195 - Chapter 195
Extracurricular Story 17.
It was decisive when Bank Street, which controlled the Pulder financial world, judged that Wilhelm Corporation could not overcome its crisis. Bank Street's investors sold off their shares in Wilhelm Corporation, and the stock price plummeted.
The newspapers reported this fact every day, and Wilhelm Corporation even lost the ability to repay its corporate bonds. The company, which had been so prosperous that it was called an empire, collapsed like a castle built without a framework.
The Magic Dome, which the company still owned, had to be sold to Prince Noah and Princess consort Olivia at a bargain price. In that way, Ansen was left with not a single Magic Dome.
"And now they're trying to sell Princess Olivia on top of that."
The president's chuckling laughter turned self-deprecating.
"Well, it's not like I should be laughing, trying to grab that big catch."
He stroked his rough chin and picked up the newspaper he was using as a coaster for his coffee cup. He turned a page, and as if on cue, a photo of Princess Olivia and Crown Prince Usher on their tour appeared. This isn't Herot, so they couldn't put Crown Prince Herot and the Princess consort on the front page, so they put it on page 3. And it was a large photo, taking up almost half the page.
More beautiful than most actors, a tragically pitiful childhood, and then a fairy-tale love story with a Prince.
"That's enough, but..."
Now she has acquired such immense wealth and power that even the King of Herot has to take a step back? And she did it herself?
"I'm so curious. I'd buy a book about the Princess consort written by Ansen Wilhelm, I would." "If I had known this would happen, I should have read Ansen Wilhelm's manuscript, I should have."
The employee lamented, grabbing his head.
"Then you would have met Meson Loktar."
That day, the sun was blazing madly all day long. The media talked about how dangerous heatstroke was every day, saying obvious things like drink a lot of water and don't be in direct sunlight from this time to that time, as if it were a new thesis.
It was impossible to do anything during the day, so he started working after the sun went down.
The sizzling ground heat, the humid sea breeze, the buzzing mosquitoes. It was a summer night with all sorts of unpleasant conditions, but to the president, who held Ansen Wilhelm's manuscript in his hand, it felt like a beautiful and refreshing night.
The height of success was in sight. This was bound to sell. The truth of the content didn't matter.
Ansen had titled the manuscript <Olivia of Pulder>, but well. It feels long and boring. <Olivia> would be better.
The cover should be a silhouette drawing that reminds everyone of Princess Olivia.
Good, good.
Satisfied, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, and a cigarette smell that wasn't his own mixed in with the hazy smoke. Wondering what it was, he turned his head, and the president felt his vision literally darken.
His heart raced, goosebumps spread down his spine, and cold sweat poured out like water. All of these reactions happened in a matter of seconds.
Hadn't he locked the door? Even if the door wasn't locked, he hadn't heard any noise.
The man standing crookedly in the doorway stared at him silently and raised his index finger to his lips.
Shhh.
Then he leisurely smoked his cigarette. The end of the cigarette burning red in the darkness felt like his lifeline. The corners of his mouth, holding the cigarette, twisted up cruelly.
Will he kill me after he finishes smoking that cigarette?
He couldn't breathe in the face of the ever-tightening fear, but the man dropped his cigarette on the floor. He stepped on the cigarette in a very perfunctory manner and walked towards him. He grinned at the president, who was trembling like an aspen.
"Who are you, why did you come, I'm going to call the police." "..." "You must have a lot to say, but you're not saying anything..."
The man, dragging out the end of his sentence, leaned over, resting his hands on the desk. The eyes staring under the gaslight were a strange gray.
"Our president, I guess you've done something wrong?" "Wh, wh, wh, wh..." "Who am I? Me? Would you know if I told you? Oh, maybe you would?" "..." "Have you heard of Meson Loktar?"
He grinned and casually dragged a metal chair over and sat down across from him. Then he took the manuscript in the president's hand and began to flip through it.
Ah... this wasn't a big catch, it was a disaster that would bring a school of Coelacanth. I was blinded by money and gave up my life.
He realized too late why Ansen Wilhelm had come to him, bypassing the large publishing houses with headquarters in the downtown area.
"This bastard is still trying to tear apart Her Highness until the end."
The man, Meson Loktar, sighed and put the manuscript down. He definitely saw him put it down, but there was a gun in the president's mouth. The cold metal touched the tip of his tongue. The rough force gripping his chin, the cold gray eyes that looked like they would shoot a bullet into his throat and laugh about it. No, maybe he would frown if blood splattered and made him dirty.
Tears began to flow.
Then Meson Loktar frowned.
"Are you crying?" "..." "People always pee when they cry like that." "Sa, sa, sa, save m..."
Saliva flowed between the slurred pronunciations.
Meson Loktar looked at the clear saliva wetting his hand with displeasure, then took the gun out very nonchalantly. It was like watching children playing. He rubbed the saliva-covered back of his hand and the gun on the president's shoulder and said casually.
"Okay, Mr. President. Don't pee and listen carefully."
The president nodded desperately.
"Yes, yes." "You know you can't publish it, of course." "Yes." "Copy this exactly. Don't leave out a single word. Let's see... I'll come to pick it up at midnight the day after tomorrow. Midnight between the day after tomorrow and the day after that." "Ah, ah, ah." "Don't stutter. Until when?" "The day after tomorrow. Midnight the day after tomorrow." "You know it's a secret, right?" "Yes, of, of course."
He stretched languidly like a wolf stretching its back, then turned around leisurely. As he did so, he muttered about how he thought he was going to die from the Pulder sun and left the building. Through the open window, he could hear the conversation he was having with the building manager.
"I haven't seen you before, where are you from?" "I'm from the Elion Province. Oh, the capital is too hot." "Elion? Oh my, you've come from far away. Don't even mention it. You can't even walk around in the middle of the day." "I know. Take care not to get heatstroke, sir. I think I got the address wrong, this doesn't seem to be the place. I'll be going now." "You're unusually affable for a young man these days. Go in carefully!"
The president felt like he had a dream with his eyes open. But the cigarette butt that Meson Loktar had thrown away was still there by the door.
"...Th, the day after tomorrow at midnight."
Driven by the fear of death, the president frantically moved his pen.
As if the guest of a midsummer night had not been a nightmare, Meson Loktar came to visit the president at midnight the day after tomorrow as promised. He flipped through the handwritten copy that the president handed over, then handed over a thick wad of money with a more polite attitude than before.
"I apologize for putting the gun in your mouth for a moment. There were no bullets. This is compensation." "..." "If you refuse well, you'll get more compensation. At least enough to move from this shabby place to a decent building." "...Yes?" "If you don't conspire with Ansen Wilhelm behind the scenes, you won't see me again, so don't worry and live your life."
The president closed his eyes and recalled that night.
He hears the employee's excited voice.
"By the way, Mr. President! When are we moving to 5th Avenue? Did you know that there's a really famous donut shop right next to the building you mentioned?"
The president grinned and opened his eyes.
The fear of that day evaporated the moment he saw the new office in a clean, new building. The president lit Ansen's contract on fire and threw it into the metal trash can.
"Buy one for you and one for me every morning." "Coffee too?" "Yeah."
The employee giggles.
It was an evening with an incredibly beautiful, slowly spreading sunset.
