seen underneath his both wrists, revealing open dried slits on them.

The apartment staff had called Anna first as part of a confidentiality contract. Mysteriously, the incident had gotten to the media, creating a wide buzz.

The limousine veered off the main road into a well laid out street. The Wallstone Avenue housed wealthy CEOs and business individuals who paid exorbitant prices for luxury penthouses and apartments. The streets were lined with tall trees, boutiques, designer stores and mini marts.

As the limousine braked and turned into the familiar driveway, made of cobblestone strips– the long line of cop cars, ambulance crews and press vans caught Mathias’ attention.

Mathias hurried out of his vehicle, just in time to meet the paramedics pulling a body bag on a stretcher towards the ambulance van. They paused when they saw him, bowing their heads in sympathy.

Unable to control himself, Matthias opened the body bag, and the lifeless eyes of his son stared at the sky. There was a slight pungent odor emanating from the bag. His corpse had already begun to decay.

“How long?” Mathias implored suddenly, his voice raspy and full of emotion.

“From our observations, we think two days maximum. He's been dead for a while now.” The chief paramedic answered him, adjusting his mask over his nose. Matthias went completely silent, staring at the corpse.

“Cause of death?” Julius asked, taking over for Matthias.

“The autopsy would confirm that. There are various factors that will be considered.”

Mathias nodded and let them go. He hurried into the building, to Liam's apartment.

The apartment had four rooms combined–a kitchenette, a living room, a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom. Each room was tastefully furnished in wild and extravagant tones of the color red, in addition to glasswares and artifacts, which demonstrated his son's taste in Luxury.

In the vast living room, Anna enfolded Amber in a bear hug as she wept uncontrollably in her arms. Adrian sat on the sofa, hugging himself with both arms– with a glum and sober look. Lisa Williams, Anna's best friend, stood by the floor-ceiling windows, gazing at the chaotic sight of journalists and cops below.

Anna released her daughter from her arms as the sight of the tall frame of Matthias came into view. She moved towards him furiously, and instantly, Lisa came between them, pulling an incensed Anna away from a surprised Matthias.

“The boy called you!” Anna yelled, her breathing coming off in short sharp huffs. “You could have given him the company, Matthias! Have you seen what you have done?!”

“Calm down, Anna. You are making a damn scene,” Lisa hissed at Anna, giving Mathias an apologetic look. Amber and Adrain looked on, their worried eyes darting between each other.

“My son loved his life,” Mathias stated coolly, his hands balled into fists. “To take his life was something a Cooper would never have done. He chose his own path, Anna.”

“Chose his own path?” Anna asked harshly, an incredulous look on her face. Lisa gave Anna an exasperated look, still trying to keep her from breaking free from her grasp. Lisa knew that Anna was about to burst.

“Face the truth Matthias. When you brought that baby into this household, we all loved him, and treated him like he was my son. It didn’t take long for him to find out how he came into this world,” Anna paused to take in a sharp breath.

Amber had left palmed her face.

“Liam suffered discrimination in all stages of his life, even from our family. That was unknown to you because of your ego, and your thick- headed assumption that the ‘Coopers’ are invincible.”

Matthias' eyes narrowed into slits, which made Julius take two steps away from him. He emitted a furious and dangerous aura, which made Anna gulp in the air down her throat. She was safe here, and their kids were present. He wasn't going to try anything stupid– the media would have it all out there in a second. She ignored him and continued.

“You fell out with Adrian all those years ago for whichever reason, and you had an absurd idea to introduce your youngest, and discriminated son into the family business to spite Adrian. I argued vehemently over it with you, but you didn't listen. He gave you ten years. He sacrificed his teenage years and dreams to become what you wanted. I knew the day would come when he would ask for his reward, and you couldn't even give it to him?”

“Watch what you say,” growled Matthias furiously, and Anna instantly stepped back. Adrain stood up from the couch and came in between his parents, giving a warning glare to his father.

“You do what you have to do, dad. You are finished here.” He spoke, a warning edge to his tone. Matthias understood and glanced at each of the faces that stared at him in fear in the room. He strolled elegantly to the bedroom, Julius scampering behind him. Everyone except Adrain heaved a huge sigh of relief.

The police had sealed off Liam's bedroom with bright yellow tapes, in anticipation for the forensic department to collect their samples, in the case that Liam's death was proved to be murder. Matthias conversed in low tones to the officer in charge, while Julius looked on.

After a few moments, the forensic department arrived in their yellow uniforms, and got to work. With their scalpels and blunt tweezers in hand, they scraped and picked up samples of dried blood, hair, and other materials that could serve as evidence, storing them separately into plastic containers.

Matthias remained till the entire apartment was cleaned out. By the time he got to the living room, his family had exited the apartment. He laid down on the couch and stared out the window, lost in his thoughts. Night had fallen, and it was a breathtaking view of the city from the windows, the window pane of buildings reflecting the stars that shone brightly above them.

As he stepped outside to his limousine under the black night sky, Matthias could feel the harsh breeze wrap around him, as if to choke him unforgivingly. When the limousine had driven out from the apartment building onto the streets, a single drop of tear rolled down from Matthias’ eyes.

Unknown to them, they had driven past a black Mercedes sedan, which was parked across the tarred street.

The glass window on the driver's side of the car slid down slowly, revealing a blonde-haired driver. A dark gypsy aura surrounded her features. As she stared at the vanishing tailights of the retreating limousine, a sinister smile spread across her full red lips.

Phase one. Complete.