THE BILLIONAIRE DOPPELGÄNGER

Chapter4

Chapter 4

The Stranger's visit (the watchman)

It was a quiet morning in Grey shore Village. Unlike the noisy and bustling city Rolland knew,the village woke gently with the flow of nature. The sun could be seen rising slowly from behind the calm lake,giving a beautiful view. Fishing boats swayed against their ropes, and gulls circled lazily in the sky, chirping as if announcing the new day.

Men carried nets toward the shore,while women arranged baskets of fish for the small morning market. The Children were seen chasing crabs that sped between the rocks,a truly calm and peaceful atmosphere.On the contrary,the atmosphere is different inside Old Joe’s small wooden hut, it was gloomy and quiet.

Rolland Brooks lay awake on the bed, his eyes glued to the thatched roof above him,obviously lost in thought. He had barely slept,Each time his eyes closed, the same memories returned. Rufus, stepping forward with the shiny steel knife.

The blade piercing his chest,And the bitter reality, the men he trusted and called friends had decided he should die,even worse,by their hands.

Rolland sighed slowly,The pain from the wounds hurt with every small movement.Thick bandages wrapped around his ribs and abdomen,with strong smell of herbs and salt. As He turned his head gradually,he saw Old Joe sitting by the window grinding herbs in a small stone bowl

With a calm composure as if nothing unusual had happened.

Rolland watched him for a moment,then he spoke feebly.“Good morning.”

Old Joe looked up.

“Shouldn't You be sleeping?”

“I tried.” He answered,as he attempted to shift his body,but an explosive pain hit across his ribs like a sudden wave.that made him groan.

“How long until I can stand?”

Old Joe continued grinding the herbs but replied

“Take it easy young man,rushing will only make it worse.” Rolland murmured, “That wasn’t very encouraging.”Old Joe stopped working and looked directly at him with a serious face.

“You were seriously stabbed thrice and drowned in the sea.The fact that you are breathing today, is encouragement.”That made Rolland to quiet down.staring at the bandages covering his chest,it dawned on him,how close he had gone to death,And the worst part wasn’t the pain,

It was a betrayal.

“They were my friends,” Rolland mumbled.Old Joe didn’t respond to that,

Instead, he poured a dark green liquid into a wooden cup and handed it to Rolland.

“Drink.” he said.Rolland sniffed it and a stench hit his nose causing it to wrinkle.“This smells like revenge.”

“It is medicine.”

“Unfortunately you are right.” Rolland forced a faint smile and drank the liquid.The bitterness was so potent,it nearly made him choke. Quietly,Old Joe watched him,then he spoke.

“You laugh even after barely escaping death.” Rolland quickly wiped his mouth and said.. “I feel if I stopped laughing I might just begin to break things. The Answer seemed to satisfy Old Joe as he nodded his head with satisfaction. “You are right.” Just then,footsteps were heard outside the hut. A shadow appeared in the doorway. As Old Joe looked up,someone stood outside,the man from the lake.Rolland followed his gaze,and immediately felt a strange feeling crawl through him. He recalled the same figure as the one he had seen by the lake the night before. The stranger was in his simple grey robes that moved calmly in the morning wind.His silver hair indicated he was old but his posture was straight and strong. The most striking were his eyes. Deep,sharp,Observant,Almost unsettling. With the pair,he studied Rolland carefully.

“So,you survived.” He said

Rolland frowned.“ Do I owe someone an apology?”

“No.” The stranger replied as he stepped into the hut without asking permission. Old Joe said nothing but watched calmly as he walked closer to Rolland’s bed.

For several moments, he said nothing,observing the wounded man as if studying a puzzle. That made Rolland shift uncomfortably.

“Do I know you?”

“No.”

“ Okay,I know I just returned from the sea but don't stare at me like a strange fish?"

The stranger chuckled softly and said."Men who return from the sea are rarely ordinary.”

Rolland turned his head toward Old Joe and asked..“Is he a friend of yours?”Old Joe shook his head as he answered.“I only met him yesterday.”

Rolland sighed.“Yet he’s already very comfortable visiting wounded folks.”The strange man kept his hands behind his back as he spoke carrying an air of solemnity. “I was curious about you.”

Rolland raised an eyebrow and chipped in."At least that makes the two of us.”

The stranger turned his back facing the exit as he asked Rolland a bizarre question. “Tell me something.”

