I, looking through all the CCTV cameras that I've hidden everywhere in the town, ignites my curiosity.
I'm in my office, on my black leather chair infront of my large maroon wooden desk that has glass top stacked with expensive cigars, ashtrays and an old photograph of myself. I'm Sitting with my legs crossed and hands clasped behind my head staring at the screen clipped on the wall.
I had a feeling that this day would come.
I might say, genes really do have a strong impact, it kindles a thirst for power.
As I kept wondering, I kept tapping my fingers on the table in wonders, when I saw Victor is standing on the right side of my office infront the enternce.
"What brings you here Victor?" I ask.
"Sir, forgive the intrusion, but a crisis of monumental proportions has erupted, involving the Erdoğans."
Ah I see, the competitors.
"What about them?" I said, still taping my fingers.
"I've received word from our sources in Ankara—" His mouth left opened as I cut him mid sentence.
"Though I really thought you were going to enlight me about those boys, the authenticate background verification that I asked you to do." My sight's still on the screen.
"I didn't thought you'd think of them as necessary." Victor justifies himself.
"I would get straight to it once—"
"Now what were you saying about the Erdoğans?" I interpreted him mid sentence again,
I abhor gabbling.
"I- uhm" victor clears his throat, further notifying.
"Our sources indicate that the Erdoğans are executing a bold strategy to ascend to an unprecedented level of dominance, one that could potentially overshadow our own interests."
My finger stopped taping. "As in?"
"As in their sell might increase in the forthcoming days, potentially even higher than us. You told us to gather information about them, so I did a thorough check in.
It turned out our recent shipment was damaged or worse deliberately sabotaged, delayed on purpose, and with our next shipment being assigned next year, it will severely impact our supply chain, jeopardizing our relationships with our valued clientele. Sir you're aware how small town people are like, desperate and needy for a little sense of relief. We get them what they desire the most, and we make profit out of it. However, if we fail to rectify this situation, we risk losing our customer base to the Erdoğans"
"Hm I see, so we make an alignment with them." I suggest but Victor's lips rolls inward to my suggestion.
"Sir I'm afraid that won't be possible since we've harmed their men." Here comes the pause "Several times" he said.
I smirk because I myself killed them with my own bare hands.
"Than we steal" I lift my eyes up to him
"Steal what exactly sir?"
"We steal their reason of sell" I say as calm as one can be.
"How are we going do that sir? Do you have something in your mind in particular?" I like how Victor is always at extreme put together all the time, must be exhausting.
Perhaps there will be an occurrence of some sudden changes.
An expert won't do much for us than a rookie. It's not experience that bow down to us, its desperation.
It is always the need to have something leading to risky dares of life,
Never the want of it.
"Call for a meeting right now, gather everyone" I ordered.
. . . .
I entered the staff meeting room, everyone of our management council are here, at their place, seated around a large rectangle glass conference table, looking at the projector screen up in front of them where Victor is standing. I walk through the entrance, and everyone stood up to greet me. I make myself comfortable on my chair, and light up my cigar as soon as I sat down.
It's admiring how these people give their everything in order to please me.
Pathetic, Yet amusing. How their lives are a matter of my command, and my command only. I provide these men to be forever grateful to bow me, and if they forget, I know exactly how to make them remember. My lips lift up from the corners to the thought of me having that power over them.
"Tell me what is and what is not new Victor." My order made everyone stiffened for more focus.
"Sir, Erdoğan according to what I've heard—"
"I need conformation not accusations, we are professional. Don't forget Victor." I cut him mid sentence because what exactly does he mean by he heard?
Heard is a word for adjusters, we don't compromise, we fit ourselves in, weather or not needed.
I need to be sure at all cost.
"I do not like or want such blunder behaviors in my meeting." I say to clear it up to them.
"Better understood sir." Victor continues.
"Let me start by the very beginning, our shipments were supposed to be delivered last tuesday with the Erdoğans, but the cliche thing about this event is that somehow our shipment was damaged and misguided whereas theirs arrived at time. What are the odds they're not behind it? Its obvious we've been the most earning in our area, always have been and that's not something everyone would like, specially the Erdoğans."
"So your point is?" Jawad raised himself. Jawad is our consigliere, an advisor. He gathers information and conducts surveillance.
"My point Jawad, Is that they've envied us for a long time now and they'd do anything to bring us down because it us obvious that our loss is their profit, they're delaying or destroying our goods to stop us from making more advantages." Victor explained the situation further.
