Laurien Cosmas was visibly disturbed inside the television station as he appeared on the live broadcast. His statement about someone trying to kill him alarmed everyone present, although some suspected he might be suffering from mental issues. What startled them even more was when he confessed to forcefully taking his brother's property and expressed his readiness to return it at any time, stating that if he didn't, someone would end his life forcefully.
His feet were mutilated after all his toes were severed, and even his clothes seemed to have undergone inexplicable wear and tear. A woman poured cold water on him and approached him politely.
"What happened to you?" she asked, as if gently patting him down, causing him to groan in pain. After a moment of regaining his composure, he spoke with a voice filled with excruciating pain, mixed with the coldness of the water he had been doused with. The agony stemmed from the cuts on his toe fingers.
"A few years ago, my brother helped me immensely, not just me but all of us siblings surrounding him. Whenever anyone needed his help, he volunteered, and we were given everything we needed. I was one of the many who benefited greatly from his help. There came a time when I went to live with him, with plans already in my mind."
"Living with him, he treated me as if we were blood brothers, when in fact, it was our fathers who were siblings. During my stay, I planned to observe the surroundings and seize his assets and transfer them to my possession, a plan I executed perfectly."
"I poisoned his wife after finding out where the property documents were kept because she was the only one left at home, and I saw this as a unique opportunity to do so. However, by sheer luck, she survived. I left with everything and then sought out our other three siblings to help me create a case against him and completely ruin him in our world, leaving him a forsaken wretch. We succeeded in this after bribing lawyers and police, and indeed, he ended up losing his mind and disappearing with his family, whom I still don't know the whereabouts of," he explained briefly but enough to convey his intentions. Everyone present was astounded by the man's callousness. Here was a man who had been willing to do everything for you, and yet you were contemplating such retribution? The world wasn't fair.
"Then, how did it come to the point where you're saying someone wants to kill you? And how did you end up in this condition?" the woman who was close to him continued to coax him, still gently patting him down.
For her, there were two main issues at hand: on one hand, she appeared as if she were an excellent person to calm down someone in such a state of distress and managed to get him to speak the truth. On the other hand, their news outlet was about to gain a significant name and go even further by acquiring such a sensational story, but she would also be associated with every place where the incident was broadcast live, as she was the one interviewing the man.
Laurien Cosmas looked at the woman, shaking his head with deep regret.
"I need some water," he spoke hoarsely, his voice trembling with great force, indicating the immense turmoil within him. He drank all the water in the cup he was given, took a deep breath, and moved from where he had been sitting on the floor to a sofa. His mind had now settled, and the pressure had completely subsided.
"Many know me by the name Laurien Cosmas, but my real name is Laurien Hashim, a family name given to me by my parents, which my brother also used. I changed this name after acquiring those properties so as not to face any trouble from anyone. I decided to adopt the name Cosmas, and mentioning it anywhere would automatically associate me with immense wealth in this city and country as a whole. These are not just tales; it's the truth. However, amidst all those properties, none belonged to me; they were all rightfully my brother's," he swallowed and continued.
"After acquiring those properties, my life changed drastically. I even rejected and threatened the siblings I had involved in the plan, warning them not to cross me, as you know, whoever holds the money holds the power, and that's exactly what happened to them. I ended up giving them peanuts while I ruled the world with women," he boasted.
"There's not a beautiful woman in this city whom I haven't slept with because I had the means. I could go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and that enticed every woman, making them dream of spending even a night with me for the sole purpose of gaining wealth. But my life of luxury and indulgence came to an end tonight, which led me to come here seeking help after realizing that defying the demands of the perpetrator could lead me to a gruesome death.
Yesterday evening, I was at a hotel with a woman, and I received a text message on my phone instructing me to return all the properties within 12 hours to the rightful owners. If I couldn't find them, I was supposed to go to the media to seek forgiveness publicly for what I had done. I dismissed it, thinking it was just some scam by city youth who often use online platforms to scam people. I continued with my lavish lifestyle, unaware that death was looming."
"This evening, I was at my home with my guards, and next to me was a very famous woman in town. Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the gate, angering me, and I demanded one of my guards to open it and deal with the intruder. Little did I know things would turn out differently. As soon as the guard opened the gate, I couldn't believe my eyes or whether I was dreaming; his head was smashed against the wall until it snapped," he paused, visibly reliving the horror before continuing.
"I thought it was a genie, but later I realized it was just a man who had covered his face with a black mask, rendering his identity unrecognizable. The guard was already dead. I had five guards, who probably looked like mere metal carriers to him, as they seemed to be of no threat to him. Now there were four guards left, two circling around me, and the other two trailing behind him. Those people were killed in a manner I had never witnessed before in my life.
When you enter my gate, there are iron rods placed near the garden; they block the passage to the ordinary garden area. That man pulled out one of the rods and thrust it into the neck of one of my young guards, who never uttered another word. When his colleague saw this, he tried to run after witnessing the brutality, but he was caught from behind. I think it was a hand that pierced his neck from behind; I don't know what happened, but I think their veins were crossed," he explained, his voice heavy with emotion.