“Depends on the question.” Rolland said playfully.

“How does it feel to die?” That question immediately snatched the smile off Rolland's face and the room felt colder.“I wouldn’t know.”

Then Old Joe spoke calmly from the window.

“His heart stopped for several seconds.”

“What?”Rolland was shocked to hear that.

The fisherman shrugged.“Briefly.”

Rolland stared at him in disbelief and asked.“Are you telling me I died?”

“Almost.”The stranger nodded thoughtfully.

“Yet you returned.” Rolland was becoming exhausted mentally and physically,he rubbed his forehead and said.“Why do I feel like there's a very weird joke hidden somewhere in this conversation?”The stranger turned and walked toward the window,from where the clear view of the lake could be seen. The smooth surface of the lake reflected the cloudy sky. He suddenly asked.“Do you know what the lake represents?”.

Rolland frowned and answered like it was just a simple question “Water?”.That made Old Joe smiled.The stranger continued calmly.“The ocean is chaos,while the lake is reflection,those who survive chaos must inevitably face their true selves.” He said as he turned to stare at Rolland deeply.Rolland gave him a careful look.“You speak like a sage.” The stranger smiled and said..

“Sometimes,And sometimes like a fortune teller.

“Would you like to know something about your future?”Rolland smiled wearily.“Go ahead,I guess it won't be as painful as a knife stab.The man’s voice grew softer as he began.“You will live double lives.”Those words hung quietly in the air.

Rolland winked. “double lives,do I get to be paid double?”Old Joe gave him a stern look,definitely wondering how carefree the young man is.The stranger ignored the joke.“Your first life came to a close last night.”Rolland’s humor vanished again,then he asked.. “And the second?”

“That depends on the decisions you make.”Rolland laid back slowly as he tried to digest what he heard. “It seems you know my future.”The stranger’s eyes flashed with a deep light.“I know your path will meet with someone very powerful.”Rolland sighed.“Can he pay my rent?” still not taking the whole thing seriously,But the stranger’s next words silenced the room completely.“You shall meet a man who shares your face.”

Rolland frowned deeply."What do you mean stranger?”.The stranger did not answer,Instead, he turned and walked toward the door.“Rest,” he said calmly."For You will need your strength.”

Rolland called after him.“Wait,please may I know who you are?”The man paused and looked back at Rolland “My name is not important.” but Rolland insisted “what then should I call you?”

The man replied after considering the question briefly.“Call me…the watchman.” With that,he stepped outside,and immediately,silence returned to the room.Rolland stared at the door for a long moment.“That was… strange.”Old Joe nodded slightly.“Yes.”

“A man who looks like me,That sounds ridiculous.” He murmured.But Old Joe didn’t respond.Instead, he focused his gaze out toward the lake.Something about the stranger’s words disturbed him,and recalling how the man had spoken with absolute certainty,he sighed deeply.

Almost the same time,far away, along the dark coastal highway leading toward the city…A smooth black car sped through the morning fog. Seated Inside, two men sat at the back seat studying several photos.One photograph showed Rolland Brooks smiling at the factory gate.“Is this him…or him?” the driver asked as he stared at the pictures.The older man smiled,he is the one that is supposed to be dead.he said as he pointed at Rolland's picture.The driver peeped toward the distant sea outside the window.“And you're certain he's dead now?” The older man studied the photograph again before answering quietly.“He’d better be.”

Back in Greyshore Village, Rolland laid on the straw bed with his eyes closed.But the stranger’s words remained clear in his mind...You will meet a man who shares your face.Rolland opened his eyes suddenly.For some unknown reason, the thought kept giving him an anxious feeling.He is yet to know …Far away,Inside a glass office in the city… Anthony Kyle,one of the most powerful billionaires and businessmen in the entire region was seen staring at a screen with an unusual anxiety. At 33, he had built an empire for himself, but with power came enemies. He has just received shocking information from his personal bodyguard. A tablet screen lit up.Anthony Kyle stared at the image displayed.

A man standing beside a quiet lakeshore village.

The man's face was exactly like his.Anthony’s fingers tightened around the device.His voice dropped to a whisper.“…how is this possible?”He zoomed in again,Closer and Closer, there it is,His reflection in the glass… and the man in the photo…Perfectly aligned. With a confused look on his face,he asked himself…

“…If that man is me… then who am I?”