"So what are you thinking to prevent this loss from happening?" Nimra questioned Victor. Nimra is our finance manager, responsible for money laundering, extortion and financial crimes.
I remain silent, I let Victor speak as I've discussed thoroughly with him already. I am just here for the last agreement that will be made in the presence of everyone.
Not that I need anyone to agree on. I make my own decision, its just for show, to make them think they have a say in this so they stay glued here, its politics, nothing personal. In the end I do what I want and that is always final.
"As per discussed, we are not going to make a present outcome, we are going to let them think they got to us."
"They have directly challenged us, why can't us?" Mustafa fixed his glasses. Mustafa oversees day-to-day activities, such as racketeering.
"Because we can't prove it was them, if we do so, our actions will start a disturbance that'll create a conflict which most likely will be a way worse deficiency to us. They'll have their backups, we won't. That'll be pure doltishness if we act upon It that way. They won't know its us, So once they're transporting the rare goods from the central port to their personal port, we will be stealing theirs in between that time period."
"In disguise, you mean?" Nimra raised in motion.
"Precisely" Victor said.
"We can't go ourselves to this operation, can we? we will be recognised." Jameel pointed to the chart. Jameel is an enforcement, he handles violence, intimidation, and discipline.
"So what do you suggest?" Mustafa turned to Jameel. "We may have to hire someone else for this operation"
"Why hire a new when we can do it in disguise?" Jawad slouch back.
"Then they'd know it was someone from the hub, that'd make the operation obvious." Nimra smartly slides in. I see Jawad constantly looking at Nimra and even bumped her shoulder before Nimra changed her seat, it is obvious she's avoiding him.
"And they'd get in depth to further figure out who were under the masks, which is why we need a new." Mustafa stated
Jawad rolled his eyes, sighing when others expressed their opinions.
"He's right, someone who is younger, quicker and wiser, it's not like we can't do it, we've been on it since forever, but if we don't hope to get caught that's the only option I can think of, lets think of them as pawn, bait." Another agreed with Nimra.
"Jawad" I called him, my voice deep and stiff, that it echoed.
Everybody stopped talking, and turned their heads to me.
"If I see you near any female employe one more time, I will make sure you don't even get to think of touching her again" I said, everyone got paused hesitantly, looking at me.
"Continue" I said, crossing my leg, one on another. Jawad begin looking down at feet. Good.
"I uhm yes" Mustafa sat still. "We were saying we need someone duplicitous and cunning for this task as a bait in order to not lose our men even if caught."
"You mean someone who is desperate enough to risk their lives for money?" Victor looked over at me, I nod and let out smoke of my cigar.
The rules of the fate, always fascinates me.
"Now what were their names again victor? The boys that showed up yesterday?"
. . . .
"Sir may I?" Victor entered in my office after I gave him permit. Its been a hour since our meeting ended on the terms of everyone's agreement.
"Show me what you got." I slid my eyelids from the window to victor.
"Ifan deniz, son of late Ibrahim deniz, he's a 17 year old kid who lives in the custody of his blood related uncle, with his younger sister Ayat deniz and Samiullah Ahmed Yilmaz, son of Sarfraz Ahmed yilmaz."
"Repeat that again?" My nostrils flared, I guess the saying is true, your past always finds a way to crawl back at you.
"So they aren't brothers?"
"They don't share their last names so I'm assuming they're not."
"Then what made them live together, what happened to his family?"
"His parents, both died in an accident, his father lost his life in a car accident that got caught on fire and he lost his mother in a accident that occurred in their house."
"What occurred at their house?" I ask.
"Their house was burnt down to ashes."
"Poor child" my lip loosened.
Victor cleared his throat.
"Do you by any chance know what you're doing sir?"
My eye tweaked at his unnecessary question.
"Did I gave you permission to ask for questions, about me? Did I victor?"
"Apologies sir" his face turned pale, as if expecting to be okay.
"Granted" I light my cigar up in between my two fingers and put in my mouth.
"Now I want you to get to their house immediately tomorrow and approach them, tell them to come by next Friday and we'll discuss more later."
"Understood sir."
I turn my chair's direction back to the window as I let out more of my cigar's smoke. I released a deep sophisticated sigh.
It had a purpose.
Have faith in fate, they say.
But all I hear is curse, and a tale of misfortune.