CHAPTER Three
Writer's POV (Flashback)
The sun rose slowly over the bustling city, casting a warm golden glow across the crowded streets and lively markets. Hidden within the noise and movement was a quiet, luxurious café—an oasis for the elite.
Seated near the window was William, a powerful and well-respected businessman. Across from him sat his childhood friend, Alex, while beside him was his young son. The three shared a calm moment, sipping coffee and exchanging light laughter.
William trusted Alex completely. After all, they had grown up together—brothers in everything but blood.
But something changed.
Mid-conversation, Alex's smile faded. His once warm expression turned cold, his eyes dark and unreadable. William noticed it immediately, a faint unease creeping into his chest. Still, he brushed it aside, assuming it was nothing more than stress.
He was wrong.
"You're getting too close to the top, William," Alex said quietly, his voice now void of warmth. "You're making too many enemies… Someone needs to take you down a peg."
The words struck like ice.
William froze, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard. His instincts screamed at him to move, to run—but his body refused to obey.
"Alex…?"
Before he could react further, Alex reached into his pocket.
In a split second, everything changed.
A knife flashed under the café lights—then plunged deep into William's side.
Pain exploded through his body.
William gasped, his strength fading almost instantly as blood began to soak his clothes. The world around him blurred, voices fading into distant echoes.
"Run…" he whispered weakly, his trembling hand reaching toward his son. "Son… run away… I'll be fine…"
But he already knew he wouldn't be.
He collapsed to the floor, his life slipping away with every passing second. His thoughts filled with one haunting question:
Why?
Why would Alex—the one person he trusted above all else—betray him like this?
His son's scream shattered the moment.
"DAD!!"
The boy cried out desperately, his voice filled with fear and heartbreak. But no one in the café moved. No one helped.
It was as if… everything had been planned.
Tears streamed down the boy's face as he looked at Alex, his small body trembling. His eyes burned with pain, hatred, and a silent promise of revenge.
Without saying a word, he turned and ran.
Alex watched him go, his expression completely void of emotion.
Looking down at William's lifeless body, he muttered coldly,
"You should have stayed out of my way."
Then he turned and walked out, disappearing into the busy streets as if nothing had happened.
Inside the café, the customers continued their conversations, laughing and chatting as though no tragedy had occurred. William's body lay motionless on the cold floor—ignored, forgotten.
An hour later, a group of masked men entered silently.
Without hesitation, they lifted William's body and carried it outside. A black van waited.
Within seconds, they were gone—vanishing into the city as quickly as they had appeared.
As if William had never existed.