The Black Ocean

Episode 4

ALEX's POV

All players in this game stumbled into every trap I'd meticulously laid out for years. I played the role of a screenwriter, scripting the characters and scenes; all I needed to do was sit back and witness my narrative unfold. Their losses would mirror my orchestration, and their wins would dance to my tune.

I methodically drew each character into the revenge game, orchestrating betrayals as I observed them vanish one by one. I intended to claim all the castles, leaving my adversaries to realize that their apparent victories were veiled defeats.

All that remained was to recline and watch the remainder of the movie. Triumph gleamed in my eyes, my soul smirking with arrogance at the messy game it had conquered.

Valders thrived in a corporation tainted by shady dealings, manipulating and monopolizing the market. Years ago, they had employed the same loathsome tactics to target my father's business. He waged a valiant fight against Valders' founders to prevent the sale of his company to them.

He stood like a solitary figure facing an entire army, unable to bear witnessing his company's demise. Then, one day, he succumbed to a sudden heart attack, leaving behind two motherless children thrust into adolescence. Since that day, nobody spared a thought to those children or how they survived. We were rendered invisible.

While I spun my revenge scheme, they reveled in their dominion, basking in their glory.

I toiled relentlessly to coerce Valders into relinquishing their shares. I bribed every market player, ensuring I remained unnoticed until the final act, when I commenced digging their wells and forging my own army.

In the end, they sold a significant chunk of their shares to me, exactly as planned, at a favorable price. The fabricated news I seeded the week prior to the share sale aided in driving down the price.

It wasn't merely a corporate conquest I sought. Even if I possessed Valders, the seething fury within me wouldn't extinguish, the flames of excruciating pain would endure.

I vowed not to cease until I witnessed the founders of Valders endure the same torment, their families torn asunder. I resolved to enroll in a master's program at the same university as the heirs of Valders, observing them closely for a while. The universe seemed to conspire in my favor. It furnished me with ample leverage, orchestrating my plan so flawlessly that if I had designed it myself, it couldn't have unfolded more beautifully.

On the first day of the semester, a delightful surprise awaited me at school. Blake Brown and her deep, unreciprocated affection for Dorian Williams.

I wouldn't allow an opportunity as straightforward as this to slip by without ensnaring her in my plan. As I approached Blake, intending to greet her, fate intervened, scattering numerous pages across the hallway.

The figure she'd sketched on those pages coincidentally stood before me. Swiftly retrieving the page that had drifted to Dorian's feet, I handed it to her, prompting gratitude to glisten in her beautiful eyes.

Right then, I knew. Blake would be the lead role in my revenge plan.

The stars aligned when I discovered Dorian Williams’ girlfriend. I knew Blair, and I knew her well. Getting close to them wouldn't be much of a stretch. Blair and I were old friends, and she had a past with my brother Kai.

All it took was a casual mention of us being at the same university, and I'd have her attention. Dorian and Blake were having their last hurrah as Valders' heirs. I'd waited years and given up everything to bring them down. Once I took the stage, no one else would bask in the limelight. They'd all be lost in endless darkness.

Fate had laid out the final piece of my revenge plan effortlessly. On that day when Blake and I shook hands, I held onto her hand as if I would never let go. I was set on shattering her until there was nothing left of her heart to break.

Amid my carefully constructed plan, a rush of unsettling emotions stirred within, creating an uneasy sensation I couldn't pinpoint. My mind operated like a strategic chess game, mapping out each move and predicting the final outcome.

She settled onto my lap, the woman whose shattered heart I had witnessed, broken into a million pieces by Dorian Williams right before my eyes.

I reached out tentatively, trying to comfort her by wiping away her tears with a gentle touch.

She had planted a simple, unsure kiss on my lips. Her innocence brought a smile to my face; I held all the cards in this situation.

Pulling her closer, I closed the gap between us. The fragrance of flowers in her hair momentarily silenced the chaos in my mind, calming even the voices in my head.

When our lips met again, it felt like two puzzle pieces fitting together. An odd excitement surged through me, as if it was my first kiss.

When we pulled back, I gazed into her eyes, shimmering in the moonlight. She was the reason behind my turmoil, the cause of all my restlessness.